05

    KAGE

"No," I grunted just before I stormed out of the room.

Finn and two guards ran after me.

"Hey! What's going on?" Finn asked, catching up with me.

"The keys. Where are they?"

"I have them. But you need to talk to me. What's going on, Kage?"

"It's Belly, damn it! We need to go to the hospital right now."

Surprise flashed across his face. "Fine. But I'll drive."

.....

Of all the days traffic could've occurred, it had to be tonight. If shifting back to human form wasn't always such a brutal process, I would have abandoned the car and torn through the woods on four legs.

It took us two hours to get to the hospital. So many thoughts ran through my head as I ran into the place.

The pain I felt—and was still feeling—was the painful detachment from my mate. It could only happen on two occasions—both of us rejecting each other, or one of us being dead. And since we hadn't rejected each other yet, it could only mean one thing.

But it didn't make any sense. I spoke to her earlier today. She couldn't be— it wasn't possible.

At the reception, I asked for her and was directed to a doctor. Doctor Cruz. I'd seen her once when Belly was newly sent here.

"Belly Birkhead. Where is she?" I demanded.

Standing there with her lab coat, the woman looked at me with disappointment. It wasn't something I got often as people tended to fear and respect me.

"Alpha Kage. Is there a reason you're suddenly here after three years? Actually, I'm surprised you still know the location."

Whoever this woman was, she didn't seem to be afraid of anyone, and if she wasn't careful, it could get her killed at my hands.

"I believe I asked a question." I stepped closer, making sure she saw every bit of rage burning in my eyes.

Something other than disappointment crossed her eyes. It was pain and hate.

"Please, come with me."

She walked ahead while Finn and I followed.

I didn't feel good about this. The truth kept hitting at me, but it wasn't something I was willing to accept.

We used the elevator, going down to a quiet corridor.

"I'm afraid you're a little too late, Alpha Kage," she said as we approached an open door. "Your mate passed away a couple of hours ago."

Her words sank in just as my eyes connected with the body on the bed, covered with a blue linen.

Cold swept through my feet, and something sick and repulsive sank deep into my stomach.

Time seemed to slow as the world crashed around me. For a man like me who was built like a rock, the feeling was strange.

No. It had to be a joke. It couldn't be Belly.

To prove the doctor was lying, I went closer, my fingers shaking slightly as I slowly pulled the linen down.

Why were my fingers shaking? They never shook.

I stopped as soon as the pale face came into view.

Pain unlike anything I had ever known tore through me as I stared at the familiar face of my mate. It was the kind of pain where everywhere and nowhere hurt. A kind of pain where it felt like you were drowning even if you were on land.

"She has been sick for some time now," the doctor said behind me. "With Gravitexis. Today was supposed to be her last day and she knew it. This was why she wanted to see you. I believe she begged you to come, but you ignored her. She died without even getting to see her daughter."

I didn't know when my hands moved to her face, cradling her.

Fuck, she was so cold. So gone. How did this happen? How did I not have an idea that she was dying? How did I even let her die in this place when she'd been innocent?

Belly and I didn't really have a smooth relationship, but she didn't deserve this. How would I live with myself?

.....

Thirty minutes later, I was still in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, just staring at Belly's face. I'd asked Finn to wait outside, wanting to be alone with her.

I didn't even know what I was thinking. Maybe a part of me was hoping if I stared longer, she'd open her eyes.

For the first time, I felt guilty. How did I not see that it was all a setup?

She couldn't possibly go like this; not without getting an apology from me.

I heard the door open behind me but didn't bother to see who was coming in.

"Alpha Kage," Doctor Cruz called, handing me a box as she stood in front of me. "This belonged to her."

For the first time in thirty minutes, I looked away from Belly to the box. Taking it from her, I opened it and was baffled by the contents.

"This was how she managed to stay sane," the doctor explained as I went through my photographs.

"She'd beg me or anyone else to bring pictures of you and have them stored in the box. From time to time, she wrote notes about you; more like a diary. She wrote them to help her feel like she was telling you about her day. It made her look insane, but truly, it was the only thing that kept her from going mad in here."

My chest tightened painfully as I picked up the small notebook.

It wasn't strange to me that Belly had feelings for me. But knowing she still carried them along despite being sent here unjustly, I didn't know how to feel about myself.

My vision got blurry the longer I stared at the box. Why the hell was it getting blurry?

Oh, Kage. I'd never hated anyone as much as I hated myself right now.

****†

Annalise was waiting on the front porch when I got home. She looked worried, like I knew she would.

"Kage!" She rushed forward the instant I stepped out of the car. Her arms wound around me, her palms skating across my chest and shoulders as if she were searching for bullet holes.

"I was beyond worried! Finn said you were at the hospital. What happened?"

Despite being home, she was dressed in a luxury nightdress, her lips wearing their favorite red shade that made them look plump. That was Annalise for you. Always looking beautiful.

'Not as beautiful as Belly,' a voice hissed through the back of my skull.

"Kage?" Her brows pinched with concern, her fingers still clinging to mine.

If it gutted me this badly, what would it do to her?

"She's dead."

Her expression collapsed. Confusion flickered first, then horror. "Wh—Who is? What are you saying?"

"Belly." The words came out flat, like it wasn't splitting me in two.

She gasped. Her eyes rounded like saucers and locked onto me like they were waiting for me to debunk the news.

"No..." She shook her head. Then, the scream tore out. "No!! She can't be! She can't... Kage, please. Where is she!?"

I tightened my hands into fists just before I pulled her to my chest. Her pain bled over mine, her tears soaking my shirt.

"She can't be. Please! Where's my sister? I saw her this morning. I swear she was fine. She can't be dead. No, please."

...

It'd taken a lot to get Annalise to breathe again. Apparently, she also didn't know Belly had a terminal illness. She said she probably kept it hidden because she didn't want to bother anyone.

I hated myself. Hated the fact that I was breathing and she wasn't. She didn't deserve to die such a lonely death, rejected and locked up like a criminal.

I replayed every time I shut her out, and my fists begged to be broken. Fuck, how did I let this happen? How did I let myself be so blinded to the fact that Belly had been innocent!?

My sanity clawed at the edges of my mind, wanting out. I needed something to keep it intact. And right now, Annalise wasn't enough.

I made my way to the room with a Cinderella poster pasted on the door. I opened it, and there on the bed was the little angel.

Michelle.

I leaned against the wall close to the door, feeling like I didn't have the right to go close to her. Not tonight.

Belly didn't even get to see how grown she was before her death. I'd been skeptical about it, believing she was dangerous and might hurt the little girl. Now that the truth was out, I didn't need anyone to tell me how dumb that decision was.

I stared at her little face for a long time, catching a glimpse of Belly. Michelle did look like her mother. She had her hazel eyes and otherworldly beauty. The only thing she didn't take was her unique hair color.

I hardly felt pain. Couldn't recall the last time I felt this way. But staring at Michelle's face and realizing she was the closest I'd ever get to Belly again, a knot of pain coiled beneath my ribs.

I should've been better. Now it was too late to change anything.