Chapter 157

I held the phone against my ear, my stomach twisting with nausea. The world around me spun in dizzying circles. Freya’s voice rang through the receiver, frantic and urgent, but I could barely process her words. She was calling my name—again and again—until finally, her voice shattered the fog in my mind.

"Thalassa! Are you there?!" she yelled, breaking through my daze.

"This can't be true... It can't be true!" I choked out, my voice raw with desperation.

Freya's next words struck me like a blade. "That would explain why he hasn’t called or texted you back," she murmured, sending a sickening wave of realization crashing over me.

"I did get a text from him..." The admission slipped from my lips like a confession, the air thick in my throat.

"What?! When?! Why didn’t you say anything?!" Freya demanded.

I swallowed hard, bracing myself for the truth I hadn’t yet fully processed. "He said... the child is his. He said goodbye. That he was sorry..." My breath hitched as I forced the words out.

"Oh, God..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I squeezed my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced out the truth. "I... I slept with Kenzo."

A sharp intake of breath. Then, "Oh, God," she repeated, this time laced with disbelief and disappointment.

"What was I supposed to do?!" I snapped, my voice rising with frustration. "Hadrian texted me that it was over! And Kenzo is my mate!"

"You should have at least waited a day or two!" she shot back.

"For what?!" I roared. "Waited for him to change his mind?! I’m not some saint, Freya! I’m not perfect! I’m human, and I have my limits!"

Silence stretched between us before she finally exhaled. "I’m sorry," she said, her voice softer. "I have no right to judge you. And if the King is truly dead—"

"Please." I cut her off before she could finish that sentence. I refused to hear it spoken aloud. "What if the message came from someone working with Selene? What if it’s a lie? We don’t know for sure."

Clinging to logic was the only thing stopping me from completely unraveling.

"You’re right," Freya said, her voice steadying.

"I... I could try calling him again?" The words came out uncertain, but I needed her reassurance.

A heavy sigh. "Thalassa..." Her tone was pained. "What if you’re right and he is alive? What if he’s not answering because he doesn’t want to? Either way, you won’t know the truth until he tells you. Could you handle that?"

Her words cut deeper than Hadrian’s final message.

"Then I’ll make him answer," I growled. "I don’t care what it takes."

"Thalassa..." she whispered. "I don’t want you to hurt yourself over this. Just—remember that I love you. I’m on your side, no matter what." I could hear the emotion in her voice, the silent tears behind her words.

"I love you too," I whispered, barely holding back my own tears. And then it hit me—"You’re not safe there anymore. You and Varen have to leave the palace. If you need my help, I can—"

"Prince Varen already has our escape planned," she assured me. "Don’t worry. He’s handling everything. If you want details, call him."

I knew Hadrian had left them a security detail, but with Selene attempting to seize power, I couldn’t be certain they’d be safe for long. I didn’t even understand how she was managing to take the throne, but I had no doubt Varen would. I’d call him soon.

But first, there was something I had to do.

My gaze locked onto Hadrian’s number on my screen. My fingers trembled as I took shaky breaths, trying to summon the courage to press call. My heart pounded against my ribs, threatening to break free as I lifted the phone to my ear.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable..."

I froze.

No.

Refusing to accept it, I called again.

And again.

By the third time, the last sliver of hope inside me shattered.

"I wished him dead," I murmured, horror sinking into my bones. "But I didn’t mean it..."

The bile rose in my throat, and I barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting. My body trembled violently as I collapsed onto the cold floor, tears streaming unchecked down my face. I didn’t know how long I lay there, crying until my limbs went numb and my eyes burned from exhaustion.

Then, somewhere in the depths of my grief, a voice inside me screamed—

"Get up, Thalassa!"

I clenched my jaw, dragging myself upright.

I didn’t know anything for certain yet.

I needed to call Varen.

"You need to talk to Icarus. He must know something more. You can’t just dismiss it because his phone is off!"

