THE ALPHA'S SECRET HEIR

Chapter 5

Luna's POV

Tears streamed down my face as I leaned against the wooden door.

Kael's voice...

It was the voice I had once longed to hear every single day.

Now, it only reopened the wounds in my heart.

"Luna..."

He was looking for me.

But why?

Wasn't he the one who rejected me?

Wasn't he the one who ordered his guards to throw me out?

I closed my eyes, trying to silence the memories.

The day he looked at me with nothing but hatred.

The day he rejected me in front of the entire pack.

The day he destroyed our future.

A gentle hand rested on my shoulder.

It was the elderly healer.

"You don't have to face him," she said softly.

I wiped away my tears.

"I won't."

"My decision hasn't changed."

She nodded in understanding.

"Then stay here. No one will force you."

Outside...

Kael's POV

"Alpha, perhaps she's truly not here," Damon said quietly.

I clenched my fists.

"No."

"I know what I sensed."

Luna was close.

I could feel it.

The mate bond had been broken...

Yet a part of me still recognized her scent.

I took a step toward the sanctuary gate.

"I need to search this place myself."

Instantly, the warriors standing guard drew their swords.

"You are not permitted to enter," one of them declared.

The air grew tense.

Damon immediately stepped beside me.

The Blackwood warriors reached for their weapons.

One wrong move...

And a battle would begin.

Just then, the elderly healer stepped between us.

"There will be no bloodshed in this sanctuary."

Her calm voice carried unexpected authority.

She looked directly into my eyes.

"Alpha Kael..."

"If the woman you're searching for truly wished to see you..."

"...she would have come out on her own."

Her words struck me like a blade.

Slowly, my clenched fists loosened.

She was right.

If Luna were here...

And she still refused to see me...

Then she truly wanted nothing to do with me.

A bitter smile crossed my lips.

"I understand."

I turned away from the gate.

"Let's go."

As I walked toward my horse, an unbearable emptiness settled in my chest.

For the first time in my life...

I realized that losing my Luna...

Was the greatest mistake I had ever made.

Behind the wooden door, Luna slowly slid to the floor.

She buried her face in her hands and cried in silence.

Neither of them knew...

That only a few feet separated them.

Yet it felt like an eternity.

Kael's POV

Regret consumed me.

I had let the entire pack influence my judgment.

I never gave Luna the chance to defend herself.

Instead of trusting the woman I had once sworn to love for the rest of my life, I chose to believe the evidence placed before me.

I closed my eyes tightly.

If only I could turn back time...

I would never have rejected her.

As soon as I returned to the Blackwood Mansion, Selene greeted me.

"Kael!" she called cheerfully as she hurried over and wrapped her arms around me. "I heard you still couldn't find Luna."

I gently removed her arms from around me.

"I'm not in the mood, Selene."

For a brief moment, disappointment crossed her face, but she quickly forced a smile.

"Stop thinking about that woman. She never deserved you."

I clenched my fists.

"Don't speak about her like that."

She froze.

"W-What?"

I looked at her seriously.

"No one has proven that those photographs are real."

She blinked in surprise.

"But you saw the evidence yourself."

"I did."

"But I never listened to her explanation."

I let out a heavy sigh.

"I didn't even give her the chance to speak."

Selene lowered her head in silence.

She clearly hadn't expected those words to come from me.

Just then, Damon rushed into the mansion.

"Alpha!"

Both Selene and I turned toward him.

"Our men have discovered something."

My heart began to race.

"What is it?"

"We had the photographs examined."

I held my breath.

"And?"

Damon took a deep breath before answering.

"There are signs that the photographs were fabricated."

My world came to a stop.

"N-No..."

I staggered back.

If the photographs were fake...

Then I had falsely accused Luna.

I had rejected...

My own mate.

Because of a lie.

Kael's POV

The guilt was unbearable.

I grabbed another bottle of whiskey and poured myself a glass.

Then another.

And another.

No matter how much I drank, I couldn't erase Luna's tearful face from my mind.

I had failed her.

I had failed our bond.

"I need to be alone," I muttered.

Without another word, I emptied the glass in one gulp.

Behind me, a faint smile slowly appeared on Selene's lips.

She quietly picked up the whiskey bottle while my attention was elsewhere.

Unnoticed by everyone in the room...

She slipped a small vial of clear liquid into my drink.

The liquid disappeared without a trace.

"Forgive me, Kael," she whispered to herself. "But this is the only way you'll finally become mine."

Completely unaware of what she had done, I reached for the glass and drank every last drop.

Within minutes...

A strange heat spread through my body.

My vision blurred.

My breathing became uneven.

I frowned.

"What... is happening to me?"

Across the room, Selene watched me with a satisfied smile.

Her plan had begun.

I kissed Selene hard, desperate to rid myself of the unbearable heat consuming my body. If I didn't find a way to release it, I felt like I was going to explode.