275 Kieran Fell Into A Trap
Kieran gritted his teeth.
“The person who suggested to deceive you was me, not Lillian. Let her go.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. He scoffed while looking at Lillian, who was shivering from head to toe.
“Why, you two are really a match made in heaven,” he mocked. “Why don’t I just drag you to the trial instead?”
“Gladly,” Kieran said in response while Lillian cried “NO!” at the same time.
The woman lunged forward and shoved at Ronan’s chest. When Ronan did not move even a millimeter away from his spot, Lillian grew desperate.
“This was not what we agreed on! Get away from Kieran, don’t hurt him!”
“That was before I knew that he was the bastard who was responsible for this fraudulent act!” Ronan grabbed Lillian’s wrists and hissed at her.
“Who is the heartless piece of shit now, hm?”
.....
“I am sorry!” Lillian wailed. “I am sorry that Lucien had to suffer. I am sorry that you had to suffer!”
“Sorry is not going to cut it.”
“...”
“Lucien almost died because of you. All of you.”
“...”
And him too.
Ronan closed his eyes as his heart was slowly steeped into the acidic pool called guilt.
Lucien...
He could still remember what it felt like when he had to stab the silver knife into Lucien’s heart. How the latter looked at him back then. Aghast from his betrayal.
Ronan might as well stab himself. It would have hurt less.
“Ronan.”
Dane, who remained quiet for a long time and watched the fight unfold, rose from his seat and walked around the table.
He pulled Ronan to his feet. The painful squeeze in his upper arm pulled Ronan out of his painful daydreams.
“Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. We don’t have much time. Let’s talk business.”
On the other side, Lillian helped Kieran up and clung to his arm like a scared little kitten.
“What business?” Kieran asked.
After being pummeled by guards and brutalized by Ronan, the man could barely stand straight anymore. That did not prevent him from glaring at both Ronan and Dane, though.
“Take a seat, Mr. Locksworth,” Dane said.
“No need,” Kieran mouthed stubbornly.
Ronan rolled with his eyes. He wordlessly grabbed Kieran from Lillian’s arms and pushed him into a chair.
“You too, Lillian, take a seat,” Ronan said.
Lillian complied without needing any sort of coercion.
Dane returned to his seat. He cocked his head at Kieran and mused, “You have confessed to a deception. This is a huge crime, considering that you try to install your son as the next Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack.”
“I don’t care about the Alpha position. I did it to keep both of them alive.”
It did nothing to reduce the severity of his crime, but it was in line with what both Dane and Ronan expected to hear.
The father and son exchanged brief glances when they heard Kieran’s answer.
“How so?” Dane asked casually, his tone light and relaxed.
“If I didn’t do it, then Lillian...”
Color drained from Kieran’s face. He stopped abruptly when he realized where he was and who he was talking to.
“Wait,” he furrowed his brows. “You can’t interrogate me without Elder Kragen. This is against the law.”
Dane squared his shoulders and leaned back in his seat. He looked around the room with an astonished expression.
Ronan rubbed at his lips to conceal the smirk on his face.
“That is a surprising allegation, Mr. Locksworth. Now, please remind me of something: did I summon you for interrogation?”
“... No.”
“Then why are you here, Kieran Locksworth?”
“...”
Ronan chuckled. He shook his head at the man who sat there, scowling at himself. The Alpha crossed his arms and went to stand next to his father.
“Can you remember how you came in here?”
Of course he could. He was not an Alzheimer’s patient. He asked to meet Dane Silverback himself because he wanted the elder man to get Lillian out of prison and free her from any upcoming trial.
“I...”
“You are free to go, you know,” Ronan taunted him. “Take Lillian with you. We will see each other at the trial.”
Kieran growled in frustration.
The bitter taste of defeat made him feel as if he just ate a bowl of bile. He heaved a sigh and shook his head many times.
Between defending Lucrethia Woodland and saving Lillian Woodland, which one was more important?
To Kieran’s greatest dismay, the answer was pretty clear.
The man lifted his eyes, his gaze drifting between Dane and Ronan.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to testify against Lucrethia Woodland,” Dane Silverback stated without much fuss.
Kieran narrowed his eyes at Dane.
“Why? Didn’t you say that you have adequate witness and evidence?”
Dane merely smiled in response.
Kieran scoffed. Crossing his arms before his chest, he shook his head in disbelief.
“Wow. This is the first time I meet a Werewolf Council member who can lie without batting an eyelid,” he remarked cynically. “I wonder what the other council members think about it.”
Dane’s smile turned into a sneer.
“This is also the first time I meet with a Beta who dares to lay a hand on his Alpha’s daughter. I wonder what your pack members think about it.”
“Alright, enough!” Kieran snapped although he was the one who tantalized Dane first. “What kind of testimony do you need?”
Dane reached into his coat and took out a folded paper from his chest pocket.
He spread the paper for Kieran and Lillian to see.
“This is a list of allegations that we prepared against Lucrethia Woodland. Take a look and tell us where you can be of help.”
Kieran gave Dane and Ronan one last scowl before he flattened the paper in front of him and read from top to bottom.
“Well,” he said after a while. “I know where to find this girl.”
He tapped a finger against a particular name.
Shayla Plainheart.
“What about this man?”
Dane took out Elijah Summertide’s picture.
“Have you seen him before?”
“Yes,” Kieran confirmed. “He came by our pack house a few times.”