Chapter 4 No.4

Kaelen POV:

I stood outside the Healer's den, a basket of restorative herbs in my hand. A peace offering. Seraphina had insisted I go, to show the pack that I was a benevolent Alpha, even to those who had been... a nuisance.

As I approached Caelia's room, I heard her voice in my mind. Not directed at me, but a broadcast to an external receiver.

*Confirming my ticket for the portal jump in ten days. Destination: Silverwood.*

Silverwood? Why would she go there? A cold knot of something I refused to name tightened in my gut.

I pushed the door open without knocking. She was sitting up in bed, her face pale. Ronan was gone.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, my voice harsher than I intended.

She looked at me, her eyes empty of their usual adoration. "With all due respect, Alpha, the movements of an Omega are not your concern."

The formal title, the cold dismissal-it grated on my nerves. My wolf snarled in my head, irritated by her defiance. This wasn't how she was supposed to act. She was supposed to be heartbroken, pleading. Not this... this cold stranger.

"You're injured," I said, gesturing to her bandaged leg. "You're not fit to travel."

"The Healer says I will be able to walk in a few days."

An awkward silence fell between us. I saw the wheelchair beside her bed. She needed to go for a follow-up treatment, a cleansing ritual to purge the last of the silver from her system. Against my better judgment, I found myself stepping behind it.

"I'll take you," I said gruffly.

She didn't protest, just remained silent as I pushed her down the long, sterile corridor. The silence was unnerving. I was used to her filling every moment with cheerful chatter, with questions about my day, with shy compliments. This quiet felt like an accusation.

We reached the main lobby. Seraphina was waiting there, a worried expression on her perfect face.

"Kaelen, darling!" she cried, rushing towards me. "I was so worried. Is she alright?"

My hands immediately left the wheelchair. I went to her, my focus entirely on my chosen mate. "I'm fine, my love. How are you feeling after the shock?" I cupped her face, checking her for any sign of distress.

Behind me, I heard a gasp and a sickening scraping sound.

I turned. The wheelchair, which I had left on the slight incline of the ramp, had rolled away. It was headed directly for a large decorative planter made of intricately worked silver.

To avoid crashing into the poisonous metal, Caelia had thrown herself from the chair. She lay sprawled on the rough stone floor, her hands and knees scraped raw and bleeding. Fresh blood seeped through the bandages on her injured leg.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Seraphina said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Kaelen, you should carry her. She's hurt herself again."

I looked down at Caelia's pathetic, bleeding form, and then at Seraphina's concerned face. My wolf made the choice.

"No," I said, my voice like ice. "I am about to perform the Marking Ceremony with my mate. My arms are for her and her alone."

I turned my back on Caelia and led Seraphina away, leaving her to struggle on the floor. We only got a few steps before I heard Seraphina's voice, feigning kindness. I paused, listening.

"Here," Seraphina said, and I pictured her offering Caelia a handkerchief. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, meant only for Caelia, but my Alpha hearing picked it up. "I know you heard our plan. But it doesn't matter, does it? In the end, he still chose me. He loves me."

Then, a splash and a shriek.

I spun around. Seraphina was flailing in the hydrotherapy pool, a deep basin filled with ice-cold water used for treating severe burns. Caelia stood at the edge, her expression shocked.

But I didn't see shock. I saw guilt.

"Caelia!" Seraphina sputtered, shivering violently. "Why would you push me?"

Jealousy. It had to be. The Omega had finally snapped.

I didn't hesitate. I vaulted over the railing, pulling a shivering Seraphina from the freezing water and wrapping her in my jacket. Her teeth were chattering, her body trembling. Rage, cold and absolute, washed over me.

I turned to Caelia. She opened her mouth to speak, to explain, but I didn't give her the chance.

"You dare," I snarled.

I grabbed her by the arm-the same arm I had refused to offer in help moments before-and dragged her to the edge of the pool. She was already injured, weak, and I knew she was a poor swimmer. It didn't matter.

I shoved her hard.

She tumbled into the icy water with a cry of shock. Her head went under. She came up sputtering, her eyes wide with terror.

I loomed over her, my shadow falling across the water. I unleashed the full force of my Alpha Command, my voice a roar that shook the very foundations of the building.

"If you ever touch her again, if you so much as breathe in her direction, I will cast you out of this pack! I will strip you of your name and make you Rogue! Do you understand me?"

Her face was a mask of terror and disbelief. She tried to stay afloat, but the cold and the shock were too much. Her struggles weakened. Her eyes rolled back in her head.

And she sank beneath the surface.

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