Chapter 564 The Truth Of Claire’s BackGround
"Father... is Claire Uncle’s illegitimate daughter?" Addison asked through their mindlink, her voice barely holding together as a violent tremor rippled through her body. Her fingers curled into trembling fists, her heartbeat pounding against her ribs while dread coiled in the pit of her stomach. She desperately hoped she was wrong, yet the horrifying possibility refused to leave her mind.
"Yes..." the Alpha King replied simply.
The single word struck Addison like a physical blow.
For a split second, her knees threatened to buckle, but she forced herself to remain rooted in place. The last thing she would do was show weakness in front of Claire. She slowly closed her eyes, her nails biting into her clenched palms as she fought to steady the fury raging inside her chest.
She had been right.
Claire really was her uncle’s illegitimate daughter.
No wonder Claire had escaped punishment for committing a capital offense for impersonating a member of the royal family and laying hands on someone of royal blood. It had never been mercy or coincidence.
It was because Claire herself carried royal blood.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The fact that Claire had been allowed to sit at the main table alongside the royal family. The way her uncle had deliberately taken the seat beside her made his stance unmistakably clear to everyone in the council hall. He wasn’t merely acknowledging Claire; he was openly backing her.
Even bringing Mila now seemed like a calculated move.
By escorting both Mila and Claire into the Royal Council Hall together, her uncle shielded himself from accusations of blatant favoritism. If anyone questioned Claire’s presence, Mila’s attendance provided the perfect excuse. At the same time, Claire could quietly step into the political spotlight under Mila’s shadow, benefiting from her influence, reputation, and network without drawing immediate criticism.
It was a shameless display of favoritism.
The realization made Addison’s blood burn.
She had yet to settle the score with Claire, and now the woman stood on equal footing with her, armed with a royal lineage no one could openly deny. Addison knew Claire far too well. She would never let an opportunity like this slip through her fingers. If Claire had chosen to attend today’s meeting, it wasn’t out of curiosity.
It was ambition.
Cold, calculated ambition.
As Addison looked at Claire across the chamber, she could almost see it burning behind those composed eyes.
Now wasn’t the time to question her father about Claire’s past or how she had become her uncle’s illegitimate daughter.
No matter how badly she wanted answers, they would have to wait.
Addison drew a slow breath and forcefully buried the storm churning inside her, pushing every distracting thought to the back of her mind. This was the Royal Council. One wrong expression, one careless move, and countless eyes would seize upon it.
But despite her efforts, she hadn’t fooled everyone.
Zion, Maxwell, and Levi had caught the fleeting crack in her composure. They had seen the brief, razor-sharp look she shot at Claire before she masked her emotions again. It was enough.
Without exchanging a word, the three men instinctively closed ranks around her, subtly positioning themselves at her side as though forming a living shield. Their silent gesture spoke louder than words — they had her back, no matter what.
"Addie... are you alright?" Levi asked quietly, his voice laced with concern as he gently patted her back, grounding her before the whirlwind of emotions could pull her under.
"Addie, don’t worry," Zion murmured, his voice firm with conviction as he gently intertwined his fingers with hers. "I’m here. I won’t fail you again... Never again."
His grip wasn’t forceful, but it was unwavering, as though he was making a silent oath that this time, no matter what happened, he would stand between her and anyone who tried to hurt her.
Maxwell quietly reached for Addison’s other hand, wrapping it in his own without saying a single word.
He didn’t need to.
His actions spoke louder than any promise he could make.
Unlike Zion and Levi, Maxwell hadn’t witnessed the full nightmare Addison had endured. He had been the one to find and rescue her in the Midnight River Pack, and although he had listened to her recount everything that had happened before he arrived, he knew there was a world of difference between hearing someone’s story and living through it alongside them.
He couldn’t honestly claim to understand the scars carved into her heart or the darkness she still carried.
So instead of offering hollow words, Maxwell chose silent reassurance. He would stand beside her, hold her hand, and let his unwavering presence speak for itself.
Sure enough, the moment her fated mates drew close and silently offered their reassurance, the chaotic thought raging within Addison’s heart and mind gradually settled. Their quiet presence became an anchor, allowing the panic and uncertainty threatening to overwhelm her to fade away.
Taking a slow, steady breath, her gaze sharpened with renewed resolve.
She stepped forward and took her place beside her father at the head of the round table.
Around them, the ministers and Alphas remained standing until the Alpha King gracefully lowered himself into his seat. At his subtle gesture, the others followed suit one after another, the scraping of chairs echoing softly through the chamber.
As silence descended over the room, every pair of eyes turned toward the Alpha King.
The meeting had officially begun.
"Princess Addison, we have received your reports regarding the evacuation of the packs throughout the Western Region affected by the Locust Swarm," the Alpha King began, his commanding voice carrying effortlessly across the council chamber. "However, written reports can only convey so much."
He folded his hands before him, his expression calm yet solemn.
"I would like you to brief this council personally. Tell us exactly what transpired, the consequences your forces encountered, and your assessment of the situation. Most importantly, I want to hear your proposed course of action moving forward."
As he presided over the meeting, the Alpha King deliberately addressed Addison by her royal title. It was a subtle but unmistakable reminder to everyone present that she stood before them not merely as the commander of the evacuation effort, but as the Princess of the Kingdom and the heir whose words carried the weight of the Crown.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Addison gave a graceful curtsy before standing up, and all eyes turned to her. She patiently waited until the last whispers faded into silence. By then, her fated mates had already returned to their respective seats beside her, their steady presence lending her quiet confidence.
Only then did she begin her report.
She recounted their journey to the Western Region from beginning to end, omitting only the trivial details that held no bearing on the council’s decisions.
However, she made no attempt to hide the rogue ambush they had encountered along the way, an attack that ultimately lured them into the Forbidden Land, where the Dark Fairies had once been imprisoned.
There were, however, truths she deliberately kept to herself.
She said nothing about successfully rescuing the Light Fairy, nor did she reveal that they had also taken the Dark Fairies outside the Forbidden Land before mysteriously disappearing afterward. Those secrets were too significant to expose before the entire council.
Instead, she shifted the discussion to the state of the kingdom’s largest granary upon their arrival and the terrifying scale of the locust swarm ravaging the Western Region.
With a wave of her hand, she carefully placed a Recording Stone on the table.
The rare magical artifact immediately projected the scenes it had captured, the endless red tide of locusts blotting out the sky, the ’Red Devourer’.
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
The Recording Stone had been entrusted to her by Archmage Elric precisely for moments like this. It served as undeniable proof, ensuring no one could dismiss the existence of the Red Devourer as exaggeration or fabrication.
More importantly, it demonstrated the true severity of the crisis.
At the same time, the evidence subtly reminded the kingdom’s loyal ministers that these disasters were far from natural. Someone was manipulating events from the shadows, carefully pushing the kingdom toward chaos.
Neither Addison nor the Alpha King had any intention of concealing that much.
After all, their hidden enemies were undoubtedly monitoring the kingdom’s every move. Trying to suppress the information would only make them suspicious.
By presenting the evidence openly, they projected the image of a kingdom that had merely uncovered part of the truth, enough to recognize the danger, but not enough to expose the mastermind behind it all.
If their enemies believed they still held the initiative, they would remain confident and continue acting without restraint.
And while those conspirators lowered their guard, Addison and her allies would quietly peel away the layers of deception until every mask had been stripped away.
One by one, Addison recounted the chain of events to the entire council, supporting each account with the recorded evidence preserved within the Recording Stone.