Chapter 114

I wasn’t sure how I managed it, but I forced my legs to move. Each step felt precarious, as if the ground beneath me might give way. Slowly, I turned away from them, my feet faltering as I struggled to maintain my balance.

It was as if my heart had drawn a heavy curtain over my emotions, shutting everything out. Numbness overtook me. The pain, the betrayal—it all dulled into nothingness. As I walked away, Mr. Renfield’s gaze caught mine. His hand closed around my wrist, his grip firm yet hesitant.

“Lady Thalassa, are you all right?” His voice, distorted and distant, barely registered.

The faintest curl of my lips—a weak attempt at a smile—was all I could muster in reply. Without another word, I slipped past him, only to bump into Beta Ronan. His sharp, questioning eyes studied me, and I could only wonder what kind of expression I wore. My failed attempt at a smile didn’t fool him.

“Wait here. I’ll find Alpha Kenzo,” he said firmly.

But I didn’t wait. I couldn’t. I had no control over my body or my spiraling thoughts. Seeing Kenzo would only shatter what little composure I had left, dragging the worst parts of me to the surface. So, I kept walking, forward and away.

No one could fix me. No one could heal this wound. I was certain of that. My state of mind was irreparable, and isolation seemed like the only solace. Somehow, I found myself back in my chambers, though I couldn’t recall the journey.

The next thing I knew, I was on the balcony, staring blankly at the stars. I should have cried, screamed, cursed their names—Hadrian’s and Selene’s. But I didn’t. Instead, I found myself in a space of nothingness, a void where no emotion could reach me. It wasn’t a solution, merely a fragile coping mechanism—a temporary escape to keep me sane. The pain of loving Hadrian still clawed at me from within, refusing to fade, but the numbness kept it at bay, for now.

Deep down, I knew this was a flimsy bandage over a wound that needed far more. And I also knew I wouldn’t survive another blow like this. Admitting it felt like weakness, but it was my truth.

As childish as it seemed, I might have endured Hadrian’s betrayal longer if I’d believed he felt the same anguish seeing me with someone else. But he didn’t. He hadn’t even flinched when I spent the evening with Alpha Kenzo, acting as if it didn’t matter. As if I didn’t matter.

I needed him to care. Just once. I needed to see it in his eyes.

One time would have been enough.

But the answer to the question tormenting me—whether I could endure this again—was in the tears streaking down my face. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

I pulled out the suitcase Freya had packed when I first arrived from Kesslers’ Castle and opened my closet. My hands moved mechanically, pulling out casual clothes while leaving the glamorous gowns, dresses, and tailored suits untouched. Time was against me. If I was going to leave, it had to be now, quietly and quickly.

“Thalassa, think this through,” reason whispered. “Where will you go? How will you leave unnoticed?”

There was only one option. Reluctantly, I accepted it. Crossing to the window, I peered outside. Over ten black vans were parked in the palace driveway—the Blue Moon Pack’s vehicles. The wolves were already loading their things, preparing to leave at dawn. It was nearly 4 a.m.

Could I join them?

It wasn’t about choosing sides; I simply needed to escape. This toxic environment was suffocating me. But the bitter truth was that I hated the dependence. I was running from one protector, only to seek shelter under another. It made me sick. I wasn’t weak physically, but I lacked something far more vital: a place I could call my own.

I closed the suitcase and sat down to write. The first letter was to Freya, explaining my decision to leave. She deserved at least that much. The second was to Varen. I detailed my interpretations of the decoded messages, hoping he could make sense of them and continue the work I was leaving unfinished. Guilt gnawed at me, but I couldn’t bear the weight any longer.

When I glanced out of the window again, the wolves were gathering by the vans. It was now or never. I grabbed my suitcase and slipped downstairs. Quietly, I opened the east wing entrance, set my luggage outside, and stepped into the cool night air. As I closed the door behind me, a voice froze me in my tracks.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Hadrian’s voice was sharp, angry, and too close. He stood just inches away, his chest heaving as if he’d sprinted to catch me. His eyes blazed with a mix of confusion and fury, his presence as overwhelming as ever.

For once, I was grateful for the numbness. It shielded me from the sheer intensity of his glare, stripping the moment of the fear and chaos it might have held.

But his question lingered, demanding an answer I wasn’t ready to give.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled the corners of my lips, though my eyes betrayed the depth of my pain. "I'm leaving," I said, the words leaving a bitter aftertaste I had never imagined possible. The weight of them pressed against my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Hadrian’s voice trembled. "What?"

His gaze locked onto mine, his head shaking slightly in denial, as though rejecting the truth outright. Yet, he needed me to say it again, to confirm the ache he desperately wanted to dismiss.

