Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 113

+25 Points

113 Unbelievable

Mara

I sat in silence, replaying the chaos of the breakfast table in my mind. That room had seen its share of ugly

moments-but today? Today was something else. I never thought Lucian would go toe-to-toe with his

father like that.

When I first told him what Alpha Vander had said to me in the office, he seemed calm. Unbothered. I didn’t

expect him to erupt like that, not in front of the whole family.

The truth is, I’d grown used to the insults. I’ve been called everything-gold digger, social climber, bought

bride. It never hit too deep because I knew who I was, and more importantly, I knew who I was to Lucian.

But Vander’s words… they stung. Not because they were new, but because he knew better. He wasn’t some outsider whispering gossip.

He was the man who forced my parents to hand me over, and yet he stood there in my office and spun it

like they sold me off willingly. And he said it in front of Lacy, no less. That was the part that scraped

deepest.

I’ve never liked him, and the feeling is mutual. To me, he’s always been a coward, too weak to stand up to his mate, too proud to own his mistakes.

A disgrace to the name he bears. But even I had to admit-when he looked Lucian in the eye and

apologized… that meant something.

He didn’t have to. He holds the power in this family. There’s nothing Lucian could have done to force that

from him. But he did it anyway. Maybe because, deep down, he knew how far he’d gone. Maybe because,

somewhere under all that pride, he still loved his son.

But Lucian’s love? His loyalty? That breakfast proved it was deeper than I ever imagined.

He didn’t just defend me. He fought for me. He called out every lie, tore down every insult, and made it

clear to everyone that I wasn’t a possession-I was his equal. His partner. His wife.

Watching him stand like that-fierce, fearless-I realized something simple but seismic: there is nothing

this man wouldn’t do for me.

And goddess help anyone who forgets that.

The revelation hit like a rogue wave. Martha-prim, poised, and proudly married to Alpha Vander-had once belonged to another man. Not just a passing fling or a high school crush.

A serious relationship. One that resulted in a child. A child who died. And a man who still had her shackled, twenty-three years later.

It was hard to wrap my head around it. Martha had always worn Vander’s name like a crown and wielded his title like a sword. She acted like the Alpha was her first love, her only love, the center of her world. But

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< 113 Unbelievable

I let the silence speak for itself.

Alpha Vander cleared his throat. “I’m sure they’ll work through it, Mara.”

I didn’t respond. Just nodded stiffly.

+25 Points

“Maybe I should help, then,” I said. Not out of pity. Not because I liked Tiffany. But because no woman

deserved to face motherhood in isolation.

Darian stood without a word and left the table. No one stopped him.

Lucian leaned closer. “Why?” he asked me quietly.

I looked at him and gave the only answer that mattered. “Because someone has to care when no one else

will.”

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