Chapter 6

The Crown Without a Heir 

Ronan’s POV

“No… No, this can't be, not my son… Someone should alert the healer to get back! NOW!”

I didn’t care what I looked like that moment, or how my voice sounded like that of a madman’s. I cared less at how my hands shook greatly as I clutched the frail body of my almost gone newborn child, the one supposed to be my heir, limp and cold right in my arms.

The silence that engulfed the birthing room was unbearable. No one dared say a word. Not the best midwife in my midst, not to talk of the Omegas standing at attention by the blood stained linens, and certainly not even Sapphire could find her voice.

“Sapphire,” I whispered, and trying to find solace, I turned to her direction. “He’s not breathing.Again. He’s...he’s not...”

“I know that,” she muttered without emotion. Her voice does not have any empathy, void of emotion and as dead as our son.

“What exactly do you mean by saying that?” I snapped. “Where’s the emotion of a mother? The grief of losing a child? Say something reasonable!”

She didn’t flinch, neither did she look in my direction. “You said I should do my best to give you an heir. I did exactly that. You didn’t mention the part of him having to live.”

I blinked in confusion.

“What exactly are you talking about?”

She turned slowly to my direction, her eyes to me. “Maybe if you had spared a small amount of time, or paid attention to the little things and not been obsessed with the throne, you would have noticed the signs earlier. You loved appearances more than your life. I remember informing you about the pregnancy, that something felt odd, but you never cared neither did you care."

I staggered back, my feet unable to carry me as I watched her vomit venom from her mouth, still holding the child. “Don’t you dare put this on me."

“Why not that?” she snapped suddenly, not from anger of losing a child, but of someone void of emotion. “You made a show of discarding your wife and choosing me. All you cared about was just the throne, nothing more."

I lowered my head in shame, the weight was too much on my shoulders, pressing hard on my Alpha strength. “I never imagined it would end like this.”

“I did imagine,” Sapphire murmured, not looking at my face. “I saw the signs and tried to warn you long ago.”

A soft knock interrupted our discussion.

I heard Beta Thorn’s voice ringing through the door. “Alpha Ronan. The council’s here to see you. They are demanding an audience with you.”

I groaned in anger. “Now?”

“Yes, Alpha. They explained that… it’s urgent.”

I placed the already cold baby down gently and gently planted a kiss across his forehead. Then I turned to face Sapphire before heading out. “Stay put, we’ll talk later.”

“Don’t bother yourself,” she muttered but I heard her.

“What does that imply?”

She didn’t respond, target, she kept a straight face.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The council chamber immediately I entered, welcomed me with the smell of old oak and tension. Six elders all from the Elder Circle had all gathered around the table, waiting for me, with their expressions grave and still unreadable.

Elder Bram was the first to talk, clearing his throat. “Alpha Ronan. News got to us very fast about the child.”

I nodded stiffly, still not believing that my waiting was in vain. “He passed away this morning, just a few minutes after birth.”

A long silence followed.

“We’re… deeply sorry for your great loss,” Elder Merin chipped in. “But we are here to speak frankly.”

My jaw clenched at the tone he started. “Go on then”

“You have been given the chance to provide an heir. But right now, no heir, neither is there a Luna. And judging from your public rejection of Serena Valen, it has come to our notice that the pack’s faith in your leadership is… becoming fragile.”

“She couldn’t do the simple responsibility of giving me a child either,” I snapped at him. “At least, on this angle, Sapphire tried.”

“Yet now, after everything, you still have neither,” Elder Bram said in a very cold manner. “And it would interest you to know that the pack grows restless.”

“She did right by me, instead, she betrayed me,” I growled. “She tried to poison me...”

“We remember seeing no proof to that effect,” Bram interrupted. “Your Luna whom you were supposed to rule the pack with was accused based on Sapphire’s testimony, and you accepted everything without a filter. No physical evidence was shown, neither were there witnesses.”

“She ran away from this pack, didn’t she? That explains something!”

“Or maybe,” Elder Merin began softly, “she ran from you, running to stay far away from you.”

My fists balled at the insults howled at me. “What do you do ?”

“That you do everything possible to fix this,” Bram said firmly. “Before it would be too late, and you would lose more than your child. The Alpha title as you know very well isn’t eternal, Ronan. If after the lady's chance, the council finds you unfit....”

“You’ll do what? Strip me of my title?”

“If need be, then yes,” Bram said gravely with finality.

I stormed out, boiling out in rage at the thought of not retaining my position. This must be the handwork of my brother Darius.

Fix this? How on earth could I possibly fix something so broken as this?

>>>>>>>>>

Later that night, I had entered my chambers to cool off after the stress of the day, but something unexpectedly happened. I noticed the scent of Sapphire was very faint, meaning she hadn't returned to the chamber after our little chat. 

“Gone,” I muttered to myself, unable to believe a word from that.

I heard a soft footstep at the door, only to turn and behold Thorn behind me. 

“She left immediately. You went to see the elders,” he said quietly.

I stared at him like he had grown horns. 

“Did any of you try stopping her?”

No

Thorn hesitated a few seconds. “No one dared do that."

“And as for Serena?” I whispered, and for no reason, the name tasted like sin on my tongue.

My thoughts flashed back to old good times. Serena. The girl that caught my fancy, I pulled from nothing. Turned into royalty, only to throw back and trash her like garbage. 

I knew she was never all that she was accused of being. 

I needed to find her, she might be the solution I've been watching for. 

“Find her for me” I ordered the guard.

Thorn blinked in confusion. “Alpha?”

“I want you to put every tracker out there. Ensure

to dig up every tunnel, don't leave any tree without sniffing through every tree. Find Serena Valen, and bring her to me