Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 168

**Third Person POV**

"She never loved me for who I was," Jackson continued, lies flowing like honey. "She saw me as a stepping stone to something better. Always talking about power, about status, about what she deserved."

He paused, like the memory actually hurt him. "When she heard about Blake Morgan becoming Alpha King... God, the way her eyes lit up. She started asking all these questions about Silverpeak, about the royal family."

"No way," Sophia breathed, horrified.

"She even told me once that someone like Blake—an established Alpha King—was worth way more than some candidate like me," Jackson said, adding just the right amount of hurt to his tone.

Complete lie, of course. Ava had never said anything remotely like that. Had never shown interest in power or status. But Sophia didn't know that, and Jackson was betting she'd never think to question his version.

"She came here claiming it was about training Lucas," he continued, "but I could see what she was really after. She's been trying to seduce your father from day one."

Sophia's face crumpled. "I knew something was wrong. The way she looked at him, the way he..."

"The way he what?" Jackson prompted gently.

"The way he protects her. Defends her. I've never seen Dad act like that with anyone except Mom." Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "I thought maybe... maybe he was finally happy again. But she's just using him."

Jackson pulled her close, hiding his satisfied smile. "I know it hurts, baby. That's why I didn't wanna tell you. But at least now you know the truth. You can protect your father from making a terrible mistake."

"She doesn't deserve him," Sophia said fiercely. "Dad deserves someone who'll love him for who he is, not what he can give them."

"Exactly," Jackson agreed, stroking her hair. "Someone like that Northern Lights priestess. Did you see how she looked at him? With real respect and admiration."

Sophia nodded eagerly. "Lyra's perfect for him. She's beautiful, powerful, worthy of being an Alpha Queen."

"Unlike some people," Jackson added quietly, planting the seed deeper.

Sophia leaned back to look at him, fresh determination sparking in her eyes. "I won't let her hurt our family anymore. Dad's gonna see the truth."

Jackson cupped her face gently. "I love you so much. I'm sorry I let her cause problems between us."

"It's not your fault," Sophia said firmly. "You're the victim here. She's the one who threw away something precious for power and status."

As she settled against his chest, Jackson allowed himself a moment of pure triumph. Sophia now believed completely that he was the wronged party, that Ava was the manipulative villain trying to destroy their happiness.

His wolf stirred uneasily at all the lies, but Jackson pushed the discomfort aside. Sometimes you had to play dirty to get what you wanted.

Phase one: complete.

**Blake's POV**

Once they were alone, I immediately moved to Ava's side. She was still standing where she'd been during the whole mess, blood drying under her nose, looking somehow smaller than usual.

"Let me see," I said softly, grabbing a cloth from the side table. My fingers were gentle as I tilted her chin up, checking the damage.

The sight of her blood made my wolf snarl. Seeing my daughter hurt someone I cared about... fuck, what a mess. But right now, Ava needed care, not my rage.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, dabbing at the dried blood with careful touches.

Her eyes were distant, unfocused. "I'm fine. Just..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

Through our bond, I could feel her emotional exhaustion. The fight with Sophia, Jackson's sudden appearance, the public accusations—it was too much all at once.

"You're not fine," I said quietly, continuing to clean her face. "And that's okay."

Something flickered in her expression at my gentle tone. I could sense her surprise through our connection, like she hadn't expected me to still be here, still taking care of her after everything.

"Maybe," I said after making sure she wasn't seriously hurt, "you should go back to the northern villa for a few days."

I felt her distress spike through our bond immediately. Shit. That came out wrong.

"Not because I want you gone," I added quickly. "Because you need space. Peace. This place is way too chaotic right now."

My thumb brushed across her cheek. "I'll have Tyler bring Lucas up for training. You two can have some quiet time together, away from all this drama."

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. She got it—this wasn't banishment.

"I understand," she said quietly. "Maybe some space would be good."

"Just for a few days," I promised, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Until things settle down here."

I pulled back to meet her eyes. "This doesn't change anything between us. You know that, right?"

Our golden bond pulsed warm, and I pushed all my sincerity through it. Despite everything—the accusations, the chaos, the family drama—my feelings for her hadn't budged an inch.

"I know," she whispered.

"I'll come see you in a couple days," I said, squeezing her hands. "We'll talk everything through properly then."

As she gathered her stuff to leave, I watched with a heavy heart. I got why she needed space, but letting her go—even temporarily—felt all kinds of wrong. Every instinct screamed at me to keep her close, protect her from whatever storm was brewing.

Once she was gone, I retreated to my study, needing some quiet to process everything that had just gone down.

Jackson's words kept bouncing around in my head. That comment about Ava finding "better opportunities" in Silverpeak. There'd been something underneath it, some implication I couldn't quite grab onto. The way he'd said it, with that slight emphasis...

What the hell had he meant by that?

One thing was crystal clear—Jackson Hayes was way more dangerous than I'd initially thought. The smooth way he'd handled Sophia's breakdown, keeping his explanations vague but sympathetic... I'd seen enough political maneuvering to recognize a master manipulator when I met one.

And Jackson was definitely playing some longer game than anyone realized.

The question was: what exactly did he want?

And how far was he willing to go to get it?

Through our golden bond, I could still sense Ava's presence as she traveled toward the northern villa. The connection between us stayed strong, unshakeable despite all the chaos.

Whatever Jackson was planning, whatever game he was playing, I'd be ready for it.

I just had to figure out the rules first.

**BITE ME WEREWOLVES:** Hey guys, I have some things to deal with in real life right now. I’ve seen all your comments—both the criticism and the encouragement. Please give me a few days. I’ll do my best to update more when I’m back. Thank you for waiting.