Julian’s question—"Where is Kael, Bella?"—hit me not like a wave of pain, but like a shard of ice splintering in my heart.
He spoke the name of the son he abandoned, the son he sentenced to death, with casual ownership, as though Kael were a mislaid set of keys.
The tears that had betrayed my resolve immediately dried on my cheeks. The anguish in my voice was replaced by a chilling calm.
"You want to know where Kael is?" I asked, my voice dangerously low. I took a deliberate step back, ensuring the space between us was vast and absolute.
Julian, looked genuinely confused by my lack of emotion. "Yes, Bella. Take me to him. I want to apologize for last night."
His words only fueled the cold, terrifying clarity in my mind. He was still centered on his own narrative.
Did he really think his apology was enough to resolve the damage he had already done?
His apology... Would it bring our son back?
I suppressed the infuriating rage within me as I replied, "It's too late now. Kael doesn't need your apology anymore."
He frowned. Taking a hesitant step towards me, he continued, his hands reaching out to cup my shoulders. "I know you are upset, Bella. But, trust me, I never meant to abandon you. I had sent my warriors to escort you. But, you were gone."
"I'm Kael's father, Bella. I'm equally worried for him."
"Equally worried?" I laughed—a sharp, mirthless sound that made Julian flinch. "He was dying, Julian. The silver poison was spreading. But you knew that. You just didn't care."
I straightened my spine. The Alpha, the powerful leader, the man I had loved, now looked small and pathetic in the sickly light of the infirmary, clinging to the bedside of his former lover’s child.
"I asked you for the White Tulip Water," I continued, each word a hammer blow. "The only thing that could be bargained for Kael's life. And you said no."
Julian’s eyes narrowed, a flash of the Alpha’s defensive rage taking over. "That water is the Pack's most sacred treasure! It's for the future, not for one... one fleeting skirmish! And I told you, Liam needs it for his backbone surgery!"
"You chose his backbone surgery over Kael’s life," I stated simply, letting the monstrous truth hang in the air. "You didn't see him as your son, Julian. You saw him as less important than Liam’s future comfort."
Before Julian could launch into another self-justifying excuse, I cut him off, raising my voice. "You want to know where Kael is?"
My gaze swept over Julian, lingering just long enough to see the guilt finally start to register in his eyes. He took a nervous breath, sensing the change in the atmosphere.
But, before the words could escape through my lips, the female healer previously attending me, rushed to my side and said, her voice urgent, "Miss Bella, you haven't signed on the death certificate of your son."
"I know the process is devastating. But, it's a procedure you must undergo."
"No..." Julian's face instantly turned pale. "It can't be possible! My son, Kael... He-"
"Bella," he whispered my name, his face seemed somewhat in guilt and denial. "What is she talking about? Kael... is dead?"
I did not reply. I stayed still at my place, wanted to see what his reaction would be knowing his son died because he was too busy caring about someone else's child.
Perhaps, he will be guilty. Perhaps, this will be the moment of realisation and perhaps, he will come back to us, his real family.
And, perhaps, I'll forgive him one last time.
'This is your last chance, Julian.' I said in my mind.
Julian staggered backward, his eyes fixed on the death certificate as I signed it before his eyes.
"Bella..." He whispered before pulling me in his embrace, saying gently, "It's okay. Liam is your child as well. We will adopt him and love him like we loved Kael."
My knuckles were tightened on his words. I was enraged on his audacity of talking about adopting the person who was mainly responsible for my tragedy, but I remained calm and said nothing.
He had lost his only chance.
He broke our hug after listening to Elara's voice. Elara walked out of Liam's ward and said, "Liam is not taking his medicine again. He... only wants you to feed him."
"What? The medicine is essential for his recovery. He must not skip them." He blurted out, the curves of worry appeared on his forehead, something that could not be visible on his face when our son was bleeding to death.
He immediately walked away with Elara, sparing no glance at me. Then as if suddenly remembered something, he paused at the door. He looked at me with a pair of eyes, showing guilt and concern at the same time.
He seemed to want to say something, perhaps whispering some encouraging words to coax me. But then, he prioritized Liam over me and walked inside his ward without speaking a single word to me.
But, I did not care. The woman who once loved him, the mother who begged him for help, the wife who awaited his attention, was now dead along with the son whose death I had just confirmed with my signature.
I turned back, my whole body stiffened in cold and vengeance. The last thing I did before walking out of the Pack's infirmary was connecting with the same person through my mind link I had connected last night.
"How is Kael doing?" I asked,
"He is critical. Can't say anything now." The voice sounded from the other end, cutting deep through my heart.
I had just lost my four months old unborn baby, I didn't know I had until I saw the blood gushing out my private part during the accident.
The death certificate belonged to him, which Julian misinterpreted as Kael's.
Kael was the only child I had now. I did not want to loose him either.
"So, what have you decided now?" The voice asked, deep and magnetic.
"I have decided. I'm breaking my mate bond with Julian Moore. Escort me from his pack house. Tonight."
