Chapter 15 15

Chapter 15 15
Odette

I closed the door of the penthouse and collapsed letting out a long and ragged breath.

My legs felt like jelly, and my chest ached. The adrenaline from facing off against Zara in the gardens had completely drained away, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion. I walked over to the glass windows and looked out over the glittering foreign city of the Mad Keepers.

I was so tired.

I was exhausted from playing this ridiculous game. I was tired of pretending that I was some fearless, shameless opportunist who had schemed her way to the top. I was tired of pretending that I actually wanted Kael, or that I cared about his power, his wealth, or his pack.

I did not want any of this. I was just stuck here.

I had no expectations of a happy ending with a scarred rogue Alpha. The passion we shared in the dark was intense, yes, but it was just a physical reaction to the mate bond. It wasn't love. Love was a lie created to keep Omegas like me docile and obedient. Martha had proven that to me. Josh had proven that to me.

As I stared at the  lights below, a bitter thought took root in my mind.

I needed to get out of here. I needed to figure out how to escape the Mad Keepers' territory. But more than that, I needed to make sure I did not leave quietly. I wanted to get back at Serena and Josh. I wanted them to pay for what they did to me. They had humiliated me, discarded me, and forced me into the arms of a monster so they could live happily ever after in Mist Rain.

I will not let them win, I promised myself, my nails biting into my palms. Before I disappear, I will make sure my father, my stepmother, my sister, and my ex-mate lose everything they hold dear.

I was mentally mapping out how I could secretly access the pack's communication network to start my revenge when the bedroom door suddenly clicked open.

I turned around.

Kael stood in the doorway. He had showered after his training session and was now wearing a suit that stretched tightly across his broad shoulders. But the moment I looked at his face, my stomach dropped.

The playful and fiercely possessive Alpha who had kissed me in the Council Hall just a few hours ago was entirely gone.

His jaw was clenched tight. His ice-blue eyes were completely blank and freezing. He looked at me not like a mate, but like an enemy he had just captured on the battlefield.

"Get dressed," Kael ordered, harshly. "Wear Something conservative. Wipe off that dark lipstick and look presentable."

I blinked, completely caught off guard by the sudden whiplash of his mood. "What? Kael, what is wrong with you?"

"Do not ask questions," he snapped, taking a step into the room. His imposing size instantly made the penthouse feel suffocatingly small. "We are going to the medical wing. You are going to meet my mother. And you will be ready in five minutes, or I will drag you down there exactly as you are."

He turned his back on me and walked out to the living room, slamming the bedroom door behind him.

I stood there, my heart pounding in my throat. What had happened? Had Zara said something to him? Had the elders threatened him again? Why was he suddenly looking at me with so much cold hatred?

My hands shook as I quickly stripped off the black dress and threw on a simple high-necked grey sweater and trousers. I wiped my makeup off with a towel, leaving my face bare and pale, before slowly walking out to the living room.

Kael did not say a single word to me. He did not offer his arm. He simply turned and walked toward the private elevator, expecting me to follow like a well-trained dog.

The ride down to the medical wing was too suffocating. If he wanted to be a cruel monster, fine. I wouldn't expect anything less from a rogue.

When the elevator doors opened, the sterile smell of antiseptic hit my nose. Kael led me down a quiet and white hallway until we reached a set of double doors guarded by two warriors. They bowed their heads respectfully as Kael pushed the doors open.

The room inside was softly lit. In the center of a large medical bed lay a frail, pale woman connected to several quietly beeping monitors.

"Mother," Kael said softly. For a fraction of a second, the ice in his voice melted, replaced by agonizing sorrow.

The woman slowly turned her head. Her hair was silver, her face lined with age and sickness, but her eyes—the exact same shade of blue as Kael’s—were bright and warm. was she former Luna? His mother?

"Kael," she rasped, offering a weak smile. Then, her gaze shifted to me.

I tensed, preparing myself for the worst. I expected the former Luna of the Mad Keepers to look at me with the same disgust the elders had. I expected her to call me a bastard, an opportunist, or a whore.

Instead, her eyes widened with pure and gentle delight. She slowly reached out a frail, trembling hand toward me.

"Is this her?" the former Luna asked, her voice trembling with emotion. "Is this my new daughter?"