Chapter 60 Chapter sixty
Claus.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his hard and rugged chest. A look of confusion crossed his features.
I opened my mouth to say something; not even a simple 'hello' escaped my lips, and I remained glued to the chair. My heart was racing heavily in my chest.
Doom.
Doom.
That was the sound my heart seemed to make.
Claus's shadow loomed larger as he approached me, prompting me to quickly rise from my seat. I noticed his gaze shift to the parchment in my hand, and I swiftly concealed it behind my back.
"Claus," I called out, managing an awkward smile. If a maniacal grin could distract him, I was willing to attempt it.
His brows furrowed. "What are you doing?" he inquired, not returning my smile.
The awkward grin vanished from my face in an instant, replaced by a surge of panic. My body trembled with fear. When I looked at Claus, I saw his gaze demanding answers.
What am I going to do now? Claus can't discover this secret. I need to find a way out.
A lightbulb went off in my mind as I considered my situation. Why was I panicking? I hadn’t even written anything on the paper yet, so that wasn’t the concern. I just needed to devise a lie that wouldn’t complicate matters further.
I smiled. "Oh, I wanted to send a message to the female pack leaders, so they could arrange a meeting." I smoothly lied.
Claus remained silent, simply staring at me. I blinked repeatedly and bit my lower lip. His quietness was unbearable and heightened the tension. Perhaps he didn’t believe me and already suspected it was a falsehood.
Claus sighed. "You should have asked the guards to handle that instead of putting yourself under stress."
I inwardly sighed in relief. My body was already drenched in cold sweat. Thank goodness he believed me and wasn’t probing deeper into the situation. Because the Claus I knew was always relentless.
"I just wanted to take care of it myself. I want the letter to be handled with care and caution; you know how those guards can be at times," I explained.
He nodded in acknowledgment, "Okay," he mouthed.
I pulled him closer and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. I intertwined my fingers with his, locking our hands together. I gripped his hand tightly, almost as if digging into his skin.
I pouted. "And why did you leave without waking me? You know I was waiting for you," I chided him.
I promised myself that when I see Claus, I would reprimand him for leaving without me, and that is exactly what he will receive.
If only he understood how worried I was earlier. I noticed his expression change. Perhaps he feels regret for what he did. He avoids making eye contact with me, and I immediately sense something is off with him. He appeared troubled and has been acting oddly since this morning.
A distressed look was on his face as he said, "I'm sorry."
Sorry for what? What could he possibly be sorry for? If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I have been unfaithful, dishonest, and disloyal to him in recent days. But I'm not ready to confess any of it yet. Soon, I plan to tell him everything.
My hand reached for his face. "Claus, what are you sorry for?" I asked while gently caressing his cheek. I turned his face toward mine, but he quickly turned away.
Goodness! What is happening?
"There are many things on my mind right now, Ellie, and..." He distanced himself from me, his back facing me. "I needed to be certain before I show you."
"Show me what, Claus?" I inquired. I stepped forward to face him. Whatever was on his mind, he needed to reveal it because I was growing impatient.
"This." He handed me a folded document that had been tucked inside his cloak.
I shrugged and asked, "And what is this?" I took the document from him.
He hissed, "Just open it and see for yourself." His tone was filled with impatience.
I untied the ribbon holding the document together, revealing a sheet covered in red ink before my eyes.
FINAL FERTILITY TEST.
NAME: CLAUS
RESULT: INFERTILE.
My eyes widened.
MEANWHILE IN THE GARDEN.
The slender crescent moon lingers low in the sky, casting its gentle light over the garden and illuminating the face of spring. The night felt colder than usual, the kind that quietly seeps into one’s bones.
Juliana stood by the balcony, wrapping her arms around her body. She stroked her exposed skin with her palm to keep herself warm.
She breathed slowly, exhaling warm air and inhaling the cold. Her nose twitched as the scent of tobacco reached her nostrils, prompting her to tilt her neck to the side.
Roger leaned against the pillar, his arms crossed over his chest. A pipe of tobacco rested on his lips as he took a drag, deepening his cheeks with the inhale. His gaze was fixed on his shoes. When Juliana looked closer, she noticed he was crushing a small insects beneath his foot.
Roger was not only cruel to fellow humans; he extended that cruelty to innocent creatures as well. To her, Roger was the ideal crime partner she desired.
Juliana shifted her gaze from Roger back to the open field before her. The night was not only cold but also silent, with only the faint sounds of the moon’s guardians patrolling the pack mansion.
Juliana exhaled through her mouth, feeling the warm air on her freezing face.
"Sylvia merely used me as a distraction, and now I fully understand why," she said. Her voice was calm and smooth, but inside, she was seething with anger. Bitterness seeped into her.
She turned to Roger; he had taken the pipe of tobacco from his lips. Stepping on the remnants of the insects, as he walked toward her. She closed her eyes as she heard the squelching sounds.
"I'm aware," Roger nodded knowingly. "There is nothing that happens in this pack mansion that I’m not aware of." He paused a few steps away from her.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
“Whatever Ellie read in that letter—it was a lie.”
A slow grin crept onto Roger’s lips.
“I saw her slip the letter into her cloak,” she continued. “That was when I knew something was wrong.”
Roger couldn’t stop smiling. At last, someone was on his side—someone who understood why Ellie had to fall. It felt like the Moon Goddess herself had finally answered him, sending him the perfect ally to help carry out his dark desires.
“Do you think Sylvia loves Ellie?” he asked.
“Yes,” she admitted, bitterness sharp in her voice.
She had seen it too clearly to deny it—the way Sylvia treated Ellie, the way his eyes softened when she entered the room, the smile that came so effortlessly to his lips. A man should never look at his brother’s mate like that… but Sylvia did.
Roger’s hand settled on her shoulder. Her body stiffened at once, though she forced a smile. He noticed the tension, yet his grip tightened, the fabric of her cloak the only thing keeping his fingers from bruising her skin.
“Do you want Sylvia to love you?” he asked. His voice was cold, stripped of any emotion.
She frowned. His hold was painful now, and standing so close to him made her uneasy.
“Yes,” she answered quickly.
All she had ever wanted was for Sylvia to look at her the way he looked at Ellie. That was her dream—to be the woman he loved.
“I can help you,” Roger said softly. “But only if Ellie is removed. Join me, and I’ll make sure Sylvia falls for you.”
“I’ll join,” she said without hesitation.
Roger nodded. “Good. And as for bringing Ellie down… we expose her. Sylvia won’t be banished—he’s an Alpha. If anyone has to leave, it will be Ellie.”