The Betrayed Princess Rising Chapter 152

Cora's POV

I really needed to find a way to get rid of Erik—and soon. Because if I didn’t, this was exactly what would happen. That ungrateful stray kept dragging me deeper and deeper into trouble.

Just yesterday, the Lunaris Enforcers had called, demanding that I come down to their office. Apparently, Erik had been arrested.

“Whatever crime he committed, even if he dies in there, I don’t care,” I had told them coldly. “I’m not stepping foot in your office.”

“But he said you’re the closest person to him, Lady Cora," the officer insisted. “You should come. He’s involved in a disturbance at a boutique with someone… not exactly ordinary. He had attacked the Luna—”

I hung up before they could finish.

And now, today, my head was pounding as if a hammer were striking the inside of my skull.

The doorbell rang.

I forced myself up and opened the door.

A courier stood outside.

“Lady Coraline,” he said politely, handing me a sealed envelope. “A letter for you from the Whitepine Pack.”

“Whitepine Pack?” A chill slid slowly down my spine.

Still, I took the letter and returned inside.

Only when the door closed behind me did I unfold it.

The moment my eyes landed on the sigil stamped into the wax seal, my heart seemed to drop straight into my stomach.

Ivar the Fearless.

Commander of Whitepine—and several neighboring packs—for more than fifty years.

Commander Ivar.

My eyes scanned the contents, moving from line to line. By the time I reached the end, my blood had turned to ice.

He was summoning me to his residence.

My hands trembled slightly.

This wasn’t an invitation. It was a command. And worse—it felt like a threat.

Why now?

My mind immediately landed on the only possible explanation.

Erik.

That disgusting piece of trash must have told him my secret after I refused to bail him out of the Enforcers’ custody.

I knew better than to ignore an order from a man like Commander Ivar.

So by evening, I found myself deep within Whitepine territory.

His residence stood far from the pack’s central grounds, hidden among towering pines and shadowed forest paths. The house itself was modest—almost humble.

But the presence surrounding it was anything but.

This was the den of an old War God.

I approached the door and knocked once. It swung open almost immediately.

And there he was.

Commander Ivar.

Even in old age, he stood tall and broad-shouldered, his posture straight as iron.

Power rolled from him like an invisible tide—an ancient aura honed by decades of war and command.

My knees buckled instantly.

I dropped to the ground before him.

“Please forgive me,” I pleaded, my voice trembling as his heavy boots came into view before my bowed head. “Please, sir. I know I was wrong. I-I never meant to deceive you all these years. I never meant to hide the truth… that I was never truly Jax and Vala Stillward’s blood.”

His voice was rough and deep, like gravel dragged across stone.

“Stand.”

I hesitated.

“You had the courage to make such a move,” he continued coldly. “You should at least have the courage to face the consequences, Coraline.”

Slowly, I rose to my feet.

Tears streamed down my face as I lifted my gaze to meet his.

His expression was carved from stone.

“Thane Blackridge. Victor Ross. Isaac Grey. Logan Silver,” he said, each name dropping like a hammer strike. “All of them were honorable wolves."

His golden eyes narrowed.

“I made them swear an oath to me—to protect you.” A low growl vibrated in his chest. “And yet you dared to lie. Not only to me…” His aura surged violently. “But to them as well?!”

I flinched instinctively.

“You shameless girl!” he roared. “Greedy and deceitful!”

“N-no!” I cried, my voice shaking. “They already know who I truly am. And I didn’t take that privilege for myself alone, sir!”

Then,

An idea sparked inside my mind.

A desperate one.

“But for my mate,” I said quickly, clutching at the opportunity like a lifeline. “I haven’t told you the truth yet because I needed your connections… to help Alpha Rowan of the Blackfang Pack.”