“Didn’t think I stuttered darling.” Ares dragged this out ‌further. “Oh wait! Don’t tell me the council didn’t even know that their own Luna was pregnant?”

My stomach was turning, doing somersaults, as I tried my best to hold my composure but it wasn’t working. You could see right through me.

“I mean I think it was obvious right, Vince? I could tell the moment he stepped into the room.”

“Yeah boss, pretty obvious.” Vince let out a villainous chuckle.

“Why is Remy glowing right now? Gaining a few pounds too? Maybe in his second month, if I had to guess. I have a sure eye for these things,” Ares continued.

A slimy, creepy feeling consumed my whole body. With our secret out, I felt a wave of sadness tainting my sparkling dreams for the future. Completely exposed, my thoughts turned on themselves.

I didn’t want anyone to know yet, at least not until I was ready.

Theo broke his one-sided stare-down with Tyrus, knitting his brows as he shifted his attention to the other threat in the room. Discontent was written all over his face. Nate sucked his teeth. The two were pissed that we had been outed. It was a slim chance I could really hold these two back from doing any damage.

“Is it true, son?” Alpha Leo poured his tired eyes over Theo. “Remy, are you really pregnant?”

I didn’t answer him, averting my eyes as I stared down at the ground. The overlapping conversations were getting to me. A dizzy sensation waxed and waned through my skull, making it difficult to concentrate anymore.

“Nathan, is he serious?” Alpha Yuna quivered with absolute astonishment.

“It’s honestly none of your business,” the Alpha snapped at his mother, confirming what Ares had said. More chatter buzzed, everyone gossiping over the news I was with pup.

“Why you little turd, how dare you disrespect me!” Alpha Yuna was about this close to wrangling Nate’s neck with her bare hands.

This was supposed to be a joyous day, but now it had turned sour, all thanks to Ares. Trapped in sadness, I just did my best to keep the tears at bay, at least until I was alone. Emotions ran high as everyone seemed to want to know the answers for themselves. Some took the news at face value while others wanted proof. Everyone was gaslit by Ares' twisted words.

I hate this. More than I could have ever imagined.

I released each of the Alpha's hands as a heavyweight pulled me down. A sad sigh escaped me. Too much was going on now but as I lifted my head, my eyes caught Ares staring with a stupid grin on his face.

I didn’t need to know much about him to tell that he wasn’t a good person. River probably had good reason to want to murder this guy. My hands gently massaged my temples as I tried to fight off the pressure migraine that was festering. I decided to do something I rarely did, summoning River back from his banishment.

No sooner than I wished for his return, the wolf appeared out of the darkness in my head. A sudden calm came over me once I saw him. It only took him a second to get his bearings before he realized he was back.

‘Well, I can’t say I’m happy with you, but don’t ever do that shit again.’ I let him come for me, the wolf laying into me before he caught on to my mood.

‘What the fuck is wrong with you? And why the hell is everyone yelling right now?’ River asked curiously.

‘That guy—Ares just told everyone we’re pregnant, and he wants half a million for the ransom deal.’ I kept my explanation short, but it was enough to set River off.

‘What a little… this fucking bastard! Of course, he wants money. Probably can’t make money off his cheap meth and dumb whores. It makes sense. He’s always been a fucking idiot.’

‘Sure, whatever you say.’ Completely checked out,  I didn't care to comment on how River knew so much about Ares. I was just ready for all of this to be over. My wolf immediately granted my unspoken wish, taking control and finally giving everyone a piece of his mind.

“Yeah, so I'm not putting up with this anymore.” Everyone turned to see River’s return. Panic gripped the room, all eyes waiting to see what the wolf was going to do next.

“You people have the nerve, the nerve to actually think we’re gonna put up this slander. First of all, since when are we letting any fucking person walk into Rosewood without doing a background check? Moon knows what I’ve had to go through since I’ve been here. And you really trust this asshole? All he ever does is lie, so I call bullshit for sure.” With the audience's attention, the wolf continued on with his verbal barrage.

“And another thing, don’t y’all forget that I didn’t ask to be here! I have human parents who decided to move to this hillbilly fuck town. For your information, I don’t want to be reunited with my pack and I definitely don’t believe in bankrolling murderers as well.”

The room was silent, eyes cast to the center of the drama.

Ares' odd smile had faded away, a cold hardened look replaced as he raised a brow at what River was saying.

“Yeah, you think I didn’t know it was you, you prick! I know you did it!”

‘Did what?’ My question was tied to the tension in the room.

“You killed her, you killed my mother.” River pointed at Ares. His bold words caught me completely off guard, adrift in my mind I lost my train of thought.

My mother…

My skin was crawling and my heart just about stopped.

My mother… was…

I couldn’t even finish that sentence.

Straining to catch my breath, everyone immediately turned their heads to the accused murderer. The Alphas made it known just how angry they were, releasing a deep resounding growl as they rose, nothing in their way from ripping Ares apart. The room became a masquerade of chaos, painted in twisted fates as everyone stood to challenge the unknown Alpha. Vince immediately retreated to Ares's side, ready for the fight that was sure to ensue.

Ares didn’t flinch, letting out an annoying sigh as he reached for something in his pocket. With a room full of menacing eyes staring at him, the man did nothing you would expect from someone who was about to face his death.

“Always such trouble,” he grumbled under his breath, addressing the situation as if it were a minor inconvenience. A dull dial tone interrupted the moment and Ares held out his phone.

Teetering on the edge, my mind could only focus on the call, unsure of what to expect. River held his stance but also receded just a little, apprehension growing from Ares' distraction.

“You know, I thought you would say something like that,” he said as he waited for the line to go through. “But it’s just funny how you keep making a fool of yourself, River.” Ares shook his head in disappointment.

A voice full of static answered the phone.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice cut through the silence.

“There’s no way… there no …way,  it can’t be,” River stuttered a bit before he covered his mouth. He staggered, prompting Theo to catch him. In a blind panic, I could only struggle to follow along as Ares continued his call.

“Hello? Ares?” the woman repeated herself.

“Yeah, I’m here. And while we’re at it, why don’t you say hi to your son, Aria?”

“Son?” There was a loaded pause. “What’s going on Ares!?”

“Mom?!” River shouted. Struggling to stand, he attempted to run toward Ares but Theo held him back.

“Remy?! Baby, is that you?! River—”

The call dropped, Ares waving his phone as the odd smile returned victoriously to his face.“Now, where were we?” Ares gestured his hands for everyone to be seated again.

Not another word came from my wolf’s mouth, everyone reeling in the strange events. The ball was once again in  Ares’ court, and there wasn’t anything we could do about it.

We were stuck.

‘How is that possible? I thought she was dead.’ River sadly retreated into the recess of my mind. Completely shaken by the whole ordeal, it wasn’t surprising.

With everything that just happened, I couldn’t find where to begin to process all of this: My mother was alive. Everything I knew about my life at this point had been a lie.

And the one who could answer these new questions wasn’t my uncle–it was River. Things weren’t adding up.

But then again, they never really did.

Edited by ArcisOne & Patroklos

A/N OOOF. This chapter was a lot. So much to unpack and I think no one was ready for this. Tyrus is back, Remy just found out not only does he have an uncle but his mother's alive!🤯 And now everyone knows he's pregnant. Talk about family drama! ( ‵▽′)ψ Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter!

Edited A/N: thanks for the support everyone! New chapters will be posted soon!💕🥀