Chapter 156
Chapter 156
SAGE
I let out a slow breath as I pushed the door open, stepping inside my room. The tension from my meeting with Titus still clung to me like a second skin, but the sight before me was enough to momentarily ease the weight pressing down on my
chest.
Harper and Cooper were sprawled out on the floor, giggling as they stacked wooden blocks into a wobbly tower. Their laughter, so pure and innocent, filled the space, washing away some of the darkness I had carried back with me. For a moment, just a moment, I allowed myself to take it in–to believe that we were safe, that this was normal.
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“Mommy–oops! I’m sorry.” Harper squealed when she noticed me, immediately abandoning the tower and running to my side, but immediately covered her mouth when she remembered what I told them a while ago.
It’s a good thing that there’s no one else here in the room right now.
Cooper followed right after, his tiny arms wrapping around my waist as Harper clung to my side.
I hugged them tightly, burying my face into their soft hair, inhaling their familiar scent. They were my anchor, my reason to fight. No matter what happened, I would protect them. I had to.
“Are you okay, Mommy?” Cooper asked, pulling back to study my face. His little brows furrowed with concern.
“Cooper, stop calling her mommy,” Harper immediately scolded her brother.
“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing his head while pouting his lips.
I smiled, “It’s fine, Harper. Good job remembering it. But it’s fine, since we’re the only ones here.” I turned to Cooper, stroking his cheek. “I’m fine, sweetheart. I’m just… a little tired.”
Harper tilted her head, watching me carefully. “Did Mister make you mad?”
I tensed, my mind flashing back to Titus’s piercing gaze, the way his lips had brushed against my skin, the cruel authority in his voice when he told me I had no choice.
“No, he didn’t,” I lied, brushing a stray lock of hair from Harper’s face. “We just had a talk. That’s all.”
Cooper pouted. “I’m glad he didn’t make you mad. He seems nice, and I like him. It will be sad if he turns out to be a bad guy.”
I let out a soft chuckle, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “He’s not a bad guy, sweetie.”
“Then, why do we need to pretend in front of him and all the people around here?” Harper curiously asked. “You said he’s not a bad guy. Then, maybe he can help us find our father!” she suggested excitedly.
I froze.
My arms stiffened around them as Harper’s innocent words sliced through me like a blade. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else in the room.
If only she knew.
If only she understood that the very man she was talking about–the one she thought could help us—was the father she had been searching for.
I forced a smile, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Sweetheart, sometimes things are more complicated than they seem,” I said gently, brushing my fingers through her hair.
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14:14 Wed, 26 Feb
Chapter 156
Harper’s brows furrowed. “But why? If he’s strong and powerful, then maybe he can protect us. Maybe he can take us home”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “We already have a home, baby. And I will protect you.”
Harper looked unconvinced, but she didn’t push further. Instead, she exchanged a glance with Cooper, who was still watching me closely, as if trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.
“Okay,” Harper finally said, though her voice lacked its usual cheerfulness. “He has the same hair as Cooper; I thought he might know who our father is.”
I sighed, pulling them both into another embrace. “Listen to me,” I whispered against their heads. “No matter what happens, I need you both to trust me. Can you do that?”
Harper and Cooper nodded without hesitation.
“Good,” I said, my voice a little steadier than before. “Now, why don’t we finish building that tower of yours?”
Harper’s face lit up. “Yes! But Cooper keeps knocking it over!”
Cooper gasped dramatically. “That was an accident!”
Their giggles filled the room again, and for a moment, I allowed myself to pretend that everything was normal. That we weren’t trapped in a place we didn’t belong. That we weren’t living under the shadow of a man who could destroy everything if he ever found out the truth.
But deep down, I knew this fragile moment of peace wouldn’t last forever.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of laughter and whispered conversations. For a short while, I let myself enjoy it, savoring every second with my children, knowing that moments like this might not come often. But as night fell and the warmth of the day faded, the reality of my situation pressed down on me once more.
The papers.
Titus had given me until tonight.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the unopened envelope as if it held my fate in its folds. The weight of his threat lingered in the air–if I didn’t sign, he would force me. And I knew all too well that an Alpha’s command was not something I could fight against.
“Mommy?” Harper’s soft voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I quickly shoved the envelope beneath my pillow before looking up at her. She and Cooper were already snuggled under the blankets, their small bodies curled up together.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
She hesitated, then bit her lip. “Are we really safe here?”
