From Betrayed Luna to Wolf Queen (Lillian) novel Chapter 167

Chapter 167 The Lead

Third–Person POV:

Iris‘ gaze had been off–she couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

Thomas also remembered how she’d been trembling earlier, clearly frightened by something.

+10 Free Coins

But then it occurred to him that she’d just lost her pup, so he added, “It’s probably because of the missing pup. She’s terrified it won’t make it back alive.”

“Not scared of me?”

Thomas fell silent.

That didn’t seem right.

If Iris was truly afraid of Julian, she wouldn’t have pushed so hard to marry him just to secure her place in the Graves Pack.

Wanting to marry him and being scared of him didn’t add up.

Thomas finally said, “She’s most likely afraid the pup won’t be found. Most mothers are terrified when their young go missing.”

Hearing that, some of Julian’s suspicion faded.

He had just reached the front door of Finn’s place in Shallows Bay when his phone buzzed–Lillian was calling. Seeing her name flash across the screen, Julian felt a flicker of surprise, but he answered anyway.

He brought the phone to his ear, his voice cool. “You’re still awake?”

It was nearly one in the morning. Shouldn’t she be resting after everything her body had just been through?

The memory of Lillian’s recent miscarriage rose in his mind, and his chest tightened uncomfortably.

Lillian’s voice came through, steady but tired. “Are you at the hospital?”

“What do you want?”

“Come back home. I might have a lead on the pup.”

Julian’s tone turned edged with skepticism. “A lead?”

On the other end, Lillian caught the mockery in his voice and tightened her grip on the phone.

She’d debated calling him at all, but in the end, she’d decided she had to.

If Iris was bold enough to stage all this with the missing pup, it wasn’t just about breaking the mate bond between Lillian and Julian.

Iris wanted to shatter whatever was left between them completely.

Or maybe… she wanted Julian to be the one to send Lillian away, or worse

1/3

10:21 am P p pp.

Chapter 167 The Lead

Truth was, even without this mess, Lillian’s feelings for Julian were already in pieces.

But Iris was ruthless.

She wanted to destroy whatever affection Julian still held for Lillian, too.

That woman–since she was using a pup as part of her scheme, who knew what else she was capable of?

So the moment Lillian got word about the pup’s whereabouts, she’d dialed Julian’s number despite everything.

But now, hearing his tone… she almost regretted it.

Lilian replied flatly, “What, you don’t believe me?”

“You’re trying to tell me Iris took her own pup and framed you for it?”

Lillian went quiet for a beat.

+10 Free Coins

Her heart had grown cold through all of this, but hearing Julian say something like that still drew a bitter laugh from her.

“So you think I’m setting up Iris now?”

Julian’s voice dropped, each word deliberate and threatening. “Listen to me. Have someone return that pup before sunrise.”

Every syllable was laced with warning.

Lillian’s resolve hardened. “If that’s how you’re going to be, then fine. Let me make myself clear–I’m not bringing that pup back.”

“Lillian!” Julian’s anger erupted through the line.

Lillian cut in, her voice weary. “And you wouldn’t keep your word anyway, would you?”

All that talk about returning the pup and he’d end the mate bond—empty promises,

By now, she didn’t trust a single word that came out of Julian’s mouth.

Julian’s breathing grew heavy. “You’d better bring that pup back.”

Lillian simply ended the call.

With someone who refused to listen and had a knack for twisting everything, it was better to say less

Back at her place, after hanging up on Julian, Lillian immediately called George.

He answered promptly “Miss”

“Forget it. Don’t pursue the lead.”

“Miss, aren’t you planning to use the pup to push for the bond dissolution?” George asked carefully

After all, Julian cared deeply about that pup–it was the last living reminder of lus late brother, Ethan

Using his brother’s offspring as leverage might have made things easier.

2/3

10:21 am Pppp.

Chapter 167 The Lead

Lillian sighed. “Don’t touch that pup. For all we know, there could be something wrong with it, too.”

George paused. “Something wrong?”

+10 Free Coins

Lillian explained, “There’s already one pup in the hospital with a severe heart condition. Who’s to say this one isn’t dealing with something similar?”

If Iris was using this pup in her scheme, maybe it had been born with a serious health issue–something Julian didn’t know about.

If that was the case, and something happened to the pup while in their care… Lillian would never be able to clear her name, no matter how much she protested.

After a moment, George replied, “You have a point, Miss.”

“We’ll see tomorrow morning whether Iris agrees to hand the pup over to me or not.”

If Iris actually let her have the pup, that would all but confirm it had problems.

George nodded to himself. “Understood.”

Lillian hung up, turned away, and headed straight to bed.

At Laurel Manor, Julian had made sure no one could visit her–not even Finn or Chloe could get through.

Over at Shallows Bay, Finn and Julian sat across from each other in tense silence. Julian held a cigarette between his fingers, while Finn swirled a glass of red wine.

Julian spoke first, his voice low. “So you teamed up with Langley Group?”

Hearing Langley Group mentioned at a time like this, Finn stilled his glass mid–air.

He gave Julian a cold look, but said nothing.

Julian pressed on, the words gritted out. “The two of you really aren’t holding back, are you?”

By “the two of you“, he meant Lillian and Finn.

Finn took a slow sip of wine

Across from him, Julian continued, “You pressure me with Langley Group to force the bond dissolution, and she…”