Chapter 249 Meeting dismissed.
*~Leon’s POV~*
I stood right in the middle of the council chamber. Sophia sat off to the side, her mother and sister hovering over her, whispering soft words of comfort as she cried—loudly, pitifully, the kind of cry that made every wolf in the room glance at me with accusation.
I wasn’t sitting in my usual place as Beta. Not today.
Today, I stood as the accused.
Alpha Caspian’s voice cut through the silence. “Leon,” he said, turning to me, “are you going to remind the council why we are gathered here today?”
My throat went dry. I swallowed hard. “I—I am standing here today because I want to end the relationship between myself and Lady Sophia.”
A ripple of murmurs went through the room. Caspian narrowed his eyes. “You mean… you wish to sever your mate bond?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “My false mate bond.”
“False?” Sophia’s voice cracked as she looked up, tears streaking her face.
“Yes,” I said, louder this time. “False. When Aurora and I were kidnapped and trapped in Demon City, it was revealed to us that the demons tampered with our mate bond—on the very day I discovered Sophia was my supposed mate. The bond between us is not natural. It was forged.”
Gasps filled the air. Sophia shook her head violently.
“The thing between us,” I continued, “is not real. That’s why I’ve never felt the pull—never felt any attraction or connection to her. And I never will. So what’s the point of remaining in a bond or marriage built on a lie? What’s the point of living miserably with someone I can never truly love?”
Sophia’s eyes widened. Her trembling hand pressed against her chest like I’d just ripped her heart out.
“No… no!” she cried.
Caspian raised a hand. “The council has heard you, Leon.” He turned his gaze toward her. “Now, Lady Sophia, do you have anything to say?”
“I have everything to say!” she said, her voice shaking as she stood. “I’m not agreeing to this. I feel everything! Every pull, every emotion a she-wolf feels for her mate—I feel it! Deep down, I know this man is my mate! I don’t care what lies those demons told him. The bond is real. I can feel it! So why is my mate doing this to me?”
She broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably as her sisters embraced her. Hazel glared at me across the room, his eyes full of fury.
Caspian exhaled. “Mr. Leon, the council has no evidence of what you are saying. You claim your bond was forged, but your mate claims she feels the bond strongly. Do you have any proof?”
“I do,” I said quickly. “Aurora.”
Aurora’s head snapped up, startled. I turned to her. “She was there when it was revealed. She heard it too.”
Caspian’s eyes settled on her. “Lady Aurora,” he said calmly, “will you step forward?”
Aurora hesitated for a moment, then rose gracefully and came to stand beside me in the center of the room. My pulse pounded in my ears as she stood close—but her scent was weird and different
Caspian’s tone softened slightly. “Lady Aurora, you know the law. You cannot lie before the council. Do you testify to what Sir. Leon is saying? Did the demons confirm this alleged manipulation of the mate bond?”
Aurora’s voice was steady. “I know, my lord.”
She paused.
Then, quietly, she said, “But I don’t know anything about what Sir.Leon is saying.”
I froze. My heart dropped into my stomach.
“What?” I whispered.
“I was half-asleep during our stay in Demon City,” she continued evenly. “I only woke long enough to transport him back home—and then myself. I don’t recall anything about demons tampering with bonds. What he’s saying… I don’t remember it.”
Silence fell over the room.
Caspian nodded slowly. “Then as far as this council is concerned, there is no evidence to prove your claim, Leon.”
But I wasn’t even listening to him anymore.
I turned to Aurora, disbelief burning in my chest. “What are you saying?” I whispered.
She didn’t look at me. Not once.
Sophia’s sobs grew louder. Her family embraced her like she was the victim of some cruel betrayal.
“Are you sure of what you are saying, Lady Aurora?” Caspian asked, his voice calm but heavy.
Aurora didn’t flinch. “I am very sure, my lord,” she said clearly. Then her eyes flicked toward me, cold and distant. “If Leon is using me as an excuse to be an irresponsible husband and mate to his she-wolf, then I am sorry—but I will not be part of it.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
Caspian nodded once. “Thank you, Lady Aurora. You may return to your seat.”
Aurora gave a small bow, then turned and walked back to her chair, never once looking at me again.
Hazel, who had been quiet until now, suddenly slammed her hand against the council table, her voice slicing through the tension. “So, right in front of the council, you not only lie, but also try to abandon and destroy your mate’s life—just like that?”
Her eyes burned into me.
“Do you even realize,” she continued, “that the moment you marked her, she became bound to you alone? From that point on, no wolf would ever want her again. If you walk away now, you’re not only shaming her—you’re dooming her. You will not leave her, Leon. Instead, you’ll make it right.”
I clenched my fists. “Hazel, you don’t understand—”
“I understand perfectly!” she snapped. “And you will fix it. You will consummate this marriage immediately, and you will give her the life she deserves as your mate. That’s final.”
My throat went dry. I couldn’t even form words.
Hazel turned to Sophia, her expression softening. “We’re very sorry for this, Lady Sophia. Your husband here will make it up to you.”
Sophia sniffled and nodded weakly. “Thank you, sister.”
I could feel every eye in the room burning into me. The humiliation was unbearable.
Then Caspian lifted his hand. “Silence!”
The room stilled instantly.
“The council has spoken,” he said firmly. “This meeting is dismissed.”