Chapter 81: Taken From Me Again

“What else have you convinced yourself of, Michelle?” he asked softly, like we were discussing something trivial. “Bertha chose to die.”

For a second, I couldn’t even process the words.

The marble beneath me was freezing, but it was nothing compared to the heat clawing up my chest. I forced my head up anyway, just enough to see him, lounging there as if none of this mattered.

Like she hadn’t mattered.

“She was your wife,” I said, my voice already shaking. “Your mate. You brought her here. You—” My throat tightened painfully. “You don’t get to talk about her like that.”

“Mate?” he repeated. “She was dull, Michelle. Even at the end, she's still dull, tsk,” He clicked his tongue. “Why would I mourn something that stopped being useful?”

The words didn’t land all at once. They sank in slowly, like poison.

“…What?”

My body moved before my mind caught up. I pushed myself forward, fingers curling, ready to tear that expression off his face, but a brutal force slammed into the back of my head.

My cheek hit the marble. Hard. The impact rang through my skull, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Gamma Anton’s weight pinned me down, his hand forcing my face into the floor.

“How dare you?” he murmured against my ear. "You raise your voice? Should I tear that throat?"

“You killed her!” The words came out muffled, scraped raw against the stone. “You’ll pay for it, Sylas. You think you won’t, but you will. All of you! The Moon Goddess sees everything. She’ll make sure you suffer.”

My head throbbed, but I kept going. I had to.

“And Skai…” My voice cracked. “You called him your successor, and still you made him cry. Over and over. What kind of monster does that?”

In the distance, I could still hear him.

Anton shoved his fist in my mouth. If they thought this would silence me, they were wrong. I bit his hand. The fishy taste of his skin and the iron scent of his blood in my mouth were a small satisfaction.

Anton slapped me, as I expected. But I laughed instead. It just came out.

"This bitch!"

"What have you done to Skai?! Where is he?!"

Sylas laughed even louder at my resistance, a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the room. Anton glanced at his master.

"Alpha, should this bitch be punished now to shut her up?"

"Not yet," Sylas replied, waving his hand casually. "I still have some questions to ask her."

I growled. Whatever the question, I had no intention of giving him the satisfaction.

"Tell me, were you also the one who made my little brother stupid and lose his memory? Was that part of your plan?"

I grinned behind my messy hair, feeling a bittersweet satisfaction. "Shax? He's a fool. He's always been a fool for following your orders."

Sylas' laughter paused for a moment, then exploded even louder. He then gestured to the large door at the end of the room. "Bring him in."

Who?

My heart sank. As the door opened, the sound of Skai's cries pierced the air.

My eyes widened, relief washing over me at the sight of the small figure, but it was quickly replaced by horror. Skai was being held by a maid, his face bright red from crying so much. His eyes were puffy, and his lips chapped.

"What have you done to my son that he won't stay still?" Sylas asked, his eyes fixed on the baby, but there was no trace of affection in them.

"I told you," I replied, struggling under Anton's pressure. "He doesn't want to be around the person who killed his mother! He can smell your stench, Sylas!"

Skai screamed even louder, his tiny hands flailing. Seeing him so weak, clearly dehydrated, made me nearly explode.

"Let go of me! He'll die if you keep this up! Do you want to kill your own heir?!"

Sylas stared coldly at the maid holding Skai. "Hey, you said you were a professional nanny. If my heir dies, can you bear the consequences?"

The maid trembled violently, nearly dropping Skai. "S-sorry, Alpha... The Young Alpha won't stop crying. He refuses to eat, he refuses to drink... he refuses everything."

"Let her go," Sylas ordered Anton.

As soon as the pressure on my back was gone, I crawled to my feet and ran to the maid. I snatched Skai from her arms, clutching his trembling little body to my chest. His body felt hot and sweaty.

How long has she been crying like this?

This is so...

How could I leave him in the hands of people like them? I should be grateful that Skai isn't in a worse condition than this. And as long as Sylas still believes Skai is his son, he won't harm him, right?

"I'm here, honey... I'm here," I whispered over and over, kissing his hot forehead.

Within seconds, the hysterical crying subsided. Skai let out a small sob, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I started preparing his milk, and he no longer refused. He drank it greedily.

Oh, Moon Goddess, he must have been so hungry.

Everyone in the room was stunned. An awkward silence fell over the large hall. Sylas stood up from his chair and slowly approached me with a dry, eerie smile.

"I see. Now I know," he muttered. "Not only my little brother, but you brainwashed my son too. You tied him up in this disgusting way to make him dependent only on you. What a cunning bitch."

"Whatever you say,"

After Skai fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, Sylas didn't let me hold him any longer. Anton stepped forward again, snatched him from my arms, and handed him back to the nanny.

"NO! DON'T TAKE HER!" I struggled again, but my strength was gone. "He'll die if he's separated from me! Is that what you want, Sylas?! You've seen it for yourself!"

Sylas just stared at me blankly, as if I were a spectacle that was starting to bore me. But before he could answer, a subordinate rushed in and knelt before Sylas.

"Alpha... Beta Shax is back. He's with Miss Kate."

My breath hitched. Shax? And now he's... back? What does that mean...

Before I could process the news, heavy footsteps sounded from the door. The voice that had always made me feel safe now only gave me a chill.

"It's been a long time, Alpha." It was definitely Shax's voice. "I'm back, Brother."

Shax... stood right next to me, still crouched on the floor. Being next to him felt... suffocating. When I looked to the side, Shax glanced at me for a moment, a cold glance that sent shivers down my spine.

"I see. You've already begun punishing this sinner, Alpha? I almost missed the fun." He said.

My heart shattered instantly. The way he spoke, the way he looked at me... There was no longer any confusion in his eyes. There was only pure hatred.

He remembered everything.