Chapter 187: Special Chapter 6: Too Late

Sleep refused to come that night.

I lay awake long after the manor had fallen silent, my eyes fixed upon the ceiling as though staring at it long enough would somehow reveal the answer I had spent days searching for. Every possibility I considered ended in the same cruel conclusion. If I spirited Lady Euphyllia away before dawn, Lord Esteban would pay the price for our disappearance. If I obeyed Alpha Farley's decree and returned her to the Pack, Lady Euphyllia would be condemned instead.

Neither path resembled salvation.

For the first time since swearing my oath as her knight, I found myself confronted with a truth I desperately wished to deny—I did not know how to protect her.

That helplessness lingered long after I extinguished the lamp beside my bed. Exhaustion eventually settled over my body, heavier than my thoughts, and sometime before dawn, I must have surrendered to it, though I doubted I had truly fallen asleep.

A violent crash shattered the silence.

My eyes snapped open just as the chamber door slammed against the wall with enough force to make the hinges groan in protest. Before I had fully gathered my senses, I was already on my feet, instinct reaching for the sword resting beside the bed.

A young servant stumbled into the room, his face ashen and his chest heaving from exertion. Sweat clung to his brow despite the chill of the early morning, and for a fleeting moment I feared the neighboring Packs had arrived ahead of schedule.

"Sir Aurelian..." he gasped, struggling to steady his breathing. "Lady Euphyllia..."

A cold weight settled inside my chest. "What happened?"

The servant shook his head so violently that he nearly lost his balance. "We... we can't find her."

For a heartbeat, I simply stared at him. The words refused to make sense. "What do you mean you can't find her?"

"The maids went to bring her breakfast, but..." He swallowed hard before forcing the rest of the sentence past trembling lips. "Her chamber was empty."

I was already moving.

The servant hurried after me as I crossed the corridor, struggling to match my pace.

"The balcony doors were open," he continued breathlessly. "Her slippers were gone. We searched the gardens first, then the library and the greenhouse, but..." His voice faltered. "We couldn't find her anywhere."

"When was she last seen?"

"After supper."

The answer came almost immediately.

"One of the maids saw her returning to her room."

No.

Something tightened painfully around my heart.

Lady Euphyllia had promised she would wait. She had looked into my eyes and promised.

The corridors of House of Caedex blurred around me as I quickened my pace. Servants scattered aside the moment they caught sight of me, whispering anxiously among themselves, but I scarcely noticed their frightened expressions.

My entire world narrowed to a single destination.

Her chamber.

The moment I stepped inside, dread settled over me with terrifying certainty. The bed remained untouched. The blankets had not been disturbed. Even the candle beside the window had burned itself down to nothing, leaving behind only a pool of hardened wax.

She had never intended to sleep.

Slowly, my gaze lifted toward the open balcony. The curtains billowed gently beneath the morning breeze, revealing the distant stretch of cliffs overlooking the sea.

My breath caught.

A memory surfaced unbidden.

Lady Euphyllia had once told me that the cliffs were her favorite place within House of Caedex. Whenever the burdens of noble life became too heavy, she would stand there for hours, claiming that the endless sea made her feel closer to her mother.

A chill ran through my entire body.

No... Please. Not there.

Without another word, I turned and ran.

The gardens disappeared behind me almost as quickly as they appeared. Dew-covered grass soaked the hem of my trousers while low branches clawed at my sleeves, yet I never slowed. Every step seemed unbearably slow compared to the growing panic pounding against my ribs.

I should have stayed.

The thought repeated itself mercilessly with every stride.

I should never have left her alone.

The familiar path winding toward the cliffs stretched ahead, every stone and every bend painfully familiar after years of accompanying Lady Euphyllia there. I remembered watching her gather wildflowers beside the trail as a child, laughing whenever I reminded her that Lord Esteban would scold us both for returning with muddy shoes.

Now the same path felt impossibly long.

My wolf answered my desperation before I consciously called upon him. Bones shifted violently beneath my skin as silver fur replaced flesh, allowing instinct to seize what reason no longer could. I surged through the forest with a speed no human body could ever hope to match, my nose following the faint trail she had left behind.

