Chapter 28 28

Chapter 28 28
Odette
Just as I had promised, I spent the entire afternoon picking the most vibrant and sweet-smelling flowers from the packhouse gardens. I arranged them in crystal vases all around the room. Beatrice and the maids had brought in the softest blankets and fluffy pillows.
When the medical team finally wheeled the former Luna into the room, she looked so happy. She took a deep breath of the flower-scented air, completely free of the loud, beeping machines and the sterile smell of the hospital. Within an hour, she had fallen into a peaceful sleep, a soft smile resting on her pale face.
I stood near the foot of the bed, feeling a genuine sense of warmth in my chest.
But when I turned my head to look at Kael, that warmth vanished instantly.
My husband was standing by the large glass window, staring out at the plains. His shoulders were slumped forward. His jaw was clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched in his cheek. Even though his mother was finally home and resting peacefully, the scent of grief was rolling off him in waves.
He didn't look like a son who had just welcomed his mother back home. He looked like a man standing over a grave.
Kael quietly turned away from the window. He didn't look at me. He just walked silently out of the room, his heavy boots making no sound on the carpet.
I frowned. I carefully pulled the bedroom door shut behind me and followed him out into the long, empty hallway.
"Kael," I called out.
He stopped walking, but he didn't turn around. His broad back was as stiff as a brick wall.
I walked up behind him, crossing my arms over my chest. I was so confused and frustrated by his behavior.
"Why are you acting like this?" I asked, my voice echoing in the quiet corridor.
He finally turned to look at me. His ice-blue eyes were dull and shadowed with dark, heavy exhaustion. "Acting like what, Odette?"
"Like the world is ending," I said bluntly. "She is home, Kael. She is finally out of that awful medical wing. She is off the life support machines. You should be happy. You should be celebrating with her."
Kael let out a long, heavy sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from my face. "It has been a long day. I am just tired."
"No, it is more than that," I argued, stepping closer to him. My frustration was boiling over. I had finally found a tiny piece of light in this dark terrifying pack, and his dark mood was completely ruining it. "You are being pessimistic."
Kael’s eyes snapped back to mine. "Pessimistic?"
"Yes!" I nodded firmly. "You have been radiating sadness since we were in the hospital. Your mother was smiling, and you looked like you were going to a funeral. You are an Alpha. You are supposed to be strong for her, but instead, you are walking around with a dark cloud over your head."
"Odette, you do not understand—"
"I understand that she is fighting," I interrupted, my voice rising with passionate defense. "I believe she can get better, Kael. The doctors said she doesn't need the machines anymore. That is a massive step forward! You need to have some faith in her strength."
Kael stared down at me. 
"I like your optimism, Odette," Kael said. "It is a beautiful thing. Especially after everything she has been through."
I blinked, completely caught off guard by his soft tone.
.
"But I do not want anyone to get hurt because of fake optimism," he whispered. 
My brow furrowed. I leaned back slightly from his touch. "What do you mean, fake optimism? Hope is not fake, Kael. I survived my entire life in Mist Rain by hoping things would get better."
"I know you did," Kael murmured, "But this is different. In the medical world... taking a terminal patient off their machines does not always mean they are cured."
Taking a terminal patient off their machines does not always mean they are cured.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, the doctor said she was doing better. She said..."
"She wanted to come home," Kael said softly, "And the doctors allowed it because the treatments are no longer working. Her organs are failing, Odette. They sent her home to be comfortable."
"No!" I gasped, taking a step back from him.
Tears instantly blurred my vision. It couldn't be true. I had just found her. I had just brushed her hair and heard her call me her daughter. I had just felt the maternal love I had been starving for my entire life. She couldn't be dying.
"She was smiling," I argued weakly, my voice cracking. "She looked so happy."
"She is happy," Kael said, taking a step toward me to close the distance. "She is happy because she is in her own bed. And she is happy because she finally got to meet you."
A sob tore from my throat.  She wasn't getting better. She was coming home to die.
Suddenly, Kael reached out and pulled me against his chest.
I didn't fight him. I couldn't. I collapsed against him, burying my face in his dark shirt, my hands gripping the fabric tightly.
He wrapped his strong arms around my shaking body, holding me so securely it felt like he was trying to shield me from the entire world. He rested his chin on the top of my head, letting me cry into his chest.
"I am so sorry, little ballerina," Kael whispered into my hair. "I didn't want to tell you. I saw how much you loved taking care of her today. I saw how she looked at you. You gave her so much peace."
"It's not fair," I sobbed, my tears soaking his shirt. "It's not fair, Kael. I just got a mom."
Kael’s arms tightened around me. He pulled me closer, burying his face in my neck, inhaling my scent.
"I know," he murmured, his deep voice vibrating against my chest. "I know, Odette. The Moon Goddess is cruel sometimes. But I need you to listen to me."
"Do not build your hope on a lie," Kael told me, "Do not use fake optimism to hide from the truth. It will only hurt a hundred times worse when the end comes. I want you to spend as much time with her as you can. Make her smile. Comb her hair. Bring her flowers. But do not forget the reality."
I sniffled, looking up at the scarred, terrifying rogue Alpha.
He wasn't a monster. He wasn't a cold, heartless warlord. Standing here in the hallway, holding my crying face in his hands, he was just a man who was losing his mother. He was carrying the agonizing weight of the pack, the elders, and his dying parent all on his shoulders, and he was still trying to protect my fragile heart.
"Okay," I whispered, my voice trembling.
"I cannot protect us from this pain," Kael said softly, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. "But I promise you, Odette. We are not alone. When it happens... we will be right here with each other."