Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 86 Bloodline Questions
Bella’s POV
"We can’t let the children find out about this. They’ll panic," Chloe said, her voice tight with worry as we sat across from each other at the small table.
The damaging article had spread like wildfire across every platform. Deleting it now would be pointless.
Too many eyes had already seen the lies printed about me. The council would know within hours, if they didn’t already.
Even if only a handful of people had read those twisted words, it was still far too much of my private life exposed to the world.
"This disaster happened because I let Hugo waltz back into my life. I should have known better. That man has always been nothing but trouble," I muttered, pressing my palms against my temples.
"But he was supposed to be your closest friend once. What kind of friend destroys someone they claim to care about?" Chloe asked, genuine confusion coloring her tone.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "That’s exactly the point. He was never really my friend to begin with. Real friends don’t stab each other in the back like this," I said, though complaining wouldn’t undo the damage.
The harm was already spreading through the community like poison.
"You know what your problem is? You refuse to fight back," Chloe said, her voice gaining strength. fгeewebnovёl.com
I looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Look, I get that you want to avoid all this messy drama, but when someone drags you into their games, you have to defend yourself. Your sister painted herself as some innocent victim in that piece. Why don’t you take those threatening messages she’s been sending and give them to a different reporter? The scandal is already public anyway," she said, trying to push me toward exposing my sister’s real nature.
She was referring to the flood of vicious texts Camilla had been firing at me since the article went live.
One message had been particularly unhinged.
In her exact words, she had commanded me to read every word of that article and watch how she planned to destroy any chance I had of returning to human society or reconciling with my so-called husband.
Part of me wanted to stay silent, but Chloe had a valid point.
Even in that interview, Camilla had suggested that I had somehow ruined her perfect evening.
What was the point of taking the high road anymore?
I was already stuck in werewolf territory with no clear way out.
I might as well let the world see what I had actually endured, so people would stop expecting me to play happy family with those people.
I refused to let them pose as the injured parties.
"I know someone," Chloe said, pointing to another journalist’s profile on her laptop screen. "This guy’s name is Leo. He can’t stand Beth, and they work for competing networks. You should contact him directly. They’ve been emailing us for weeks requesting an interview about the illness outbreak. I think now is the perfect moment to speak out, not just about Beth’s lies but about your sister’s behavior too."
I drummed my fingers against the table surface, weighing my options carefully. I had played by the rules for years, and it had never worked in my favor. Perhaps it was time to get my hands dirty.
I pulled my laptop closer and spun the screen toward Chloe.
"Do it. You have my full permission to email him and set up that interview."
Chloe’s face lit up with determination as she began typing rapidly.
Meanwhile, my phone buzzed constantly with calls and messages from all three of my mates, but I ignored every single attempt at communication.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, letting me know someone was waiting just outside our suite.
"Keep working on that email. I’ll see who’s here," I told Chloe as I stood and walked toward the entrance.
When I opened the door, expecting maybe room service with our morning meal, the figure standing there made my blood turn to ice.
It happened every single time this particular man appeared in my life. My body would freeze with dread.
Lord Morris stood there with that trademark arrogant smirk playing across his lips, surrounded by an aura of menace that made my skin crawl.
"Lord Morris, why are you here at this hour?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. freēwēbnovel.com
I kept the door only partially open, positioning my body to block his entrance, because everything about his posture suggested he was prepared to push his way inside.
"I came here to have a conversation with you. Would you mind if I came in?" he asked, that disturbing smile never wavering from his features.
"I’m not entirely sure why you’ve shown up so early in the morning," I replied carefully. "My children haven’t had breakfast yet, and they become quite difficult when they’re hungry. Perhaps we could talk after they’ve eaten?" Even though I kept my tone polite, every instinct I had was screaming warnings about his presence at my door.
"Well, you might be interested to learn that I want to discuss the children specifically," he said.
Those words hit me like a physical blow, making the world seem to tilt dangerously beneath my feet.
I felt my eyes narrow as tension locked my jaw muscles tight.
"What’s wrong?" he asked with false concern. "Don’t think of me as your former best friend’s father right now. Think of me as the head of the council."
His deliberate reintroduction as a council member was clearly meant to remind me of his authority and force me to listen rather than dismiss him.
I stepped back reluctantly, partly because I needed to understand what he meant by coming specifically for my children.
Nothing good could come from that statement.
As soon as we entered the room, he walked directly toward my kids, making them glance up from their television program without bothering to stand and show proper respect.
My children usually had excellent manners and always greeted adults appropriately.
But since they had returned home after last night’s confrontation, Tara had been instructing Zack and Leah not to respond to everyone and everything the way they normally would.
It seemed like she was trying to form a small alliance with her siblings against the people who had been hurting us, and honestly, that development worried me deeply.
I hated involving my children in these adult conflicts and power games.
"Doesn’t she have my son’s eyes?" Lord Morris pointed directly at Leah while speaking about his son.
The room seemed to shrink around me because I knew exactly where this conversation was heading.
"Not really. They all look exactly like their father," I said, fighting to maintain my composure even though my entire body was trembling beneath the surface.
"Is that so? Well, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting your husband, and we haven’t heard anything from him either," Lord Morris said with calculated precision.
Like everyone else, he refused to accept that I actually had a husband.
"But I received a very interesting phone call from your stepmother earlier this morning," he continued.
The moment he mentioned my stepmother, I knew exactly what direction this conversation would take.
"Really? She’s calling you now?" I asked. "Feel free to chat with her all you want. I’m not responsible for managing her social calendar." I tried to sound nonchalant while also taking a shot at his character, because I knew what kind of man he truly was. The kind who had betrayed his mate and driven her to take her own life.
I thought that accusation would make him leave in anger after we argued, but instead, he actually laughed.
"She didn’t just call me, she shared something absolutely fascinating," he said. "Something about the fact that when you fled from the werewolf world, you were carrying a child. And I distinctly remember that during that time period, you were spending quite a lot of time with my son."
That was all he said, and my body began shaking uncontrollably.
