The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 114: Chapter 114 It absolutely cannot be Aria

Ethan’s POV

I left the estate with my grandmother’s ultimatum echoing in my skull like a death knell.

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel as I drove toward Clara’s apartment.

Everything was falling apart. The carefully constructed life I’d built was collapsing around me, and I had no idea how to stop it.

I sat in the parking garage for nearly thirty minutes, smoking cigarettes until the pack was empty. The nicotine did nothing to calm my nerves.

My wolf was agitated, pacing inside me, confused by the chaos I’d created.

When I finally forced myself to take the elevator up to Clara’s floor, I felt like a man walking toward his own execution.

The doorbell rang once before Clara answered. She’d clearly just showered—her hair was still damp, and she was wearing nothing but a thin camisole dress that clung to her curves. Her face lit up when she saw me.

"Well, this is a surprise." Her voice was playful, teasing. "What made you think of me tonight? Aren’t you worried your family might find out you’re here?"

The flirtation in her tone would normally have made my pulse quicken. She knew exactly how to play me—always had. But tonight, I couldn’t even look at her properly.

I walked past her into the apartment and collapsed onto the couch, my head in my hands. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think.

"Hey..." Clara’s voice softened as she settled beside me, close enough that I could smell her perfume. "What’s wrong, baby? Is it work?"

Then she wrinkled her nose. "Have you been smoking? You reek of cigarettes."

I rarely smoked. She hated it, so I’d mostly quit years ago. But tonight I’d gone through an entire pack and still felt like I couldn’t breathe.

When she reached for my jacket, I grabbed her wrist—maybe harder than I meant to.

"Clara." My voice came out hoarse. "You need to leave the country for a while."

Silence.

"What?" Her eyes went wide, genuine shock written across her face. "Leave? Why would I—"

"It’s just temporary," I said quickly, though I couldn’t meet her gaze.

"Once my grandmother goes back to her estate, once things settle down with the company... I’ll figure something out. I promise."

"Temporary." She repeated the word like it was foreign. "How temporary, Ethan? And what about Marcus? He’s three years old. He needs his mother—"

"This is for Marcus." The words tasted like ash. "It’s for you, too. Both of you."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Clara’s voice rose sharply. She grabbed my arm, shaking me. "Ethan, what happened? What does this have to do with our son?!"

I finally looked up at her. Her amber eyes were filling with tears, her face pale with panic.

God, I’d never wanted to hurt her. I’d spent many years trying to protect her, protect what we had.

And I’d failed spectacularly.

"Someone sent my family a paternity test," I said quietly. "Proof that Marcus is mine. Biologically mine."

The color completely drained from Clara’s face.

"They sent it to the estate. Anonymous. My grandmother and my mother both saw it."

"Oh my God." Clara’s hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, Ethan—"

"My grandmother gave me an ultimatum," I continued, my voice dead. "You leave the country voluntarily, and in a year, she’ll arrange for Marcus to join you. But if you refuse..."

I couldn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t say those words out loud.

Clara was shaking now, tears streaming down her cheeks. "If I refuse, what? What did that old bitch say she’d do to my son?!"

"She said you’d never see him again."

The words hung between us like a blade.

For a moment, Clara just stared at me. Then she exploded.

"Are you serious?! That’s insane! We haven’t done anything wrong, Ethan! We love each other! You can’t just—you can’t let them do this to us!"

Her hand came up and slapped me hard across the face. The sting barely registered.

"You’re just going to let them control you like this?! What kind of Alpha are you?! What kind of man—"

"What choice do I have?!" I shouted back, my control finally snapping.

"My grandmother holds my grandfather’s will, Clara! He wrote it years ago—if I officially take you as my mate, I lose everything! The pack, the company, my position—all of it!"

My wolf snarled in frustration. This wasn’t how pack bonds were supposed to work. In the old days, an Alpha’s True Mate was sacred.

And my grandfather had been old-fashioned in the worst ways, so he’d written that damned will specifically to prevent me from choosing Clara.

"If I lose my Alpha position, how do you think I’ll provide for you and Marcus?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"If Aria finds out about the fake marriage certificate, about Marcus—we’ll be the biggest scandal this city’s ever seen. Do you really think we’d survive that? Do you think any pack would take us in?"

Clara’s hand was still raised, but she’d gone completely still. The fight drained out of her as my words sank in.

She knew I was right. She’d left her own family to be with me, burned those bridges years ago.

And if I fell from grace, if the Holt family disowned me... we’d have nothing. No resources, no protection. Just two disgraced wolves and a child caught in the middle.

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling utterly defeated. "I’m trying to protect you, Clara. Both of you. Please believe me."

She sank onto the couch beside me, her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"Who sent that test?" she whispered finally, her voice raw. "Who would do this to us?"

I shook my head slowly, my jaw tight. "I don’t know who sent it. But whoever knows about us... it has to be someone close. Someone who’s been watching."

I paused, my gaze hardening. "Don’t contact any of your old friends for now. And keep your mother away from this too."

"You suspect my friends?" Clara stared at me incredulously, her amber eyes flashing with indignation. "If you ask me, the person you should be suspecting is Aria!"

The moment Aria’s name left Clara’s lips, my entire body went rigid—as if an electric current had shot through me. My response came swift and sharp. "It absolutely cannot be Aria!"