CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26
I could barely sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dolphus lying weak on that bed, I could hear his breath from where I'd stood, and his skin was pale. The image haunted me. Maybe other people thought it was just a random illness but Dolphus and I knew there was more to it.

I’d sent for the healers to check on him again, and they confirmed that his wolf had been attacked from the inside — a rare kind of strike. That had never happened before. I mean, even if it did, it had been a while since it last happened. Only someone with deep knowledge of pack magic could have done that. Most certainly, someone from within. I had to sleep at Dolphus chamber for the first time.

As I watch him sleep, or maybe struggle in his sleep, it hurts me. I'd never want to see him in pain. Maybe we weren't connected, or maybe we weren't actual mates, but he meant so much to me than anyone could imagine.

Rory’s words echoed in my mind: “Didn’t you feel that Dolphus wasn’t alright?”

He had spoken too quickly. Too confident. Almost like he knew.

I warned the healers not to convey any of the test reports to anyone but me.

By dawn, I was almost certain of one thing — if Rory wasn’t responsible, he knew who was.

Dolphus had slept through most of the night, but by morning, he looked a little better. When he stirred, I was still seated by his bedside, half-asleep on the couch beside him.

“Alpha Alaya,” he said softly, “you didn’t rest.”

I shook my head. “No, I couldn’t. Whoever did this to you isn’t just any wolf, Dolphus. This was planned. This person is trying to mess me up.”

He sighed, “I’ve been thinking the same thing. And I think Rory knows something.”

I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “Tell me, You think he’s involved?”

He hesitated. “Maybe not directly. But I saw him with his Luna the night before it happened. They were arguing, and he looked... unsettled. Almost frightened.”

That caught my attention. Rory rarely lost control — not even with his Luna.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. You know I'd told you to be careful with him. Especially now that he'd been trying to be nice.”

I thought for a while, “Then we watch him,” I said firmly. “In short, we watch both of them.”

Dolphus gave a weak smile. “You really are Alpha Alaya.”

I ignored the warmth that came from his compliment. “We’ll do this quietly. No one should suspect anything until we’re sure. Also, the elders should never know what really happened to you.”

He nodded in agreement.

I stayed in his chamber through the morning, talking about the pack, laughing at the smallest jokes just to keep his spirit up. It was strange — how comfortable it felt. For once, he wasn’t the strong Beta or the overprotective mate. He was just... Dolphus. And I was just Alaya.

By noon, my phone buzzed.

Dylan: Hey, Lay. Are you good?
Dylan: You didn’t text when you got home. We were worried.
Dylan: Skai said you had to deal with something urgent. You okay?

It felt good that somebody cared. I could tell that Skai was probably busy, that's why she didn't text. I smiled faintly and replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just family stuff. Thanks for checking in.”

He replied almost immediately. “You sure? You sound tense.”

I held my phone smiling, and I responded. “I’m okay, Dylan. Promise.”

He didn’t push further.

But the next message that came in wasn’t from him — it was the silence from the one person I half-hoped to hear from.

Tatum.

There was just everything off about him all the time. One day, he's giving me his attention and accepting mine, then the next moment, he's off.

We were almost like a group of friends now. A group of five. Everyone knew I had an emergency at home, they all wished me well but he didn't. He didn't say anything afterwards. No text. No call. Not even a single message to check in. I was so disappointed.

A part of me wanted to believe he was just busy, or maybe in one of his bad places again, but another part knew better. Maybe he just didn’t care. Maybe he regretted ever getting close to me in the first place. Or maybe, he's just this annoying, snobbish, stupid thing.

I sighed and locked my phone. “No more waiting around,” I muttered. “No more hoping for people who don’t stay.”

Dolphus noticed my change in mood. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about college,” I lied.

“Stay here today,” he said gently. “Stay with me.”

“I'm here.” I said softly. “Also, I've got to check on everyone.”

He smiled at me, “No, you've got to focus on me today. You’ve done enough for everyone else. Stay — for yourself.”

And I did.

I stayed.

Not as Alpha. Not as a leader. But as someone who cared. Someone who cared for Dolphus and probably who cared for myself.

As he drifted back to sleep, I glanced at the window, watching the moon fade behind the morning light. My gut whispered that things were changing.

That Rory was hiding something.
That Tatum was slipping away.
And that Dolphus... might be the only person left I could really trust.

Dolphus… and maybe Dylan. Dylan cared for me in a way I couldn't imagine. I mean he could actually be a good friend rather than Tatum.

My mind was wandering a lot and I needed someone to talk to. I couldn't talk to Dolphus, he was obviously sleeping. I couldn't talk to the one person that was willing to listen to me at that point —Dylan. He was human, he wasn't gonna understand. Skai was the only human to understand, but she probably had a lot on her plate that time.

I stepped out of the chamber to let Dolphus sleep for a bit. Also, to get fresh air.

Then I saw Rory. He was standing with a few omega wolves.

“What the hell is this guy doing?” I asked myself.
Rory was full of surprises, wasn't he?