Lavender.

Sea salt.

And beneath those familiar scents... an overwhelming sorrow that made even my wolf whimper as we ran.

The trees parted without warning. The cliffs emerged before me beneath the pale light of dawn.

There, standing alone upon the edge where the land surrendered itself to the endless sea, was Lady Euphyllia.

The wind played endlessly with her dark hair, carrying the loose strands across her face while the fabric of her gown fluttered softly around her. She looked impossibly small against the vast horizon, as though the world itself had already begun pulling her away from it.

She had not heard me. Not yet.

I shifted back before reaching her, stumbling slightly as human feet struck the earth once more. "Euphyllia." Her name escaped me before I realized I had spoken.

Not Lady Euphyllia.

Not my lady.

Simply... Euphyllia.

She stilled. Then, with unhurried grace, she turned to face me. A smile slowly bloomed across her lips.

It was gentle and chingly serene.

I had seen Lady Euphyllia smile countless times throughout our years together. I knew the mischievous grin she wore after escaping another etiquette lesson, the triumphant smile whenever she outplayed seasoned merchants during negotiations, and the radiant laughter that always followed Lord Esteban's praise.

This smile belonged to none of those memories.

It was the smile of someone who had already said farewell to the world long before anyone else realized she intended to leave it.

For the first time since I had become her knight, I looked into her eyes and found nothing left tying her to this life.

The sound of my voice carried farther than I intended, cutting cleanly through the relentless cries of the sea below. Lady Euphyllia slowly turned at the sound of her name.

For one suspended moment, neither of us moved.

The wind swept through the cliffside, lifting the loose strands of her dark hair and tugging at the hem of her pale gown until it danced around her ankles. Behind her stretched nothing but the endless horizon, where the gray morning sky melted into the restless sea below.

My heart clenched painfully.

There was something about the way she stood that unsettled me more than the cliff itself.

She looked... peaceful.

Not the quiet peace that came after a restful sleep, nor the contentment she used to wear while wandering through Lord Esteban's gardens.

It was the peace of someone who had already made her decision.

I forced my feet to move, careful not to startle her. Every instinct urged me to rush forward and pull her away from the edge, yet another part of me feared that even the slightest reckless movement would only hasten what I desperately wished to prevent.

"Euphyllia," I called again, my voice softer this time. "Come away from there."

She regarded me for a long while before a faint smile touched her lips. It was heartbreakingly gentle. "I knew you'd find me," she murmured.

The words struck something deep within my chest. Of course, I had found her. Hadn't I always?

Since we were children, she had never remained lost for long before I appeared beside her. Whether she had climbed trees despite my protests, wandered too far into the forest while chasing a wounded animal, or hidden herself from Lord Esteban after one of her harmless mischiefs, I had always managed to find her.

This time would be no different.

It couldn't be.

"You should have waited for me," I replied, taking another cautious step toward her. "You promised me you would."

"I know." Her smile lingered, though it never reached her eyes. "I'm sorry."

A strange uneasiness settled over me.

Lady Euphyllia rarely apologized without reason. She had always believed that apologies meant little unless they were accompanied by action. Yet now, she offered one with such quiet sincerity that it felt less like regret... and more like farewell.

"You don't need to apologize," I said quickly. "Come back with me. Lord Esteban is waiting for you. The manor is waiting for you. We'll think of something together."

She lowered her gaze toward the crashing waves beneath the cliffs before letting out a tired breath. "I don't think there's anything left to think about anymore."

"There is."

"There isn't." Her voice remained calm, but every word carried a weariness that no woman of her age should ever have known. "They've already decided what becomes of me."

"They haven't."

"They have." She finally looked at me again, and for the first time since I had known her, I found no trace of hope inside those familiar silver-blue eyes. "I've spent the last few days asking myself what I could have done differently," she confessed quietly. "Whether I had failed as Farley's mate... whether I hadn't supported him enough... whether loving him more would have changed his decision." A bitter smile crossed her lips. "But no matter how many times I searched for an answer..." She shook her head. "I always arrived at the same place." Her gaze drifted toward the distant sea. "I was never the one he chose."

The words cut deeper than any blade.