I splashed cold water on my face before staggering back into the bedroom, barely keeping myself upright. Clenching my jaw, I forced the suffocating anxiety deep within, locking it away where it couldn’t consume me. Then, I dialed Varen’s number.

"Hey..." My voice wavered as I spoke.

"Thalassa... How are you holding up? Freya told me everything." Concern laced his tone, making my stomach twist.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about him knowing I’d just spent the night with Kenzo. The thought settled uneasily in my chest, a creeping guilt whispering doubts and fears into my mind. My thoughts spiraled into melodramatic what-ifs, the worst of them centering on Hadrian. What if he had only told me the child was his because he knew he was going to die? What if he wanted me to hate him rather than grieve him with a shattered heart? If that were true, it would destroy me. But if he’d truly lied to me before his death, believing it would help me heal faster, I would drag his body from the grave, resurrect him, and then kill him again myself.

"I'm... processing," I finally answered, forcing a ghost of a smile into my voice.

"Did you call him?"

Freya had really told him everything. My mouth twisted into a grimace as I admitted, "Yeah. His phone is off."

Varen sighed, silence stretching between us before he finally spoke. "You know... now that I think about it, it’s strange. He sent you those ridiculous texts, but he hasn’t contacted his general all day. And as far as I know, his phone has been out of reach for the past twenty-four hours."

That was more than strange. It wasn’t like Hadrian at all. If he had been able to, his first instinct would have been to alert his troops about what happened. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that those texts hadn’t come from him. But the messages had come from his number… and there had been a signal when I called yesterday. None of it made sense.

"So... who reported the King’s death to the Palace?" I asked, shifting the subject slightly.

"General Larkspur. But get this—I just found out the original message said the King was missing, not dead. That wasn’t good enough for Selene, though. She went ahead and announced he was killed on the battlefield." Varen’s voice tightened with barely restrained anger.

"What the hell is she playing at?" I snapped.

I had always believed Selene cared about Hadrian. Of course, I knew she was unhinged, but if there was anyone she wouldn’t want dead, it was him. And yet, here she was, seizing the throne after declaring his death.

"Whatever my deranged sister is up to, she’s not doing it alone. She’s not smart enough for that," Varen said coldly. "Think about it—the King leaves the castle, and suddenly, Selene announces she’s pregnant. The noble council immediately shields her, labeling her untouchable as the future mother of the royal heir. No one even questioned whether the child is actually Hadrian’s. Her doctor conveniently presented ‘evidence,’ and just like that, she took a giant leap toward the throne. Then, with the King officially ‘dead,’ she secured her position as regent, gaining access to the royal treasury and absolute power over the vampire race."

A chill ran down my spine. It was all too perfect. Too orchestrated.

"Who do you think is helping her?" I asked, though deep down, I already knew the answer.

Varen let out a dark chuckle. "Who else?"

"EH," I murmured, voicing my own suspicions.

EH’s messages to Selene suggested an intimacy that went beyond mere alliance. The more I pieced things together, the more I believed she was his lover. Once, she had wanted Hadrian—but if he couldn’t give her what she craved, she would rather destroy him with EH’s help. It was only a theory, but it fit disturbingly well. Still, the biggest mysteries remained: what had really happened to Hadrian, and was Selene carrying his child… or EH’s?

Talking to Varen pulled me from my spiraling despair. The rational part of my mind latched onto the facts, grounding me. But as my mind cleared, so did the realization of the choices I had made—the ones I could never take back. Choosing Kenzo wasn’t just about a single night. I had let him mark me. As far as I knew, the mate-bond was irreversible. A part of me hoped the wolf goddess would grant me some divine reassurance, a sign that I had made the right decision. Maybe even a nudge toward developing real feelings for Kenzo. Would that make all of this easier?

For now, I had no choice but to push aside everything beyond my control. In a few hours, we would set off for Southern Moon Pack territory. And there, I would finally have to face my father.