<h4>Chapter 413: Chapter 413 The Truth Unravels 1</h4>


    Author’s pov


    Alpha?Sebastian’s voice filled the hall, deep and firm like a final verdict. The powering from him made Maggie tremble.


    She straightened her back and forced a weak smile. "I couldn’t reach her, so I just assumed... "


    "Assumed ? "Cecilia cut in, her tone cold as frost. "Let’s call it what it really was, certainty. "


    Her eyes locked on Maggie, sharp and unblinking. "Everyone here saw how you reacted. That wasn’t worry, it was confidence. You wouldn’t have made that bet unless you were sure Daisy was dead. "


    Cecilia leaned forward a little. Her voice stayed calm, but the calm was more dangerous than anger. "Only two kinds of people are that sure about death: the Grim Reaper or the killer. "


    Maggie tried to look calm and said, "I was just emotional. People act strange when they’re scared for someone they care about. "


    Alpha Sebastian pulled out his phone, every movement deliberate, the kind of confidence thates from knowing the trap is already closed. "That’s a pretty strange way to show ‘concern.’ "


    He tapped the screen, projecting a news clip onto the wall. The reporter’s calm voice filled the room:


    "Early yesterday morning, a vehicle plunged off Crescent?Ridge.?The missing driver, a woman, has yet to be identified. "


    Alpha Sebastian looked up, his face calm but his words cutting deep. "You said you couldn’t reach Daisy, but her phone shows many calls from you. Yesterday at eight oh three in the morning, you called her. A few minutester, her car went off a cliff. After that, you never called again, because you already knew she wouldn’t answer. "


    The words hit like stones thrown into still water, sending ripples of shock through the hall. Someone gasped; another shifted uneasily in their seat.


    He didn’t say the word murder, but everyone understood it.


    The air turned dense and cold. Even the faint hum of the lights seemed to vanish. A few wolves lowered their heads, their instincts bowing to the tension pressing down on the room.


    The Cole patriarch jumped to his feet, his eyes red and his voice shaking with anger. "What is this ? My granddaughter’s ident, and I have to hear about it from strangers while you’re already calling her dead ? "


    His voice cracked at the end, fury and grief twisting together.


    The sound made Maggie’s stomach drop. For the first time, she realized how thin the ground beneath her was.


    Maggie’s mask shattered. Herposure crumbled as she stumbled through excuses. "News can be faked! Call logs can be forged! The ck?Pack has the money to stage anything! "


    Her tone swung from panic to usation, rising in pitch. "Since when is it a crime to worry about a missing friend ? You’re calling me a murderer, but Daisy’s sitting right here! Who did I kill ? Who’s dead ? "


    Silence closed in like a vice. No one moved. No one breathed.


    Alpha Sebastian didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The truth was already doing the talking for him.


    Maggie snapped her head toward the silent woman who’d kept her eyes down the whole time.


    "What is this, Daisy ? ying the victim now ? "she hissed through clenched teeth. "After everything I’ve done for you, you turn on me ? You think I won’t spill every dirty secret you’ve been hiding ? "


    Daisy jerked back, her whole body shaking. For a moment, her eyes were empty, like ss about to break.


    Her eyes moved to a fruit fork on the coffee table. One desperate thought crossed her mind : she needed a way out.


    Her breath came in short, broken gasps. The voices around her blurred into meaningless noise, drowned by the pounding in her ears. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, as if every eye were burning into her skin.


    With a sudden jerk, she grabbed the fork and drove it toward her own throat.


    "DAISY! "The shout came from every direction at once.


    Scarlett and Zaria moved in the same instant. Julian caught Daisy’s wrist, knocking the fork aside, but not before the edge sliced a thin red line across her neck.


    The sound of metal hitting the floor rang louder than any scream. Daisy’s fingers twitched, the fork slipping from her grasp as if her strength had been drained from her bones.


    Blood trickled down her pale skin. Then Daisy went limp, copsing like a marite with its strings cut. Whether she’d truly fainted or was pretending, she’d escaped the firing line.


    For a heartbeat, no one moved. The faint smell of blood mixed with the cold scent of fear, wrapping around the room like smoke.


    Julian scooped her up, his face drained of color, and carried her out. Scarlett and two Cole pack members followed, heading straight for the infirmary.


    Silence crashed down over the room.


    A small drop of blood stained the carpet. The metallic tang hit everyone’s senses.


    Alpha Sebastian didn’t move. He didn’t yell. He just stood there, calm and terrifying, his dominance pressing down like a storm front.


    The Coles’ faces were red with anger, and the Lawsons looked caught between rage and guilt.


    It was clear now that Maggie had used Daisy, faked her death, and tried to turn the two families against each other.


    Alpha Sebastian spoke atst, his voice calm and steady, like awyer giving his final statement.


    "You thought pretending someone was dead could break our packs apart, that fear would do what your lies couldn’t. But you underestimated the truth, and you underestimated me. "


    The Cole patriarch let out a slow breath, his voice tight with controlled anger.


    "Alpha Sebastian, I understand everything now. The Cole Pack stands for justice. We know who our allies are and who our enemies are. "


    His gaze sharpened, pinning Maggie like a de.


    "Trying to turn us against each other ? That’s not strategy. That’s insanity. "


    The room went still again, tension tightening every breath.


    Alpha Sebastian gave a slight nod, then reached for Cecilia’s hand. The storm had broken, leaving only wreckage and silence behind.


    Maggie sat frozen, her skin bloodless, fingers digging into her palms. She’d lost—not just to Alpha Sebastian , but to her own schemes.


    She pushed herself to her feet, voice raw. "I’m done. I need to leave. "


    Julian’s voice cut through the quiet, cold and final.


    "Mrs.?Maggie, I’ll take care of Daisy’s debt myself. "


    Maggie let out a brittleugh, trying to sound amused and failing. "How noble of you. "


    She turned to go, but Martha’s voice carried across the room, calm and sharp as broken ss.


    "Not so fast. I’m not finished with you. "


    Maggie’sst bit of bravado drained away.


    "I’m exhausted, "she said tightly. "Can’t this wait until morning ? "


    Martha’s eyes gleamed like silver, her tone carrying the weight of decades of leadership.


    "You weren’t too tired when you were ordering hits on people, were you ? "


    Maggie froze mid-step, shoulders locking.