112 Out In The Open
Lucian
“Mara will be the death of you, Lucian,” Martha spat.
My father slammed his hand against the table, the sound echoing like a gunshot through the breakfast lounge. For the first time in years, he lost his temper–and it wasn’t at me.
“Don’t speak to my son–or his wife–again, Martha,” he said, his voice shaking with restrained rage. “You’ve already cost us more than you know.”
He stood, no longer just a patriarch, but a man who’d had enough.
“I didn’t realize how deep the rift between us ran until Mara spoke to me yesterday. I was proud of her–proud that someone in this family still had the guts to speak the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or dangerous it might be. Maybe if you had that kind of honesty, Martha, this home wouldn’t be such a damned mess.”
He swept a glance around the table.
“Look at us. Everyone is miserable, except Lucian and Mara. And they’re the ones who should’ve been the saddest, if not for the goddess blessing their union with love and strength. I wanted Mara for Lucian, yes, but I wouldn’t have forced it if Darian had told me how he felt.”
He turned to Darian then, his expression pained.
“Your son was too scared to speak because of you, Martha. And now? Look what you’ve done. Tiffany is pregnant and unhappy. Darian is broken. Lucian and Mara have moved out without a word. This house, the house of Nighthorns, is becoming a shell. A mansion too large for the silence you’ve filled it with.”
He looked at me again.
“Lucian, I crossed a line with Mara. I admit it. And it won’t happen again.” His voice softened slightly. “I always wanted her for you. But I lost sight of what matters when my temper got in the way. No one will ever speak of her as being bought again. Not while l’still draw breath.”
I didn’t speak. I just nodded once, sharply.
My father turned back to Martha, his expression hardening again.
“You don’t need to show me the statement,” he said to me. “She’s already confessed.”
Then, to Martha–his voice like stone:
“Tell them what you told me.”
Martha froze. Shocked. Exposed. She hadn’t expected this–hadn’t counted on him throwing her under the weight of her own lies.
“You’ve dragged everyone into your mess,” he continued. “So own it. Speak up, or I’ll throw you out of this house and out of this family. I will forget I ever claimed you. I’m tired, Martha. We are all tired.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes landing on mine.
Cornered.
Finally.
< 112 Out In The Open
“There’s a man,” Martha began, her voice thin but trembling. “His name is Alaric Moongrove. He’s from Goldenpeak. We were high school sweethearts.”
Her eyes darted between us, as if gauging whether to continue.
“I got pregnant,” she said. “The child didn’t survive. We were still together when I met Vander. But Alaric was… hot–tempered. Controlling. Abusive. I left him.”
She hesitated, then looked at my father.
“I never told you because I thought you’d reject me. Most Alphas wouldn’t mate with a woman who’s given birth. It’s tradition. You know that.”
No one spoke. The room had gone still.
“He threatened to expose me if I didn’t pay,” she went on. “I’ve been sending him money ever since. When I had Darian… he escalated. Said he’d kill my baby. My parents. My niece. Me. He’s dangerous, Vander. He’s not bluffing. He’s got power. He kidnapped Lacy once. Attacked my parents.”
She broke then, or pretended to, her voice cracking, eyes filling. “I was scared. I couldn’t tell you. So I kept paying.”
My father exhaled, shoulders sagging with the weight of the confession. He looked to me.
“Lucian, I’ll need you to assign security to Martha’s parents. They’re too old to face something like this.”
I shook my head. “That’s not possible right now. You know how stretched the border patrols are. We’ve had too many recent attacks. The mansion is secure. Move them here–for now.”
Martha immediately shook her head. “You can’t find him, Lucian. He’ll kill me. Kill all of us.”
I met her panic with steel. “Leave that to Darian and me.”
She started crying, breaking down again. “He’ll kill my baby.”
Darian finally spoke, voice cold.
“You mean me? Your baby? The same baby you said would be a good Alpha? Now you suddenly think I can’t handle one man?”
She turned her face, avoiding his eyes.
“Lucian, let it be,” my father said. “We’ll move the old ones here. You focus on securing the borders. I’ll,”
pack law. It’s a
“No,” I interrupted. “We can’t just let it go. If this gets out, if the truth spreads that the Luna had a child with another man before mating you, the consequences will be severe. Dead or not, it viol scandal waiting to explode.”
I looked him dead in the eyes. “You’re still technically in power. If your bond with Martha is deemed illegitimate, it’ll be unrecognized. That would affect Darian’s succession. It puts everything at risk.”
Silence.
Everyone stared at me, stunned. They hadn’t thought it through. But I had.
Martha stayed quiet, trembling. But something about her didn’t sit right.
“If this Alaric is truly so dangerous,” I said slowly, “you should be begging us to go after him. But you’re not. You’re trying to keep it quiet.”
<112 Out in The Open
She said nothing.
“And that’s what makes me think,” I continued, “you’re not telling us the whole story.”
I leaned back slightly, keeping my tone even..
“I’m going to find out who Alaric Moongrove really is. If he exists at all.”
Because whether it was truth, half–truth, or something else entirely–one thing was clear: I would protect Darian’s legacy and our family’s name, even if I had to drag the truth out of the shadows myself.
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