Chapter 5

　　Aria's POV

　　Alaric stopped just as he reached the door.

　　Then he turned back to look at me.

　　"I don't have to hear him out anymore. The truth came walking through the door."

　　His pale blue eyes shifted briefly to Kael and Vale.

　　"They made everything easy."

　　I stood there, frozen, watching his broad back disappear from sight.

　　I sat in the waiting room beside the interrogation chamber, staring through the glass wall that separated me from the scene unfolding inside.

　　When I first followed them here, I wasn't sure what I expected.

　　Maybe I wanted to see Kael finally lose that arrogant confidence of his. Maybe I wanted to see Vale's perfect mask crack.

　　Or maybe I was just curious.

　　After all, how often did someone get the privilege of watching an Alpha answer for his own mistakes in front of the Lycan King?

　　"An Alpha gallivanting around with a lowborn while tampering with the pack's funds."

　　Alaric's voice echoed through the room. The cold aura in his voice enveloped the entire room.

　　The kind of voice that made even silence feel afraid.

　　I watched Kael's expression change.

　　For the first time since I had known him, he didn't look like the untouchable Alpha who believed the world existed beneath his feet.

　　He looked nervous.

　　I almost laughed.

　　Vale stood beside him, her usual confidence nowhere to be found. The same woman who had walked into my life and taken whatever she wanted now looked like she wished she could disappear into the floor.

　　Funny how quickly pride vanished when there was no audience to impress.

　　"Your Majesty, this is a misunderstanding," Kael said.

　　A misunderstanding? Of course, he'd say that.

　　Apparently, stealing from your own pack was now a misunderstanding. I wondered if forgetting to return a borrowed dress would also count as a tragic accident in his world.

　　Alaric didn't even blink.

　　"Then explain."

　　Alaric stared him down. His blue eyes slowly shifted, the beast beneath the calm surface revealing itself.

　　And for the first time, Kael had no escape plan.

　　Alaric touched the whip resting on the table gently as his raw wolf presence filled the entire building.

　　"According to ancient Lycan law, embezzlement is a crime punishable by one hundred lashes and suspension from your position for a month," he said coldly. "Do you accept your punishment, Kael Draven?"

　　Kael remained silent for a moment before slowly falling to his knees. His voice had turned hoarse from pleading for mercy.

　　I sat up straighter in my seat. Ancient wolf laws could be cruel. This was enough humiliation for his scum self. Like I knew karma would eventually find its way to him.

　　"My Lord, spare Alpha Kael!"

　　Vale rushed forward and grabbed Alaric's arm. Her soaked eyes were filled with tears, her face desperate as she pleaded for him.

　　"How dare you!"

　　Alaric's voice thundered through the room.

　　The next second, his hand moved.

　　The sound of the slap echoed.

　　I shot up from my seat in shock, my hand flying to my mouth.

　　Did he really just do that?

　　Vale crashed to the ground, blood spilling from her lips. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted instantly.

　　Alaric remained unfazed, but Kael's reaction said everything. His face twisted in disbelief as he stared at Vale's unconscious body, his entire body trembling.

　　"Someone, remove her."

　　Before he finished speaking, two royal Betas entered and dragged Vale away exactly as the Lycan King commanded.

　　Alaric turned his cold gaze back to Kael. This time, his eyes glowed crimson.

　　Guess they had finally pushed his patience too far.

　　"Alpha Kael Draven, do you accept your punishment?"

　　"Yes."

　　Who wouldn't?

　　After feeling the cold wrath of a Lycan King, even I would have accepted my fate without hesitation.

　　Whoosh!

　　The sound reached my ears before the whip landed.

　　Crack!

　　Kael's expensive clothing tore beneath the force of the strike. A thin line of fresh blood appeared against his pale skin.

　　His painful groan echoed through the Truth Room.

　　I had seen it all. His humiliation. His downfall. His once untouchable pride finally shattered. And I was done experiencing his shame firsthand.

　　Cold air rushed against my face as I stepped out of the waiting room. Kael's agonizing voice echoed through the building behind me.

　　Every staff member I passed wore the same expression on their faces. Fear.

　　I was vindicated without lifting a finger. I was proven right without having to explain myself. Karma came to my help without me ever asking for it.

　　I walked out of that building with my head held high.

　　It could have ended differently, but the writer's blood running through my veins wanted to see the final chapter before closing the book.

　　Just as I stepped outside, my phone rang.

　　Father.

　　"Come home now!"

　　Beep.

　　The call ended before I could even say a word.

　　My father had always been biased toward me since I was little. And I was certain Vale had already filled his ears with her version of the story.

　　But she wasn't the only one with words.

　　I had plenty to say too.

　　I entered my car and started driving. Before I even reached the main road, I called my assistant, or better yet... my private spy.

　　"I'll give you ten minutes. Print everything you have on Vale and Isolde Ashford. That mother and daughter. I want every detail before I get home."

　　"Yes, my lady."

　　The call ended.

　　"Let's see how much you enjoy this, Vale." A smile tugged at my lips. "I can't wait to see your precious mother's face when her perfect little world comes crashing down."

　　I laughed.

　　I had a hidden secret.

　　A hidden Aria.

　　Some people knew the woman who wrote stories.

　　They didn't know the woman who could rewrite someone's ending.

　　You could call me a two-faced bitch.

　　I could save a world with one hand and destroy it with the other without feeling a single ounce of remorse.

　　And if you thought Alaric was dangerous...

　　Then you hadn't met me yet.