Chapter 25

Amanda’s POV

The moment I saw the headlines, my stomach dropped.

“Alpha King Nicholas Crawford and Dr. E. Arden Spotted Together at Medical Summit!”

The photos were unmistakable. Nicholas’s hand brushed close to hers. They were not touching, but it was intimate enough to make every rumor mill in the city grind to life.

There she was: Esther, alive, standing next to him, her face calm but her eyes sharp, as if daring the world to challenge her. And the world had noticed. The cameras had noticed.

I had noticed.

I stormed through the corridors of the conference center, the click of my heels echoing like gunshots in the sterile halls. My anger and disbelief roared louder than my sense of propriety.

How dare she show herself here? How dare she flaunt herself next to Nicholas after all these years? After everything we had been through to protect the family, to protect his reputation?

I found her in a small breakout room, trying to gather her things, her head lowered, pretending the storm outside didn’t exist. Pretending she didn’t know the world was already whispering her name across every screen in the city.

“Esther!” I snapped, slamming the door behind me. The sharp click of the lock was a punctuation to my fury. She looked up, startled, her composed mask slipping for just a heartbeat.

I strode forward, my fists clenching. “How dare you?” I hissed, voice trembling with rage. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to him? To all of us? You’re seducing him, aren’t you? Using him to claw your way back into power, to reclaim a life you weren’t meant to have!”

Her eyes narrowed, and for a second I thought she might crumble under my words. But then she straightened, her jaw tight, her expression sharp.

“I’d never want him again,” she spat, bitter and exhausted, her voice low but cutting. “You’ve got him all wrong. I don’t want his power. I don’t want his crown. I don’t want anything he represents except that he stays away from me.”

I blinked, stunned. My hand shot out, and I slapped her across the face. It was an impulse, a release, and an accusation all in one.

She blocked it effortlessly, her hand moving like lightning to intercept mine. Our eyes locked, fire against fire, neither of us willing to yield.

Then she hesitated, a faint shift in her posture that I mistook for weakness. I let my fingers trail across her cheek in a mock gesture of concern, and I could feel the weight of the moment, the temptation to manipulate, to win, to make her crumble.

But I didn’t notice Nicholas’s presence until the sharp inhale behind me caught my attention.

He stood in the doorway, arms folded, eyes hard, jaw tight. And everything I thought I had accomplished—the spectacle, the drama—crumbled instantly.

“You’re out of line, Amanda,” he said, voice low but laced with authority. Even in my fury, I flinched. His gaze cut through me like a blade. “Back off.”

I faked a sob, leaning against the wall, the perfect picture of injury, of someone wronged and vulnerable. “She’s… she’s—she’s manipulating you! She—” My voice cracked as I began to cry on cue, the cameras that had followed her snapping away in an invisible frenzy.

Nicholas’s eyes flicked between me and Esther, tension pulling at the corners of his mouth. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, struggling against the pull of conflicting instincts.

Nicholas’s POV

I watched Amanda’s performance, my blood pressure rising despite my best efforts to stay calm. Part of me wanted to step forward, to defend Esther, to make it clear that this was nonsense, that every word Amanda spat was false and manipulative.

But the crowd outside, the cameras, the flashing lights, and the whispers—every one of them a threat to my authority—pulled at me. Public perception is a weapon, and a misstep here could cost more than a reputation. Norman snarled beneath the surface, restless, demanding action, demanding clarity.

“Enough,” I said, stepping forward, letting my voice cut through the sobbing theatrics. My tone brooked no argument. “This ends now.”

Amanda’s fake sobs faltered as my gaze pinned her. She shrank back slightly, recognizing that the spectacle had gone too far, that the Alpha’s judgment was upon her.

Kevin arrived beside me in that moment, his presence calm but commanding. He didn’t speak at first. He didn’t need to. He placed a firm hand on Amanda’s shoulder, guiding her back as if shielding Esther, his eyes locking with mine briefly in silent communication.

“Step away from her, Amanda,” Kevin said, voice loud enough for the others in the room to hear. “This behavior is unacceptable. Public humiliation is not the path of leadership, and it will not be tolerated.”

Esther’s eyes were wide, a mixture of relief and exasperation. She hated the attention, hated the glare of the cameras and the weight of exposure pressing down on her like iron. I could feel it radiating off her, the way she stiffened, jaw tight, shoulders squared against a world that wanted to consume her secrets.

I wanted to sweep the room clean, to erase every whisper, every flash of the cameras, to reclaim the narrative for her, for us. But Kevin’s intervention was enough. Amanda had been neutralized, the immediate threat removed without a single misstep on my part.

I took a deep breath, letting the tension drain slightly, though my wolf’s growl remained, a low undercurrent in my chest. I glanced at Esther. Her face was pale, lips pressed together, eyes flicking between the doorway and me. Exhaustion clung to her like a second skin, but there was also defiance there. She had survived every step of this storm, and I knew she would survive this too.

“Are you hurt?” I asked, voice low, almost a growl. I needed to hear the answer, needed to make sure my presence had not made this worse for her.

She shook her head, her voice flat and bitter. “No,” she said. “This is… nothing.”

“Nothing?” I repeated, incredulous. Her hands were trembling slightly, and I could feel the weight of the world she carried behind her controlled words. “This was public, Esther. Your life… our life… nearly shattered in front of everyone. And you say it’s nothing?”

She turned to look at me, her eyes blazing with quiet fury.

“It’s nothing because I’m still standing,” she said. “I’ve always been standing, Nicholas. Even when you weren’t here. Even when the world tried to break me. This—this is just noise. I’ve survived worse.”

Kevin stepped closer, standing protectively by her side.

“She doesn’t need you to fight for her right now,” he said. His voice was calm but firm, unyielding. “She needs you to control your presence. Publicly. Quietly. You’ve already protected her by staying composed. That’s enough.”

I swallowed hard, tension coiling in my chest. Norman snarled, restless, impatient, but I obeyed. I took a step back, letting Kevin guide the interaction, letting Esther regain her space.

My eyes never left her, never left the controlled defiance, the exhaustion, the strength that radiated from her.

Amanda, for her part, remained on the edge of the room, faking tears, attempting to salvage the illusion of injury. But the truth of the matter had been exposed, subtly but undeniably. The attention she craved had failed. The authority she wanted to undermine had remained intact.

Esther’s secret life—the careful, hidden layers she had built over six years—was cracking under the pressure, but she had withstood it. I could feel the strain in her body, the way her muscles tightened, the faint tremor of her hands, but her eyes held the fire of someone who had faced worse.

I reached for her, just a subtle gesture, a protective shield without touching, and she met my gaze. The silent exchange between us spoke volumes: I had seen the attacks, I had felt the danger, and I was here. And she was not backing down.

This was not the end. It was a beginning, a warning, and a challenge all at once. The world would notice her brilliance, her defiance, her power. And so would I.