Chapter 112

I wished I had never heard Hadrian’s words. I wished I had never gone there, never heard the sounds of him and Selene entwined in their intimate exchange. It was nauseating. It was excruciating. The pain forced a steady stream of tears down my face. Hurt and anger surged within me, but the cruelest part was knowing I couldn’t even storm in and confront them. Legally, Hadrian belonged to Selene—not me.

I kept my trembling hand pressed over my mouth, afraid that even the faintest cry would betray my presence. My heart pounded violently, each beat a reflection of the turmoil wracking my body. And yet, some cruel, masochistic voice whispered for me to stay. To keep standing there, outside Hadrian’s chamber, as though a part of me foolishly hoped he might say something else. But no words came. The only sounds were Selene’s soft giggles and quiet moans.

My heart shattered.

My feet moved on their own, carrying me away in some primitive act of self-preservation. I returned to my chamber, swallowing the bile of my anger, tearing apart the fragments of my pride, and shutting the door behind me as if none of it had happened. I sank onto my bed and sat there, motionless, for what felt like hours. I was hollow. A shell.

Time passed in a haze before my mind finally began to reboot, forcing me to process the cruel reality. My sadistic memory replayed every word, every sound, refusing to let me escape. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and stared into the mirror, trying to confront the truth I couldn’t avoid.

“You’re an idiot, Thalassa,” I muttered, my voice breaking as I locked eyes with my reflection. “Hadrian is the King, and Selene is his Queen. He has to keep her in check. He can’t push her away. He needs to lie to her. He needs to make her believe she matters to him. He needs to make her believe he lo—”

The word choked in my throat, refusing to come out. And for some reason, my fractured heart whispered that those words might apply to me just as much as they did to her. The thought crushed me. When Hadrian spoke to Selene, his voice had held the same sincerity it did when he spoke to me. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe in him, to tear apart the small but growing doubts threatening to consume me. But I wasn’t as strong as I thought.

I collapsed onto my bed, willing myself to sleep, though rest didn’t come easily. I tossed and turned until, at some point, I found myself in the Palace garden.

It was early evening. Strings of golden lanterns illuminated the lush green grass, casting a warm, enchanting glow. Three long dining tables stretched across the garden, prepared for guests. I turned to see the members of the Blue Moon Pack gathering around the tables, mingling with vampires dressed in elegant tuxedos and dazzling evening gowns.

I glanced down and realized I was wearing a breathtaking silk dress in deep bottle green. Before I could process the sight, Kenzo appeared at my side, taking my hand and brushing a kiss across my knuckles.

“You look like every man’s dream tonight, Thalassa,” he said, his charming smile disarming me as he led me to my seat.

The scene shifted suddenly, and I was surrounded by a group of vampires, including Mr. Renfield. They showered me with praise for my supposed contributions to the negotiations, though I had done little to deserve it. Everyone seemed pleased, as if the peace treaty was already a reality. I masked my confusion with a polite smile, but the moment of calm was shattered by Selene’s piercing laugh.

Turning toward the sound, I saw her standing with Hadrian near the hedge wall adorned with lanterns. Mr. Renfield leaned toward me with a sly smile.

“Perhaps the concubine should officially greet the King,” he said, a teasing glint in his eye.

My stomach churned, but I forced a grimace that barely passed as a smile. Drawing a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and approached the royal couple.

“Greetings to the King and Queen,” I said, my voice trembling as I fought to maintain a facade of calm. I bowed, but when I looked up, Hadrian’s gaze was turned away, his body angled entirely toward Selene.

He ignored me.

His indifference was a dagger to my chest, and Selene’s triumphant smirk twisted the blade deeper. She reached for him, her fingers brushing his cheek as her eyes locked onto his. Rising on her toes, she drew closer, her lips teasing his. The garden filled with murmurs and cheers as she kissed him, and he… he didn’t pull away. He kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in agonized rhythm, every beat a fresh wound. The sound of the crowd’s delighted cheers felt like nails driving into my soul. I could barely stand there, pretending to hold my dignity as my world crumbled around me.

“No!” I gasped, jolting upright in my bed.

My breaths came in ragged heaves, and tears streamed down my face. The dream had been so vivid it left my emotions in tatters. It took several moments before I could steady my breathing.

