Chapter 5
917 Words
“Cold and cruel?”
Kaelyn’s lips curved in a cold snort. She turned to face Luken and Rhea squarely—her gaze steel-strong and unflinching.
Alpha Ronan Manning, drawn by the escalating confrontation, strode forward. His jaw clenched, ready to intervene.
But Kaelyn raised a firm hand and tugged on his sleeve.
“I’ve got this.” Ronan hesitated, then relaxed into a resigned smile.
He stepped back, allowing Kaelyn to take control of the situation.
Kaelyn’s stare softened briefly as she spoke to Rhea.
“So you’re saying the necklace disappeared the night we were kidn*pped—and you're accusing me of stealing it?” she asked, voice sharp as a blade.
Rhea nodded, tears still glistening on her cheeks.
A sarcastic smile flickered across Kaelyn’s lips.
“Let me get this straight: three people were there that night—me, you, and a band of rogues. But you chose to single me out. Why?”
Rhea’s panic intensified, her face blanching.
“I—I didn’t mean to target you…” she stammered.
“Just… since you took it from the safe, you must have had it with you. Maybe the rogues overlooked it.”
Kaelyn let her theory hang in the air for a moment before turning ice-cold.
“Fine. Let’s assume that. But if I really had the necklace, why didn’t I use it to barter for my life?”
Luken’s face darkened instantly.
Rhea shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t follow…” she whispered.
Kaelyn’s tone cut deeper.
“Those rogues were after profit. They let you walk free when they got money. So if I had something worth far more—why didn’t I trade it and leave? That's because I don’t have it.”
She leaned in, eyes blazing.
“You took the necklace! You insisted we cross the border, even after I warned you it was dangerous. You almost got me killed.”
A murmur swelled through the crowd. Eyes darted suspiciously toward Rhea.
Rhea’s breathing grew ragged.
“Lies!” she shrieked, pointing at Kaelyn. “Everything’s lies. Maybe you sold the necklace to save your skin!”
At that moment, Ronan stepped forward, voice low but authoritative.
“No, that’s not how Kaelyn survived.”
Every head turned to him. Rhea’s bravado faltered as Ronan crossed his arms and looked down on her with contempt.
“When the patrol arrived, Kaelyn was gravely wounded—stabbed multiple times. Blood was pouring. My men got to her just in time. If we’d been a minute later, she’d be dead.”
Luken’s jaw worked.
This was the first time he’d heard the truth of that night—and it hit harder than he expected.
Inside him, something stirred.
One day, he thought, when he found those rogues, I’ll tear them apart…
Loud gasps and sympathetic nods swept through the assembly, turning the crowd’s jeers into accusing stares aimed at Rhea.
Kaelyn folded her arms and addressed her sister with icy calm.
“Is there anything else you want to accuse me of, Rhea?”
Rhea’s cheeks flushed crimson beneath the hostile gazes all around—eyes filled with betrayal and sorrow.
She couldn't believe Kaelyn would stand so firm now. The girl who had once cowered before their parents was gone.
Rhea’s lips quivered. She pressed her trembling hand to Luken’s shoulder and stuttered:
“I… I can’t… She’s just too—”
She broke off and fell forward, collapsing into Luken’s arms.
“Let me take the blame. I’ll be the sinner! I’ll say I did it!”
Shock rippled through the room as she slumped over, tears streaming over her pale cheeks.
She sucked in a longing breath—and her breathing slowed until she stopped responding.
Rhea had fainted.
“Oh my God—is she okay?” a guest cried.
Luken caught Rhea mid-fall and spoke urgently, “She has asthma! Where’s a healer? Quick!”
Kaelyn allowed a quiet half-smile to lift her lips.
“No treatment needed,” she said softly, looking down at Rhea’s still form. “She always does this.”
Her words dripped with scorn—Rhea’s fickle theatrics weren’t lost on her.
---
Luken erupted in anger, glaring at Kaelyn. “Don’t you dare. You crossed the line!”
A guest attempted to leverage the moment.
“Come on—Duskridge Pack is powerful, sure, but Silverpine—isn’t weak either. You shouldn't test Alpha Luken.”
Kaelyn raised a brow, letting her gaze skim the crowd until it locked on a tall, composed man: Ronan’s Beta, Eden Vale, who gave a subtle nod.
In that moment, Eden rose and called out loudly:
“Fire! The hotel’s on fire—everyone out, now!”
Panic surged through the guests, bodies jolting as fear spread.
Rhea began to stir, blinking fast as if waking from a trance. Kaelyn, cold and poised, eyed her with silent challenge.
“Look,” she remarked, voice steady, “her asthma’s ‘cured’ itself.”
The crowd’s fear turned into whispered judgments.
Rhea looked up in horror at Kaelyn’s expression: a smirk of disbelief.
“Was your asthma real—or another of your ploys?”
A heavy silence descended on the assembly.
Rhea’s face twisted in fury—she opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, the hand that had supported her vanished.
Luken stepped forward, hardened and pained.
“You feigned it?” His voice was cold but edged with disbelief.
- Writer
