<h4>Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Silent Retreat</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    The night road stretched endlessly before me, traffic still flowing steadily despite thete hour. I drove with the windows down, letting the cool breeze wash over me.


    Somewhere in that wind was the scent of wildflowers, carrying their sweet perfume through the darkness.


    The streetlights streched ahead like a ribbon of gold, guiding me away from Denver and the chaos I’d left behind.


    I hadn’t lied to Alpha Sebastian. I really was heading to my grandmother’s ce.


    The video that Harper had originally offered to record for me—I’d decided to do it myself. Something inside me knew this needed to be my voice, my face confronting the lies.


    Perhaps... this was the final battle in a war I never asked for.


    I could see it in Xavier’s eyes when he’d visited Harper’s apartment. He was exhausted too. The fight had drained both of us.


    With any luck, by the time I returned, he would havee to his senses. We could finally end this twisted dance between us, once and for all.


    I needed these few days away from Denver. Cici and her family might retaliate in their anger, and I wasn’t about to let a lone wolf try to outfight an entire rival pack.


    Sometimes strategic retreat was the wisest move.


    Author


    Meanwhile, at the Blood Moon Pack house...


    Luna Dora was frantically calling Xavier, one call after another, but he refused to answer. The rejection from her own son—her Alpha—was a bitter humiliation she couldn’t swallow.


    Alpha ude’s face was like stone as he turned to his mate. "You should never have let the Shadow Pack family witch manipte you,"


    he growled, his eyes shing with Alpha dominance, the golden ring around his irises growing brighter with his anger. "Now we’ve not only been publicly humiliated, but the pack has suffered severe losses. How did I end up with such a foolish Luna?"


    Luna Dora was already seething with anger and frustration. She’d been berated all day, her son was treating her like an enemy, and now her mate was insulting her. Herposure finally shattered.


    "Yes, I’m stupid!" she snapped, her voice rising. "Why don’t you just rece me? Get yourself a smarter Luna!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "Oh wait, you already have one, don’t you? That mistress of yours who’s been warming your bed abroad. Why don’t you just let her and that bastard of yours walk right into the Blood Moon Pack and make them your new Luna and heir!"


    The sound of the p echoed through the room as Alpha ude struck her face, the force enough to make a human crumble.


    "Who are you calling a mistress? Who’s a bastard?" he snarled,teeth elongating slightly as his control slipped.


    Luna Dora stood still, her fingers touching her reddening cheek as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened.


    A bitterugh slipped from her lips, and inside her, her wolf let out a soft, painful whine.


    "What did I get for ignoring the truth for over twenty years?" she said, her voice shaking. "You were sharing a bed with that woman overseas, and I stayed here in an empty house. And now, you call me stupid."


    Her shoulders dropped, her whole body seeming to give up.


    "You’re right," she said quietly. "I am stupid. Really stupid."


    She turned away and started walking upstairs. Her steps were slow and heavy, like the weight of all her mistakes was pressing down on her.


    "Dora..." Alpha ude called out, regret already filling his voice.


    They’d maintained a peaceful fa?ade for so many years—he shouldn’t have provoked her. The pack needed stability now more than ever.


    ...


    The moment Luna Dora entered her bedroom, Cici’s call came through—relentless as a death knell.


    Locking the door, Dora finally answered. "Instead of harassing me, why don’t you focus on dealing with the current situation?"


    Cici’s voice was low and cold, like a whisper in the dark.


    "So what if she made your evidence look bad? That doesn’t mean everyone will believe her. I have plenty of ways to confuse them."


    There was a pause. "But that’s not why I’m calling. I wanted to let you know that if Xavier refuses to mate with me through the ancient rites, the next scandal to break will be yours."


    Luna Dora picked up the device with shaking fingers, struggling to contain her terror and rage. "I’ve done everything you asked! Now the entire Blood Moon Pack treats me like a criminal—I’m already suffering! Besides, you’ve seen it yourself: I have no influence over Xavier. He doesn’t listen to a word I say!"


    "That’s not my problem," Cici replied coldly. "You have one week."


    The call ended abruptly.


    Luna Dora remained slumped on the floor, feeling as though she’d been plunged into an ice bath. When she tried to stand, she slid back down.


    [If ude discovered that secret... he might actually use it as an excuse to bring that woman and her bastard into the Blood Moon Pack, to steal what rightfully belonged to her son.


    No. That was absolutely uneptable.]


    ...


    Over the next two days, the inte battle raged on like wildfire.


    At first, the overwhelming majority of people found Cecilia’s responsepelling and credible. The evidence she’d presented was concrete, her delivery calm and collected.


    But gradually, dissenting voices began to emerge.


    Anonymous ounts iming to be Blood Moon Pack employees started posting: "Cecilia is just an actress. Her video was so fake it was painful to watch. Her true face was shown at the airport when she attacked Cici. Don’t let her fool you."


    Then someone iming to be a hotel employee pointed out supposed inconsistencies in Cecilia’s video evidence, stating with suspicious certainty that a pir at the hotel entrance had been under renovation and covered up at that time—a detail her video supposedly missed, suggesting tampering.


    One by one, these suspicious "witnesses" kept appearing.


    Soon, social media influencers and verified ounts joined in, each transforming into amateur detectives as they scrutinized every detail, making wild spections and presenting them as gospel.


    One blogger took a different approach, highlighting how modern AI technology could easily swap faces, manipte video footage, alter voices, and forge chat records.


    Before long, even bodynguage experts and psychologists were joining the fray, eager to capitalize on the trending story involving two prominent packs.


    The public was left confused, unable to discern truth from fiction.


    The discussion intensified, with opinions firmly dividing into two camps.


    Some supported Cecilia, arguing that regardless of disputed evidence, her marriage certificate was legitimate—she was Alpha Xavier’swful mate, beyond question.


    From the evidence presented, they pointed out that Cici hardly matched Luna Dora’s glowing description, instead exhibiting all the behaviors of a homewrecker.


    Moreover, the fact that Alpha Xavier had contradicted his mother at this critical juncture suggested Cecilia wasn’t the disappointment Dora had painted her to be.His tone instead implied guilt.


    Others supported Cici, iming that the Shadow Pack princess was more passionate and pure in her love—perhaps genuinely unaware she had be the other woman until emotions had be too entangled to retreat.


    They admired how she would kneel for love and silently endure being pped, proving her deep devotion to Alpha Xavier.


    They also questioned: if Cici had truly harmed Luna Dora, why would Dora foolishly defend her? The contradiction seemed imusible.


    This circus continued for two or three days.


    The public waited eagerly, hoping for the next "episode" in this real-life drama between powerful families.


    Yet all the key yers had fallen silent. No new statements emerged from either pack.