booktalesy Chapter 225: Accused
Chapter 225: Accused
Scarlett’s POV
"I know it was you!" Liam’s voice boomed through the sitting room, vibrating with a dark, terrifying power. His chest was heaving as he stared down at Ma’am Olivia. "You are the one who wants Scarlett dead! You are the one sending assassins after her!"
Before Ma’am Olivia could even choke out a reply, a blur of motion cut through the room.
Out of nowhere, Sir Lennox stormed out from a corner and pushed Liam completely away from his wife. He grabbed his own son by the collar of his shirt, his eyes flashing with terrifying anger. "How dare you lay your hands on your mother in such a way?!"
I watched them from Leonard’s arms, completely stunned. It was crazy to see, honestly. Just like how Liam was ready to kill because someone wanted me dead, Sir Lennox was in the exact same state of mindless rage because another man had dared to touch his mate.
An Alpha’s instincts are a beautiful thing when they are protecting you, but when it’s a father and son turning on each other, it’s just terrifying.
Liam didn’t back down. He ripped his collar out of his father’s grip. "You and your wife need to stop sending assassins to kill Scarlett!"
Sir Lennox pushed him away again, looking at him with deep pain. "Yes, we want to save your lives! We don’t want the prophecy to come to pass! But myself, my brothers, and your mother would never think of harming Scarlett. Is this really how you boys see us? Has it actually come to this?"
Ma’am Olivia was just sobbing silently in the background.
I mean, can you blame her for breaking down? To have your own flesh and blood look at you with so much hatred and accuse you of trying to murder his mate has to be the worst feeling in the world.
For a fleeting moment, a sharp wave of pity washed over my chest. I didn’t think she was the one behind the assassin attack. A mother’s grief like that can’t be faked, and my gut was telling me we were making a terrible mistake.
"Liam, stop it!" I called out, but he just glared at me, his rage blinding him.
Sir Lennox moved over to Ma’am Olivia and pulled her tightly into his arms. He glared at us one last time. "You know what? We are washing our hands completely of this prophecy. Anything that wants to happen should happen. We are leaving. We are not staying here."
He paused, his voice turning dead cold. "From now on, you have no parents."
And just like that, they walked away.
I turned to Leonard and Liam, my heart sinking into my stomach. I couldn’t let them destroy their own family over a lie. I tapped Leonard’s shoulder sharply until my feet hit the floor. Then I grabbed both of their arms.
"Go after them right now and apologize! Run!"
Neither of them moved.
Liam stood completely frozen, his chest still heaving, his fists clenched so tightly at his sides. The dark, suffocating Alpha aura around him hadn’t faded one bit. Beside him, Leonard just stared at the stairs where their parents had disappeared, his brown eyes wide with a mixture of shock and lingering aggression.
"Did you hear me?!" I yelled, ignoring the sharp, hot sting in my left arm as I yanked on their sleeves. "Liam! Leonard! Go after them! They didn’t do this!"
"Scarlett, you don’t understand," Liam growled, his voice still low and full of rage. He finally looked down at me, his eyes dark with stubborn pride. "They have been obsessed with that prophecy. They will do anything to keep us apart, even if it means eliminating the threat."
"They are innocent!" I snapped, stepping right into his personal space despite the exhaustion draining my body. "Think about it, Liam! Your father is a legendary Alpha. If Sir Lennox and Ma’am Olivia wanted me dead, do you really think they would hire a random masked assassin to do it on your property where all fingers would point straight to them? They aren’t stupid."
Leonard shifted his weight, his jaw clenching as he looked from me to the door. "Liam, she was crying. I’ve never seen our mother look at us like that. What if we’re wrong?"
"We aren’t wrong," Liam insisted, though a tiny flicker of doubt finally crossed his pale face. "She’s hiding something."
"Even if she is, you just threw your parents out of your life over an assumption!" I argued, my voice cracking slightly from the frustration. "Those are your fucking parents... people who love you more than anything in this world."
That finally seemed to pierce through Liam’s thick skull.
The cold, icy rage in his eyes flickered, replaced by the sudden, heavy realization of what he had just done. He looked at the open door, then back at my bloody jumpsuit, torn between his instinct to guard his mate and the guilt of disowning his family.
"Go," I softened my tone, placing my uninjured hand gently against his chest. "I have Leonard here. My arm is almost fully healed. Just go apologize."
Liam held my gaze for a long second before finally letting out a harsh breath. He turned to his brother. "Leonard, stay with her. Guard the room. Don’t let anyone in."
"I’ve got her," Leonard nodded, his dark energy instantly shifting back into a protective shield around me.
Without another word, Liam spun on his heel and bolted up the stairs.
I let out a shaky sigh, the adrenaline finally leaving my system. My legs felt weak, and the golden light beneath my skin gave one final, dim pulse before fading completely. The wound was closed, leaving nothing but a faint pink scar and a lot of dried, ruined fabric.
Before my knees could buckle, Leonard’s strong arms were around my waist again, lifting me gently and guiding me over to the plush velvet sofa. He sat down, pulling me right onto his lap and burying his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent deeply to calm his racing wolf.
"You’re reckless, you know that?" he murmured, his grip tight. "You’re bleeding, poisoned, and the first thing you do is start a family intervention."
I couldn’t help but let out a weak chuckle, resting my head against his bare chest. "Someone has to keep you triplets from ruining your lives."
But my quiet relief didn’t last long.
Just then, the double doors of the grand sitting room burst open with a loud bang.
Leo stormed into the room, his clothes slightly disheveled and his chest heaving as if he had run a marathon to get here. The moment his eyes landed on me sitting on Leonard’s lap, his entire expression darkened with a toxic, possessive fury.
Before I could even blink, Leo marched over, his heavy Alpha aura flaring aggressively as he grabbed my waist and forcefully pulled me out of Leonard’s arms and into his own chest.