04

Sonya~

Once I had rounded up the things I had been going through in my office, I retreated to the palace and into my bedroom. Alpha Seth wasn't back yet because I couldn't smell him anywhere around me, and for the first time, I realized that I didn't even care where he was or who he was with.

Since no one was watching me and I knew no one would suddenly barge into my bedroom, I began putting my things together. I picked up only the belongings I had brought with me when I came to the palace, leaving behind everything his father had given me. I packed them into a small box that would be easier to carry when I finally walked away from this place.

I would wait until Seth returned, then I would initiate the divorce. With Neve in this palace as he'd always wanted, he wouldn't hesitate to accept it so we could finally go our separate ways, even though the matebond would remain active. At least once I left Somberhide, there would be little to no reason for our wolves to communicate with each other again.

He had never initiated a mindlink between us, so maybe I could convince him to block our scents from attracting each other and keep our wolves from trying to connect. It wasn't a perfect solution, but I was willing to accept anything that could give me some distance from him. I had once liked the idea that rejection was prohibited in this pack, but now I hated it because if it were allowed, I wouldn't still be trapped in this marriage.

Once I knew I had put together everything that I needed to leave with, I decided to go downstairs and get something to eat. I used the stairs slowly, making my way toward the dining room, but as I turned into the sitting room, Beta Nicolas suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Luna,” he said, bowing slightly. “His Majesty summons you to the hospital.”

His Majesty summoned me? I frowned, wondering why he would suddenly want me there. Was he expecting me to take care of his stepmother? If that was the reason, then he had chosen the wrong person because I wasn't going to pretend everything was fine just because he needed my help.

“I need to eat something first, so send me the ward number and I'll come when I'm ready,” I replied, and Beta Nicolas simply nodded before turning around and walking away without another word.

His fucking mistress had hospitalized herself, and now his stepmother was lying in the hospital too. Seth must have been overwhelmed with everything happening around him, but I wasn't the same pitiful woman who would forget how badly he treated me and rush to his side whenever he needed something.

I grabbed the meal I had come downstairs for, sat comfortably, and ate until the plate was empty. I didn't hurry because there was nothing left for me to prove to anyone, and when I finished, I returned to my room, got ready, and left the palace for the pack hospital.

Beta Nicolas was waiting at the veranda, and without saying much, he led me through the hospital corridors until we reached the ward. The moment I stepped inside, my eyes went straight to Luna Doris, whose pale body lay motionless beneath the white sheets while several machines kept her connected to life.

I stared at her for a moment before turning toward Seth, who sat beside the bed with his head lowered. Despite everything between us, seeing someone in that condition still unsettled me, so I asked quietly, “What happened to her?”

Seth slowly raised his face, and the darkness beneath his eyes made him look as though he hadn't slept. Instead of answering, he stared at me with an expression that made my stomach tighten.

“Is that supposed to be a question?” he asked coldly.

I frowned because I didn't understand what he wanted from me. I had only asked what happened, yet the way he looked at me made it feel as though I had walked into the room carrying some hidden crime.

I refused to argue with him and moved toward a chair a few feet away. I sat down, crossed my legs, and waited, but the silence between us only became heavier until Seth finally spoke again.

“Sonya, you're pretending not to know what happened?” His voice was low, but the anger burning in his eyes was impossible to miss. “I know my stepmother never liked either you or me. I sent her away from the palace because I needed peace to rule this pack, not because of you. Since then, she hasn't had anything to do with you, so why would you do something like this?”

My lips parted, but no words came out. I stared at him because I genuinely had no idea what he was talking about. I hadn't seen Doris in months, and there was nothing between us that could explain the hatred in his voice.

“What are you talking about?” I finally asked, but Seth pushed himself to his feet before I could say anything else.

“I told you to pray that Neve gets better. Now do the same for my stepmother,” he growled, his expression hardening. “Because if something happens to her, I won't be able to protect you from whatever follows.”

