Chapter 4

When I woke up again, I was lying face down on a bed. Even the slightest movement sent searing pain across my back.

"Elise!" Kieran immediately rushed over, his eyes bloodshot with exhaustion. "You're awake? Does it still hurt?"

I looked at his anxious expression and felt suddenly disoriented. In the past, when I had a common cold, he would stay by my bedside like this, never leaving my side. He would wrap me in his warm fur and lick my forehead with his slightly rough tongue to comfort me.

However, this time, it was not a fever.

I had been whipped by his pack with his silent consent, and he had watched coldly from beginning to end.

I silently pulled my hand away, unwilling to look at him.

Kieran stiffened for a moment before speaking again to explain. "Elise, it's not that I didn't want to stop them, but in that situation, the more I resisted, the harsher the Elders' punishment would have been. Elder Lucian even considered executing you! I had to protect your life first."

"So," I said with a hoarse voice, "you also believe I hurt your pup?"

Kieran's Adam's apple bobbed once. Ultimately, he chose silence.

This moment of silence was like a dull blade, brutally cutting through my last shred of hope.

With reddened eyes, I slowly said, "I'll ask you just one question: Kieran Wolfe, in the name of the moon and our mate bond, do you believe me?"

Kieran frowned, anger creeping into his voice. "Elise, there are bruises on Tyra, and Cecelia named you herself. There's a witness and evidence. How do you expect me to believe you?

"Didn't I tell you that everything would be fine once this was all over? Why did you have to provoke Cecelia?"

My tears suddenly started falling. I thought I would not feel pain anymore, but my chest still felt like it was being viciously torn apart. I hurriedly turned my head away, not wanting him to see me looking so pathetic and weak.

"Go," I whispered so quietly it was barely audible.

"Just wait a little longer, okay?" His voice softened as he tried to approach me again. "Soon, once Cecelia gives birth to this pup, we'll definitely be able to leave. I swear I'll take you to see the southern seas that never freeze."

We would go back to how things were?

I closed my eyes, my throat tightening. I knew well that we could never go back. After all, he had Cecelia now and two pups. For their sake, he had hurt me again and again, choosing others over me time after time.

I slowly turned over to face away from him, not wanting to say another word.

Kieran looked at me, his face twisted with pain. In the end, he only reached out to brush my hair, whispering, "Sleep. I'll stay here with you..."

Before he even finished, the door was violently pushed open, and a beta stood there frantically. "Alpha! Ms. Donati has been crying and calling for you! The healer says emotional fluctuations may hurt the pup..."

Kieran frowned. He glanced at my turned back and hesitated for a moment. Then, he stood up. "Elise, I..."

I let out a self-mocking laugh and murmured, "Go."

"Wait for me. I'll go check on them, then come right back to take care of you."

Watching his retreating figure, I smiled bitterly. 'You're a liar, Kieran. You won't be coming back.'

Sure enough, he never returned that night.

I was discharged the next day, and it was pouring rain outside. I packed my belongings and stood at the hospital entrance, watching Kieran's car slowly approach.

As soon as I opened the car door, I saw Cecelia holding Tyra in the passenger seat.

"Kieran..." Cecelia saw me and immediately shrank closer to him. "I...I haven't recovered from the shock yet..."

She covered her lower abdomen, her voice trembling. "She can hurt me if she wants, but she can't hurt Tyra. Can you...give me a little more time? Please don't make me ride in the same car with her for now."

I froze as I stared at the seat that used to belong to me.

Kieran was silent for a long time, then finally pushed his door open and handed me a large umbrella. "Elise, wait here for a while. I'll take Cecelia home first and come right back to pick you up."

With that, he closed the window, and the black car sped away. I stood there motionless, watching the car carrying the family of three disappear at the end of the road. I closed my eyes, feeling like there was a huge hole in my chest that could never be filled, with cold wind rushing through it.

I waited for a long time, until the rain grew heavier and the sky turned completely dark. Kieran had promised to come back for me, but he never did.

My phone had died, and I called out to him repeatedly through our mind link. Yet, there was only blocked silence on the other end.

Seeing the sky grow darker with no sign of the storm letting up, I had no choice but to open the heavy umbrella and walk home.

The fierce wind nearly snapped the umbrella frame as I stumbled forward. Suddenly, my foot slipped and I fell hard into a muddy puddle. The umbrella cracked with a sharp sound, and rain instantly soaked through my entire body.

By the time I finally made it home in my messy state, it was already deep into the night.

As I stood dripping wet in the entryway, I heard Cecelia's tearful voice coming from the living room.

Her voice was soft and trembling. "Kieran, I know you only have Elise in your heart... But this really is a special situation. M…my milk ducts are blocked, and it hurts so much, and Tyra keeps crying for milk."

She sobbed. "The usual methods don't work, and the healer said...perhaps the pup's father has to...help. Just think of it as for Tyra's sake, please help me. Don't worry. Elise will never know..."

I froze at the doorway, and it felt like all the blood in my body had run cold. In the living room, I could not see his expression, only his tense back.

After a long silence, I watched Kieran's left hand slowly rise, his fingertips parting Cecelia's clothing as his right hand slid over her pale skin. Then, right before my eyes, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against that softness.