Chapter 188 

Angelina collapsed to the floor, her voice breaking into sobs. 

“Alpha Leo, you you can’t do this! We’ll have nothing left! How will the Oceanheart pack survive?” 

Leo’s gaze didn’t soften. “You have a choice, Angelina. Return what’s mine, or I’ll send you to prison. I have more than enough evidence to make that happen.” 

Angelina’s cries grew louder as she turned desperately to her daughter. 

Aria! Beg him! Didn’t you say he loved you? Beg him to forgive us!” 

Asta stood frozen, her world collapsing around her as everything she had fought for crumbled to dust. 

Aria stood frozen in place, the sharp sting on her cheek lingering long after her mother’s slap. 

The impact had been physical, but the emotional weight crushed her even more. 

Shame, betrayal, and disbelief swirled in her chest. 

Her face burned, not just from the slap but from the embarrassment that engulfed her. 

She had been the center of attention for so long, posing as me, receiving the adoration and care that wasn’t meant for her. 

Now, stripped of the illusion, her family’s coldness left her feeling utterly exposed. 

She swallowed hard, holding back tears as she tried to make sense of it all. 

Everything she’d done–every lie, every pretense–it had all been for them. For Oceanheart. For the pack. And now, in this moment of crisis, they turned on her. It wasn’t fair. 

Aria grabbed her mother’s arm, desperate to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the study. “Let’s go, Mother, we can-‘ 

*Smack!* 

The slap came faster than Aria expected. 

Her head whipped to the side, her cheek now stinging twice over. 

This time, however, it wasn’t the shame of being caught in a lie that hurt–it was the realization that the one person she trusted, her own mother, had betrayed her. Aria stared at Angelina, wide–eyed and disbelieving. 

“Mother…” 

Angelina’s eyes were cold, narrowed with anger. 

“Don’t you dare blame me for this, Aria,” she snapped, her voice like ice. “You should have been smarter. You should have found a way out of this before it all fell apart!” 

Leowatched the exchange with a grim expression, his patience clearly wearing thin. 

I glanced at him and shook my head slightly, signaling that I didn’t want to witness any more of this family’s twisted dynamic. 

I stood up quietly and began to walk toward the door. 

Just then, Nicholas said grimly, “Alpha Leo, are you sure you want to make an enemy of our Oceanheart Tribe for the sake of a traitor’s daughter?” 

A traitor’s daughter? Who was he talking about? 

I turned my head to look at Nicholas, but I didn’t notice that Leo’s body stiffened, and for a moment his demeanour was very unnatural. 

Nicholas’s gaze shifted to Leo’s legs, and his compelling tone seemed to be guiding Leo to recall some kind of hatred, “Don’t forget whose parents deserted the battlefield and left your legs unable to stand-” 

Chapter 188 

“Enough No more talk about this.” Leo bellowed angrily, “The consequences of another word are more than you can bear? 

Leo, what does he mean?‘ I asked suspiciously, Who are they talking about? 

No, nothing.‘ Leo denied quickly, 

He took me by the shoulders and led me out the door. 

All the way, Leo just followed me without a word, his movements quiet and thoughtful, 

As we passed Panther, he leaned over slightly to greet us, his face tense. 

“I’ll handle it,” Panther said, his voice low, sensing the tension that lingered like a storm cloud over the room. 

paused, giving Panther a hard look. “Just let them keep their lives. Beyond that, do what you must.” His tone was devoid of action, add as the winter winds that blew across the northern front. Panther bowed slightly, a visible tremor running through him as he acknowledged the order, 

As I stepped outside the study, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over me. 

The air in the hallway felt stifling, and my chest tightened inexplicably. 

I placed a hand on the wall, trying to steady myself, but a strange heat coursed through my body, making my skin prickle. 

The lights overhead flickered, then went out, plunging the corridor into darkness. 

Panic clawed at my chest, sharp and sudden. 

Ever since I was a child, darkness had been my enemy. 

The memory of being locked away in that tiny attic as punishment for defying my foster parents rushed back to me, suffocating my mind with fear. 

I tried to calm myself, to focus on breathing, but it was impossible. 

The darkness closed in, pressing against me from all sides. 

Suddenly, my hand reached out instinctively, searching for something–anything–to ground myself. 

Instead, I found Leo’s arm. 

The fabric of his shirt felt rough against my fingertips as I clenched it tightly, desperate for reassurance. 

Before I could say anything, I was pulled into his strong embrace. 

“I’ve noticed something…” Leowhispered, his breath warm against my ear. “Your scent… it’s changed.” He paused, taking a deep breath as if confirming his suspicions. “You’re in heat.”