He walked out before I could ask another question, leaving me staring after him in confusion. Everything had happened so quickly that I couldn't even put the pieces together, and the more I tried to understand his words, the more impossible they sounded.

I shifted my attention back to Doris, studying her pale face beneath the hospital lights. I had no idea what Seth suspected, but whatever it was, he was looking at me as though I had something to do with her condition.

“What did I do?” I whispered, moving closer to the bed. “I haven't even seen this woman for over six months.”

I stared at Doris for another moment, searching my mind for anything that could explain what was happening, but there was nothing. I hadn't spoken to her, visited her, or even sent a message to her since she left the palace. There was simply no connection between us.

“There has to be some misunderstanding,” I muttered, shaking my head as I stepped away from the bed. “Seth must have lost his mind.”

I left the ward without waiting for anyone to stop me and found Beta Nicolas still standing outside. I walked toward him with my arms crossed, needing at least one person to tell me what was happening before I lost my patience.

“Beta, is there something going on that I don't know about?” I asked, staring at the side of his face. “Your Alpha is speaking as though I did something unforgivable to his stepmother.”

He looked at me briefly, but instead of answering, he turned around and walked back into the hospital. His silence irritated me more than Seth's accusation because it made it clear that everyone knew something except me.

He wasn't much different from his Alpha. He had always respected my position as Luna, but I remembered the time he had looked straight at me and told me that I didn't fit beside Seth. Maybe that was why his silence didn't surprise me anymore.

‘Girl, something is going on, and we don't know what it is,’ my wolf finally spoke in my mind. Her voice was uneasy as she watched everything through me. ‘Let's return to the palace and wait for what comes next. I would suggest leaving right now, but we don't know how bad things could become if we disappear. I don't want us leaving only to be dragged back here later.’

I didn't answer her because I was already walking away from the hospital. Her words made sense, even though every part of me wanted to leave Somberhide immediately and never look back. Something about Seth's behavior had changed, and I didn't like the feeling growing inside my chest.

Just like my wolf, I could no longer stand the thought of my mate. I never thought the love I had carried for Seth could turn into this much resentment, but he had pushed me so far that even hearing his voice now made something inside me tighten with anger.

I boarded a cab and returned to the palace, but the moment I stepped inside, I knew something had changed. The atmosphere felt thick and uncomfortable, and several servants glanced at me before quickly lowering their heads and moving away.

There were whispers everywhere, but they stopped whenever I came close. I didn't need anyone to tell me that something had happened while I was away, and judging by the way everyone looked at me, I had a feeling whatever it was involved me.

Did something happen to Neve's pregnancy? I had pushed her, but only because she attacked me first. Still, she had fallen badly, and I couldn't completely rule out the possibility that something had gone wrong after I left her.

But if that was the problem, why were the servants looking at me like that? Why had Seth spoken to me as though I had done something terrible to his stepmother?

I walked toward my bedroom, but the uneasy feeling followed me. I had barely reached the stairs when a guard hurried toward the palace entrance, speaking urgently to another guard before both of them rushed outside.

I stopped and watched them disappear through the doors. Something was wrong, and this time, I knew it had nothing to do with Neve.

My wolf shifted uneasily inside me, and I rubbed my arms as a strange chill passed through my body. I wanted to return to the hospital and demand answers, but another part of me wanted to stay away from whatever Seth was preparing for me.

Before I could decide what to do, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind me. I turned, expecting to see one of the servants, but the guard who had left earlier was already returning with a grim expression on his face.

“Luna,” he called, stopping a few feet away from me. “You need to come with us.”

I stared at him, my heart beginning to pound as his words settled inside me. “Where?”

He hesitated for a moment before answering, and the fear in his eyes made the uneasy feeling in my stomach grow stronger.

“To Luna Doris's residence.”

I didn't know why they wanted me there, but the moment he said those words, I knew whatever was happening had just become much bigger than Seth's anger at the hospital.