Chapter 520: Why Did You Do This?
Thomas’s POV:
“You…” I froze, unable to find the words.
No wonder Stephenie, a werewolf ranked lower than me, dared to act so brazenly and fearlessly in my presence. Her arrogance suddenly made sense. She had allied with a witch!
While I was thinking about how to deal with her, Benjamin stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of me. “Hayley always treated you as a good friend, a trusted classmate. Why did you do this?” he asked calmly.
Stephenie smirked. “Good friend? A good friend never steals the spotlight. Back then, I was the captain of the school cheerleading squad, but when Hayley transferred to our school, it was snatched away by her! Why? What does she have that’s better than me? Aside from having more friends, she’s nothing special!”
“She even went around telling everyone she’s the granddaughter of the Alpha from the Shadow Pack! But not a single one of us has ever been to her home. She was lying!”
“Why should I have to live under the shadow of a vain liar like her? I refuse to accept it. I have to drag her down, shove her into the abyss, and make her realize just how painful it is to live in someone else’s shadow!”
I listened to her tirade in silence, finally realizing just how deeply she had misunderstood Hayley, the Alpha. Years ago, the Alpha was transferred to a regular school for personal reasons while keeping her identity as the Alpha successor a secret. However, none of this justified Stephenie’s actions in framing her out of jealousy.
I glared furiously at Stephenie. Beside me, Benjamin’s voice was icy as he asked, “Are you done?”
“I’m done.” Stephenie stood defiantly. “Do whatever you want to punish me. I don’t care. I’ve already enjoyed everything I wanted, so there’s nothing left for me to regret.”
Benjamin didn’t react immediately. Instead, he fixed her with an unrelenting stare, letting the silence stretch out for a full 30 seconds. When I caught a glimpse of fear in Stephenie’s eyes, he surprisingly said, “I can ignore everything you did to Hayley. I won’t report you to the police, and I won’t seize the assets under your name. You can keep living off that money.”
Stephenie furrowed her eyebrows. She didn’t expect Benjamin would do this. “Are you joking?”
“I never joke,” Benjamin replied, his gaze piercing. His tone was flat but carried the weight of unyielding authority. “But let me be clear. If you refuse to cooperate, it won’t just be you who suffers. Your entire family will pay the price. And don’t think that your alliance with the witch will protect you because I have a way to teach both of you a hard lesson!”
“Oh, by the way, I’m Benjamin Southwell, Alpha of the Midnight Pack.” Then, he revealed himself to Cranhamia…
Chapter 520: Why Did You Do This?
Lawrence’s towering frame exuded power, his ruthless gaze radiating an oppressive force that made his rank as a werewolf unmistakable. Even I shuddered when I saw him.
“W–What are you doing?” Stephenie stammered, her confidence visibly cracking as fear finally began to take hold. “These matters… they have nothing to do with my family!”
“Exactly,” Benjamin said, his lips curling into a smile that carried no trace of kindness. “Your family has nothing to do with this. But tell me, what exactly did Hayley do to deserve being framed by you?”
He took a step closer, his voice dropping, as sharp and cold as a blade. “Since you refused to settle this the easy way, I’ll handle it the hard way. Let’s see which one of us has the colder heart.”
I had never seen this side of Benjamin before. His presence was commanding, dangerous, and utterly intimidating. For a moment, he reminded me of Hayley, my Alpha.
I glanced at Stephenie. Her body trembled, and I caught the slight motion of her throat as she swallowed nervously and hunched her shoulders in fear.
Benjamin exercised control over his wolf to regain himself. His voice was low and icy as he whispered to her, “Tell me every detail from the first time you met Irving to your last conversation. Every word you spoke, every action, don’t leave anything out!”
“I–I’ll talk,” Stephenie stuttered, her psychological defenses shattered. She crumpled to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her. With trembling lips, she began to recount the story of how Irving had approached her and everything that had transpired since.
Hera hadn’t fully recovered her energy yet, and I was still engaged in a battle of wits with Irving. Since the day he left briefly, tearing down any remaining pretense of civility, he had completely severed contact with the outside world. He stayed at home almost all day.
Irving never had contact with the outside world since he went out that day and stayed at home almost all day. However, sharing the same space with Irving and Lisa inevitably meant consuming food and supplies. By the afternoon, Irving finally ventured out alone to restock groceries.
He didn’t look concerned that Lisa might secretly let me go or betray him. Yet before leaving, he warned Lisa, loud enough for my sharp ears to catch, “Don’t spend time alone with her.”
After that, he locked the door from the outside. With my senses on high alert, I waited in silence, crouched near the bedroom door. Once I was certain he was gone, I began pacing the small space, racking my brain for a way to escape.
The previous attempt had already proven unsuccessful. As long as I remained confined here, breaking free was impossible, unless Hera regained her strength. Lisa wasn’t going to risk helping me, so I had to rely on myself.
As I paced, an idea suddenly sparked in my mind.