The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 72: Confessions of a Betrayer

Chapter 72: Confessions of a Betrayer

Zane~

The sound of groans and muffled cries filled the space of my living room. Nora and Charlie lay sprawled on the cold marble floor, their bodies trembling, veins blackened from Sebastian’s venom. Their eyes, once filled with arrogance and control, now held nothing but fear—fear of me.

I tilted my head, studying them like insects caught in a web, trapped with no way out. Charlie’s breathing was ragged as he forced himself to move, but his body refused. The paralysis from the venom made sure of that. He turned his head to look up at me, his face twisted in confusion and pain.

"Zane..." His voice was hoarse and small. "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?"

The sheer audacity of the question sent a sharp wave of rage through me. My jaw clenched so tightly I could hear my own teeth grind. My hands curled into fists at my sides, and Red snarled inside my head.

"You’re joking, right?" My voice was deadly calm, the kind of calm that came before a storm. Charlie flinched. "You seriously don’t know what you did wrong?"

I took a slow step forward, and his body trembled harder.

"You lied to me," I seethed, my voice rising. "All these years you both lied to me. You made me believe you were my family. You made me trust you—depend on you. And what did you do?" I laughed, the sound bitter and void of warmth. "You betrayed my trust."

Nora let out a strangled sob. "Zane, please, we—"

"Shut up," I snapped, my eyes burning into hers. "If you think I’m going to let your fake love and crocodile tears save you, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought."

Sebastian chuckled darkly from beside me. "You know," he mused, crouching down next to Nora, tracing a cold finger along her cheek, "I was getting bored of the theatrics. How about we move on to the fun part?" His eyes flickered up to me, a smirk tugging at his lips. "It’s time to inject the silver into their bones."

Nora gasped, her entire body stiffening. "No—no, please, Zane!" she pleaded desperately, her face streaked with tears. "I’m sorry! I love you with all my heart! I—"

Her words ignited a rage so deep I felt like I could burn the entire room down with just my fury.

"Love?" I spat, venom dripping from every syllable. "You love me?" I turned to Sebastian. "Break her bones. Since they have chosen to die with their lies."

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. With a wicked grin, he gripped Nora’s wrist and, with one swift movement, snapped it. The sickening crack echoed through the room, followed by a bloodcurdling scream.

Charlie’s face turned white as he struggled harder, but his body remained frozen. "No! Please, stop! I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t hurt her!"

Sebastian and I exchanged a glance before I crouched down beside Charlie, my eyes boring into his. "Start talking," I ordered.

Charlie swallowed hard, his entire body shaking as he forced the words out. "You’re right, we lied to you. We... we helped Nathan kill your siblings."

I went still.

Charlie took a deep breath, his voice barely steady. "Nora was approached by Nathan when she was fourteen. He... he told her that your father had ordered the execution of her father and brothers. She wanted revenge. She wanted your family to suffer the way she had."

Nora squeezed her eyes shut, her lips trembling. "Charlie, stop. You’re not helping."

Charlie ignored her, his fear overriding his loyalty. "Nathan gave her a chance to get close to your family. She became a caretaker for you and your siblings. That’s where we met. She was my mate." His voice cracked, but he continued. "She begged me to help her, and I—I couldn’t say no. I loved her."

I inhaled sharply, feeling the walls of my past crashing down around me.

Charlie’s voice wavered. "We never killed your siblings ourselves... but we gave Nathan the information he needed. Their schedules, their locations, their weaknesses. We let him orchestrate the murders while we covered the tracks, making sure the blame fell on innocent guards."

My breath hitched, my vision turning red with fury.

I grabbed Charlie’s throat, squeezing hard enough that his breathing turned ragged. "You handed my brothers and sisters over like lambs to the slaughter."

Charlie gasped, clawing at my grip, but I wasn’t done.

"You manipulated my father," I said, my voice cold as steel. "Why did he trust you? Why did he hand me over to you?"

Charlie’s expression twisted in anguish. "Because he had no choice." His breath hitched, a shadow of regret darkening his eyes. "Your father feared for your life. He didn’t trust anyone. But we were always there, helping him endure the loss of his children. In the end, he saw us as his only allies. That’s why he gave you to us—but not without a warning. If anything happened to you, he vowed to wipe out our families."

He let out a shaky breath. "We regretted what we did to your family, but by then, we were too deep with Nathan to escape. The only reason you’re alive today is because Nora and I lied—we told Nathan that your father had discovered the Celestial Princess and was keeping her for you. That lie bought you time. It kept you breathing. Zane, I swear... we’ve been fighting to protect you and Alexander ever since."

The world felt like it had stopped spinning.

Charlie’s confession clawed at my insides, raw and merciless. My breath came in short, ragged bursts, my vision tunneling as I stared at him. My siblings—their laughter, their warmth, their innocence—had been stolen from me by the very people I trusted.

And now, after everything they had done, they dared to say they had been protecting me? That they loved Alexander? The same Alexander they both turned into a frightened child?

Something inside me snapped.

"Was your hatred for my father so great," I whispered, my voice cold and laced with venom, "that you had to transfer it to my son? To my innocent Alex?" My fingers twitched at my sides, Red pacing furiously, demanding blood.

Nora, still bound, sobbed. "No! No, Zane! We never hurt Alexander! We love that boy like our own!"

