CHAPTER 218: _ MOTHER OF THE YEAR

The moment Sierra jerks her wrist, trying to fling Heidi’s grip off, it’s like watching a wildcat flail at a stone wall. Heidi doesn’t even flinch at that. Her fingers only lock on the girl’s wrist tighter, her stance unshaken. She is beginning to know her own strength. It is more than certain that she can turn the mean girl’s bones inside out with her eyes closed.

Sierra snarls and her face begins to twist, but before she can spit her next insult, Lucan’s voice sends them back into her throat.

"Enough! Arghhh!"

He’s not calm anymore. He shoves Sierra hard enough to send her stumbling into the edge of the table, silverware clattering like thunder without pulling blood. "Don’t touch her," he snaps, pointing straight at his sister. "Don’t you dare lay a hand on her again."

The room goes still. The kind of still that buzzes dangerously.

Mrs. Castell’s eyes go wide at the scene playing in front of her. "Lucan Alexander Castell—did you just shove your sister?!" Her face goes from shock to outrage in a blink. "How dare you raise your hand against your own blood because of an imposter?"

Heidi’s wolf growls in her head again. "Imposter? You should tear her throat out for that. She still hasn’t gotten the point

Lucan’s jaw tightens, and something inside him snaps. His voice, when he speaks, is no longer the steady, mild one the family knows. It’s raw, unfiltered, cracking under pressure but burning dangerously.

"Imposter?" he repeats, almost laughing. "You want to talk about impostors, Mother? The only real thing in this house—the only honest, untainted thing... is Heidi."

Heidi blinks, not surprised he thought so highly of her, but startled he’s throwing it right in his family’s face and the meaning behind those words...

Lucan keeps going, his voice rising higher. "She’s the only one who ever saw me for who I really am. Who didn’t treat me like a piece of furniture or a disappointment or a project to manage. She’s the one who didn’t judge me when she found out who I..."

He stops. But it’s too late. His father’s head snaps up, his brows drawing tight. "When she found out what, Lucan?"

Silence drops then. Even Sierra’s smirk falters. Mrs. Castell’s face stays perfectly composed... but there’s something in her eyes. Something that makes Heidi’s stomach drop.

Lucan swallows. "When she found out that Eli is not some thief who sneaks in for fun... he’s my boyfriend."

Finally, the bomb has landed.

Mr. Castell’s expression is frozen somewhere between confusion and disbelief. "What?"

But Mrs. Castell doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t gasp. She doesn’t even blink. She just exhales through her nose, rubbing her temple like her son has once again, chosen foolishness over rationality.

Sierra looks pale, silent, and not shocked at all. Heidi realizes instantly what that means. They already knew.

Lucan catches it too. His expression grows even more bitter. Grief and fury mix in his voice. "You knew. You knew, didn’t you? You knew about Eli and me this whole time. You just waited for a chance to use it—to destroy him and humiliate me in the same breath."

"Lucan..." Mrs. Castell starts.

"No!" He slams his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the hall. "You tried to kill him. You had the guards trap him like a criminal because he loved me! Because you were afraid of what people would say. Because your pride is worth more than your own son’s happiness."

Eli’s head drops lower. His shoulders started to tremble.

"Lucan, please. You’re saying this boy wasn’t a thief?" Mr. Castell asked, brows knitted in surprise.

Lucan turns to his father, his voice breaking. "No. He was found in the house because he’s been coming to see me. He uses his invisibility ability to sneak in, not to steal, but to be with me. And yes, it’s risky. But it’s our

risk. Not hers to punish."

He gestures toward his mother. His voice starts to shake now. "She set him up. She and Sierra. They wanted to kill two birds with one stone—get rid of Eli and Heidi in one move. And they’re doing it under your roof, Father."

The room cracks open.

Mr. Castell turns sharply toward his wife. "Cara. Is that true?"

Mrs. Castell’s lips part, but no sound comes out.

"Cara!" His voice booms, raw and angry. "Did you know?"

Mrs. Castell finally speaks. One can hear the shudder in her voice. However, even that is not from guilt, but defiance. "What did you expect me to do? Sit here and let our son ruin his name? Let him throw away generations of honor for some... low-class fling?"

Oh, God. Here’s to the mother of the year, Heidi internally rolls her eyes.

Lucan laughs bitterly. "You don’t even hear yourself. He’s not a fling. He’s the only person who’s made me smile in months. He’s the only reason I still come home to this horrible family."

He turns toward Eli, who’s shaking like a leaf, and walks to him. He grabs his hands. "It’s a shame, really. You don’t even know what it means to be a mother, do you? You didn’t notice that your son never talks, never laughs, never looks alive in this house. And now you’ve tried to destroy the one thing that gave me peace."

Heidi’s throat burns.

Lucan’s hand tightens around Eli’s. His next words drop like stones. "If it’s your reputation you’re so worried about, fine. You can keep it. I’ll leave. I’ll leave the pack, and you’ll never have to see me again. Consider me no longer your son."

WHAT?!

Eli’s eyes widen. "Lucan, no..."

But Lucan doesn’t stop.

Heidi’s voice breaks in before he can continue, panicked. "Lucan, don’t say that. You know what that means. If you leave the pack without the Alpha’s consent, you’ll go rogue!"

No, no, no. Dear, Goddess, do not make Lucan the collateral damage to his dysfunctional family! Heidi inwardly prays.

He deserves better...