Chapter 96
Chloe’s POV
The room froze upon ke’s deration.
I heard ke''s words, and for a fleeting moment, time stood still.
ke, despite everything we had been through, still held on to his belief in me. His unwavering faith in
my character shook me to the core. His faith in me was unchanging, and despite all the pain and
difficulties I brought to him, still chose to believe in me.
I had left him… caused him pain…
I kept the truth about our child hidden from him… yet he still chose to believe in me.
Despite everything I did to him, when he saw that I was in an unfavorable position, his first reaction was
to……protect me.
A surge of conflicting emotions washed over me, mingling guilt and gratitude.
Ever since we recognized each other, all he did was for me. And I have been selfish towards him. Yet
despite my actions, he acted on his instinct to protect me, to shield me from harm.
Suddenly, I felt my eyes turn warm. The weight of ke’s unwavering love and support bore down on
me, causing my eyes to brim with unshed tears.
A warmth blossomed within me, melting the icy walls I had constructed. His love, his forgiveness, had
the power to thaw the coldest corners of my heart.
But… I bit down on my trembling lips, refusing to sumb to the overwhelming wave of emotions
threatening to spill over. With everything I had, I stopped myself from crying.
No, I could not cry. Not now, when I was in front of him. Otherwise, if I shed even one droplet of tear, all
of the emotions that I felt inside would gush out… everything would be revealed.
And I was afraid… afraid that if I cry out, ke would see right through my innermost desire.
So I just stood there and increasingly appeared colder and more and more awkward. Inside my heart,
there was a delicate bnce, a battle between the longing to let go and the need to remainposed.
That was… until I felt the exhaustion in my body.
ke picked up on my emotional state, even though I tried my best to conceal it from everyone else.
“....” I wanted to say something but pressed my lips together instead. At that moment, I felt very
conflicted. I knew it well, ke alone could decipher the hidden panic etched across my face.
A brief moment of hesitation flickered in ke’s eyes before he took a step closer, closing the distance
between us.
His hands reached out, poised to hold me, to offerfort in his warm embrace. But just as he was
about to touch me, he stopped himself before lowering his hands. His gaze softened, reflecting a
tenderness that melted away any remnants of doubt or fear.
With gentle words, he suggested, "You look tired. Why don''t we sit down first and talk about
everything?"
It was my time to hesitate. I paused for a while, not knowing what to do.
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ke saw through me and added, "Let''s settle this matter like mature adults, alright?" His voice carried
a soothing tone, but unlike his earlier tone, it did not contain unending gentleness. Somehow, this made
me morefortable.
Lisa looked at the situation. She carefully observed us before sighing.
As an elder, not only to the pack, but also to both Vanessa and I, she had the duty to smooth things
out.
Especially in the presence of an Alpha from another pack.
Inside the room, ke''s oppressive aura remained relentless, unyielding in its intensity. Even as he
looked at me with his eyes brimming with a torrent of emotions, his demeanor before the others
remained cold and merciless.
The entire time, the entire room seemed to hold its breath. Everyone was on edge as they watched our
interactions.
ke was like a vtile bomb on the verge of detonation, exuding an air of imminent danger. The
tension in the room grew palpable, each person acutely aware of the fragile bnce that teetered on
the edge.
I could see the fear reflected in Lisa''s eyes. For Lisa, she believed that if ke''s anger were left
unchecked, it could unleash devastation upon the Red Moon Pack and Vanessa.
She hesitated for a bit. Then, with a pale face, she walked forward and said with a soft yet clear voice.
“Vanessa, my daughter… this time your words have gone too far.”
I paused and looked at Lisa with surprise.
For the first time in my life, I saw a new side of my stepmother, Lisa. The side of an elder who was
looking after the younger generation. Once again, I started to feel conflicting emotions.
“Even if you hated your sister, or you doubt the reason why she came here, it is not bing of an
Alpha to hurl such usations in the presence of another Alpha.” Lisa stepped towards Vanessa and
held her hands gently.
“Vanessa my daughter, as an elder, I urge you to evaluate your position and actions," she added softly.
Her eyes pleaded towards her daughter.
The surprise in my eyes became more obvious. For the first time, I saw Lisa not blindly siding with her
daughter. But instead, she reprimanded her sternly.
Vanessa and n also found themselves in a state of utter surprise, their eyes widening as they
witnessed Lisa''s unexpected actions.
Vanessa''s reaction was more obvious. It was as if her mind hade to a screeching halt, leaving her
unable toprehend the situation before them. She could only look at Lisa nkly.
The weight of the moment seemed to settle heavily upon her. After a while, her face darkened and
trembled with a mixture of confusion and frustration.
As the initial shock subsided, furrows appeared on Vanessa''s forehead, reflecting her growing
discontent. With a hint of defiance, she voiced her protest, questioning, “Why is it my fault that I thought
of those things in the first ce?”
“Clearly, Chloe did not even exin her situation to us when she came back. It is only natural for me to
doubt her motive and pregnancy because of that!”
Vanessa''s words hung in the air, echoing her defiance. For her, it was only natural to question my
motives and even my pregnancy. It was her defense mechanism, a reaction born out of confusion and
a desire for rity.
Vanessa''s steadfast refusal to retract her usations against me made ke, who was standing
beside me, to suddenly move.
It was so subtle but yet clear. His slight movement caught everyone''s attention and everyone looked at
him intensely.
ke''s beautiful face turned colder and around him, his aura turned more and more oppressive,
casting a suffocating weight upon the room, causing n and Vanessa''s faces to darken and tremble
involuntarily.