I wanted to deny them, to tell her she was mistaken, or to defend the man who had once loved her.

Yet nothing came.

Because I no longer knew if I believed those lies myself.

She drew a slow breath before looking back at me. "Aurelian..." Her voice softened with a tenderness that nearly broke me. "Thank you."

I frowned. "For what?"

"For always finding me." A weak laugh escaped her. "I don't think I ever realized how many times you did until these past few days." She smiled sadly. "When I was frightened, you were there. When Father was busy, you stayed. When I cried, you listened. And even after everything that happened..." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "...you still came."

I felt my throat tighten. "I'll always come." The promise blurted out from me before I could stop it. "As long as you call for me, I'll find you."

She closed her eyes briefly. "I know," she muttered. "And that's why..." She opened her eyes once more. "...I'm not going to ask you to stop me."

My blood ran cold. "No." I took another hurried step. "Euphyllia, don't."

"If I asked you..." Her voice trembled for the first time. "...you would save me."

"Yes."

"I know you would." Another tear escaped her. "And I don't want to put you through that."

Confusion gave way to horror. "What... What are you talking about?"

She smiled through her tears. "I've become so tired, Aurelian."

Not physically.

The exhaustion in her voice came from somewhere far deeper. "I loved him with everything I had. I believed him. I believed the Moon Goddess. And somewhere along the way..." She pressed a trembling hand against her chest. "...I stopped believing in myself."

My heart pounded violently as I closed the distance between us. Only a few steps remained. "You don't mean that."

"I do."

"No." I reached toward her. "You still have your father. You still have me. You still have a future."

Her expression softened. "I hope you meet someone who loves you the way you deserve one day."

The words shattered what little composure I had left. "There is no one else."

She frowned faintly from my words.

"There never will be," I added.

It was always you. I wanted to say that, but I knew I had no right.

For the briefest moment, uncertainty flickered across her face. It disappeared just as quickly. "I'm sorry."

She stepped backward.

My body reacted before my mind could. "Euphyllia!" I lunged forward with everything I had. But my fingers caught nothing more than the fabric of her sleeve before it slipped free from my grasp.

The world seemed to stop. I watched her disappear beyond the edge of the cliff.

Then, instinct took over.

Without the slightest hesitation, I threw myself after her.

The wind roared mercilessly around us as the earth vanished above my head. I shifted in midair, the familiar agony of bones breaking and reforming tearing through my body as silver fur burst across my skin. My wolf stretched desperately toward the falling figure below, every instinct consumed by a single purpose.

Reach her.

I had to reach her.

The distance between us closed little by little until, at the last possible moment, I caught her against my body just before the sea rose to meet us.

The impact stole every breath from my lungs. Pain exploded through every bone as the current swallowed us whole, dragging us beneath the freezing water. I fought against it with everything I possessed, refusing to loosen my hold around her even as jagged rocks tore into my flesh beneath the surface.

When we finally broke through the water, I dragged her toward the shore with what little strength remained inside me. "Euphyllia..."

She didn't answer.

I laid her carefully upon the wet stones, my trembling hands brushing the soaked strands of hair away from her face. Her skin had already begun to lose its warmth. "No..."

The word escaped me in a broken whisper.

I pressed desperately against her chest, praying the water would leave her lungs, praying for even the smallest sign that she was still with me. "Euphyllia."

Again.

Nothing.

I tried once more.

Then again. And again.

The blood running down my arms mixed with the river water as I refused to stop. "Please..." I scarcely recognized my own voice anymore. "I'm here. You don't have to leave."

Another desperate attempt. Another unbearable silence.

The realization came slowly and cruelly.

She was no longer fighting to breathe. She had already let go.

My hands finally stilled.

For a long time, I remained kneeling beside her before gathering her lifeless body back into my arms. I held her exactly as I had countless times before whenever she had fallen asleep during long journeys home, only this time there would be no sleepy complaint when she woke, no embarrassed smile as she apologized for troubling me.

The morning sun gradually climbed above the horizon, casting its first rays across the shore.

I never noticed.

I simply remained there, holding the woman I had loved all my life, unable to accept that even after finding her... I had still arrived too late.