Chapter 40 Something That Doesn’t Make Sense
Dareth’s POV
I didn’t answer right away.
The teacup in my hand was still warm, but the taste… barely registered anymore. The woman’s words hung in the air, heavy, pressing, like something that shouldn’t have been said so casually in a small roadside stall while the rain poured down outside.
Terminate the pregnancy.
That wasn’t just information. It changed everything.
Everything… pointed back to the vision Evra had seen.
I slowly set the cup down on the table. No sound. Just enough to give my thoughts a moment to catch up as they started moving much faster than before.
“Are you serious?” I finally asked, keeping my tone neutral so it wouldn’t raise suspicion.
The woman shrugged lightly. “That’s what the healer said.”
I looked at her. “And you just believe that?”
“It’s not about belief,” she replied calmly. “That old healer isn’t someone who talks carelessly. He also had no reason to lie in front of the family. That was his diagnosis—the same one he gave to the patient who came to him.”
That made sense.
And that was exactly the problem.
If this was true… then Althea wasn’t sick.
She was pregnant.
And she was trying to end that pregnancy before she disappeared.
Or maybe… she was trying to force the father of the unborn child to take responsibility, even if she already knew the consequences.
The question now wasn’t what happened.
It was why.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, my gaze drifting toward the house again. People were still coming and going, even though the rain had almost stopped. The atmosphere wasn’t just busy anymore… it was heavy. Like something invisible was pressing down on everyone there.
“Was no one with her when she left?” I asked again, confirming what I had heard earlier.
The woman nodded. “From what I heard, no. She even brought a lot of money to give to the healer.”
“In that condition?” I asked.
“Yes. They said she insisted,” she replied. “The healer actually refused at first.”
I frowned slightly. That was new.
“So the healer refused?” I repeated.
“Yes,” she continued. “Althea’s condition was unstable when she came. According to him, it was too risky.”
“Why?”
“She had a fever. Weak… and he said the pregnancy was already quite developed despite her condition.”
My hand paused on the table.
Quite developed.
That meant… this wasn’t something recent.
It had been hidden for a while.
I didn’t say anything, but in my head, the pieces started moving again.
Pregnancy. Her sick sibling. Pressure from all sides. And Black Hollow.
All of it… too close together to be coincidence.
“So after he refused, she left?” I asked quietly.
The woman didn’t answer right away. She looked at me for a moment, then shook her head.
“No.”
I turned sharply.
“No?” I repeated.
“She forced the healer to do it anyway,” she said. “Even though the risk was death.”
I went silent.
Was it that bastard of a man who wanted the child gone before it could even be born? If that was true… then what Evra saw in her vision was nothing but the consequence of his cruelty.
“Who is the father of Althea’s child?” I asked, digging deeper.
“Someone from Black Hollow.”
“Who?”
The woman shook her head. “No one knows. No one’s been able to figure it out.”
I exhaled slowly.
This wasn’t just recklessness.
This was desperation.
“It sounds like… she was forced to terminate it, not her own choice,” I said.
“Or…” the woman added quietly, “…she was looking for another way.”
I didn’t respond immediately.
Another way.
My thoughts went back to the same possibility I’d considered from the beginning.
Black Hollow.
A territory that was collapsing… but still hiding something other packs didn’t have.
“Did she say anything?” I asked.
The woman frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“When she came here. Or to the healer,” I clarified. “Did she ever mention a reason?”
The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“Not clearly,” she said. “But…” she paused, “…she did ask about a stronger remedy. That was after she came back from the healer in the city.”
My focus sharpened.
“Stronger how?”
“Not for ordinary sickness,” she replied. “More like… something that could ‘force’ the body.”
I didn’t like that.
Force the body.
That meant Althea knew… her condition couldn’t be handled the normal way.
“Or maybe…” the woman continued, “…she already knew what was inside her.”
Silence settled between us.
I looked back at the house.
If all of this was true, then the story circulating in the market… was only half the truth.
Maybe not even half.
For now, the conclusion I could draw was this: Meria didn’t sell her child. This wasn’t just a kidnapping by Black Hollow either.
This was something far more… personal. More complicated. More dangerous.
“Do people know about this?” I finally asked.
The woman shook her head immediately. “Not everyone.”
“Of course not,” I muttered.
If this had spread… Meria’s reaction in the market would have been completely different. More chaotic. More defensive. Not just angry.
I rubbed my jaw slowly. One thing still bothered me.
“Then…” I said, “…why did she still leave, when only a few people knew?”
The woman didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
I stood up slowly. The rain had fully stopped now. The ground was still wet, but the sky was starting to clear.
Time to move.
“Thanks for the tea,” I said, placing a few coins on the table.
She nodded casually. “Be careful out there.”
I didn’t walk out immediately. My gaze returned to the house one more time.
Closer now. Clearer.
If the healer was really inside…
Then I didn’t need to keep piecing things together from others.
I could go straight to the source.
I stepped out of the stall.
Cold air hit my face, carrying the lingering scent of rain. The ground was slick, but not enough to slow me down.
I walked toward the house.
Each step felt heavier than before.
Not because I hesitated.
But because I knew… whatever I found next would change the direction of the report I had to bring back to Magnus. And maybe… more than that.
I stopped a few meters from the door.
People were still coming and going. Some looked exhausted. Others… curious.
No one paid attention to me.
Good.
My hand lifted slightly as I observed first—waiting for an opening, assessing the situation.
Because one wrong move here… And I wouldn’t just lose information. I’d lose access completely.
And that… wasn’t a risk I could take right now.
I exhaled slowly.
Then took another step forward.
And right at that moment, the door opened from the inside.
Someone stepped out. And the second his face became clear under the dim light of the late afternoon…
I stopped.
My eyes narrowed. Because I recognized him. And he… wasn’t supposed to be here.