?Chapter 977:


    I parted my lips to speak, but my throat felt like a desert, the words withering before they could bloom. Instinctively, I shied away from Maia’s piercing stare, too rattled to face the weight of her eyes.


    Catching my unease, Maia’s displeasure bloomed like a storm cloud. Her expression darkened with every unspoken doubt. Her brow furrowed, her face taking on a grave cast as she spoke, her voice firm.


    “Ailyn, you need to understand—the Lycan royal family ruling now is nothing but a sham! They’re our foes, in and simple! If I catch even a whiff of you cozying up to the Lycan royals, I’ll have to rethink what you’re really after ining to us.”


    Though her voice stayed gentle, her words cut like honed des, sinking deep into the tender flesh of my heart.


    Makenna’s POV:


    “Mrs. Pierce, I can exin. There’s a perfectly good exnation for all this,” I said in a panic.


    Maia’s once warm smile had transformed into a frosty re. She stared at me intently and then said, “I’ll give you one chance to exin yourself. You better have a good exnation, or I’ll have to get rid of any potential threats.”


    With a slight wave of her hand, soldiers emerged from the shadows of the garden, surrounding us.


    A chill ran down my spine. However, I steeled myself and maintained calmposure.


    “When did you start suspecting me, Mrs. Pierce? And when did you decide to act against me?” I asked.


    A look of regret crossed Maia’s face, as though she had recalled a painful memory. She sighed deeply and began, “Initially, I trusted you. Even without knowing you were a white wolf, I had this strange trust in you. It felt like I had known you for ages.”


    Maia paused, her expression shifting from regret to one of cold calction.


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    “That was until the three princes showed up. I noticed your panic when they first arrived. At first, I attributed it to nerves, since you’d never met a Lycan prince before. But the more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong.”


    She shook her head, evidently disappointed.


    By this point, I hadpletely regained myposure. “You said something was off about me, Mrs. Pierce. What exactly was it?” I asked.


    “The way you looked at the three princes,” Maia replied usingly. “You looked at them the way a woman looks at her mate.”


    Her words left me dumbstruck for a few seconds. However, I quickly recovered and asked, “Is that all?”


    “Of course not,” Maia answered with a meaningful smile. “What confirmed my doubts was the day Alden had his incident. When the three princes arrived that day, they instinctively sought you out. Their concern for you was unmistakable. Afterward, your trust in them became absolute. Isn’t that strange? It’s rare for white wolves topletely trust their enemies.”


    Maia finished, her voice carrying an undeniable chill. I was left dumbstruck.


    Maia had been quite observant and had seen all there was to see, leaving me with no excuse to hide behind.


    The silence around us was palpable, asionally broken by the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze.


    Since Maia already knew everything, I supposed it was time for me toe clean.


    I finally met her eyes and said, “You’re right.”


    Maia’s eyes narrowed at my admission, and she asked, “What’s your rtionship with the three princes?”


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