Chapter 40 - Shattered hearts
1645 Words
Chloe!" Marcus gasped, hastily disentangling himself from Cassiopeia, nearly causing her to tumble out of bed. He scrambled to cover himself, his face a mix of shock and guilt.
Chloe stared at him in disbelief, feeling as if she had been stabbed right into the heart. It was an utterly painful and surreal moment, almost too much for her to bear. Was it another nightmare? She pinched herself, only to realize that the pain was all too real.
"This is real," her inner wolf snarled. "What a jerk!"
"Chloe, please, let me explain," Marcus pleaded, grabbing his underwear and hastily getting dressed while stealing a glance at Iron, who stood by the door with arms crossed and a self-satisfied smirk.
"Forget it," Chloe sneered, shifting her gaze towards Iron. "We need to find Freya." She had to push all her emotions regarding Marcus and Cassiopeia away – her main priority now was to locate Freya.
Meanwhile, Cassiopeia had casually climbed back into bed, seemingly as unbothered by the situation as she was unconcerned about covering herself, showing off her two perfectly uncovered breasts, resembling two irresistible honeydew melons.
"It's the middle of the night," she purred, stretching out on the bed like a satisified cat, showing off her tantalizing physique. "Freya's probably fast asleep."
"Where is she?" Chloe shot Cassiopeia a piercing stare, taking a menacing step closer. "If you're involved in this, Cassie, I won't hesitate to…"
"Relax, cousin," Cassiopeia smirked, cutting her off. "She's in the room next door." She pointed towards the left. "Go see for yourself."
Chloe stormed out of the room, her mind set on finding Freya and protecting her from Arnulf's dangerous grasp. The shocking scene she had just witnessed would have to be dealt with later. Right now, Freya's safety was the only thing that mattered.
Chloe began banging on the door to the left, calling Freya’s name. Eventually, Freya swung it open, her red hair disheveled, and squinted her eyes at Chloe and Iron, who were standing outside, trying to catch a glimpse into her room.
"Chloe, what's the matter?" Freya asked, studying them with a slight frown.
"Freya," Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Is Arnulf with you?"
"I wish!" Freya let out a dry laugh. "My brother has been going at it with Cassie like rabbits. I haven't been able to sleep anything at all because of all the sounds coming out of there... It would've been quite inspiring if I wasn't stuck alone in my bed! And, of course, that it’s Marcus we’re talking about, yuck…" She gestured towards Marcus, stumbling out into the corridor, now sporting a pair of jeans and an unbuttoned shirt.
"Oh, thank Goddess you're okay," