Chapter 22 Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Chapter 22
Alpha Kael

The morning sun was hidden behind gray clouds. The rain from last night had finally stopped, but the entire city still looked gloomy and wet.

Island, it matched my mood.

I sat alone at the dining table in the penthouse. A cup of black coffee sat in front of me, cold. I had not slept a single wink last night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Odette. I saw her standing bare and shivering beside the bed. I saw the empty amd lifeless look in her beautiful brown eyes. I heard the robotic tone of her voice as she offered herself up like a sacrifice just because the calendar told her to.

“I am ready for my Luna duties, Alpha.”

I rubbed my tired eyes with the palms of my hands, a wave of self-hatred washing over me. I had called her repulsive. I had told her I couldn't bear to touch her. I said those cruel things to protect her, to stop myself from taking advantage of her broken state, but I knew my words had only damaged her more.

The kitchen door pushed open, and Beatrice walked out carrying a silver tray. She looked nervous, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she set a plate of fresh fruit and toast in front of me.

"Beatrice," I said, my voice breaking the silence of the room. "Where is Odette?"

Beatrice jumped slightly. "Luna is still sleeping, Alpha Kael."

I frowned, looking down the hallway toward the closed master bedroom door. Odette was an early riser. Don’t ask me how I know this. 

"Does she sleep late every day?" I asked.

"No, Alpha," Beatrice answered quietly, wringing her hands in her white apron. "This is the very first time. She has not made a single sound all morning."

My chest tightened. She must be exhausted from crying in the rain, I thought. Or she is hiding from me because she thinks I am disgusted by her.

"Shall I go in and wake her up, Alpha?" Beatrice asked, taking a hesitant step toward the hallway. "It is past breakfast time, and the doctor said she needs to keep her strength up during her ovulation cycle."

I recalled the way she had sobbed by the side of the lake last night,  how small and defeated she looked sitting in the mud. My wolf whined softly in my head, wanting to go into that room and see her once.

"No," I sighed, shaking my head. "No need. Let her rest. She had a very hard night. Do not disturb her unless she calls for you."

"Yes, Alpha," Beatrice nodded.

"And Beatrice," I added, standing up from the table. "I am going down to the medical wing to see my mother. Pack me some light dishes for her. Soup and some soft bread."

"Right away, Alpha Kael."

Fifteen minutes later, I walked through the hallways of the medical wing carrying a small insulated bag. The guards bowed their heads as I passed, but I barely noticed them. My mind was entirely focused on the  girl sleeping upstairs.

I gently pushed open the doors to my mother’s private room.

The machines were beeping softly. My mother was sitting up against her pillows. She looked a little paler than yesterday, but a warm bright smile spread across her lined face the moment she saw me.

"Good morning, my brave boy," she said softly.

"Good morning, Mom," I replied, walking over to the bed. I opened the bag and set the warm soup on her tray. "I brought you some breakfast. Beatrice made your favorite."

My mother looked at the soup, but then her blue eyes immediately darted to the space behind me. She looked toward the door, clearly waiting for someone else to walk in.

"Where is Odette?" my mother asked, her smile turning into a frown. "I really like her, Kael. She gives me a pure and kind vibe. Where is she today?"

A sharp pang of guilt hit my chest. I remembered how I had slammed Odette against the wall out in the hallway just a week ago, accusing her of faking her kindness toward my mother.

"Mom, she is at home," I said quietly, taking a seat in the chair next to her bed.

"Why didn't you bring her with you?" my mother pressed. "I was hoping to hear more about her dancing."

"She was sleeping," I explained, looking down at my hands. "She was very tired this morning."

My mother’s expression suddenly softened with deep understanding. She let out a long sympathetic sigh.

"Ah. It must be the fertility medications," she said gently.

I snapped my head up, my eyebrows pulling together in confusion. "Fertility medications? What are you talking about?"

My mother looked at me, a sad smile touching her pale lips. "Kael, you are an Alpha. A Mad Keeper. Do not pretend you don't know the protocol the elders force upon our Lunas. Odette is a small girl from a small pack. To carry a child of your bloodline, the pack doctors always prescribe heavy hormone boosters and fertility drugs to prepare the body."

I froze. I didn't know that. I had been so focused on pack security and fighting the elders that I hadn't paid any attention to the medical side of the arranged marriage. Beatrice had mentioned giving her vitamins, but I didn't realize they were pumping my wife full of drugs.

"Back when the elders wanted me to conceive you," my mother continued, her eyes staring blankly at the far wall, lost in dark memories. "I was given those heavy medications, too. Your father was a good man, but the pressure was unbearable. The drugs mess with your sleep. They mess with your mood. They make you cry for no reason, and they make your body ache. And long-term use is harmful to a woman's system."

I sat completely frozen in the chair. I looked at my mother—weak, sick, and dying in a hospital bed—and my mind played a horrifying trick on me.

Suddenly, I imagined Odette lying in this same bed. I imagined her beautiful brown eyes sunken in, her delicate body ruined and connected to beeping machines, all because I forced her to breed an heir for my political gain. The thought made my stomach churn with violent nausea.