Chapter 4 Episode 4 – A Pregnant Lie (Elena's POV)

Episode 4 – A Pregnant Lie

(Elena's POV)

The room sagged. I could still hear her voice when I turned to look at my mom. She stood a few feet away and was still and calm.

"Mom?" My voice broke like a weak tree branch.

She walked up to me and took off her silver hood. Her hair used to be black, but now it had white spots through it. Her sharp blue eyes, which I inherited, were full of secrets.

"Don't call me that here," she said softly, glancing at Adrian. "There are people who don't deserve the truth."

"What truth?" I asked while shaking. "You died ten years ago." I saw your grave!

Her lips curved into something between sorrow and warning. "You saw what I wanted you to see."

There was more smoke in the meeting hall. They were all looking at her and were also very quiet. Damian's grin went away for the first time, and Selene's hand dropped from her stomach, which meant she wasn't more than just acting calm.

Adrian, on the other hand, just stood there with a blank look on his face.

My mother looked straight at him. "You promised me, Adrian. You said she'd be left out of it."

My heart stopped. "Left out of what?"

Adrian looked at her quickly with cold eyes that didn't show much. "That was before her groom humiliated her in front of every pack in the region."

My mom yelled, "You weren't supposed to use her."

"Used?" I said it again, but this time it was louder. "What are you talking about?" Used for what?

Both of them didn't answer.

"Someone tell me what's going on!"

The stress was broken by Damian's laugh. He said, "Oh, I can tell her," his tone dripping with mock pity. "Elena, your dear Lycan King has his own ideas." Are you sure he brought you in to keep you safe? His plan is to use your Rivers bloodline to gain power over half the packs and become your friend.

Adrian looked at me, and I was looking for any sign of denial on his face.

He didn't say anything.

Something in me broke when it was that quiet.

"So it's true." I whispered"You made deal with her. With my mom. You knew who I was all the time.

Adrian's jaw got lock up. "I kept you safe."

"By lying?"

His voice got hoarse as he got closer. "By keeping you alive!"

The hand of my mom shook. "Stop this right now, both of you." It's not right here-

The hall was already a mess, though. There were low growls instead of whispers. Me, The Lycan King, the woman who wasn't supposed to exit, was being looked at by all of the pack leaders.

There was no more noise after that. Selene's voice came through.

It was mean of her to say, "Stop this pathetic show." "Do you think any of this is important?" Elena, He's mine now. He's always been.

Damian called out, "Selene,"

"No," she yelled and stepped forward. "Be honest with them. You might be safe with the Lycan King, but I have something better for you.

Her hand returned dramatically to her stomach. "A child." His child.

People in the crowd gasped. Even the council head got up.

The words cut me like knives.

"That's not true," I said, and my voice shook.

Selene's eyes were filled with a cruel love. "You can't prove that."

Damian put his hand on her shoulder to make her feel better, but his smirk told her he wasn't telling the truth.

Adrian's face turned dark. He said, "Enough," with a Lycan voice full of power. "You are manipulating the council."

Selene tilted her head to look like she didn't understand what was going on. "Am I? Then she asked why she-she pointed at me-was staying safe with you when everyone knows that what you say can change the course of wars. Why her? Unless she's the next piece in your never-ending power game.

Around us, the whispers got stronger and louder. I could feel every question, every glance, and every eye on me.

The noise was not as loud as Damian's speech. "The Rivers girl being here is bad for the peace of our packs if Selene's child is really mine." Just get her off of the council grounds.

My mom stepped forward. "You touch her, and I'll-"

Adrian told her to stop. "She stays."

Damian's lip turned up. "You'd put the safety of your realm at risk to protect another man's wife?"

Adrian couldn't take it anymore. The darkness and power in his aura grew stronger. For a moment, it even shook Damian.

Selene laughed, though.

"Go ahead, Damian." Tell them rest.

I made a face. "What's the rest of it?"

She looked mean at me. Damian came to me the night before your wedding. Before the ceremony, did you think he was scared and hoping for peace? Oh no, Elena. He slept in my bed.

The words hurt more than any hit.

I was so taken aback that I couldn't breathe. Damian "Tell me she's lying."

He didn't say anything.

I wouldn't let the tears fall even though they hurt. Not here. Not in front of them.

I said in a low voice, "You disgust me."

He laughed. Elena, you made a deal. You should have known that by now.

My mom's eyes were very angry. " you just declared war on yourself, boy."

She took something out of her coat and threw it on the floor before anyone could do anything. A bottle broke and a faint golden mist came out. A sharp and familiar smell came from it, like wolfbane and truthroot mixed together.

The council leader made a face. "What is this?"

In a calm voice, my mom said, "A truth spell." "If Selene is really pregnant, the spell will react to the smell of a child's essence."

Then Selene froze.

Adrian gave her a cold, critical look. "Then let's see the truth."

The room was quiet. As it moved around her, the mist gave off a soft glow. But after only a short time, the light became less bright. Nothing. No beating heart.

Nothing.

In the hall, people gasped.

Selene's voice was shaking as she took a step back. "This spell-it's-it's old magic; it could be-"

"Lies," my mother said. "Just like your claim."

Damian's face turned dark as he saw what was going on too late. "Selene, what did you-"

She turned on him, frantic now. "You said this would work! You said-"

The council erupted in chaos. As the guards moved forward, screams and voices filled the chamber.

I felt Adrian grab my hand. "We're leaving."

He was pulling me toward the doors before I could talk, ask, or fight. My mom went after her and pulled up her hood again.

We didn't stop until we were outside. The air was cold and sharp, making my lungs hurt.

"Why didn't you let me know?" I looked at my mom and asked. "About Damian, this deal with Adrian, and everything else?"

Her eyes became less harsh. "Elena, you were never supposed to marry him."

"What?"

"It wasn't you he wanted; it was your bloodline." The power in it. The Rivers bond has the strongest link of all of the pack. You come from the first Luna, who was blessed by the Moon.

I froze. "That's impossible."

Adrian's voice was soft but clear. "That's true." That's why each Alpha wanted to link their pack to yours. That includes me.

I was having trouble breathing. "So this is what it is." I'm a tool to both of you.

He moved forward. "No." You're the key to world peace."

"I don't want peace if it means being owned," I yelled.

His eyes told me something I couldn't understand, but he didn't say anything.

After that, a guard ran out of the main hall while breathing hard. "Your Majesty, there has been an attack!"

Adrian quickly turned his head toward him. "Where?"

The guard took a bite. "At the border." A pack that helps Hale-Selene's backers. They want to get to the Rivers estate.

My heart stopped. "My home?"

The guard gave a sad nod. "It's on fire."

I did not think. I ran through the night, past the guards and my mom's screams of warning.

I was interested in Adrian's voice, though, because it was strong and firm.

"Elena, stop!"

I shook and turned around. "That's my family!"

He looked at me. "You'll die with them if you leave now." They want you, not your house.

Behind him, my mom said something that made me feel cold all over.

"Already, they have what they came for."

I stopped moving. "What do you mean?"

She had a broken face and looked scared and raw. "They took your sister."