Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 225

LUCIEN’S POV

The palace corridors felt endless as I made my way to the guest wing, each step echoing off the walls like a countdown to something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

My mind was a mess—a tangled knot of Adete’s calm acceptance, Naomi’s desperate lies, and the DNA results.

Andrea was mine. A son. The word still felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else’s life.

But Adele’s suggestion for dinner as a family… it had lit a spark of hope amid the chaos. Maybe this could work.

Maybe we could build something real, without Naomi poisoning it all.

But doubt gnawed at me, sharp and relentless. Adele’s whispered threat-I’ll kill her’-echoed in my head, mixing with the flash of something dark in Naomi’s eyes when I’d confronted her earlier.

What was she hiding? Why show up now, after three years? My wolf paced inside, senses heightened, ready for a fight. The air in the hallway grew thicker as I approached the door to the room they’d been assigned-temporary quarters, nothing fancy, just enough to keep Andrea comfortable while we sorted this shit out.

I stopped in front of the heavy oak door, staring at the grain of the wood like it held answers. My hand hovered over it, fist clenched.Finally, I knocked-three sharp raps that sounded louder than they should have in the quiet hall.

The door creaked open a crack, and Naomi’s face appeared, eyes narrowing as she saw me. She stepped out fully, pulling the door almost shut behind her, like she was guarding a secret.

She crossed her arms, blocking the entrance. “What do you want?”

Her tone was sharp, laced with an edge of bitterness. The tension jumped up a notch, the air between us crackling like dry lightning. I kept my voice steady, even though my wolf wanted to snarl. “I’m here to pick up Andrea.”

Her eyebrows shot up, surprise flickering before she masked it with suspicion. “What for?”

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed to match hers, trying to look casual even as my heart pounded. ” He’s my son, right? You don’t think I’ll do anything to hurt him.”

She huffed, shifting her weight, her eyes darting back toward the room for a split second. “I didn’t say that. I just want to know where you’re taking him.”

The way she said it-possessive, challenging-set my teeth on edge. She was testing me, pushing to see how far she could go.

I straightened up, meeting her gaze head-on. “We’rehaving dinner. As a family.”

Her lips curved into a wide smile, slow and triumphant, like she’d just won a game I didn’t know we were playing.

It sent a chill down my spine-too eager, too knowing.

“I knew you’d come around,” she said, her voice softening, almost purring. She uncrossed her arms, taking a small step closer, like she expected me to pull her in.

Confusion hit me first, then anger, hot and bubbling.

Come around? To what-her delusions? I stared at her, brow furrowed. “When I say family, I mean me, Adele, and Andrea.”

The smile froze on her face, then shattered. She scoffed, a harsh, disbelieving sound that echoed down the hall. “A family? Really? You’re trying to take my son away from me?”

The accusation hung there, sharp as a blade. My jaw clenched, the tension ratcheting up so tight I could feel it in every muscle. Take him away? Like I was the villain here? She was the one who’d hidden him for years, dropping this bomb now like a calculated strike.

My hands fisted at my sides, nails digging into my palms to keep from grabbing her again like I had earlier. “What do you expect?” I growled, voice low and edged with warning. “That I’ll leave my mate and come start a happy family with you?”

“Hey, boy,” I said softly, forcing a smile even as my heart twisted. “Wanna go eat dinner with Dad?”

His face lit up then, beaming like the sun breaking through clouds. The fear melted away, replaced by pure, innocent joy. “Yes!” he exclaimed, bouncing on his toes.

Naomi hovered behind him, her hand on his shoulder now possessive, tight. I caught a flash in her eyes-something cold, calculating-but it vanished so fast I almost doubted I’d seen it. Anger? Jealousy? Or something worse?

“Will Mummy come with us too?” Andrea asked, glancing up at her, his voice small.

The question hung there, innocent but loaded. Naomi’s grip on his shoulder tightened visibly, her knuckles whitening. That flash in her eyes again-gone in an instant, but it left a chill in its wake. What was she hiding?Why did Andrea look so scared a moment ago?

I kept my focus on him, ignoring her. “Don’t you want to spend time with Daddy?” I asked, keeping my tone light, but inside, the tension coiled tighter. This felt like a battlefield, every word a potential mine.

Andrea nodded eagerly, but then hesitated, biting his lip. ” I want to…but will Daddy bring that mean lady?”

Mean lady? The words stopped me cold. I blinked, crouching lower to meet his eyes fully. “Mean lady?”

He nodded solemnly, his little brows furrowing.

“What mean lady?” I pressed gently, my voice steady even as alarm bells rang in my head. The hallway seemed to close in, the air thick with unspoken dread. Who could he mean? One of the guards? A maid?

Andrea glanced at Naomi again, then back at me, his voice dropping to a whisper like he was sharing a secret.

“The one with the very long hair like the sun… She’s pretty and has shiny eyes. She told me…she told me that Daddy will never want me.”