Chapter 14
Lucas
I stepped between Alison and Victoria, my wolf snarling beneath my skin. The rage in Victoria's eyes was nothing compared to the protective fury coursing through my veins. No one would touch Alison. No one.
"Control yourself," I hissed at Victoria, my fingers circling her wrist.
"You're defending her?" Victoria spat, mascara tracking down her cheeks. "After everything I've done for you? After everything we've been through?"
William Black's authoritative voice cut through the tension. "Victoria. That is enough."
Victoria lunged forward again. "Father, you're not well. You should be resting. Whatever you think you know—"
"Silence." The single word, spoken without heat but with absolute authority, stopped Victoria cold.
The Black family patriarch turned back to Alison.
"When you offered your blood for my transfusion, the hospital ran compatibility tests.
They found anomalies that couldn't be explained by simple blood type. "
William gestured to a nearby seating area. "Perhaps we should discuss this someplace more private."
I nodded, placing my hand at the small of Alison's back to guide her. She stiffened at my touch but didn't pull away. She didn't budge, though. I could tell she was still taken away by the shock of the moment, too stunned to move.
"No!" Victoria's shriek echoed through the ballroom. "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of everyone. She's nothing, Father. Nothing!"
William's eyes hardened. "You forget yourself, Victoria."
He turned to address the riveted crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the disruption. However, since we are all here, I might as well make a long-overdue announcement."
My wolf's instincts prickled. Whatever was coming would change everything.
William placed a gnarled hand on Alison's shoulder. "Twenty-seven years ago, my wife gave birth to a baby girl at Atlanta Memorial Hospital. That same night, another woman delivered a daughter in the same ward."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Victor, I noticed, had edged closer, his eyes narrowed in calculation. I suppressed a growl. I didn't trust him near Alison, especially now.
"Recently, thanks to Ms. Alison's selfless act and subsequent blood tests, I've discovered a truth that's been hidden for nearly three decades.
" William's voice grew stronger with each word.
"There was a switch. Deliberate or accidental, I don't yet know.
But the child my wife and I brought home and raised as Victoria Black was not our biological daughter. "
The gasps were audible. Victoria's face drained of all color.
"That's a lie," she whispered. "A filthy lie."
William continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Our true daughter, our flesh and blood, is standing here before you." He looked directly at Alison, whose eyes were wide with shock. "You, my dear, are the true Black heiress."
For a moment, time seemed suspended. I watched a kaleidoscope of emotions cross Alison's face—disbelief, confusion, shock, and something else, something that looked almost like grief.
"That's impossible," she finally said. "My parents—"
"Were they loving? Kind? Did they treat you as their own?" William asked, his voice gentle for the first time.
I saw the answer in Alison's eyes before she spoke. "No," she admitted quietly. "They were... cruel. I always felt like an obligation, not a daughter. They were neglectful."
"Because you weren't theirs," William said simply. "Just as Victoria was never truly ours, though we loved her as our own."
Victoria's laugh was high and brittle. "This is absurd! A pathetic ploy by this-this gold-digger to worm her way into our family!" She turned to me, eyes wild. "Lucas, surely you don't believe this nonsense?"
I met her gaze coolly. "The blood tests don't lie, Victoria."
"DNA tests will confirm everything," William added. "I've already initiated the process."
Victoria's face contorted with fury and desperation. "You can't do this to me! I am Victoria Black! I've always been Victoria Black!" Her voice rose to a screech. "You can't just replace me with some waitress whore!"
Before anyone could react, she flung herself at Alison, nails aimed at her face again. My reflexes, honed by years as Alpha, kicked in. I caught Victoria mid-lunge, restraining her as she thrashed against my grip.
"Get her out of here," I ordered one of my security team, who had materialized at my side. As they escorted a sobbing, screaming Victoria from the ballroom, I turned back to find Alison trembling slightly.
"Are you alright?" I asked, resisting the urge to pull her into my arms.
She nodded, though her complexion had gone pale. "I just... I don't understand. If what he's saying is true, then everything I thought I knew about myself..."
William gestured again to the seating area. "Please, let's sit. I owe you a complete explanation."
This time, Alison allowed me to guide her to a small grouping of chairs, somewhat removed from the main crowd. The other guests, sensing the private nature of the conversation, gave us space while pretending not to stare. Victor hovered at the periphery until my warning glare sent him retreating.
Once we were seated, William leaned forward, his weathered hands clasped over his cane.
"I suspected something wasn't right from the moment Victoria was born," he began.
"She bore no resemblance to either my wife or me.
The doctors assured us that many newborns don't look like their parents at first, so we dismissed our concerns. "
Alison sat perfectly still, her fingers twisting a small emerald ring—the only jewelry she wore. I'd noticed it before; it seemed out of place with her otherwise modest accessories.
"As Victoria grew, the differences became more pronounced. Not just physical traits, but temperament, talents, interests—none aligned with our family's. Still, she was our daughter, and we loved her."
"And now you think I'm your real daughter?" Alison asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
William nodded. "The blood tests showed genetic markers consistent with the Black family line—markers Victoria lacks. When I saw you at the hospital, something resonated. You have my wife's eyes, though you may not know it."
I observed Alison carefully. Her hazel eyes, which I'd always found captivating, did bear a striking resemblance to the portrait of Elizabeth Black that hung in William's study.
"But how?" Alison asked. "Why would anyone switch babies?"
"That's what I intend to find out," William replied, his voice hardening.
William straightened, decision firming his features. "Alison, I'd like to invite you to the Black estate. To meet your family, your real family. Your cousins, your aunts and uncles. People who have been denied the chance to know you for twenty-seven years."
I watched her carefully, my wolf alert to every microexpression that crossed her face. Uncertainty. Fear. And buried beneath it all, a flicker of hope.
"What about Victoria?" she asked.
"Victoria will remain at the estate until we sort this out completely," William replied. "She's been raised as a Black, regardless of biology. We owe her that much."
Alison bit her lower lip, clearly still very worried. "I have a son," she said after a moment. "Leo. He's four."
William's eyebrows rose slightly, but his expression remained warm. "My grandson, then. He is most welcome. Will you come?" William asked gently.
Alison took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders in that determined way I'd always admired. "Yes," she said finally. "Leo and I will come."
Relief flooded William's face. "Excellent. I'll send a car tomorrow morning." He rose slowly, leaning on his cane. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should deal with Victoria."
As he walked away, I turned to Alison standing beside me, her eyes wide and unfocused, like someone trying to breathe underwater. There was a quiet devastation in her expression, as if the ground beneath her had just shifted and she was still finding her balance.
"This is... a lot to process," she murmured, her voice fragile.
Without thinking, I stepped forward and gently wrapped my arms around her. For a heartbeat, her body tensed—as though she might pull away—but then she simply melted into me. It wasn't just a hug; it was surrender. Her weight leaned fully into mine, and I anchored her without hesitation.
I pressed my cheek lightly to the crown of her head, my hand moving slowly through her hair in a rhythmic, soothing motion.
I said nothing. Words would have been too clumsy.
But I let my touch speak what I couldn't. I was here.
I wasn't letting go. Not now, not again.
And as her breath began to even out against my chest, I felt the smallest tremor ease from her body, like a knot starting to loosen.
In that moment, I became her shelter—quiet, steady, and utterly hers.
"I can imagine," I replied, keeping my voice neutral despite the storm of emotions inside me. My wolf paced restlessly, wanting to claim her, protect her, never let her go again.
Her gaze finally lifted to mine. "Lucas, about what you said earlier—"
"I meant every word," I interrupted. "But now isn't the time to discuss us. You have enough to deal with."
Something like gratitude flickered in her eyes. "Thank you."
I allowed myself to reach out, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. The simple contact sent electricity through my fingertips. "For what it's worth, you'll make a much better Black heiress than Victoria ever did."
A small smile—the first genuine one I'd seen from her in five years—curved her lips. "That's a very low bar."
I chuckled, relieved to see a glimpse of her spirit returning. "True. But you would exceed any standard, Alison. You always have."
She stood, smoothing her emerald dress. "I should go. Leo will be waiting up, no matter how many times I told the sitter he needs to sleep."
"Stubborn?" I asked, unable to keep the hope from my voice.
"Very," she confirmed.
"Let me walk you out," I offered instead.
She shook her head. "Victor will take me home."
Those words sent a jolt through my spine, but I put up a front so she didn't see how much her words affected me.
"Of course. You came here with him," I said and stood with her, watching as she walked over to Victor, who held her hands and whispered to her before they started out towards the door, every eye in the room on her.
Victor turned around to look at me before they disappeared out of the ballroom.
He had a smile on his face that I wanted to wipe off with my fist.