Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 225: Who is this?

The truth hit Lincy so hard she looked like she couldn’t breathe. One second she was angry, the next her face went blank, like her brain refused to accept what her ears had heard.

"Did Dad... did Dad suspect who I really am?" she whispered.

The fear didn’t come all at once it kept growing, swallowing her little by little. That night flashed through her mind again, Grant’s voice sharp and cold when he called her a b*stard. She had thought it was just an insult.

Now she realized it wasn’t.

Monica only nodded, quiet and tired, like she didn’t even have the strength to lie anymore.

Lincy’s eyes widened. Her lips parted, but no words came out at first. It was like her whole world was falling in slow motion.

"What do we do now, Mom?" she finally choked out. "What happens next?"

Monica stared ahead, her expression heavy.

She had seen Grant destroy people without raising his voice. She had watched him handle enemies like they were nothing powerful, calm, and merciless. Zack couldn’t even shield himself from Grant’s reach. So what chance did she and Lincy have?

None.

From the beginning, Monica had gambled with fire.

She drugged Grant because she wanted a shortcut to safety. She thought if she could secure a huge fortune for herself and Lincy, she would never have to beg again. With that kind of money, Zack would be forced to choose her. He wouldn’t dare throw her away.

But Monica had forgotten the rule of greed.

Big rewards always came with bigger risks.

She never imagined Grant would uncover the truth so fast. She never imagined the trap would snap shut while she was still celebrating.

Now the risk wasn’t theoretical anymore.

It was their lives.

Monica exhaled shakily and said, "At this point, I can only hope he spares you... because of how much he cared for you all these years."

Lincy sank deeper into the couch like her bones had turned to water. Her voice came out small, broken.

"It’s over."

And honestly... she was right.

Grant had once spoiled her. He had protected her. He had been soft with her in ways he was never soft with anyone else. But now? Now that kindness would turn into something colder, because betrayal didn’t just make him angry it made him feel stupid.

And Grant hated feeling stupid.

Lincy’s luck had run out. Whatever debt the real Riley never got to collect while she was alive... life was collecting it now.

And it wasn’t only Grant.

Yenick had been dragged into the deception too. He had played his part, thinking he was winning. People like Yenick didn’t forgive easily when they realized they were used.

I didn’t even need to lift a finger anymore.

All I had to do was watch the consequences roll in.

Not long after, the results about Camilla came in. Jeffrey called me back to the estate immediately.

Morrigans was already there when I arrived.

Malcom sat in a chair like a man whose soul had been scraped out. He stared into nothing, holding a cup of tea a servant had placed in his hand. He didn’t drink until Greg leaned close and reminded him, like Malcom had forgotten how to be human.

Camilla was on bed rest, thin and fragile. One hand stayed pressed over her stomach the entire time, as if she thought she could protect the baby by sheer force of will.

Julian wasn’t doing well either. I heard he’d been refusing treatment again. If he kept doing that, the cancer would spread.

Early-stage cancer is the easiest to treat. But Julian looked like he had already decided he wanted to die.

And no one could save a person who didn’t want saving.

After all the pain he caused me... I didn’t feel anything about it. Not joy. Not revenge.

Just emptiness.

Everyone has their own fate.

The answer we needed was inside a sealed envelope in Theo’s hands.

Lewis stood there with that same cold calm he always wore in front of others. His face gave nothing away.

"The result is in my hands," Lewis said, voice even.

Adam couldn’t take it. His jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff. "Lewis, stop keeping us in suspense. Just say it. Is the child Camilla is carrying one of us?"

Lewis didn’t argue. He simply gave Theo a silent signal.

Theo opened the envelope slowly, like he was afraid the paper inside might explode.

Both Lewis and I already knew one thing: no matter whose child it was, it was tied to the Hales now.

But today wasn’t about what we knew.

Today was about what needed to be admitted out loud.

Theo handed out copies of the test results.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Malcom’s dull eyes flickered with clarity. He stared down at the paper, reading like his life depended on it.

The result was clear.

The child wasn’t Julian’s.

Malcom’s hand jerked. He flung the paper without thinking. It slapped Camilla across the face before falling to the floor.

"How could I give birth to such a shameless daughter?" he yelled, clutching his chest like the words were ripping him apart.

The pain of his past love for Camilla twisted into something ugly sorrow mixed with disgust.

Greg rushed to hold him. "Dad, calm down. Being mad won’t help you."

Malcom laughed, bitter and broken. "Yes... it’s too late. Elena is dead. I regret not listening to her. I trusted this monster and let her drive Elena to her death. She must have been so heartbroken when she left this world alone."

I had warned them.

Again and again.

And every time, they looked at me like I was the problem. Petty. Jealous. Suspicious. Small-minded.

But what was the result?

Julian had been sleeping with her, and every single thing I said turned out to be true.

And the most ridiculous part?

The child she was carrying wasn’t even Julian’s.

Julian’s fists clenched so hard his knuckles went pale. Veins rose along his forearms. He lifted his hand toward Camilla, rage shaking through him.

"You "

"Stop!" Jeffrey’s voice cracked through the room like a whip.

Julian snapped toward him, eyes burning. "Grandpa, the baby she’s carrying isn’t a Hale’s! She lied to me!"

Lewis didn’t flinch. His voice stayed steady, controlled.

"She’s not carrying your child," he said. "But she is still carrying a Hale’s."

That sentence slammed into the room and left silence behind.

Lewis had already told Jeffrey about Silas, and Silas had been moved away. Even I didn’t know where he was now. I assumed Jeffrey had met him... but Adam and Julian clearly hadn’t.

Adam looked like he couldn’t process it. "Dad, are you out of your mind? The test is clear. This child isn’t Julian’s. It must be from that adulterer. What does this have to do with our family?"

Lewis’s eyes didn’t move.

"That man is a Hale."

Camilla’s face went white.

Julian felt Lewis’s gaze settle on him, and something uneasy crawled up his spine.

"Uncle Lewis... what do you mean by that?" Julian asked, his voice tighter now.

Lewis spoke slowly, deliberately, each word landing like a clean, sharp strike.

"Adam," he said, "the adulterer you’ve been condemning isn’t just anyone."

He paused just long enough for dread to build.

"He’s your son."

Julian’s face twisted like the floor had tilted beneath him.

"If he’s Dad’s son..." Julian’s voice broke, raw disbelief spilling out. "Then what am I? Who am I?"

His eyes flicked wildly, desperate for someone to laugh and tell him it was a joke.

"Uncle Lewis," he whispered, "this isn’t funny."