"Lies!" Sebastian’s growl cut through the air, his usually playful demeanor nowhere to be seen. "I’ve heard enough of this nonsense."

In a blink, Sebastian moved, too fast for their eyes to track. One moment, Charlie and Nora were kneeling on the floor, their tear-streaked faces turned toward me in desperation, and the next, Sebastian had slung them both over his broad shoulders like they weighed nothing.

"Come on, Zane," he said, his voice dripping with dangerous amusement. "Let’s go have some fun."

I followed him, my mind a storm of thoughts. I didn’t know where we were going, but I didn’t care. I wanted to see them suffer.

Sebastian led us to the lower level of my estate—a place few had ever stepped foot in.

It was a cavernous room lined with dark stone, the air filled with the scent of burning incense. The torches along the walls cast eerie shadows, making the space feel alive. At the center, a reinforced metal beam stretched across the ceiling, chains hanging from it like the arms of death itself.

Sebastian dropped them unceremoniously onto the cold floor and cracked his knuckles. "Now, let’s get them nice and cozy, shall we?"

Charlie and Nora thrashed, pleading, but it was useless.

Sebastian worked methodically, securing their wrists and ankles with thick iron shackles. With a flick of his wrist, he hoisted them upside down, the chains rattling as their bodies swung in midair. The blood rushed to their faces, turning their skin an unnatural shade of red.

Sebastian took a step back, admiring his handiwork. "Perfect. Now, for the fun part."

With a wicked smirk, he lifted his foot and pressed it against Nora’s dangling leg, his strength alone enough to make the bone strain.

Then he lifted his hand—to break her leg.

But before his fingers could move, a sudden gust of energy swept through the room.

"Natalie!"

She appeared as if she had always been there, standing at the entrance like a goddess descending from the heavens. Her fiery red hair fell down her shoulders, her eyes sharp as daggers as they took in the scene before her.

She crossed her arms. "What exactly are you two doing?"

Charlie and Nora immediately started wailing, begging for mercy.

I turned to Natalie, my throat tightening. "You shouldn’t be here," I said, stepping closer, instinctively shielding her from the gruesome sight. "This isn’t something you should see."

Natalie quirked an eyebrow. "Zane, I’ve seen worse. Relax."

Sebastian chuckled. "I like her."

Natalie ignored him and walked up to the prisoners, tilting her head. "What did they do?"

Before I could say a word, Sebastian’s grin turned sharp. His voice dropped to a low, menacing growl.

"They hurt Alexander," he said, eyes darkening. "And that’s not all. They’ve been working with Zane’s uncle—the same bastard who had Zane’s siblings killed. Now, he wants Zane gone too, and these guys? They’re here to make sure it happens."

The air around Natalie shifted.

She didn’t shout. She didn’t snarl. She simply narrowed her eyes, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"Oh," she said, her voice deceptively soft. "Then continue."

Nora and Charlie screamed in protest. "We never hurt Alexander!"

Sebastian didn’t care. He swung a powerful punch into Charlie’s leg.

CRACK.

A scream tore through the air, blood spilling onto the stone floor.

Sebastian turned to me. "Your turn, Zane. Inject the silver."

I took the syringe filled with liquid silver—the most excruciating poison for a werewolf—and jammed it into Charlie’s shattered bone.

His agony was instant. He convulsed, his cries of pain ringing in my ears.

"Please! Please, stop!" Nora shrieked.

Sebastian ignored her. He repeated the process on her, and she let out an earth-shattering scream as silver flooded her veins.

Then, suddenly, Natalie stepped forward, her expression unreadable.

"That’s enough," she murmured.

I frowned. "What?"

She turned to me, eyes glinting with something that looked eerily close to amusement.

"Zane, you’re playing this all wrong," she said smoothly. "Your uncle sent them, didn’t he? Taking out the small fish won’t cut it—not while the shark is still circling. If we’re doing this, then, we make them all suffer."

Sebastian scoffed. "What, you want to let them go?"

Natalie smirked. "Not quite."

She stepped closer to Nora and Charlie, her presence commanding. She lifted her hands, and a soft, golden light radiated from her fingertips, washing over their bodies.

The wounds healed—but the silver remained in their bones.

Charlie and Nora whimpered, confused.

Natalie’s voice was like silk. "From this moment forward, you belong to me."

They flinched.

"You will obey every command given by Zane, Sebastian, or me," she continued, her power sinking into them. "No matter how painful. No matter how degrading."

Their eyes widened in horror.

"The best part?" She leaned in, her lips curving into a cruel smile. "You’ll remember none of this. But you’ll still feel the pain. Every day, every hour, an agony you can’t escape. And you won’t even know why."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Sebastian whistled. "Damn, Natalie. You’re terrifying."

I just stared at her, my heart pounding.

Red let out a low chuckle in my mind. "Never mess up, Zane. You do not want to be on this woman’s bad side."

Natalie turned to Sebastian. "Untie them. Take them back to the living room and act like nothing happened."

Sebastian smirked. "With pleasure."

As he moved to release them, I stepped closer to Natalie, my fingers brushing against her hand.

She looked up at me, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Something wrong, Your Highness?"

The words hit harder than they should have—she knew exactly who I was.

I blinked, still reeling. "No... just remind me never to end up on your bad side."

She grinned. "Too late. You already have."

Then, with a playful wink, she walked away, leaving me standing there, completely and utterly enchanted by the woman who had just rewritten the rules of revenge.

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