Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 181

181 The Punch That Broke The Silence

Mara

I sat frozen, trying to process what had just happened.

I never saw the punch coming. None of us did.

Lucian had struck a nerve, and his father’s reaction made that painfully clear.

But more than the violence, it was what came after that shook me: the raw confession, the tears, the

collapse of a man who had been carrying far more than any of us had realized.

Alpha Vander loved Lucian. That much had always been obvious, even if it was buried under mistakes and pride. And that love is exactly what made the wound so deep, and the reaction so visceral.

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke. We were stunned, suspended in the aftershock.

Lucian just sat there, jaw tight, blood drying on his lip.

I couldn’t take it.

“You need to go after him and apologize,” I linked to him.

His response came cold and fast. “No.”

I blinked. What?

“Unless you’re ready to become an orphan, Lucian, you need to go to him,” I said firmly. “You basically accused him of killing his mate. You think that’s something he’ll just bounce back from?”

He didn’t answer, so I pushed harder.

“You’ve seen how his face lights up when he talks about Natasha. Even now. After everything. You know he still mourns her. And what you said, goddess, Lucian, it was cruel. You hit him where it hurts most”

My voice softened.

“You both need closure. But you’re not going to find it by attacking each other over breakfast. You have

to go now. Before he shuts down completely. Before it’s too late.”

There was a long silence. Then Lucian stood, jaw clenched, and left the room.

Reluctantly.

But he went.

Martha, still seated at the table, began to weep. Her sobs echoed off the walls, sharp and desperate. But no one moved to comfort her. Not a single soul.

She turned to Darian. “Darian… how can you let them do this to us?” she cried, eyes wild and streaming

with tears.

181 The Punch That Broke The Silence

Darian didn’t answer. He just stared at her, stunned, like he was seeing her for the first time.

“Darian,” she sobbed again, reaching out like a mother begging her child to choose her side.

And that’s when he snapped.

“What the hell do you want me to do, Mother?” he exploded, voice shaking with fury. “You dug your grave. You lied to Father. For years. You’ve been cruel to Lucian from the beginning. You stole from this family,

and now you want to play the victim?”

She flinched like he’d slapped her.

“You think people don’t believe you just because of circumstance? No, they don’t believe you because you

lie. You lied to me. You manipulated all of us. You even worked with our enemies to steal from Father and

then Lucian.”

His voice dropped, quieter now, but lethal.

“You slandered Lucian’s name,” Darian said coldly, “and tried to humiliate him by convincing our father to b uy him a wife. And when that didn’t break him, you tried to ruin his marriage.”

Martha’s lips parted, but no sound came. Darian didn’t stop.

“Then you had the nerve to bring your niece here to stir up more trouble.”

She blinked, stunned.

“Yes, Mother,” Darian continued, voice like ice. “I’m not stupid. I keep quiet, but I’m not blind. You brought Lacy here hoping she’d get close to Lucian. And don’t insult my intelligence, we all know what kind of women Goldenpeak breeds, especially when money and status are involved.”

Martha’s mouth trembled.

“If your intentions were so pure, you would’ve warned her to stay away from him. You wouldn’t be pushing her to work with him, encouraging proximity. Why does she ignore Mara? Why is she polite only to Lucian? Mara is her Luna. Her boss. But she disrespects her because she was never brought here to serve, she

was brought here to tempt.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“You hoped Lucian would slip. That he’d betray his mate. That you could exploit the fallout.”

Martha wiped her tears silently, shaken. His words had hit where it hurt.

“Darian,” she started weakly, “how can you even suggest,

He cut her off with a shake of his head. “Don’t.”

The tone in his voice shifted, colder, heavier.

“Where is Alaric Moongrove, Mother?”

The room turned still. Heavy. The name carried weight. Rage simmered just beneath the surface now, and

4181 The Punch That Broke The Silence

I could feel it from across the table.

Chaim

Tiffany looked to me, her eyes wide with fear. I could feel her panic through the pack bond. Darian’s anger

was almost tangible.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify