Chapter 120\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bella\u00a0<\/p>\n
The noise of the hall felt distant, like it was happening somewhere far away and not just outside the door. There were murmurs amongst guests, confused voices, and questions. The low hum of tension hadn\u2019t settled. I had never seen so much chaos in my life. The one at the High Council dulled against this one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott didn\u2019t say anything as he picked me up in his arms and walked me away from the crowd. His arms were wrapped protectively, possessively around me. There was a rumbling sound coming from his chest and I knew that it belonged to Storm. His Lycan was in a very protective state of mind right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands fisted in the front of his jacket, my fingers trembling as if they had a mind of their own. My body was shaking too much for me to register where I was being taken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pushed open a small side door and pulled me inside, then kicked it close behind us. The click of the lock sounded louder than it should have. The room was quiet, dimly lit, and smelled faintly of wood and old fabric. Away from the murmurs, the silence of this room settled me a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clung to him the moment the door shut. My heart was racing. My throat was tight and my head was spinning with too many emotions at once. Fear. Relief. Shock. Anger. Exhaustion. I didn\u2019t know which one was strongest. And a thousand questions swirled in my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott wrapped both arms around me and held me close without saying a word. His chest was warm and solid against my cheek as I cried harder. I felt small in that moment. Small and shaken and overwhelmed by everything that had almost gone wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sat on the couch with me in his lap and allowed me to cry, to calm down. And he just kept on holding me, supporting me the way he did. After an eternity or maybe a few minutes, I tried to say, but it came out broken and unconvincing, \u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not,\u201d he murmured quietly, his lips brushing the top of my head. \u201cJust breathe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a minute, he gently shifted me so I could sit. He guided me to the place next to him and helped me sit down. My legs felt weak, like they might give out if I stood too long. He sat close to me immediately, and curled his arm around me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he took my hands in his large one, holding them gently. His thumbs rubbed slow circles over my knuckles, grounding me. I stared at our joined hands for a while, watching how steady his were compared to mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke for a few moments. And the silence between us wasn\u2019t awkward. It was necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When my breathing finally slowed and my thoughts stopped crashing into each other, I swallowed and lifted my head. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d I asked quietly. \u201cYou kept me in blind. Didn\u2019t tell me a thing about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A muscle feathered in his jaw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me what you were planning?\u201d I continued, my voice trembling despite my effort to keep it calm. \u201cWhy did you let me think everything was falling apart? I was terrified, Scott. Did you not trust me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:32 Tue, Dec 30 M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 120\u00a0<\/p>\n
2465 vouchers,\u00a0<\/p>\n
He exhaled slowly as if in frustration. \u201cI trust you more than anyone in this world,\u201d he said honestly. \u201cThat was never the issue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d I asked, my eyes burning. \u201cWhy shut me out?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned back slightly so he could look at my face. His expression was serious, but soft. There was no anger in his eyes now, only concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you were already carrying too much,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou were scared. You were hurt. You were dealing with the wedding, your family, your past, and that disgusting video. I didn\u2019t want to add another burden on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth to argue, but he gently squeezed my hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed you to stay exactly the way you were,\u201d he continued. \u201cReal. Honest. Emotional.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cWhat does that even mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head slightly and allowed the faintest smile. \u201cYour reactions were genuine. Your fear. Your anger. Your hurt. Craig and Maya believed every second of it. Because you didn\u2019t act or pretend. You were\u2026 you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, realization slowly sinking in. \u201cYou used my stress as bait,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He winced. \u201cWhen you say it like that, it sounds terrible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is terrible,\u201d I snapped. \u201cFor that you will be punished!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He became tense, like I was about to battle with him. For a moment I wanted to. But then I remembered Craig\u2019s and Maya\u2019s faces when their deception was revealed. That alone was enough to lift my spirits. \u201cSorry\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I didn\u2019t reply, he slowly brought his hands to his ears. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I really didn\u2019t want to bother you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then, despite myself, I let out a short, breathless laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled a little more this time. \u201cIt worked, though.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head, torn between irritation and relief. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m truly sorry for that part. But I never doubted you. Not even for a second. I knew the video was fake, but I wanted others to know as well.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI just wanted this behind us like yesterday!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied his face, searching for any sign of a lie through our bond. There was none. He was as genuine and pure as the first snowflake of winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was working nonstop,\u201d he went on. \u201cCraig had monetary help from Joseph to bring us down. Joseph helped him buy a private server. That\u2019s where the fake video was stored. It was expensive, secure, and layered. It took time to get into it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath caught. \u201cYou hacked it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 120\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith help,\u201d he admitted. \u201cVery good help. I hired the best hacker in New York.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the video?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGone,\u201d he said simply. \u201cThe hacker destroyed it. He planted a virus in the server too to destroy every fucking file it had. That server is now useless but with the police.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown 120 Chapter 120\u00a0 Bella\u00a0 The noise of the hall felt distant, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-new-world-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23085\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}