Chapter 84 Between Duty and Suspicion

Chapter 84 Between Duty and Suspicion
"Want to be a good mother, but also want to be Sylas's woman for power." He snorts. "You're destroying us all, little maid."
Shax finally enters his room, kicking the door shut. He continues to hold Skai, cradling him stiffly while cursing at the door because the doctor he called hasn't shown up yet.
Impatience begins to burn in him. If anything happens to Skai because of the delay in treatment, he swears he will raze this mansion to the ground.
The door opens with a soft creak.
"You're finally here!" Shax calls out without turning around. His voice is hoarse with anxiety, disguised as anger.
However, when he turned around, the figure in the doorway wasn’t the doctor,, no medical bag, no hurried steps.
It was Kate.
She stood there, frozen for a second too long, as if she hadn’t expected to find him like this. Her gaze swept over him before settling into something harder to read. The usual soft smile that made her look approachable was gone, replaced by a tight line that made her seem almost like a stranger.
“What are you doing here?” Shax’s voice cut through the silence, low and edged. His eyes narrowed, and his hostility lay bare without even an attempt to hide it.
Kate didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind her. The soft click echoed louder than it should have. Then she crossed her arms, leaning her weight onto one leg like she had all the time in the world.
“I should be asking you that,” she said, her tone cool, almost accusatory. “What are you doing taking care of that child?”
Her gaze flicked past him briefly, toward the room beyond, before returning to his face.
“Even Alpha Sylas left Skai in someone else’s care,” she continued, a faint scoff slipping through. “Like he wasn’t his responsibility at all.”
She took a slow step closer, lowering her voice as if sharing something confidential, though the sharpness in it remained.
“And don’t tell me you don’t know he’s aware of his condition. He’s choosing not doing something, Shax.” Her eyes locked onto his. “So why are you the one getting involved?”
“Stop talking.” Shax cut her off, his tone snapping like a whip. “Either tell me why you’re here, or get out.”
For a brief moment, silence stretched between them.
Kate let out a quiet sigh, but she didn’t look away. If anything, her gaze sharpened, pressing into him with an intensity that felt almost invasive.
“You need to start showing your face again,” she said. “Meet the others. Be seen. Right now, all they see is a traitor hiding in the shadows.”
She paused, watching for a reaction.
“The rumors are spreading fast, Shax. Faster than you think.” Her lips curled faintly, not quite a smile. “They’re saying you let Michelle go on purpose. That you worked with her… and took Skai together.”
Shax let out a short, dry laugh. It sounded hollow, even to his own ears.
Those rumors... he'd heard them all the way back to the Pack. They think he's fallen for the maid's seduction?
How ridiculous.
“And now this?” Kate pressed, her voice rising slightly, frustration slipping through. “You staying here, taking care of Skai? You’re practically confirming every suspicion they have.”
A low, restrained sound escaped Shax’s throat, something just shy of a growl.
“What’s wrong with an uncle taking care of his own nephew?” he shot back, his eyes darkening. “Or have all of you completely lost your minds?”
"You could have left him to Gamma Anton or another nanny!" Kate retorted, no less fiercely.
Shax moved quickly. In just one large stride, he was right in front of Kate's face. The scent of her perfume was nauseating.
"I've been meaning to tell you this since yesterday," Shax whispered, his voice cold and dangerous. "But what have you got to do with my life? We're broken up, Kate. Stop acting like you still have the right to interfere in my every move."
Kate choked, repulsed by the words. She bit the inside of her mouth, and for a moment, her eyes quivered. "Shax, I can explain that—"
"And why do people still think we're together?" Shax interrupted in disgust. "That's... ridiculous. Isn't it? You're keeping the lie alive."
"I messed up, I know!" Kate interrupted, her voice trembling. "But if we actually announce our breakup now, the rumors that you're flirting with Michelle will be considered true. You protected her, Shax. Don't think I didn't see that earlier."
Shax paused, his jaw tightening.
"What... did you say? I did what?"
"Earlier in Alpha's room... you stopped Alpha from hitting Michelle by having the guards report your presence. I saw your hand, Shax. You... looked like you were about to throw your fist when Alpha was about to hit the maid. Are you sure you've regained consciousness?"
A tense silence fell over the room before a loud knock on the door broke the tension. The doctor rushed in.
Without wasting a moment, Shax rushed over to the doctor. "Check her now. Make sure her fever goes down."
He then turned to Kate, who was still standing there frozen. "Get out. You're just distracting me here."
Kate didn't move. He chose to remain in the corner of the room, watching silently. Shax ignored him, but the woman's words continued to replay in his head like a broken record.
Protecting Michelle?
Shax stared at Skai's small back, which was now being examined. He wasn't protecting Michelle. He just didn't like anyone else's hands touching her.
'Because I'm the one who will punish her,' Shax thought with a deep darkness in his eyes. 'Only I deserve to destroy her, not Sylas, not this pack.'