Author’s pov
Maggie let out a bitter laugh that cut through the silence of the ballroom.
"Am I making this up ?"Her voice shook with anger she could barely control. "This whole spectacle was planned just to humiliate , wasn’t it ?"
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.
Everyone else seed frozen, watching the scene unfold like a high-stakes power play.
"I pretended not to know. I tried to protect your reputation,"she said, her eyes locked on Zane. "And how did you repay ? You plotted behind my back, knowing I had no power to fight you !"
She threw out a hand toward Cecilia, who stood still beside Alpha Sebastian.
Alpha Sebastian moved a little, his shoulders straight and tense, his whole posture making it clear that Cecilia was under his protection.
"You’re so shaless,"Maggie’s voice rose. "You talk about the ‘true Locke heiress’ right in front of ! So my children an less than so stranger’s bastard ?"
A low growl ca from Alpha Sebastian’s chest, quiet but dangerous.
"Well, congratulations,"Maggie snapped. "You’ve done it. I’m officially the laughingstock of Colorado Springs."
Her eyes glistened with tears, perfectly tid for sympathy. "Let everyone see how thoroughly you’ve disgraced ."
The room buzzed with shock. The aning behind her words was clear :
[ Cecilia was being nad as Zane’s illegitimate daughter.
Maggie had known all along but played along to keep appearances; and Martha had chosen this mont to expose everything, making Maggie look like a fool. ]
In the past, Zane would’ve gone to comfort her and taken all the bla.
But not tonight.
When he looked at Maggie’s practiced expression, he felt nothing, just a cold, clear sense of truth.
"So you switched the DNA results ?"His voice was low, calm, and final.
Maggie didn’t flinch. Instead, she drew herself up, righteous fury burning in her eyes. "I thought I’d protected your dignity. I believed you’d see I ant well. I was wrong."Her voice broke at just the right mont. "I’ve been fighting for us while you’ve been chasing your bastard daughter. Zane, how could you ?"
Zane pressed his fingers to his forehead, a dull ache spreading in his chest. It wasn’t just anger; it was the empty kind of pain that ca from knowing no one really understood him.
Martha watched her son and let out a quiet sigh. She knew he wanted to stay blind to the truth, but tonight she couldn’t allow it.
Cecilia stood frozen in the chaos. Alpha Sebastian stepped closer and drew her to his side, his presence a quiet shield. His wolf was bristling just beneath the surface, ready to protect his mate from any Locke who dared to touch her.
Elder Luna Black shifted uncomfortably, clearly done with the family drama playing out in public.
For soone who valued decorum above all, this was unbearable. She couldn’t fathom why Martha would air her family’s secrets like a soap opera.
Zaria moved quickly to guide Elder Luna Black toward the exit.
They had barely taken two steps when a calm, commanding voice stopped them.
"Who told you Cecilia is illegitimate ?"
Martha’s voice filled the ballroom, calm and steady, carrying enough authority to silence every whisper.
The room fell silent again. A flicker of cold calculation crossed Maggie’s face.
Cecilia felt like she was losing her grip on reality. One mont, they called her Zane’s daughter; the next, they denied it. It felt like being trapped in so twisted soap opera.
Zane lifted his head slowly.
"I don’t make things up or twist the truth,"Martha said, her eyes locked on Maggie. "When I call her the true Locke heiress, I’m not talking about so cheap, underhanded connection."
Her tone made it clear who she ant, Maggie, the woman who had forced her way into the Locke family.
Maggie caught the insult right away and clenched her jaw, silent but seething.
Martha gave a small, polite smile before delivering the blow."Cecilia is the daughter of Rebecca, the rightful first wife of the Locke family."
For a mont, no one even breathed.
The ballroom went completely still, as if ti had stopped.
Most people had long forgotten that Rebecca Cole was pregnant when she died.
Even her own family had accepted it. They had seen the body, mourned her, and moved on. Over the years, it had beco one of those sad family stories people only ntioned quietly at dinner parties.
So when Martha said the baby had survived, it felt like the floor dropped out from under everyone.
The Cole patriarch swayed slightly, his face pale.
The mory of that day ca flooding back. He could still see his daughter’s lifeless face, and he hadn’t had the strength to look any further.
When the doctor said the baby hadn’t made it, no one had the heart or courage to question him.
Luna Regina gripped Alpha Yardley’s hand, her voice trembling. "So it’s true after all..."
Alpha Yardley turned to her, startled. "You knew ?"
Of course she hadn’t.
But a mory ca rushing back.
During the funeral, she had bought a tiny set of baby clothes, sothing soft and decent to give the unborn child a little dignity.
The funeral director had told her the baby’s body was already cremated, done under Martha’s orders.
At the ti, she hadn’t understood. She’d even wondered if Maggie had done sothing terrible. Martha had admitted it was her order, saying the baby’s body was too small, too fragile to display.
Now, connecting that mory with Martha’s words, Luna Regina felt a chill crawl down her spine.
"Rebecca died protecting her child,"Martha said, her voice steady but heavy with emotion. "I feared for the baby’s safety, so I sent one of my most trusted people to take her away from Colorado Springs that very night. I made sure she would live."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The revelation hit like a thunderclap.
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