Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Chapter: The Queen Without Her King
The air in the castle smelled of iron and ash. The echo of battle still lingered in the halls, and though the walls remained standing, the spirit of the fortress was broken. No one dared to speak it aloud, but they all knew: the Alpha had fallen.
Abigail awoke three days after that fateful night. She opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she felt was the weight on her chest: an unbearable pain, as if her heart had been ripped out by force. She brought her hand to her neck, where her mark with Kilian was now dark, nothing more than a residue of what had once been a burning, living bond.
The scream that tore from her throat froze those in the room. Ross was the first to rush to her side.
—My Luna! —she exclaimed, taking her hands—. Please, calm yourself… you are safe.
—No! —Abigail shook her head, her tears flowing uncontrollably—. He’s not here! I feel it! I feel it in my soul, Kilian is gone!
She bent over the bed, sobbing as never before.
Gabriel and Ian, who had stood like guardians, exchanged a silent glance. The gamma lowered his head, clenching his fists, while Ian closed his eyes tightly.
The four guardian alphas remained by the door, motionless as statues carved from stone, but in their eyes shone the same grief. They had all felt the fall of their king.
Ross, tenderly, caressed Abigail’s hair.
—You must think of your pup, my Luna… if not for yourself, then for him.
The words barely touched her. Abigail lifted her gaze, her eyes red, her voice broken:
—How… how does one raise a child when his father is no longer there? How does one breathe when half of your soul is gone?
No one answered. The silence in the room was the only possible response.
\---
The Days of Mourning
The castle sank into sepulchral calm. No one raised their voice too much, no one smiled. The entire pack was in mourning.
Abigail spent her hours lying in bed, staring out the window. She barely touched food, ignored conversations, and avoided the company of others. Her belly had just begun to grow softly, but her body was wasting away, thin, pale, carved by grief.
Ross never left her side. She slept in a chair beside the bed, fed her by force when she could, and made sure she was never alone.
Ian, always near, kept order among the guard and gave instructions, though his own heart burned with sorrow. Gabriel, for his part, became a shadow that watched every corner, suppressing the rage consuming him.
The four guardian alphas kept their promise: never to leave the queen alone. They were like wolves chained to her pain, but even more to their duty.
\---
The Murmur of the Alphas
Two weeks later, things began to grow tense.
In the great council hall, the voices of the alphas rose with unease. Viktor, Alpha of the western plains, slammed his fist on the table.
—We cannot go on like this! —he roared—. The north is without its Alpha, the Cold Bloods still prowl in small groups, and our queen wastes away, locked in her grief.
—Lower your voice, Viktor! —replied an elder Alpha—. Do you forget she is the King’s Luna?
—Precisely because of that! —Viktor shot back, his voice filled with bitterness—. I always said it: Kilian should never have trusted that woman.
The silence grew heavy.
—Your daughter chose her own fate —Gabriel replied coldly, locking eyes with Viktor—. She made a pact with the Grays out of ambition, not by order of the King.
Viktor’s eyes flared with rage.
—Do not speak of her to me! My daughter is dead! And yet, the pain of my pack lives on. And who caused it? That king you all worship!
The alphas murmured among themselves, divided. Some believed Abigail’s presence was a blessing, others saw her as a reminder of disgrace.
But Gabriel, firm, rose to his feet.
—Hear me well. Kilian fell defending this kingdom, and our Luna carries his heir in her womb. If any of you doubt her authority, you will face me first.
Silence fell. None dared to challenge the gamma. But the seed of discord had been planted.
\---
A couple of days later, Gabriel entered Abigail’s chamber. He found her as always: sitting by the window, her gaze lost on the horizon, a plate of untouched food on the table.
He let out a long sigh.
—Enough… —he said, stepping closer.
Abigail did not turn.
—Enough?
—Yes —he replied firmly—. Do you plan to let yourself die?
His voice, though he tried to make it gentle, carried the weight of a worried friend and a warrior tired of watching her fade away.
Abigail smiled without mirth, her eyes fixed on the gray sky.
—I do not plan anything… I am only waiting to wake up. This is a nightmare that lasted too long, Gabriel. And I only wait for the moment I open my eyes and it will all be over.
The gamma felt a knot in his throat. For years he had fought shoulder to shoulder with Kilian, had watched him grow, become Alpha, become a brother in arms. And now this woman, his Luna, looked at him with the same broken eyes he saw in his own reflection every day.
He took another step, lowering his voice.
—I know better than anyone what you feel. I lost him too. Not only my Alpha… I lost my brother.
A long silence followed. Abigail closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks.
—The kingdom needs a leader —Gabriel continued—. And you are its Luna Queen.
She barely turned, her red eyes meeting his.
—Then I give you that place. —Her voice was a broken whisper—. I cannot. Without Kilian, nothing makes sense.
Gabriel clenched his jaw.
—And your child? What of him? Will you leave him without a father and a mother as well?
The question pierced Abigail like a blade. She placed a hand on her belly, caressing it tenderly, while silent sobs shook her.
—I… I don’t know if I can be enough for him.
The gamma lowered his gaze, his voice trembling for the first time.
—Kilian believed you could. I saw it in his eyes every time he looked at you. And I swear to you, Abigail, if you let yourself fall… you will be betraying him more than anyone else.
Abigail buried her face in her hands, stifling a sob. Gabriel stepped back, giving her space, but did not leave the room.
He knew he could not force her to heal. But he could remind her that she still had a reason to live.
\---
That night, when everyone was asleep, Abigail rose in silence and went out onto the balcony. The cold air brushed her face, and her eyes sought the cliff where she had seen her beloved disappear.
The wind blew strong, as if Kilian’s voice traveled within it. She wrapped her arms around her belly, tears streaming quietly.
—Do not leave me alone… —she whispered—. Not now.
And for the first time, a spark of something other than pain shone in her eyes: fear. Fear of raising her child alone. Fear of watching the kingdom crumble. Fear of herself.
And in the depths of her heart, a question began to burn.
What if Kilian was still alive somewhere?