“Bad dream?”

The voice startled me. My gaze darted to the corner of the room, where Hadrian sat, watching me from a chair by the table. His shirt was half-buttoned, sleeves rolled up, his hair tousled. He looked disheveled, yet somehow still regal. Barefoot, relaxed—yet the sight of him made my pulse quicken, torn between longing and despair.

"A nightmare... I guess," I muttered, my voice unsteady as I hesitantly met his gaze.

"You were outside my door last night, weren’t you?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

I smiled bitterly. So that was why he’d come to my room. I’d known it, deep down. Still, a small part of me hoped he was here to comfort me—not just to ensure I wasn’t about to cause a jealous scene.

"I came to tell you what I found in Selene’s notes," I said, shifting my eyes away from him.

He moved closer to my bed, sighing. "Show me."

No apology. No concern for how I felt. No reassurance that the words he spoke to her had been meaningless. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and I felt it lodge in my chest.

Maybe it was foolish of me to expect him to strengthen the fragile threads of security I so desperately needed from him. But wasn’t that what I needed most? Instead, I could feel the unspoken frustration emanating from him. He was angry at me for overhearing the truth, as if my presence last night had been the problem, not his actions.

Wordlessly, I rose from the bed and walked to the closet. Pulling out Selene’s diary and the notes I’d decoded, I placed them on the table. Small pieces of paper marked the decrypted meanings, each neatly attached to its corresponding message. I spread them out for Hadrian to see.

"I’ve decoded three so far," I said, my voice subdued, like a child offering an incomplete assignment. "There’s a signature from Beta Eamon. I’m certain it was my father’s former Beta who sent it, which means Selene collaborated with the wolves from my father’s pack to—"

"There’s no proof of that," Hadrian interrupted, his tone cold and dismissive.

My frustration flared. "What do you mean, there’s no proof?!" I snapped. "And what about this one with your name on it?"

He barely glanced at it, clicking his tongue in irritation. "It only shows that someone planned to poison me. That doesn’t implicate Selene."

I stared at him in disbelief. "How can you say that?!" My voice rose as anger tightened my chest. "Do you know another Princess around here? Or do you have some other reason for those messages to be hidden in her diary?"

"You don’t even know if it’s her diary!" Hadrian roared, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch.

I stepped back, my breath catching in my throat. "Are... are you trying to protect her?"

"Don’t be ridiculous, Thalassa," he snapped, his glare cutting through me. "I’m trying to be reasonable."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Reasonable..." I echoed, forcing myself to meet his eyes. "Is making out with her reasonable to you?"

"Stop being childish, Thalassa," he hissed. "We’re two steps away from war, and I’m doing what’s necessary to prevent it."

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling as I asked the question that would either save me or destroy me. "Did you... sleep with her?"

For a moment, the room seemed to freeze. I stared at him, pleading silently, willing him to deny it. My heart counted the seconds. Two, three, four…

"No, Thalassa," he said finally, his voice even. "I didn’t sleep with her."

Lie. It had to be a lie. I could see it in his eyes. And yet, I accepted his answer with a hollow smile, the sharp edges of doubt slicing through me. Did he think I was too fragile for the truth? Or had he decided I simply wasn’t worth his honesty?

Swallowing my pain, I took a steadying breath. "I’m... going to keep decoding these messages," I said, my gaze falling to the table.

"Do whatever you want," he muttered as he turned toward the hidden door.

I followed him, my steps shaky as I focused on keeping my balance. He opened the door but paused before stepping through, his back still to me.

"The peace treaty is sealed," he said, his tone detached. "Alpha Kenzo agreed to withdraw his demand to take you into his pack, and I agreed to provide an additional thousand Royal Army warriors."

"That’s... great," I replied, though the words felt forced, hollow.

Hadrian lingered in the doorway, an unusual hesitation flickering across his face. He seemed torn, as though wrestling with something unspoken.

"Anything else?" I asked, breaking the heavy silence.

"Yes..." He cleared his throat, his voice losing some of its edge. "There will be a party to celebrate the treaty tonight. It will be held in the garden. I expect you to attend."

And with that, he was gone.

I closed the passage door, leaning against it as a new crack splintered through my heart. It felt as though it might never heal.