188

188
Scarlett
I woke with a start, my arm instinctively stretching across the bed, fingers searching for warmth that wasn’t there.
The cool sheets beneath my fingertips told me what I already knew—Finn was gone. Again.
The hollow ache in my chest deepened, as familiar now as breathing.
I struggled to get out of the empty bed, feeling the weight of his absence like a heavy burden.
The cold floor greeted my bare feet as I made my way to the bathroom. The bathroom door creaked softly as I pushed it open.
As the hot water cascaded over my skin in the relentless stream of the shower, I wished it could wash away the growing dread festering inside me. I sensed that something was terribly wrong.
After drying off, I returned to our bedroom—our bedroom, though it hardly felt like his anymore. His scent was fading from the pillows.
I applied lotion to my skin, selecting a dress worthy of my Luna status.
Standing in front of the mirror, I checked my reflection. Once satisfied, I stepped out.
The hallway stretched before me as I made my way to breakfast, my heels clicking against the floor in a rhythm that matched my racing thoughts.
What had happened to us? He’d been distant ever since that morning we’d last made love.
Had I done something wrong? Said something that pushed him away? Or was it something far worse—something I couldn’t undo?
The questions raced through my mind, flooding every corner, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make sense of it.
“Good morning, Luna,” the servants greeted as I passed by.
“Good morning, Luna,” the head cook added with a smile.
“Good morning to you,” I replied, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside as I took my seat at the long table.
My heart ached as I noticed the Alpha’s empty chair, its absence cutting through me like a sharp blade. Once more, his seat remained unoccupied.
“Where is the Alpha?” I asked, unable to hold back my feelings.
“He isn’t here, Luna. We don’t know.”
“Again?” What the heck is going on? My patience had worn dangerously thin. I needed answers. I deserved them.
The maids served breakfast. I forced the food down without tasting a single bite, my mind elsewhere, constructing and deconstructing scenarios of what could possibly be keeping my mate from me.
I stood up from my chair and gave a brief nod. “Thank you for the food,” I mumbled as I walked away, ignoring Mary’s attempt to speak.
I was headed straight to Finn’s office. I was determined to get answers today, even if it meant tearing the building apart brick by brick.
“You’re here, Luna?” David’s voice stopped me, his surprise poorly disguised as he stepped into my path. Beta or not, he was an obstacle between me and what I needed.
“Where is the Alpha?” I demanded. He wasn’t just the Alpha; he was my Finn, my mate, my world—and he was slipping away like water through my fingers. “Where is he?”
“He isn’t here,” David replied, his gaze dropping to the floor.
The evasion was so obvious that it almost made me laugh. Instead, a bitter, hollow sound caught in my throat.
“Really?” I scoffed.
“Yes, Luna,” he responded flatly.
“Look up,” I ordered, my voice ice-cold. “Beta.”
David’s eyes remained fixed on the floor.
“You can’t, can you?” The realization settled over me like a shroud. They were all in on it—whatever it was.
I stepped closer, narrowing the space between us. “Tell me,” I whispered, my voice dangerously soft. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing. I’m hiding nothing.”
Frustration began boiling in my veins. “Where the fuck is my mate?” I howled, the sound torn from deep within my chest, primal and raw.
“I don’t know, Luna,” he repeated, still refusing to meet my gaze.
I shoved him aside, my hand reaching for the office door when his arm shot out to block me.
“No one’s in there, Luna,” he insisted, his voice a forced calm that only inflamed my suspicions. “I’m not hiding the Alpha.”
“Did I tell you you were hiding him?” I hissed. “Then tell me.”
“I... I...” He stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. “You should go back to your office.”
“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” I screamed, my composure shattering completely.
I was falling apart, right there in the hallway. It was obvious now—Finn was avoiding me.
Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? Rejection. Avoidance. Abandonment.
“No, Luna,” David backpedaled quickly, his expression stricken. Then he delivered the final blow: “It’s the Alpha’s command.”
“Why?” I gasped. The word slipped from my lips like a breath knocked from my lungs.
I was overcome by a cold wave of shock, which drowned out all other emotions. My mind raced through various devastating possibilities.
Was he in love with another female? The thought carved a hole in my heart, the image of Finn’s hands caressing another’s skin, his lips whispering promises meant for me, burning behind my eyelids.
Was he trying to discard me? Cast me aside like a toy he’d grown tired of?
Or worse—did he hate me now? Did he look at me and see only my father’s sins?
All these questions raged in my mind at once. But I couldn’t find a perfect answer.
“I’m sorry. You should go back, Luna.” David’s voice seemed to come from far away, muffled by the roaring in my ears.
I couldn’t move. Every muscle in my body had turned to stone, my feet rooted to the spot.
“Does he have another female?” The question left my lips as barely more than a whisper, the one fear I couldn’t bear to give full voice to.
The tears I had fought so hard to contain finally broke free.
The mental image flashed vividly—Finn pressed against another wolf, looking at her the way he once looked at me.
I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t bear it. I was hurting—and he was the source of my pain.
David remained silent.
“Answer my goddamn question!” I roared, a dangerous growl rumbling in my chest.
The Luna was gone—this was pure wolf, wounded and ready to fight. I was done playing nice.
“Only the Alpha can answer that,” he said, dropping the words like a bomb.
“I need to fucking see him. Now!” My control had snapped completely.
“Stop—Luna!”
My hand twisted the doorknob. I couldn’t stop myself—even if I wanted to.
I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. The need to know, to see for myself, overrode every rational thought. I needed the truth, no matter how much it destroyed me.
The door flew open.
And there he was.
Finn.
I gasped, the sound sharp and pained. My hand flew to my mouth as I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to process what I was seeing.
My lips parted to speak, to demand answers, to scream, to beg—but no sound emerged.
The scene before me rendered me mute, my voice stolen by the shock of what I was witnessing.
It was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Why?