Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44 The Recording
Sylvia’s POV
"Come on, everyone in the Silver Moon Pack remembers those three years you shamelessly chased after Alpha Zane. It was practically a public spectacle."
I almost laughed out loud—not because Hugo was being witty, but because of how pathetically transparent his attempt to deflect was.
I caught the subtle shift in my mother’s expression. Alpha Astra might have tolerated many things, but even she couldn’t stomach outsiders belittling her blood daughter.
Still, I saw it—that flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She didn’t entirely believe him, but she wasn’t rushing to my defense either.
Because the question lingered.
If Hugo had truly abandoned Selene, her "perfect" delicate daughter, for me—what reason would he have?
I raised my chin and gave her a cool smile. "Mother, do you seriously believe that man?"
Alpha Astra stiffened. "Sylvia, you need to remember... Hugo is your sister’s mate."
I felt something crack deep in my chest. I wasn’t the daughter she fought for. I was the problem she hoped would stay quiet.
Before I could respond, Selene piped in with her signature tremble, her voice soaked in that faux fragility she’d perfected over the years. "Mom... maybe Sylvia’s still upset I ended up with Hugo. I never meant to steal her engagement. But you know how deeply we love each other..."
Her tone dripped with manufactured innocence, and I wanted to gag.
Selene’s skin, as always, looked like porcelain—pale, thin, as if even her bones would shatter from a gust of wind. Her tears only made her appear more breakable. More tragic.
Right on cue, Hugo rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders like some knightly protector. "Don’t cry, sweetheart. You know your health can’t handle the stress." He shot me a meaningful look. "This is unnecessary drama, Sylvia. I’ve never seen you as anything but a little sister—for Selene’s sake."
Alpha Astra moved to Selene’s other side, brushing her cheek with a concerned hand. Their formation was complete: the cherished daughter, the protective mate, and the mother ever willing to comfort the most fragile among us.
Me?
I stood alone, just like I always had.
But this time, I wasn’t walking away.
"You’re unbelievable, Hugo," I said with a soft chuckle, a sharp edge wrapped in silk. "Even now, you refuse to own up to anything. Fine. Let’s do it your way."
"What are you talking about?" he snapped, frustration bubbling beneath his false composure. "Can’t you see what Selene’s going through? You’re being selfish!"
Mother’s frown deepened. "Sylvia, don’t you think this has gone on long enough?"
"Oh, I agree," I said sweetly, sliding my phone from my coat pocket. "It’s about time we ended this charade—with the truth."
That wiped the smugness off Hugo’s face.
His eyes locked onto my phone like it was a loaded weapon—which, in a way, it was.
He paled.
"Oh?" I tilted my head. "What’s wrong, Hugo? You seem nervous."
"Sylvia, don’t do this," he warned, voice low.
I met his gaze squarely, letting the fury I’d swallowed for weeks rise to the surface. "You did this. I gave you a chance to tell the truth."
Selene turned toward him, confused. "Hugo? Why do you look so... scared?"
Even Alpha Astra’s brow creased. She looked between Hugo and me, finally sensing something wasn’t right.
Perfect.
I tapped the screen, and my phone began to play the recording.
Hugo’s voice filled the room, unmistakably slurred with drink but no less damning.
"Just one chance... that’s all I’m asking."
"I’ve always liked you more than her..."
"I meant every word..."
Then came my voice, crisp and resolute, rejecting him. Again. And again.
Each time, I said no.
Each time, I made it clear.
Even muffled through a phone speaker, my disgust was palpable.
When the recording ended, the silence that followed was suffocating.
Hugo’s fists clenched at his sides, jaw twitching. His cheeks burned red with rage and shame. He looked like he wanted to punch something. Preferably me.
But he couldn’t.
Not anymore.
Alpha Astra staggered back a step, her confidence shaken. "I... I didn’t know. Sylvia, I—"
I cut her off with a cold stare, turning instead to Hugo. "Tell me, Alpha Hugo—were those not your words?"
He refused to meet my eyes.
Coward.
He looked to Selene instead, no doubt searching for salvation. "Baby, please, let me explain—"
Selene yanked her arm from his grasp. The fragile doll mask shattered, revealing something rawer underneath.
"You want to explain?" she hissed. "Are you seriously going to claim that isn’t your voice?"
He opened his mouth, probably to claim the audio was fabricated—but I was faster.
"The recording’s timestamp was from earlier today," I said, holding the screen toward him. "Want to accuse me of faking that too? Go ahead."
My voice was calm, but there was venom in it. Enough to kill.
Selene’s face blanched, realizing how far Hugo had gone behind her back.
She spun on her heel, storming toward the door with barely contained fury. "I can’t believe this. I defended you!"
"Selene, wait—" Hugo reached for her, but she didn’t even flinch.
She paused only to glance back at me and my mother. "I’m sorry. I... I should’ve trusted you, Sylvia. I really should’ve known better."
Mother tried to stop her. "Sweetheart, it’s not your fault—"
But Selene just shook her head, tears finally spilling down her face, the real kind this time. "I can’t... I can’t face either of you right now."
She disappeared through the front door, and Hugo, desperate and humiliated, trailed after her.
Before leaving, he turned and gave my mother a deep bow.
"I’ll fix this, Aunt Astra. I swear to you—I’ll make things right."
Then he was gone.
For once, my mother didn’t soften.
Good.
Let her finally see what kind of man she had been protecting.
She looked at me then—no longer as the unruly daughter or the embarrassment of the Frostline household—but as someone she might have truly wronged. fгeewebnovёl.com
"Sylvia... I was wrong," she said at last, her voice low.
