I didn't want to admit it, but following his logic, all those things about Serenity that had felt off suddenly made sense. Why she avoided me. Why she refused to see me. Why she looked so thin when she collapsed, yet her stomach had seemed slightly rounded...
"She really was pregnant…" I murmured. The realization crushed my chest. I tugged at my collar. "She was pregnant and never told me?"
She had given birth alone, and I, the father, was the last to know?
No, wait. Herman had told me about this. But what had I said?
She's lying to me.
I hadn't trusted her.
The realization made my head spin.
Now I desperately needed to see Serenity, to ask her about the child, to confirm she was alright. The anxiety from our severed bond tormented me. I wanted nothing more than to shift and force Alfred to hand her over.
Faced with my aggressive stance, Alfred remained relaxed. "She just gave birth and is resting. She can't see you. You know how exhausting childbirth is."
I roared at him, unconsciously releasing my dominance. "If she can't see me, then give me the address! I'll go to her myself!"
Alfred finally met my eyes. "Why are you so worked up, Elias? Haven't you always disliked her? Didn't you say you never wanted her as your mate?"
"That was—" The words died in my throat.
Yes, that's what I'd thought before marrying Serenity. That's what I'd told her. Because back then, I'd still wanted to repay Liv for saving my life by giving her the Luna position... When Serenity suddenly took that position, I'd hurt her countless times.
But why, now that this possibility was actually happening before my eyes, did it feel like my entire world was collapsing?
I bit down hard. My fangs pierced my gums. The taste of blood sharpened my focus. I refused to show the confusion and weakness. I threatened Alfred coldly. "I'm only asking one more time. This is an order. Tell me where Serenity is!"
Even Alfred couldn't defy the current Alpha. He finally relented. "She's at a psychiatric sanatorium in the suburbs. I arranged a birthing room there."
"How could you put her with mental patients?!" And in such an isolated place. It would be torture!
"There are no mental patients." Alfred waved dismissively. "You think I'd let the heir stay around people like that? The place is completely empty. I cleared everyone out."
"Cleared out? Then what about the medical staff?" A terrible feeling crept over me as I watched his indifferent expression.
His silence fed the darkness churning inside me.
"Answer me!" I slammed both hands on the glass coffee table, the impact rattling the room.
He looked at me with surprise, as if seeing his son for the first time.
"It's a bit late for you to start worrying about your Luna now."
"What do you mean?"
"Unfortunately, she's probably already dead," Alfred stated the fact in an icy tone. "The moment she delivered the heir, her purpose was fulfilled. I saw no value in saving her. By now, she has likely bled out on that operating table."
I understood every word individually, but together they made no sense. My brain rejected them outright.
My fingers were trembling. Something burned inside me. Was it rage? Or something else?
I stared at Alfred. He was my father. This wasn't the first time I'd witnessed the cruelty and ruthlessness in his nature. But now, it felt like I was truly seeing for the first time just how…despicable he was!
"Why did you have to kill Serenity?" I demanded coldly. This was no longer a confrontation between father and son, but an Alpha questioning an Elder. "Don't try to claim you had nothing to do with this. I know how you operate. But I don't understand. Even if she's an Omega, even if she's a suspected…traitor, she was still a member of the Vernal pack. She was my Luna! Why did you have to kill one of our own? Answer me, Alfred Vernal!"
"You're asking me? Don't you understand it yourself?"
