Chapter 35

Alexander's POV

I stared at the phone in my hand, Lauren’s name still glowing on the screen. Her voice echoed in my mind, steady but brimming with restrained fury.

“Owen needs to stay here for a while. He’s shaken, Alexander. And frankly, so am I.”

Her tone had been calm on the surface, but I knew her better than that. Beneath her measured words was a storm. She was furious—at Sophia, at me, and maybe even at herself for being dragged into this mess again.

But more than anything, she was protective. That fierce, unrelenting shield she put up for the people she loved. And now, somehow, Owen was behind it.

“Fine,” I had said after a long pause, my voice clipped. “Let him stay. I’ll handle Sophia.”

Lauren’s sharp inhale had sliced through the line like a blade. “You need to do more than ‘handle’ her, Alexander. She threatened a child. This isn’t some game.”

“I never said it was,” I shot back, my tone sharp. “He’s my son—”

“Then act like it,” she snapped, her words landing with the precision of a dagger. “He’s your blood, your legacy. If you don’t start treating him better, I’ll make this an even bigger problem than you’ve already let it become.”

“I—”

“Did I stutter, Alexander?”

My jaw tightened, the sting of her words too sharp to ignore. “I’ll deal with it,” I repeated, though the words tasted bitter even to me. “Can you promise Owen’s safety with you?”

“More than you,” she shot back, her voice colder than I’d ever heard it. “But he should have been safe with you.”

The call ended with an uneasy silence, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.

She was right, of course. I should have protected him. I should have seen Sophia’s manipulation the moment she dragged Owen into the spotlight like a pawn in her twisted game.

I set the phone down and stood in the quiet of the mansion. The silence pressed in, suffocating. Normally, the halls buzzed with muted activity—the staff, Sophia’s incessant calls, or the soft click of Owen’s keyboard as he worked on his projects.

Tonight, though, the stillness was a void.

I couldn’t stay here. Not while my son was out there, relying on Lauren to shield him from the fallout of my failures.

Grabbing a jacket, I stepped out onto the balcony. The city sprawled beneath me, glittering with the false promises of wealth and power.

Somewhere out there, the press was already buzzing about Sophia’s announcement. The insinuation of an engagement, the façade of a happy family—it was all a lie.

I strode back inside, my movements deliberate. Enough was enough. This wasn’t just about correcting a narrative. This was about reclaiming control, setting the record straight, and dismantling the house of cards Sophia had built around us.

When I stepped outside the front doors, the press was already gathered. Cameras flashed like a relentless storm, their lenses hungry for every detail. I descended the steps slowly, letting my presence command the chaos.

“Alpha Alexander!” a reporter called out, her voice cutting through the noise. “Can you comment on Sophia’s announcement earlier tonight?”

I stopped at the base of the steps, raising a hand to silence the crowd. The cameras clicked furiously, their flashes reflecting off the polished marble behind me.

“Tonight, Sophia made a statement implying certain… developments in our personal lives,” I began, my voice steady and deliberate. “I want to make it abundantly clear that those statements were made without my knowledge or consent. I have no intention of marrying Sophia, nor have I ever entertained the idea.”

The crowd erupted into murmurs, reporters scribbling notes and exchanging glances. I let the moment hang, scanning their faces before continuing.

“As for the position of Luna,” I said, my tone softening but my resolve firm, “that title belongs to one person and one person only.”

The air shifted. I didn’t need to say her name. They all knew. Lauren. The woman who had been there when this empire was nothing more than a dream. The woman I’d failed time and time again, yet who had never failed me.

“Lauren will always be the Luna of this family,” I said, each word deliberate, cutting through the noise. “And I will do everything in my power to protect that title. Whether she stands at my side or not, it is hers. It always has been.”

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, questions flying from every direction.

“Does this mean you’re stepping back from Sophia entirely?”

“What about Owen? Where does he fit in this dynamic?”

I turned away, a growl falling behind me. “My son will always be mine. Enough.”

I ignored the erupting clatter and flashing cameras. My statement was made, and I had no intention of sticking around for the aftermath. I turned on my heel and strode back inside, the door closing behind me with a resounding finality.

The mansion felt colder than before, less like a home and more like a hollow shell.

Miles, a Beta, was waiting just inside, his arms crossed and his fluffy brow furrowed. He’d clearly been watching the scene unfold from the window.

“That was bold,” he said, his voice low but laced with an edge of disapproval. “You sure that was the right move?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have a suggestion to make, Miles?”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You just declared your loyalty to Lauren in front of every major media outlet in the country. Do you think Sophia’s going to take that lying down?”

“I don’t care how she takes it,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended as I stepped closer. “She crossed a line, Miles. Threatening Owen—dragging my son into her games. That’s unforgivable. Is that understood?”

Miles nodded slowly, his gaze turning thoughtful. “I get it, Alexander. I do. But Sophia’s not going to back down quietly. You know that.”

“I’m counting on it,” I replied, my jaw tightening. “Let her fight. I’ll be ready. But maybe you’re not the best one to be giving advice, considering how many times my young pup has outsmarted and escaped you. Including tonight.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then he sighed, shaking his head. “Just be careful. You’re walking a fine line here. One misstep, and this whole thing could blow up in your face.”

I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “It already has, Miles. The only thing left to do now is clean up the mess.”

I walked through the halls, my thoughts churning. Lauren’s words replayed in my mind, each one a reminder of my failures. Owen should have been safe here.

I paused outside Owen’s room, the door slightly ajar. The bed was neatly made, the desk cluttered with half-finished projects.

A photo on the nightstand caught my eye—Owen and Abigail, their faces lit with matching grins from the first week of class. I picked it up, my thumb brushing over the glass.

For all my mistakes, one thing was clear: I couldn’t let Sophia’s games destroy the people I cared about. Owen deserved better. Abigail, too. And Lauren… Lauren deserved a man who could stand up and fight for them, choose them—no matter the cost.

I set the photo back down and straightened, a newfound determination settling over me. Sophia’s reign of manipulation was over. And I would make sure of it.