Alpha's Regret: Marked By The Lycan King

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Does She Know?

Third POV

The silence stretched on. Asher’s grip tightened on Finn as the little boy continued to sniffle against his shoulder. Dorothy’s eyes never left his face, waiting for an explanation that would make sense of Ashley’s slip.

“Well?” Dorothy’s voice could cut glass.

Asher cleared his throat. “Hazel returned to the Moonveil Pack a while back. When we didn’t have any good candidates to serve as Beta, I selected her for the position. Her father was once my father’s Beta, so she had the experience.”

Dorothy’s face turned red. “Have you forgotten how that turned out?” Her voice rose with each word. “Hazel’s father ended up betraying your father! And you still picked a traitor’s daughter to be your second-in-command? Especially a woman you have a romantic history with?”

“We don’t know that for sure!” Asher argued. “Her father might not have...”

Dorothy’s eyes turned red-rimmed as she struggled to sit up higher in the hospital bed. “That’s blatant disrespect toward not only your father, but also Estelle! I cannot fathom that there really wasn’t anyone else suitable for the position.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “My husband Nigel could’ve been the Beta. He is the new Beta right now, in fact.”

Asher shot Ashley a nasty glare. “Shut up.”

He turned back to Dorothy, trying to keep his voice calm. “Back then, Nigel was newly appointed as Gamma. I wasn’t sure of his competence at that time.”

Ashley rolled her eyes again and muttered under her breath. “These are all excuses.”

“I said shut up!” Asher yelled this time, his patience finally snapping.

“Don’t you yell at your sister,” Dorothy scolded sharply. She turned her attention to Ashley. “Explain further, dear. Tell me what really happened.”

Ashley sighed and shot a defiant look at both Asher and Jessie. “While Hazel was Beta in Moonveil, she lived in the pack house with Asher. Estelle lived in the border house most of the time. Soon after, Estelle left Moonveil entirely for long periods.”

“Ashley, shut your mouth right now,” Asher warned through gritted teeth.

Jessie shot Ashley a warning look that could kill.

But Ashley lifted her chin. “Grandma has the right to know what’s been happening in her own pack.”

Dorothy’s eyes blazed as she turned back to Asher. “Is the true reason Estelle left because she found out about your past with Hazel?”

Asher shook his head quickly. “It’s not true. Estelle doesn’t know about any past. And even if she did, I’m not having romantic relations with Hazel anymore. I cut that off long ago.”

He shifted Finn to his other arm. “Hazel only returned for pack business. She’s already left the pack to live on her own in neutral territory.”

Dorothy’s eyes narrowed to slits. Something in his tone didn’t ring true. She reached for her phone on the bedside table.

“What are you doing?” Asher asked, alarm creeping into his voice.

Dorothy’s fingers moved across the screen with surprising speed for someone her age. “Since you’re clearly incompetent at handling your own marriage, I’ll just have to convince Estelle to come back myself.”

“Grandmother, wait—”

But Dorothy had already pressed call. The phone rang once, then twice. On the third ring, a familiar voice came through the speaker.

“Hello?”

Asher felt his world tilt on its axis. After weeks of Estelle ignoring his calls, she’d answered on the first few rings for Dorothy. The difference stung more than he wanted to admit.

Dorothy’s stern expression softened slightly at the sound of Estelle’s voice. “Hello, dear. It’s Dorothy.”

Ashley leaned forward with interest. Jessie wrung her hands nervously. Even Finn stopped sniffling for a moment.

Asher wanted to grab the phone and end the call. His grandmother was about to make everything infinitely worse. But he couldn’t move without making a scene that would only prove Dorothy’s point about his guilt. He could only pray that Estelle would play along.

The phone remained on speaker, Estelle’s voice filling the hospital room where all of Asher’s secrets were slowly unraveling.

Dorothy cleared her throat, preparing to speak again. Her sharp eyes remained fixed on Asher’s face, watching for any sign of deception.

***

Estelle’s POV

When I first saw the caller ID, I debated for a split second whether or not to pick up. However, in the end, I brought the phone to my ear.

I held up a finger at Bosco, signaling for him to stop the presentation for a moment before picking up the call. Then, I stepped outside.

“Hello?”

“Hello, dear. It’s Dorothy,” the old woman’s voice came from the other end. “I... I’m currently feeling unwell. Could you drop by the Moonveil Packhouse, my dear? I miss you.”