Chapter 175 Chapter 175

Chapter 175 Chapter 175
Mira’s POV

The day came with grey skies.

Not the kind that threatened a storm—but the kind that blanketed the world in silence. Fitting, I supposed, for a day of mourning.

The castle was buzzing from the moment the sun rose. Servants moved in hurried whispers, preparing clothes, carriages, flower garlands, and trays of ceremonial incense. 

The heavy air of grief was matched only by the tension hanging around every corner. I felt it from the moment I opened my eyes.

The day of the funeral had arrived.

And I was terrified.

I stood before the mirror in my chamber, hands trembling as I tried to fasten the silver clasp on my ceremonial robe. My hair had been braided loosely over one shoulder, and a veil of moon-thread hung delicately across my forehead. I looked like a queen. But I didn’t feel like one.

I felt like an imposter.

A coward.

A failure.

“Stop fidgeting,” came a soft voice from behind me.

I looked in the mirror to find Adela adjusting the hem of my sleeves. Her touch was gentle, but her gaze was firm.

“They’ll look at me with hatred,” I whispered. “They might attack.”

“They might,” she said honestly. “But not all of them. Some will protect you. Some still believe in you.”

I turned to face her fully. “How do you know?”

Adela smiled sadly. “Because I’m one of them.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Adela…”

“You did what no one else dared. You tried to help those children. You stood against tradition. You cared. And maybe mistakes were made, but you were never malicious.”

I reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly.

“I’m leaving after today,” I admitted, voice barely above a breath. “I need to find the others. The witches. My people.”

Her expression didn’t change. But her eyes filled.

“I suspected as much,” she whispered. “The way you’ve been carrying yourself lately… you’ve already begun saying goodbye.”

I nodded. “I have to go. If I don’t, I may never know who I am. I’ll never be able to help Lucian. Or the clan.”

She threw her arms around me, and for a moment, we clung to each other like sisters.

“You’ll come back,” she said firmly. “You better come back.”

“I will,” I whispered.

We parted with tearful smiles.

I gathered my courage and made my way to the courtyard.

The brothers were already there, dressed in dark ceremonial robes lined with the insignia of Blackwood—the silver wolf beneath the crescent moon. They stood in silence, flanked by guards, carriages waiting behind them.

Lucian wasn’t there.

I didn’t need to ask why.

The outburst from the day before had left him unconscious again. His body had been too strained, his beast too close to the surface. The healers said he needed time—but no one knew how much.

I bit back the ache in my chest as Kai stepped forward.

“Ready?” he asked gently.

I nodded.

The Crown climbed into their designated carriages, the court members trailing behind. From the high balcony of the castle, a low horn sounded—mourning and somber. As the gates opened, clan members filled the streets, dressed in robes of grey and white. Some carried flowers. Others held candles.

But many… carried bitterness.

As our carriages passed, some turned their backs.

Others whispered.

A few shouted outright.

“Murderer.”

“She shouldn’t be here!”

“She cursed them!”

But just as many others called out support.

“She tried to help!”

“She fought for those children!”

“She’s still our queen!”

It was a battlefield of emotions.

Tears. Rage. Devotion. Grief.

And at its center—I sat silently, watching them all.

The Moon worshippers followed us, their white ceremonial robes trailing behind them. They sang in low, harmonious voices, carrying incense and sacred stones. The sound carried through the streets like mist.

When we reached the old palace—one of the twelve ancient halls that once belonged to the founding villages—the gates were already open, the grounds filled with mourners.

The place Kai had shown me.

Even in grief, it was beautiful.

The center of the palace had been cleared for the ceremony. Twelve stone markers stood in a circle, each bearing the name of a lost orphan. The oldest was only eleven.

I stepped forward with the brothers, my heart pounding in my chest.

The moment I began walking to the altar, a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Some surged forward—one even shouted.

But guards stepped in quickly, forming a barrier between me and the clan.

Still, I shook.

Not from fear—but from guilt.

When I reached the center, I took a breath and turned to face them.

“I know I’m not welcome here,” I began, my voice amplified slightly by a sacred rune embedded in the altar. “And I don’t blame you.”

More murmurs.

“But I didn’t come to defend myself. I came to say I’m sorry.”

That quieted them.

“I made choices that led to tragedy. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting them. But I failed. And for that… I will carry this guilt the rest of my life.”

Tears welled, but I kept speaking.

“These children deserved better. They deserved safety. A future. And though I can’t give that to them now… I can give you my promise.”

I took a deep breath.

“We will find the one responsible. They will face justice. And I will not rest until they do.”

Another hush fell.

“And… I will be leaving Blackwood.”

That broke the silence.

Gasps. Cries.

Some in relief. Some in surprise.

“I love this clan. But my presence causes pain. So I will go. Not to run—but to find the truth about myself. To become stronger. To return as someone who can help—not harm.”

A woman in the back sobbed loudly.

I turned away then, and the Moon worshippers resumed their songs. They led the final rites, casting offerings into the ceremonial flame. Names were whispered. Blessings spoken.

And then… it was done.

The crowd dispersed slowly.

But I stayed behind.

My mates surrounded me quietly, each lost in thought.

It was time.

Kai turned to me. “You sure about not telling Lucian?”

I nodded slowly. “He’s too fragile right now. He wouldn’t let me go. And he needs peace.”

“Then tell him later,” Damien said. “But keep your promise.”

“I will,” I said. “I’ll return with a cure. I swear it.”

We climbed back into a single carriage for the final time.

But this one didn’t take us to the castle.

It took us to the edge of the clan.

The border.

Where trees grew tall and the mist rolled in from unknown lands.

I stepped out, cloak drawn tightly around me.

The brothers didn’t speak much. They just… stood there. Watching me.

Holding on with their eyes.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

They didn’t answer.

They didn’t need to.

I turned, Stepped into the carriage and gave the signal.

The horses began to move, wheels crunching over gravel and leaves.

I looked back once. Just once.

And saw them still standing there, unmoving. As if watching me disappear would somehow anchor me to them.

I didn’t stop the tears that fell.

But I didn’t stop the carriage either.

Because some journeys… have to be taken alone.