Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 206

206 The Ghost Behind the Curtain

Mara

.acy slipped away to be with Martha. The rest of us-Lucian, Darian, and I-headed toward Alpha Vander’s

‘oom. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sedation had knocked him flat earlier, but when we entered, he was upright on the hospital bed, hands folded, posture too still. Calm, but not natural. Sedated, but watching.

‘How is she?” he asked Lucian immediately, voice raspy but focused.

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

‘She’s alive,” he said simply.

t was all he could offer without risking another storm. He was treading carefully-managing truth like it

was a volatile substance.

‘Have you seen her?” Vander asked, eyes sharp now.

Lucian hesitated.

‘No. Lacy’s with her.”

A scowl twisted Vander’s face the second he heard her name. Anger flickered behind his eyes, deep and

bitter. I saw it and knew-it wasn’t just pain that haunted him. It was betrayal. And beneath it all, there was

fear.

‘And you thought it was wise to let Alaric’s child stay with her?” Vander snapped, eyes narrowing. The accusation was sharp, even if it wasn’t directly aimed at me. Still, I felt it like a blade.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t admit it had been my call.

‘There’s no one else, Father,” Lucian replied calmly. “We’re stretched thin. Mara needs to be handling

urgent matters. Lacy staying is practical.”

Vander’s gaze shifted to Lucian, probing.

“What’s going on?”

Lucian hesitated. I could see it-he was debating whether to tell his father the full truth. We all knew how fragile Vander’s control could be, especially now.

“Lucian,” Vander pressed. “Tell me. I can handle it.”

My husband exhaled, jaw clenched.

“Deserters,” he said. “From the island’s perimeter forces. We lost half the military unit this morning.”

My heart lurched.

“Half?”

206 The Ghost Behind the Curtain

Chale

Lucian nodded grimly. “Rowan tracked the pattern. Someone’s been recruiting them quietly. Anonymously. But we all know it’s Chase.”

I gasped. This was worse than I’d imagined.

“Why would they desert?” I asked. “It’s punishable by death if they’re caught.”

“They’re not Mooncrest-born,” Lucian explained. “Most are from the outskirts-neighboring provinces. We don’t know what Chase is offering, but whatever it is, it’s convincing. He’s undermining us from the outside in.”

Vander’s face turned red with fury.

“I’m done with all of this,” he growled. “My father never dealt with this kind of treachery. Not in the entire history of our family. I’m telling you-this Chase Nighthorn is Alaric Moongrove.”

My stomach tightened. I’d suspected it too, but hearing Vander say it out loud gave the thought weight. Chilling weight.

“The bastard probably thinks I stole his wife,” Vander muttered, eyes dark. “But I swear to you-I never would’ve touched her if I’d known she was married. Hell, I wasn’t even looking for a mate.”

He turned to Lucian, voice quieting.

“You loved her fast, Lucian. And I thought she’d give you the motherly love you were missing.” He paused,

then added, “I guess I was wrong.”

Darian, silent until now, finally spoke-his voice low but firm.

“She would’ve, if you hadn’t treated her like garbage. I always thought you and she just weren’t into photos. That’s why her face wasn’t in the house. But now I know. You didn’t care. Not really.””

Lucian reached over and gently squeezed Darian’s hand to stop him, but the damage was done. The words hung heavy between them.

“I cared in my own way,” Vander said quietly. “I just… I didn’t let myself get close. Losing Natasha wrecked me. I couldn’t go through that again. Your mother and I were never bonded. Now I understand why-she was already bonded to Alaric.”

That made me pause. A bond required a claiming. A mark. And I’d seen Vander’s mark on her neck.

So how?

There were more questions buried in this than anyone was ready to answer. But one thing was clear: the

past wasn’t finished with any of us.

The mystery gnawed at me, and I couldn’t hold my tongue, I had to know why Vander wasn’t bonded to Martha even though his mark was visible on her neck.

“But he never claimed her,” I said, doubt creeping into my voice despite everything Lacy had told us about her parents.

Chout Demend

Vander shook his head immediately, jaw clenched.

“Goldenpeak customs are different. They don’t mark their mates on the neck-they bite the back of the shoulder.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Martha has a tattoo there. I always thought it was just a beautiful design. Something exotic. But now I know-it was hiding the mark. Hiding him.”

He bowed his head, and for the first time, I saw something raw in him. Not just anger. Not pride. But humiliation. Grief.

“She should’ve told me,” he said quietly.

But none of us spoke. We didn’t need to. The silence itself told him what he already knew: if she had told him, he wouldn’t have stayed. The truth would’ve broken him, same as it did now.

After a long pause, Vander straightened his back, though his voice remained soft.

“Why don’t you two go handle pack business? I’ll stay with her.”

“No,” Darian said, shaking his head gently. He didn’t want his father left alone-not like this. None of us did. Vander was unraveling beneath the surface, and if he knew the full truth about Martha’s condition, we weren’t sure he’d hold it together. Right now, preserving that thin veneer of control was the only thing keeping him upright.

Lucian tried to keep his tone steady.

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