?Chapter 794:


    My heart hammered against my ribs as thoughts raced through my mind. “Your Majesty, surely you see this was Molly’s final act of desperation—herst attempt to drag me down with her. I swear, none of this has anything to do with me!”


    But my words fell on deaf ears. Leonardo advanced, his towering figure casting a menacing shadow over my kneeling form. “Then tell me,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “where are these poisonous rumorsing from?”


    I bowed lower, watching my blood stain the pristine floor, words dying in my throat.


    “Do you have any idea how these whispers have wounded the Lycan royal family? Your actions have brought shame to our name!”


    Met with my silence, Leonardo’s boot found my ribs.


    I crumpled to the side like autumn leaves in a storm, fresh blood coating my tongue.


    Leonardo’s obsession with reputation was legendary, and the Harrison family had always been his most steadfast allies. If he uncovered any truth about my involvement with Molly or her child, my fate would be sealed.


    Through the suffocating silence, I wiped blood from my lips and forced myself to meet his gaze. “Your Majesty, I beg for time. I will uncover the source of these vicious rumors, clear my name, and provide both you and the royal family with the truth you deserve!”


    His eyes, deep and unforgiving as a frozenke at midnight, held me captive as time seemed to stop.


    Finally, words escaped through his clenched teeth like winter wind through bare branches. “Three days. You have three days to expose the truth behind Molly’s child and these rumors. Fail, and you’ll never again set foot in werewolf territory!”


    His cloak snapped behind him as he stormed from the hall.


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    Gritting my teeth against the throbbing pain, I limped toward the exit. Such cruelty from the king!


    Years of unwavering loyalty, countless sacrifices—all forgotten in an instant. The moment something displeased him, his rage exploded, ready to end my life to sate his anger.


    What kind of ruler acted with such blind fury?


    As I emerged from the hall, my subordinate rushed to my side.


    Horror shed across his face at my bloodied appearance. Without a word, he scrambled for a medical kit, but I waved him off irritably, snatching a nearby tissue to dab at my still-bleeding forehead. “The rumors…” I demanded, my voice tight with displeasure, “Have you traced their source?”


    He shook his head and then leaned in close, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. “No, but I’ve learned something else. Prince Bryan appears to be moving to strip Alice of her sex ve status.”


    My fists clenched at the news.


    This reeked of Makenna’s scheming—using Molly’s situation as smoke and mirrors to conceal Alice and Amon’s affair.


    She’d opposed me at every turn, but this time, she’d crossed a line. She would pay dearly for her interference.


    Makenna’s POV:


    In this game, I lost to Bryan. I had failed to realize that I was no match for him.


    However, the silver lining was that Bryan eventually agreed to let Alice leave the pce. He even went further and offered to arrange for Alice and Amon to get married if that was what she wished.


    In that moment, the tension within me eased considerably.


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