Chapter 213 A Worthless Omega

Chapter 213: 213- A Worthless Omega

Arabella’s pov:

"Rick wasn’t a good husband to your mother, Arabella," Chris began, keeping his voice low. "He treated her terribly. There were times when he humiliated her in front of others, and I’ve heard he even raised his hand against her. Angela suffered a great deal because of him."

I lowered my head, pretending to be upset. Hearing him talk about my mother’s suffering as though he’d merely been a witness was almost unbearable.

"Then why didn’t you do something, Alpha?" I asked, looking up at him with a sad expression. "You were the Alpha of Blackthorn. Surely you could have stopped him?"

Chris hadn’t expected that question. He shifted his weight and looked away, taking an unusually long time to answer.

"Well, Arabella, the situation wasn’t that simple."

"Why not? If you knew he was hurting her, couldn’t you at least have stepped in and warned him?"

"Actually, there’s something I’ve never wanted to tell you." He lowered his voice more, as though he didn’t want anyone to hear this. "Your mother was still interested in me. Even after she married Rick, she couldn’t quite let go of the fact that I was the Alpha."

For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar and make him take those words back.

The nerve of this man!

But I kept my expression carefully neutral, waiting to hear what other nonsense he had prepared.

"You see, if I’d interfered in their marriage, Angela might have taken it the wrong way," he continued. "She would have thought I wanted her back, and I couldn’t give her that kind of false hope. Rick was her husband. I didn’t want to be responsible for destroying their home."

He paused, watching my reaction.

"That doesn’t mean I ever wished anything bad for your mother, Arabella. Believe me, I wanted her to be happy."

I looked down, afraid that if I kept looking at his face, he’d see exactly what I thought of him.

"You bastard!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Chris looked completely taken aback. "What?"

"Rick!" I quickly explained, putting as much disgust into my voice as I could. "I’m talking about that man I called my father all these years. What a bastard!"

"Oh." Chris seemed relieved.

"Why didn’t you tell me any of this before, Alpha?" I asked, sounding hurt. "I had no idea my mother suffered so much."

"Arabella, I—"

"No, I understand." I interrupted before he could come up with another excuse. "I was weak back then. You probably thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the truth."

"Well, yes. You were going through a difficult time, and I didn’t want to make things worse."

Of course. How thoughtful of him.

I lowered my head for a moment, pretending to consider everything he’d told me. Then I looked up with a small smile. "You know what, Alpha? I think I’ve made a mistake."

Chris frowned. "What do you mean?"

"About the royal invitation. I’ve been praising Beta Rick’s contributions to His Majesty, but perhaps I should have given you more credit. After all, you’re the Alpha. I’ll speak to the King and see whether he can invite you instead."

The change in Chris’s demeanor was almost immediate. His face lit up. "Really? You’d do that?"

"Of course. It’s only fair."

"Then why don’t you call him now?" he suggested, looking rather eager.

I blinked. "Right now?"

"Well, you’re in direct contact with His Majesty, aren’t you? If you explain the situation, I’m sure he’ll understand."

Goodness. He couldn’t even wait until morning.

I pretended to think it over before nodding. "You’re right. I suppose there’s no harm in asking."

Taking out my phone, I dialed Lucien’s number. Chris moved a little closer as the call connected, clearly interested in hearing every word. "Your Highness, how are you?" I greeted him politely before pressing the speaker button. "I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you at this hour."

"That’s all right, Miss Arabella." Lucien’s voice was perfectly professional. "What can I do for you?"

I almost smiled.

"Your Highness, I wanted to discuss the royal invitation extended to Beta Rick. I’ve recently learned that Alpha Chris has also made significant contributions to Blackthorn’s administration. I was wondering whether it might be possible to invite him instead. Perhaps I was mistaken about who deserved the recognition."

There was a brief silence.

"I don’t believe there was any mistake, Miss Arabella," Lucien replied. "The reports you submitted were quite thorough, and when I spoke with Beta Rick personally, he demonstrated an excellent understanding of the pack’s finances."

I noticed Chris’s expression change. He clearly hadn’t expected the King to defend Rick.

"But," Lucien continued, "if you’re recommending Alpha Chris as well, then I have no reason to doubt his capabilities. In that case, why don’t we invite both of them?"

I glanced at Chris, who was already looking much happier.

"Both of them, Your Highness?" I repeated, as though the idea hadn’t occurred to me.

"Yes. Alpha Chris and Beta Rick can attend as royal guests. I’ll have the invitations arranged."

"That would be wonderful, Your Highness. Thank you so much."

"You’re welcome, Miss Arabella. Is there anything else?"

"No, Your Highness. That’s all. Good night." I ended the call and turned to Chris, who was grinning ear to ear. "Well, Alpha, congratulations! It seems you’ll be visiting the Royal Palace after all."

"Yes, indeed." He looked thoroughly satisfied. "Thank you, Arabella. I appreciate you bringing this to His Majesty’s attention."

"It’s the least I could do."

Chris seemed to have forgotten that he’d wanted Rick’s invitation canceled in the first place. Now that he’d secured one for himself, sharing the honor apparently didn’t bother him nearly as much.

I wished him good night and headed back toward the house.

That had been easier than expected. Chris had practically begged me to arrange his invitation, and Lucien had played along beautifully.

Now both men would be going to the palace, each convinced he deserved the recognition more than the other.

I could hardly wait to see both of them leave. Let them enjoy their royal treatment while they still could, because by the time those two bastards returned, neither would have a position left to hold on to.

I could already imagine their faces when they discovered that the girl they’d treated like a worthless omega had become their Alpha.

And the best part?

It would all happen while they were away, busy celebrating their so-called achievements.