"I'm leaving, Hadrian." This time, my voice carried a resolute edge, firm but no less agonizing.

"You can't be serious, Thalassa." His scoff sliced through me like a blade, igniting a flicker of anger deep within my chest.

I met his gaze with an unyielding glare and turned toward the driveway, where the black vans were waiting just beyond the corner. My suitcase dragged behind me, its weight grounding me, tethering me to a reality I wished to escape. Before I could take another step, his hand wrapped around my wrist, halting me with an iron grip.

"Let go of me," I hissed, my voice laced with warning.

"Stop this, Thalassa. Enough of your childish sulking—"

The sound of my palm striking his face shattered the stillness. The force of it resonated through the courtyard, reverberating within me. Hadrian's head tilted slightly as he touched his cheek, but despite the sting I inflicted, I knew the one truly suffering was me. My hand trembled, still tingling from the impact, as I wrenched myself free from his grasp and continued walking.

"Thalassa..." His voice broke, raw and desperate. "Why are you doing this? You know how I feel about you!"

A pang shot through my chest. I was one heartbeat away from turning back, from surrendering, but I couldn't. Going back would only invite more pain. I kept walking.

Hadrian's presence loomed closer, his footsteps fast and determined. He cut me off, stepping in front of me with wild desperation in his eyes.

"Please... stop," he pleaded, his hands settling on my shoulders with a gentleness that made my resolve waver. "You're my concubine, the one I love."

"Am I?" The words slipped out, laden with the torment I could no longer suppress.

I met his gaze, his crimson-tinged eyes reflecting his turmoil, his face pale with sorrow.

"I don't know if I mean anything to you anymore," I whispered, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

His voice sharpened with pain. "How can you say that?!" His grip on me tightened, fingers digging into my skin.

"You're hurting me!" My cry echoed across the courtyard, drawing the attention of the wolves nearby.

A low growl filled the air, and within seconds, Alpha Kenzo stormed between us, positioning himself protectively in front of me.

"Step aside, Kenzo! She's mine!" Hadrian's voice thundered.

Kenzo’s jaw clenched. "I don’t give a damn. I’ll move when she tells me to." His eyes flicked to mine, lingering on the suitcase in my hand.

I hesitated. I hadn’t wanted to turn this into a spectacle. My decision was mine alone, but as their eyes bore into me, waiting, I realized I couldn’t hesitate any longer.

"Does... your offer still stand?" My voice was barely above a whisper as I glanced at Kenzo.

A fleeting smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before his expression turned serious. He nodded. "I want you in my pack," he said, extending his hand.

Hadrian lunged, shoving Kenzo back with a force that sent him stumbling. Before I could react, Hadrian's arms wrapped around me in a fierce embrace.

"Thalassa... you can't go with him," he whispered against my ear, his breath ragged. "We share a blood bond. You'll always belong to me." His lips pressed gently against my forehead.

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision as I placed my trembling hands on his chest and pushed him away.

"I’m breaking the blood bond between us," I said, the words cutting deeper than any wound.

"Don’t, Thalassa! Please, don’t say it!" Panic flickered in his eyes, but I knew I had to finish what I started.

"No drop of my blood will ever be yours again. I am no longer yours... just as you are no longer mine."

Hadrian staggered back, his hand clutching his chest as if I had driven a dagger straight through his heart. I gasped as a sharp, unbearable pain clawed through my ribs, stealing my breath. My silent scream faded into a soft, trembling sigh. Relief and agony collided within me in equal measure.

I looked at Hadrian one last time, his face frozen in disbelief, his eyes holding a despair I had never seen before. My own resolve wavered.

"What have I done...?" I whispered, teetering on the edge of regret.

Kenzo’s hand gently closed over mine. "We should go, Thalassa."

Every step away from Hadrian felt like an eternity. Even after I turned my back, I could feel his gaze burning into me, piercing through the spaces between my ribs. But he didn’t follow. And perhaps... that was for the best.

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I faced Kenzo's pack. He raised my hand high, as if I were a trophy he had won, his lips curling into a sly grin. Excited howls and laughter filled the air.

Beta Ronan signaled one of the wolves, and within moments, my suitcase disappeared into the trunk of one of the vans.

"Let’s go," Kenzo murmured, leading me toward the sleek black Lamborghini parked at the front of the convoy.

A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "You didn’t think I’d let you ride with my warriors, did you?" he teased, opening the door for me.

I hesitated before settling into the seat, my mind spinning. Kenzo signaled his pack, and the long row of vehicles rolled forward, moving toward the gates.

I glanced out the window, unable to resist looking back one last time.

Hadrian was gone.

I exhaled shakily, pressing my head against the seat. Perhaps... this was how it was always meant to be. It was time to turn the page. Time to begin again.