Page 25 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

“Of course!” Mary chimed in. “It’s not far—only a few miles to her valley. If the Moonlights are distracted by the Alpha’s return, we should be able to be gone and back before anyone misses us.”

“Girls’ road trip,” Lucy said happily.

I beamed at them all, warmth filling my chest. They weren’t even questioning whether or not to come with me. For the first time in ages, hope blazed brightly. Perhaps there was a way to cut this tether with Kyle after all.

But just then, heavy boots thundered outside, the door swung open, and two Moonlight soldiers marched in.

“Leah, you’re under arrest,” one of them barked, his voice fracturing the camaraderie that had filled the room just moments before.

My heart raced. I instinctively stood up from my bed, protective instincts kicking in to shield my friends, whose faces now bore shock and outrage.

“You don’t have to—” Phoebe started.

“I do,” I blurted out as the soldiers moved in on me.

But Phoebe lunged toward me.

Mary swiftly blocked her path, holding her back. Lucy helped despite her tearful expression, doing her best to assist.

I clamped my jaw, refusing to show weakness, each muscle in my body taut with silent anger. I stepped forward alongside the soldiers, my limbs trembling from shock. The soldiers’ brutal grips on my arms were strangely grounding, anchoring me to the moment as doubt clawed at my gut. With each step across thecompound, I could feel my heart pounding wildly. Was it fear or adrenaline?

As I was marched across the compound, doubt clawed at my insides. Had Reginald found out I had slept with Kyle? Icy tendrils of dread swept down my spine. Was the Alpha about to make an example of me? Fears of being flogged in the Moonlight’s training ring flooded my thoughts.

But we passed the combat ring, entering the Council Chamber. Reginald, the Moonlight Alpha—Kyle’s father—sat at the center of the High Table. He was clad in a rune-marked tunic.

My heart raced as a sinking sensation enveloped me. There was no sign of Kyle. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious about his absence. What if Reginald had done something to him when he’d discovered our intimacy?

As the soldiers released their grip, forcing me to stand before Reginald, discomfort prickled through me. The soldiers exited, and the double doors thudded shut, the sound echoing through the lofty chamber. Being alone with the Alpha felt far more dangerous than with the guards flanking me.

Reginald’s voice sliced through the silence, cold and heavy with authority. “Leah, you stand accused of seducing my son and stealing important documents, which you relayed to your escaped Blood Moon comrades.”

The only word that resonated wasseducing, even though it belittled what had transpired between Kyle and me. Sleeping with my mate had hardly been me scheming my way into Kyle’s bed.

Reginald’s icy gaze scrutinized me, distrust radiating from his every feature. His resemblance to Kyle was undeniable. They shared the same jet-black hair and lean, angular features. But Reginald’s hair was peppered with gray. Yet, the most startling difference was where Kyle’s emerald eyes burned with passion and strength, Reginald’s pale blue glinted with cold malice.

“I haven’t stolen anything,” I asserted. I suspected the nature of the accusation—seducing his son—was the reason he’d sent the soldiers away. Unease prickled through me. Was that also why there were no other council members present? Did he want to keep this hushed up from the other Moonlights? The absence of any council members hung ominously in the air. This wasn’t a trial; after all, there was no one to oversee that things were being carried out fairly.

“What were your orders,” the Alpha continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “To get close to my son so that you could leak information to your fiancé?”

Fiancé?

Confusion rippled through me. My best friend Roman and Ihad beenengaged once as teenagers. But we’d broken it off years ago. We’d long since had more of a sibling relationship with one another.

“Roman?” I gasped, momentarily stunned. “I haven’t seen or heard from any of the escaped Blood Moons for three years,” I answered honestly.

Just then, Kyle stepped into the Council Chamber. His presence instantly stole the air from my lungs. My heart twisted at the sight of his face, cold and unyielding. Any warmth that I had believed we shared was gone. Had he been watching this entireconfrontation? The granite lines of his expression felt like a blade twisting in my gut.

Fury ignited in my veins as I grappled with this bitter reality. I had dared to believe our bond was stronger than the grim divide between our packs. Yet here we stood, invisible walls springing up between us in an instant.

“This accusation is absurd,” I snapped, my voice cutting through the thick tension. “I can assure you, Reginald, that no documents slipped into my underwear the last time Kyle and I tangled on his desk.”

Color flooded Kyle’s cheeks, and I could almost feel the heat of embarrassment radiating from him. Reginald’s face mottled with anger, too. I guessed that he hadn’t known for sure just how intimate Kyle and I had been. A sense of vindication rocked through me. I was more than happy to speak the truth.

A swell of defiance surged through me, my heart pounding a furious rhythm. With a fierce glare, I returned my focus to Reginald. “You sit there throwing your accusations when you’re nothing but a hypocrite. Your cruelty toward those in your care is far worse than anything you claim I’ve done. What about holding your pack members accountable for their cruelty? I guess the inhumane treatment the Blood Moons have faced isn’t of high priority to someone as amoral as you.”

The Alpha seethed, but I was far from done, and I plowed on.

“Or how about you expose the corruption in your council—where elders embezzle funds? Or challenge the gender discrimination your females endure?” I recalled the rumors about Kyle’s mother—the Luna who was more of an Alpha than this cruel male before me. She and the other Moonlight females had had to fightto be represented on the council. Healer Maria had alluded to their struggle with Kyle while I’d been in the infirmary.

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