The Secret Heirs of the Lycan King (Bella and scott) novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Bella

The noise of the hall felt distant, like it was happening somewhere far away and not just outside the door. There were murmurs amongst guests, confused voices, and questions. The low hum of tension hadn’t settled. I had never seen so much chaos in my life. The one at the High Council dulled against this one.

Scott didn’t say anything as he picked me up in his arms and walked me away from the crowd. His arms were wrapped protectively, possessively around me. There was a rumbling sound coming from his chest and I knew that it belonged to Storm. His Lycan was in a very protective state of mind right now.

My hands fisted in the front of his jacket, my fingers trembling as if they had a mind of their own. My body was shaking too much for me to register where I was being taken.

He pushed open a small side door and pulled me inside, then kicked it close behind us. The click of the lock sounded louder than it should have. The room was quiet, dimly lit, and smelled faintly of wood and old fabric. Away from the murmurs, the silence of this room settled me a bit.

I clung to him the moment the door shut. My heart was racing. My throat was tight and my head was spinning with too many emotions at once. Fear. Relief. Shock. Anger. Exhaustion. I didn’t know which one was strongest. And a thousand questions swirled in my mind.

Scott wrapped both arms around me and held me close without saying a word. His chest was warm and solid against my cheek as I cried harder. I felt small in that moment. Small and shaken and overwhelmed by everything that had almost gone wrong.

He sat on the couch with me in his lap and allowed me to cry, to calm down. And he just kept on holding me, supporting me the way he did. After an eternity or maybe a few minutes, I tried to say, but it came out broken and unconvincing, “I’m okay.”

“You’re not,” he murmured quietly, his lips brushing the top of my head. “Just breathe.”

After a minute, he gently shifted me so I could sit. He guided me to the place next to him and helped me sit down. My legs felt weak, like they might give out if I stood too long. He sat close to me immediately, and curled his arm around me.

Then he took my hands in his large one, holding them gently. His thumbs rubbed slow circles over my knuckles, grounding me. I stared at our joined hands for a while, watching how steady his were compared to mine.

Neither of us spoke for a few moments. And the silence between us wasn’t awkward. It was necessary.

When my breathing finally slowed and my thoughts stopped crashing into each other, I swallowed and lifted my head. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked quietly. “You kept me in blind. Didn’t tell me a thing about it.”

A muscle feathered in his jaw.

“Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?” I continued, my voice trembling despite my effort to keep it calm. “Why did you let me think everything was falling apart? I was terrified, Scott. Did you not trust me?”

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Chapter 120

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He exhaled slowly as if in frustration. “I trust you more than anyone in this world,” he said honestly. “That was never the issue.”

“Then why?” I asked, my eyes burning. “Why shut me out?”

He leaned back slightly so he could look at my face. His expression was serious, but soft. There was no anger in his eyes now, only concern.

“Because you were already carrying too much,” he explained. “You were scared. You were hurt. You were dealing with the wedding, your family, your past, and that disgusting video. I didn’t want to add another burden on you.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he gently squeezed my hands.

“I needed you to stay exactly the way you were,” he continued. “Real. Honest. Emotional.”

I frowned. “What does that even mean?”

He tilted his head slightly and allowed the faintest smile. “Your reactions were genuine. Your fear. Your anger. Your hurt. Craig and Maya believed every second of it. Because you didn’t act or pretend. You were… you.”

I stared at him, realization slowly sinking in. “You used my stress as bait,” I said flatly.

He winced. “When you say it like that, it sounds terrible.”

“It is terrible,” I snapped. “For that you will be punished!”

He became tense, like I was about to battle with him. For a moment I wanted to. But then I remembered Craig’s and Maya’s faces when their deception was revealed. That alone was enough to lift my spirits. “Sorry…”

When I didn’t reply, he slowly brought his hands to his ears. “I’m sorry, but I really didn’t want to bother you.”

And then, despite myself, I let out a short, breathless laugh.

He smiled a little more this time. “It worked, though.”

I shook my head, torn between irritation and relief. “I can’t believe you.”

“I know,” he said. “And I’m truly sorry for that part. But I never doubted you. Not even for a second. I knew the video was fake, but I wanted others to know as well.” He shook his head. “I just wanted this behind us like yesterday!”

I studied his face, searching for any sign of a lie through our bond. There was none. He was as genuine and pure as the first snowflake of winter.

“I was working nonstop,” he went on. “Craig had monetary help from Joseph to bring us down. Joseph helped him buy a private server. That’s where the fake video was stored. It was expensive, secure, and layered. It took time to get into it.”

My breath caught. “You hacked it?”

Chapter 120

“With help,” he admitted. “Very good help. I hired the best hacker in New York.”

“And the video?” I asked.

“Gone,” he said simply. “The hacker destroyed it. He planted a virus in the server too to destroy every fucking file it had. That server is now useless but with the police.”