When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a bed in the healers' sanctuary. The high priestess entered with a look of deep sorrow. "Forgive me... the pup’s spirit has returned to the Moon."
Tears flooded my eyes before I could find my voice. Because of Moira and Zael, my pup had been stolen from me once again.
Outside in the corridor, I heard the young apprentices whispering.
"Have you heard? The Alpha’s mate scratched her skin with a silk rope and he has cleared the entire sanctuary wing for her comfort."
"Which Alpha?"
"Who else but Zael Stormridge, Alpha of the Stormridge territories. I wish I had a mate who loved me with such devotion."
From the moment the rogues took me to the moment my baby died, Zael had not sent a single mental link or message. But because Moira had a tiny scratch, he claimed an entire temple floor for her.
I smiled with a bitter heart as more tears fell. It was clear now that love and hate cannot be hidden.
The communication stone on the table glowed and I answered the call.
"We have secured the heart source for your sire. Can you cross the border now?"
I nodded toward the stone. "I have already prepared my passage."
Just then, Zael stepped into the chamber. "What passage? Where do you intend to go?"
I did not look at him and spoke with a flat voice. "I was helping a pack friend. His travel papers were not accepted."
He nodded and placed a bouquet of white lilies on the table. Those were Moira’s favorite blooms, not mine.
"I am sorry for the events at the rogue camp. Things moved quickly and I had to make a choice."
I looked at him with eyes like flint. "So your choice was Moira? You abandoned your bonded mate of three years to those monsters?"
He opened his mouth to defend himself, but his stone buzzed in his tunic. It was a link from Moira. I did not hear her words, but his expression shifted instantly to anger.
"Did I not choose Moira because you staged the entire kidnapping? Aletta, are you not just playing these games to get my attention? Have you even considered how much pain this is causing Moira?"
"She requires my strength right now. Tend to yourself."
He slammed the heavy wooden door and walked away without looking back. So Moira had convinced him that I had planned my own suffering. His trust in her was absolute.
My stone glowed twice. It was a command from Zael.
[Come to the eighth level of the sanctuary and beg for Moira’s forgiveness this instant, or I shall never forgive you!]
I let out a cold laugh and severed our connection. What Moira did not realize was that I had activated a recording spell the moment she approached me at the feast. Every word she spoke was captured by the magic.
Before I departed, I placed the recording crystal and the healer’s report of my lost pup on the table. Then I walked away without a single glance behind me, taking my father into the safety of the new kingdom.
