Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 206

LUCIEN’S POV

The word “Daddy” hung in the air like a curse, echoing in my skull long after it left Andrea’s mouth.

My blood boiled, hot and furious, as I watched Adele’s back disappear into the distance. She didn’t took back. Not once. That silence from her—it cut deeper than any shout or slap ever could.

The training ground, once full of energy and purpose, now felt like a goddamn prison, with every warrior’s eyes drilling into me like accusations I couldn’t escape.

– I snapped my head toward Naomi, who was standing there with that calm, almost smug look on her face, like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of my life.

My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. Anger surged through me, raw and unchecked, the kind that made my vision tunnel and my voice come out in a low, dangerous growl.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarled, stepping closer to her, my body towering over hers. The warriors around us shifted uncomfortably, but I didn’t care.

“Can’t you watch him? Why did you have to let him run around like this?”

Naomi blinked up at me, her expression shifting tosomething softer, almost apologetic, but I could see the calculation behind her eyes. She wasn’t fooling me. Not for a second. “He just wanted to see you, Lucien,” she said, her voice steady, like she was explaining something simple to a child. “I couldn’t stop him. He’s fast, and he’s been asking about you non-stop since we got here.”

I scoffed, a bitter, humorless sound that scraped my throat. Bullshit. Pure, unadulterated bullshit. “We’re stitt waiting for the results-the real one, from the hospital here. You don’t have to start spreading rumors like this.”

Her eyes narrowed, a flash of defensiveness crossing her face. “I’m not spreading any rumors, Lucien. Andrea’s just a kid. He doesn’t understand what’s going on. He misses his father.”

Father. The word twisted in my gut like a knife. I glanced around at the warriors, their whispers growing louder now, like a swarm of insects buzzing in my ears.

“Beta’s got a secret family?”

“What about his mate?”

“This is messed up.”

Each one fueled the fire in my chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think straight. And Adele-goddess, Adele-was out there somewhere, probably piecing together her own version of this nightmare.

I turned back to Naomi, my voice dropping to a harshwhisper, laced with fury. “Leaving the child to run here, exactly where my mate and the other warriors are? You want me to believe he just got out of your hold? That this was some accident?”

She straightened her spine, meeting my glare without flinching. “What are you accusing me of? Setting this up?

Lucien, that’s ridiculous. He’s three years old. He slipped away when I wasn’t looking. Kids do that.”

Ridiculous? My mind raced, replaying the scene-Andrea barreling across the field, straight to me, calling me ” Daddy” loud enough for the whole damn palace to hear.

Perfect timing. Too perfect. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating, like a storm cloud ready to burst. I could feel the weight of every stare, the judgment hanging over me like a noose. My reputation as the unbreakable beta, the one who always had control-shattered in an instant because of her.

Naomi stepped forward then, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, honey,” she coaxed, her tone sweet but firm. “Your daddy is busy right now. We can see him later.”

But Andrea wasn’t having it. He clutched my arm tighter, his little fingers digging in, and looked up at me with those big, teary eyes that made my heart twist all over again.

“Daddy,” he pleaded, his voice breaking on the word, “I don’t want you to leave me again. Everyone was mean to me. They said my daddy didn’t like me… please, please, can we become one big family again?”

The words slammed into me like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of my lungs.

A big family.

Him, Naomi, and me-like some twisted fairy tale that had nothing to do with the life I’d been fighting for.

The tension was so thick it pressed down on my shoulders, making it hard to move. I could feel Naomi’s eyes on me, waiting, almost daring me to respond. And Andrea-god, the kid was breaking right in front of me, his sobs quiet but gut-wrenching.

I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to scoop him up, tell him everything would be okay, even if it was a lie.

Another part screamed to push him away, to chase after Adele before she slipped through my fingers for good.The anger from earlier simmered just under the surface, mixed with confusion and this unexpected guilt that clawed at my insides.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?