Chapter 162

Chapter 162
Orion's POV

When I spoke my first words since we'd come face to face, Lyra remained frozen in place. Her eyes were on me, but they held none of the joy or excitement I'd imagined—only a kind of bewilderment that broke my heart.

I reached out to wipe the tears from her face, but just as my fingertips came within an inch of her cheek, she instinctively stepped back. It was a small step, yet the distance it opened between us felt longer than the entire casino corridor.

Her movement left my hand suspended in midair.

"While setting the trap for Kaelum, I overheard certain things," I said, lowering my hand to my side and keeping my voice steady, though her retreat had stirred an anxiety I couldn't quite suppress. "I had no choice but to fake my death. It was the only way to make Kaelum lower his guard."

Lyra's body was still trembling slightly. Watching her like this, I felt something close to regret rising in my chest. But if I had to do it all over again, I would make the same choice. I wouldn't let Kaelum target her—even if it meant she would hate me for it.

Three days ago, Darian and I had been lying in ambush in the abandoned mine shaft near Kaelum's stronghold, our backs pressed against the damp stone walls, our feet in puddles that rippled silently when loose rocks occasionally fell from above. Kaelum's base was like the hollowed-out skeleton of some great beast, so quiet that the only sound was the wind moaning through the cracks.

Then Kaelum's voice drifted out from deep within the stone chamber.

"Varyn, I need you to do me a favor. If Iris fails to poison Orion, I'll have to handle it myself." He paused, as if weighing the gravity of what came next. "I need the kind of drug that can break through blood magic restrictions on the night of the lunar eclipse—even if it costs me forty years of my life."

Through the door, I couldn't make out Varyn's response. His voice was pitched low, like the rasping of some ancient serpent sliding through stone crevices. A moment later, Varyn's voice disappeared entirely.

Then Kaelum spoke again, this time to himself, his tone carrying a satisfaction that sent a chill down my spine. "The wedding… seems he values that woman quite highly. If I go after her, I don't believe he'll have any choice but to comply."

Standing in the shadows of that mine shaft, I regretted for the first time the impulsive decision I'd made. I'd thought I could defeat Kaelum decisively during the lunar eclipse, and had rashly agreed to my mother's proposal. I hadn't anticipated that doing so would reveal my intentions to him.

I didn't know how powerful that drug would be, but if Kaelum was willing to sacrifice forty years of his life for it, the strength he'd gain would be far more than a minor boost. I wasn't certain I could protect Lyra. So I had no choice.

After giving Darian a few brief instructions, I took out a false-death pill I'd acquired by chance long ago. It was a grayish-white tablet that glinted faintly silver in the moonlight, odorless but capable of inducing all the outward signs of death for an hour. I placed it in my mouth and swallowed.

The harsh lights in the corridor pulled me back from the memory. The moment my consciousness returned, I felt my knees buckle, and a dark fog began creeping inward from the edges of my vision. Through my blurring sight, I saw Lyra's anxious expression. I wanted to tell her the drug had side effects, that I'd probably be unconscious for a few hours, that she didn't need to worry. But before my lips could form the words, darkness surged over me.

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Lyra's POV

The moment I saw Orion collapse in front of me, my heartbeat nearly stopped. All those terrible memories flooded my consciousness, and for an instant I thought I was going to lose him again.

Trembling, I placed my hand on his chest, instinctively holding my breath until I felt his heartbeat beneath my palm. Only then did I exhale in relief.

"I apologize, Luna."

Darian had appeared behind me at some point. His voice was weighted and somber, more serious than I'd ever heard it. "At the time, to make things appear genuine, I had no other option. I didn't mean to keep you in the dark."

I didn't blame him. Suppressing the tremor in my voice, I asked, "Why did he suddenly lose consciousness?"

Darian sighed, looking down at Orion's closed eyes. "Kaelum was planning to use you as leverage against the Alpha. The Alpha was concerned for your safety, so he chose to take the false-death pill to deceive him."

He paused, his voice softening slightly with an awkward attempt at reassurance. "That drug can mimic the signs of death convincingly, but it may have side effects on the user. The Alpha's unconsciousness is one such effect." He hesitated. "You don't need to worry too much. Judging by his condition after waking, the drug's impact on him isn't severe. He should regain consciousness within a few hours."

I nodded and shifted more of Orion's weight onto my shoulder. Then I spoke, my voice having regained its composure. "Send someone to escort Sera back to the Red Fang pack. Make sure she gets home safely."

Darian acknowledged the order and turned to instruct his subordinates. Once I'd confirmed Sera's situation was handled, Darian and I supported Orion's unconscious body through the casino corridor and settled him in the back seat of the car. His head rested against my shoulder, his breathing deep and steady.

I called Ian.

He arrived quickly. After checking Orion's pulse and pupils and running a portable diagnostic on his vital signs, he turned to me. "Nothing serious. The side effects of the false-death pill vary by individual. Based on the Alpha's condition, he'll wake soon. There may be a period of weakness afterward, but no long-term effects."

His words allowed me to calm down somewhat. I gently returned Orion's hand to his side, then turned to Darian.

"Why did Kaelum suddenly mention Iris earlier?"

Darian's expression darkened. "Iris was bought by Kaelum. She's the one who drugged the Alpha." He paused. "The Alpha didn't want to alert them prematurely, so he didn't expose her. He planned to deal with her after resolving the situation with Kaelum."

I thought of the figure in that surveillance footage. I thought of the girl who'd blushed while apologizing to me at the banquet, who'd taken my hand and toured the estate with me, who'd introduced me to every family member with intimate familiarity. The contrast was so stark I could barely reconcile these two images.

When she'd said, "Luna, I'm sorry—I gossiped about you behind your back too," the shame on her face had seemed so genuine. I couldn't understand why she'd chosen this path, what Kaelum had offered her.

Darian said nothing more, simply standing quietly by the car, awaiting my instructions. I told the driver to head back to the estate.

As the car passed through the corridor of fir trees, shadows slid across the window again and again, like some repetitive, silent interrogation.

When we arrived at the estate, Darian moved to help Orion out of the car. I raised my hand to stop him.

"Take care of him first," I said. "Don't let him out of your sight until I return."

Darian nodded. I pushed open the car door and walked toward the main house.

Before explaining this situation to the pack, I needed to understand why Iris had done this.

When I pushed open the door to the main house, the elders were gathered in the reception hall. Their expressions were grave, and several of them wore looks of obvious disapproval. Iris sat beside Isolde, her face streaked with tears, her eyes so red it was clear she'd been crying for a long time.