Chapter 121

The Grand Assembly Hall felt eerily still, like there had just been a death overnight. Pack leaders leaned in to whisper, but were quick to turn quiet as soon as I passed by. Their eyes tracked me like I was a tragic car accident that they couldn’t help but gawk at.

I kept my chin up. No way I was giving these political vultures the satisfaction of seeing me unravel. Inside, though? My heart felt shredded.

The breakfast looked incredible—silver trays heaped with fruit, warm bread, pastries that should've made me drool. All of it tasted like dry cardboard.

I sat at a table by one of the windows, where I could watch the chaos and try to hold onto whatever dignity I had left.

My coffee had gone cold twenty minutes ago, but I kept sipping it anyway. It gave me something to do with my hands.

Three tables over, Alpha Morrison's son whispered something to his father. Both their gazes darted to me before quickly looking away. I caught the word "unstable" and felt my stomach twist.

The conversations happening around me buzzed like angry wasps. Nobody talked directly about what happened, but the room was electric with gossip.

"Oh my goddess!" Alpha Sarah's daughter called out. Her voice bounced off every wall. "Did you all hear about Kane's little midnight escapade?"

My fork froze mid-air. She glowed, pure malice tinted with delight—as she dropped the bomb. She looked maybe nineteen, as beautiful as she was vicious, like someone who'd never experienced a consequence in her entire short life.

"He stayed with me until dawn," she said, voice saccharine sweet. "Impressive stamina for a man his age. Guess military training pays off in other ways."

Her words left me frozen. Every gaze pivoted toward me. Waiting. They wanted to see if I'd crumble.

Silence stretched like a wire. My heart thundered in my ears.

I forced myself to take another sip of cold coffee. The bitter taste matched my mood perfectly.

The anticipation in the room was suffocating. Everyone held their breath, waiting for my reaction. This was entertainment for them.

The alpha’s daughter preened under the attention. She'd planned this moment perfectly—maximum audience, maximum humiliation.

And that’s when Kane chose to make his perfectly timed entrance.

He looked wrecked. Hair a mess, clothes rumpled, dark circles bruising his eyes. He didn't so much as glance at me.

Pain exploded in my chest. This was the man who'd held me when magic threatened to scorch me alive. Fought beside me. Promised we were partners in everything.

Now he couldn't even look in my direction.

I couldn't breathe. The air thickened. My throat constricted.

Council leaders exchanged coded looks. I could almost see them mentally filing this away for future leverage.

"Aurora?" Alpha Martinez said, voice gentle. "You alright?"

I realized I'd frozen for way too long. My breakfast lay untouched. Silverware rattled in my trembling hands. Concerned eyes surrounded me, and my distress showed despite my best efforts.

"Fine." I forced my voice calm. "Just tired after last night's meetings."

But nothing was fine. Nothing ever would be again.

The lie tasted metallic, but necessary. Vulnerability now would only validate their doubts about my mental stability. I lifted coffee to my lips, chest shaking but controlled.

Alpha Martinez watched with worry. He's one of the few council members who actually listened to us yesterday. His concern felt almost fatherly.

"Maybe you should go back to your rooms," he suggested quietly. "This morning's revelations have been... difficult."

I wanted to say yes. Run. Hide. But doing so would confirm what Kane's betrayal had already authored: that I couldn't handle pressure emotionally.

"I appreciate it, but I have work. The Rogue King’s conspiracy doesn’t stop for personal dramas."

The words came out stronger than I felt. Good. Let them think I was made of steel instead of the shattered glass I'd become overnight.

Around us, conversations resumed with renewed energy. Kane's appearance had confirmed what Alpha Sarah's daughter announced. Now the real gossip could begin.

I caught fragments of whispered discussions. "Professional misconduct." "Emotional instability." "Poor judgment." Each phrase hammered another nail into my credibility's coffin.

The Rogue King couldn't have planned this better himself. Maybe he had.

I waited until Kane sat before I approached. The room quieted, everyone’s gaze stuck to me like predators stalking a kill. My footsteps seemed loud in the hush.

Kane tensed when I came near. His whole body radiated guilt. He stared at his plate like it held the universe's secrets.

"We need to talk," I said softly, standing beside his chair.

Close enough to smell him—pine, leather, that something uniquely Kane that used to calm me. Now it reminded me of everything lost.

He stiffened but didn't look up. "There's nothing to discuss."

That dismissal hit like a slap. After all we endured, after all those words whispered in darkness, he treated me like a stranger ruining his morning.

"Nothing to discuss?" my voice cracked despite me. "After everything we’ve been through? After what you promised?"

The question hung between us like a challenge. I could feel the entire room holding its breath, waiting to see how this confrontation would play out.

Finally he glanced up. His eyes were icy cold. No warmth. No recognition. Just clipped professionalism and barely hidden cruelty.

"It meant nothing," he said, tone flat. "You mean nothing."

Those words shattered me. Not just heartbroken, but faith in all that was real between us broke too.

The hall hushed completely. Every leader, adviser, servant watched my destruction frame by frame. This scandal would go viral in werewolf politics, obliterate our evidence, advance the conspiracy.

Alpha Sarah's daughter buzzed with pride. It wasn't enough to lure Kane to her bed, she'd buried my credibility too.

I stood there for a moment, letting his words sink in completely. The man who'd saved my life repeatedly. Who'd held me through magical agony. Who'd promised we were partners in everything.

He'd just declared it all meaningless.

"I see," I said, voice steady. "So congratulations to Alpha Sarah's daughter. She found herself quite the enthusiastic partner."

Kane's jaw clenched, barely noticeable, but it was something. Still his face stayed neutral. Emotionless. No answer but stone.

I turned, walked away using every scrap of dignity I had. Inside, I screamed.

Whispers sprang up behind me. Aurora's instability, Kane's unprofessionalism. Scandal over substance. A perfect win for the Rogue King.

Each footstep toward the exit felt like walking through quicksand. Legs trembled keeping composure while my world unraveled. Still I moved. Refusing to let them see me fall completely.

The corridor outside the dining hall felt like a sanctuary after the suffocating atmosphere inside. I leaned against the wall, finally allowing myself to breathe properly.

My hands shook now that I was alone. The adrenaline keeping me upright was fading, leaving exhaustion and grief in its wake.

Alpha Martinez met me down the corridor. His look was kind but weighted with worry—someone trying to help without making it worse.

"The council vote's postponed," he said softly. "Given everything."

"What everything?" I asked though I already knew the answer.

"The doubts about both you and Kane’s emotional fitness. Some council members want more evaluation before proceeding."

"I understand. Of course they need time."

But understanding and accepting are miles apart. I was watching everything we fought for collapse because the man I loved chose fear over faith, cruelty over courage.

"Aurora," Alpha Martinez said carefully, "there's talk of ordering a psychological evaluation. Given the stress you've been under..."

The threat was clear. They wanted to declare me mentally unfit just like Raymond had tried. Kane's betrayal had handed them the perfect excuse.

"Of course there is," I said bitterly. "Because a woman upset about betrayal must be having a breakdown."

Alpha Martinez's expression softened. "You know I don't believe that. But perception matters in politics. And right now..."

"Right now I look like an unstable Luna who can't handle personal problems interfering with professional duties."

He nodded reluctantly. The truth hurt, but it was still truth.

Walking back to my quarters, I realized Kane's betrayal had achieved what Raymond's conditioning never could—it shattered me entirely.

The conspiracy was winning, and now, for the first time, I am truly alone.