Chapter 151

The first loud cry of the morning broke the quiet palace just as the sun rose. A guard ran across the courtyard, shouting for help. More guards followed him. Their boots hit the stones hard as they rushed toward the inner hall. The noise woke Rosa before she even opened her eyes. She sat up fast and grabbed her baby from the small bed beside hers.

“What is happening?” she whispered. Her heart beat fast because she could hear fear in the guards’ voices.

Keegan heard the same thing from the other room. He pushed his door open and ran out without shoes or a shirt. He saw guards scattered everywhere. Some whispered. Some held their heads. Some stood frozen. The look on their faces made cold dread rise inside him.

“What happened?” Keegan asked sharply. “Why is everyone running?”

One guard stepped forward with shaking hands. “My prince… it is the Queen Mother. She… she is gone.”

Keegan felt his body freeze. “What do you mean gone?”

The guard swallowed hard. “She was found outside. She… she died during the night.”

Rosa came out of her room with the baby in her arms. “No… no, that cannot be true.”

Keegan pushed past the guard and ran toward the courtyard. “Move!” he yelled. “Let me through!”

The guards stepped aside. Two palace physicians knelt beside Sandra’s body. Her hair was spread on the cold ground. Her eyes were closed. Her hands were still.

Keegan dropped to his knees. “Mother,” he whispered. His voice cracked. “Wake up. Please.”

One physician placed a hand on Keegan’s shoulder. “My prince… she took her own life. We examined her. There was no struggle. No injury from another person. It was suicide.”

Keegan closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “No. That is not right. She would not do this. She would not leave.”

Rosa walked forward with tears in her eyes. She held the baby close and whispered, “Keegan… I am so sorry.”

More pack members gathered in silence. No one spoke loudly. No one dared move too close. The courtyard felt heavy. Everyone bowed their heads as Sandra’s body was lifted onto a stretcher.

Just then Kevin arrived from the upper walkway, dressed in his royal robe. He walked down slowly with two guards behind him. His face looked shocked, but his eyes held no pain.

“What happened?” Kevin asked. “How did this happen in my palace?”

One physician answered calmly. “She ended her own life, Alpha.”

Kevin nodded slowly. “This is sad. Very sad. We must stay united in this dark time.”

Keegan stood up and glared at Kevin. “You do not look sad.”

Kevin sighed loudly as if hurt. “Keegan, I am shocked and heartbroken. You should not talk to me like that in front of the pack. They need strength right now.”

Keegan wanted to shout at him, but Rosa grabbed his hand gently to stop him. “Not here,” she whispered.

The pack council arrived soon after and ordered a full day of mourning. No celebrations. No hunting. No training. The palace bells rang slowly to announce the death of a royal member.

Kevin stepped forward and made a public announcement. His voice carried across the courtyard. “We have lost a mother of the kingdom. We will grieve for her. We will honor her. And we will stay united. No one must act out of anger or confusion. The pack needs calm.”

Keegan looked at him with disgust, because Kevin spoke as though Sandra meant nothing to him. He folded his arms tightly and walked away before he could say something he would regret.

Rosa followed him back into their rooms. Keegan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. His hands shook. His breathing was unsteady.

“She was alone,” Keegan whispered. “She was alone and I did not go to check on her. I kept telling myself I would visit her today. Not today… not today. And now she is gone.”

Rosa sat beside him. “You did not know this would happen. You cannot blame yourself.”

Keegan rubbed his face with both hands. “But I feel responsible. I should have been there. She was crying for help. I felt it. I ignored it.”

Rosa placed her hand on his back. “You are hurting. Anyone would be hurt. But your mother made her choice. You could not have seen it coming.”

Keegan shook his head. “I do not believe she made that choice alone. Something is wrong. I can feel it. Something about this is wrong.”

Outside the room, the palace was drowning in whispers. Servants spoke in low voices. Some said Sandra could not live with her pain. Some said she felt lonely. Others whispered that she had been punished by fate. Many guards kept their heads lowered, ashamed because she had begged for company days earlier and no one listened.

Kevin walked through the hallway with a stiff walk. He tried to look concerned but did not look sad at all. Instead, he looked annoyed. Rosa noticed it. Keegan noticed it too.

Kevin knew people were looking at him. So he lifted his head and spoke loudly to a group of guards, “This is why the pack must stay stable. This kingdom must be held together. Any sign of weakness is dangerous.”

Rosa whispered to Keegan, “He is using her death to gain more control.”

Keegan’s jaw tightened. “I see it. And I will not let him do it.”

Later that afternoon, the council ordered Sandra’s room sealed until they could prepare her belongings. Keegan asked them for permission to go in first.

“I want to see her room,” he said. “I want to know if she left anything behind.”

The council hesitated, but Rosa stepped forward. Let him in.”

They finally allowed him.

Keegan opened the door slowly. Rosa followed him inside with the baby. The room felt empty. Too empty. Her clothes were neatly arranged. Her shoes were placed carefully. Her bed was made. Nothing looked disturbed.

“This does not look like a room of someone who wanted to die,” Keegan said quietly.

Rosa stepped near the window. “The curtains were open. She was looking outside before… before she went.”

Keegan walked to the small table beside Sandra’s bed. He picked up a bracelet she always wore. He held it in his palm and whispered, “Sandra, what did you go through?”

Rosa saw the pain on his face. “Keegan… you do not have to stay here.”

“I must know what happened,” he said. He looked around carefully. “Something feels wrong.”

Rosa held the baby closer. “Then we will find out. But not all at once. Not when you are hurting this much.”

Keegan nodded, but his eyes did not leave the room. “I should have come sooner. I should have checked on her. She was all alone.”

Rosa touched his arm. “You are not alone now. And we will get through this.”

Keegan took a long breath and walked toward the doorway. “I will find out what happened to her. I promise.”

Rosa nodded quietly. “Then we start together.”

Keegan looked back one last time at the empty room. Something deep inside him told him that Sandra had not left this world without a story. Something pushed him. Something told him that her death was part of something bigger.

And now Keegan wanted answers more than ever.

He stepped out of the room with Rosa beside him, his heart heavy and determined.