The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Woman In The Footage

Amorah POV

I sat beside Conrad inside the private office while the recovered footage played again across the wall screen. The grainy recording showed a woman standing in the middle of an Alpha gathering while several older wolves questioned her publicly about bloodline rights and succession obligations.

My chest tightened slowly as I watched her hands shake beside her body. She looked exhausted, trapped, and completely alone despite the crowd surrounding her.

“She looks terrified,” I whispered.

“She was being cornered politically,” he replied. “They were trying to pressure her into surrendering succession claims tied to her bloodline.”

The woman in the recording tried speaking calmly, but the council members kept interrupting her. Every question sounded less like politics and more like punishment.

I leaned forward slightly as another elder stepped into view. His voice remained calm in the footage, but the threat underneath it was obvious even years later.

“Your bloodline creates instability among the territories,” the elder said inside the recording. “You should consider cooperation before this situation becomes worse for your children.”

The screen froze automatically when the damaged footage ended.

I looked down at my hands slowly while anger crawled through my chest. The more I learned about the old Alpha system, the harder it became to separate power from cruelty.

“They treated her like property,” I said quietly.

Conrad rubbed one hand over his face before leaning back against the chair. His eyes stayed fixed on the frozen image of the woman.

“Because that was how powerful bloodlines were handled years ago,” he admitted. “Women connected to succession became political tools long before Bethany ever appeared.”

I turned toward him immediately after hearing that. His answer surprised me more than the footage itself.

“You’re not defending it,” I said.

“There’s nothing left to defend,” Conrad replied.

The honesty in his voice hit me harder than I expected. For months, Conrad had protected the Alpha structure even while criticizing parts of it privately.

Now he looked exhausted by it.

“She challenged them,” I murmured while staring back at the screen. “And they erased her for it.”

Conrad nodded once.

“That’s what it looks like.”

My stomach tightened beneath my hand automatically. The baby shifted faintly, and Conrad noticed immediately.

Without thinking, he moved closer and rested one hand carefully over my stomach. The warmth of his touch grounded me faster than words could.

“You need rest,” he said quietly.

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve said that six times today.”

I exhaled softly and leaned back into the chair. Conrad stayed close beside me instead of returning to the desk. For a while, neither of us spoke.

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Chapter 114 Woman In The Footage

The silence between us no longer felt awkward or uncertain anymore. It felt familiar.

“She could’ve been me,” I admitted eventually.

Conrad’s hand tightened slightly against mine.

“No,” he answered immediately.

I looked at him carefully.

“She became inconvenient politically,” I said. “She carried a dangerous bloodline, challenged the council, and lost protection the moment powerful wolves stopped benefiting from her existence.”

His expression darkened instantly.

“And nobody is erasing you.”

“You can’t promise that,” I whispered.

“I can.”

His answer came so fast that it startled me.

Conrad shifted closer until his forehead rested lightly against mine. His voice lowered afterward.

“I failed a lot of things before you came here,” he murmured. “I’m not failing you.”

The office door opened quietly before either of us moved apart. Kyra stepped inside carefully while clutching one of her reading tablets against her chest.

“Are you busy?” she asked softly.

Conrad leaned back immediately while I held out one hand toward her. Kyra crossed the room quickly before climbing beside me without hesitation.

“No,” I told her. “What happened?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

I brushed her hair back gently while she curled against my side. Her eyes drifted toward the frozen image still paused on the screen.

“Is that the woman?” she asked quietly.

I hesitated briefly before nodding.

Kyra stared at the screen for several seconds.

“She looks sad,” she whispered.

“She was,” I answered honestly.

Kyra leaned against me more heavily afterward. A few seconds later, Zane appeared in the doorway too. He looked irritated immediately after noticing the footage still playing.

“You’re watching that again?” he muttered.

Conrad crossed his arms loosely.

“You should be asleep.”

“I was trying,” Zane replied.

He stepped farther into the room before sitting heavily across from us. Unlike Kyra, he tried pretending none of this affected him emotionally.

It stopped working days ago.

“Are they really our parents?” he asked suddenly.

Silence filled the room instantly.

Kyra looked down at her hands while Conrad glanced toward me carefully. I could tell he wanted to answer carefully, but I spoke first.

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Chapter 114. Woman In The Footage

“Bethany and Holmes lied to both of you,” I said quietly.

Zane’s jaw tightened immediately.

“So who are we actually connected to?”

“We’re still figuring that out.”

“That means you don’t know.”

“We know enough,” Conrad answered firmly.

Zane looked toward him.

“What does that mean?”

“It means nobody is taking either of you anywhere,” Conrad replied. “And nobody else decides what happens to this family.”

Kyra relaxed against me instantly while Zane looked away quickly like he did not want anyone noticing his reaction.

I reached toward him slowly.

“Come here.”

“I’m fine.”

“Zane.”

He stayed stubborn for another second before finally moving closer. He sat beside my chair while pretending he still looked annoyed.

I brushed one hand through his hair gently anyway.

“You both deserved the truth much earlier than this,” I told them softly. “I’m sorry adults failed you.”

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