Chapter 287

The morning sun cast golden rays through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Sebastian Blackwood’s penthouse, illuminating the scattered papers on his desk. Lillian stirred in the plush armchair where she had fallen asleep, her fingers still loosely curled around a half-empty coffee mug.

She blinked away the remnants of sleep, her gaze landing on Sebastian’s broad back as he stood by the window, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low, controlled, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his frustration.

"Understood," he said curtly before ending the call.

Lillian straightened, rubbing the stiffness from her neck. "Trouble?"

Sebastian turned, his piercing blue eyes locking onto hers. "Donovan’s making moves again."

A chill ran down her spine. She had hoped—foolishly—that after the last confrontation, Donovan would retreat. But he had always been relentless.

"What now?" she asked, rising to her feet.

"He’s trying to sway the council," Sebastian said, his jaw tightening. "Claiming I’m unfit to lead after the incident at the gala."

Lillian scoffed. "Because he’s such a paragon of leadership."

Sebastian’s lips twitched, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. "He’s using Evelyn to push the narrative. She’s been seen with several high-ranking members, whispering in their ears."

Lillian’s stomach twisted. Evelyn had always been cunning, but this was a new level of manipulation. "We need to counter it. Publicly."

Sebastian studied her for a long moment before nodding. "There’s a charity event tonight. The entire council will be there."

She exhaled sharply. "Perfect. We’ll show them exactly why you’re the rightful chairman."

A knock at the door interrupted them. Beatrice poked her head in, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced with urgency. "You need to see this."

She handed Lillian her phone. The screen displayed a breaking news headline: Lycan Chairman’s Illegitimate Child Scandal?

Lillian’s blood ran cold. Below the headline was a grainy photo of Oliver—Sebastian’s son—leaving school with a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Lillian.

Sebastian snatched the phone, his grip tightening until the screen cracked. "This is Donovan’s doing."

Lillian’s mind raced. "We need to get ahead of this before it spirals."

Sebastian’s phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening further. "The council has called an emergency meeting."

Lillian met his gaze, determination settling in her chest. "Then let’s not keep them waiting."

As they strode toward the door, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Donovan had just upped the stakes—and this time, he wasn’t playing fair.

But neither was she.

The air between us was thick with unspoken words as we remained pressed against each other, our breaths mingling in the charged silence. My body still trembled from the aftershocks of pleasure, every nerve alight with sensation. Donovan slowly withdrew from me, and a soft whimper escaped my lips at the sudden emptiness. He unpinned me from the wall, and I slid down, my legs barely able to hold me up.

Without a word, he dressed quickly, tossing my clothes toward me. My hands shook as I reached for them—not from the lingering pleasure, but from the storm of emotions raging inside me. It was overwhelming, terrifying even. I bit my lip hard, fighting back the tears threatening to spill.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were competing?" His voice was rough, strained, as he struggled with the zipper of my dress. I kept my back to him, unwilling to let him see the tears welling in my eyes. I hated how vulnerable I felt, how easily he could unravel me.

My throat tightened. "I tried."

His hands stilled. "What?"

"You were always so busy," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I never got the chance. And then... I thought you were done with me. So I decided not to tell you at all."

A sharp inhale. Then his hands gripped my arms, spinning me around to face him. His dark eyes burned with something I couldn’t name. "Why the hell would you think that?"

I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. "You’ve been ignoring me for weeks," I said, my voice breaking. "I barely see you anymore."

His jaw clenched. "I told you—I’ve been busy."

"I know," I murmured, looking away. "But I just... I don’t know."

The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I cleared my throat, desperate to escape before I completely fell apart. "I should go back—"

As I moved to step past him, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. His breath was warm against my ear, his voice a low, intoxicating command that sent shivers down my spine.

"Come to my room tonight."

Alpha Maximilian Voss watched the door through which Lillian had just disappeared. He knew she was going to check on Sebastian. And he also knew she would come up with some flimsy excuse—maybe claiming she needed fresh air or had forgotten something outside.

The look on Lillian’s face when Sebastian had that violent reaction upon seeing her with another man told Maximilian everything he needed to know. He hadn’t been willing to take Donovan’s word at face value—he preferred to uncover the truth himself. But now, the evidence was undeniable.

Sebastian Blackwood was involved with Lillian Montague.

Alpha Maximilian’s gaze swept across the room until it landed on his daughter, Arabella. He had high expectations for her, though he knew deep down she wouldn’t win the entire competition, no matter how much she believed otherwise. He had far more promising students under his command. But Arabella had her uses—she was excellent at gathering gossip, extracting information, and keeping him updated on Miss Montague’s movements.

Then there was his other secret weapon.

He had deliberately placed Tristan Whitlock’s name card beside Lillian’s seat. He wanted Tristan to make his move—to charm her, to earn her trust, maybe even coax her into revealing something useful. Or, at the very least, provoke Sebastian into a reaction.

Sebastian wasn’t the kind of man who showed many weaknesses. But now that Maximilian had uncovered the truth about his entanglement with Lillian Montague, he realized—perhaps the formidable Lycan chairman did have a vulnerability after all.

Tristan caught Maximilian’s eye and smirked, giving him a subtle nod.

Everything was going exactly as planned.