I inhaled sharply. Out of the two, Harper had always been the more observant one. She noticed things, even when I tried to shield her from them.
I walked over to the bed and sat beside her, running a hand through her hair. “Of course, we are. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
14:14 Wed, 26 Feb
Chapter 156
She studied my face for a long moment before nodding. “Okay, Mommy. Good night.”
I kissed her forehead, then did the same to Cooper, who was already half–asleep. “Good night, my loves.”
I waited until their breathing evened out before slipping off the bed and making my way to the window. The moon was high, casting silver light across the landscape. My mind was racing, my chest tightening with uncertainty.
I brought the paper out of the envelope and started reading it. I was so busy spending time with my kids that it totally slipped my mind. Using my pen, I encircled the parts that I’m going to raise my concern. I was so engrossed in reading the papers that I totally lost track of time.
A knock at the door made me jump.
My pulse quickened as I turned toward it, my heart hammering in my chest. I already knew who it was before I even reached for the handle.
Titus.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for whatever was coming next. Then, with a deep breath, I opened the door.
“Y–Your Majesty,” I greeted.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Betrayed by an Alpha claimed by a Lycan King (Sage and Titus)
Is it finished?...
...i mean...you had the perfect ending...why keep going?? ugh...i feel like author is going to continue with twists and turns [-_-]...
Don't mean to be rude but half the chapters are missing. As in your only publishing Half the chapter. Not all of it...
Would love more chapters...
ok just as a recap because i'm getting confused with this plot: sage (the daughter of the ex-alpha who was killed for betraying his pack) is contracted to marry the lycan king bc the present alpha doesn't want to give his own daughter to the king. sage sleeps with someone before the wedding (turns out to be the king). there's a caper at the palace where the king doesn't let her look at him bc he wants to keep her guessing for some reason but eventually she finds out that man she slept with is her husband now. there are other concubines and a queen but for some reason titus still doesn't have an heir despite being like thousands of years old. there is a prophecy that a red wolf will destroy the evil inside the king and when it comes to pass titus looks like he dies. sage runs away (she is the red wolf) bc shes scared of being called a killer. when she comes back titus has been manipulated to believe her "sister" is his mate. there's an intermission where sage runs away with her handmaiden to new york and they start a life for themselves. until titus buys out the company bc he's filthy rich and drags her back. the sister gets punished and jailed to be killed, but sage's intervention (due to her previous feelings for the brother) prevents her death. there's a point when the royal elders storm the castle and titus is jailed and almost at the point of death. taking the beta and her handmaiden they rescue titus and restore him to health. while sage was in new york, titus had somehow found his dead wife again (anna?) and she's very childlike and annoying. all the times sage saves titus doesn't matter because he's been deposed as king and brainwashed by his dead wife to believe she's everything to him. titus dissolves the bond between he and sage (bc of pressure from previous wife) but still has feelings for her and still sleeps with her while trying to reclaim his throne by making alliances with other werewolf packs. a bounty hunter offers his help but demands sage as the price. titus says no, but sage goes behind his back anyway and makes the deal. thinking titus is blinded by sage's presence that prevents him from forming alliance with a pack and having that alpha's daughter as his queen, she runs way with the bounty hunter and he puts her up for sale (she's an idiot for doing this). finding out she's pregnant with an accelerated pregnancy (due to blood moon sex?) she runs away from the auction house and is rescued by a couple who never had kids miles away from where she ran away. 3 years or so pass and she is happy with her chosen family until the bounty hunter finds her again and she goes with him to keep him away from her kids only to be rescued by titus at the auction house. he also finds her kids (bc they obvy would run away to find her) but she for some reason convinces them to lie and say they're not her kids. reunited again, they come across rogue wolves who hurt titus, but they somehow all fit into the helicopter that comes at the right time to save them all. titus while being gravely ill still saves sage from being sentenced to death, but now her kids are in danger....
ok now im reinvested! I hope the kids will be ok! titus now would be a good time to wake up!...
If possible, kindly change the title of the book too because Sage is suppose to be happy with Titus but this back and forth is making the book boring...
Please this has to stop , Titus is suppose to be her savior but she's going through too much...
This book really started good. And for whatever reason, the author keeps on adding boring and nonsensical twist to the story. I'm just skipping through chapters and story still the same.repeating issues and conflict and convo. So tiring. I'm just checking in hoping I can read the ending. Lolz...
We need an end soon. It getting boting and is so boring. Also people is missing. Were is her former maid and scott used to be her friend now he treat her like a stranger...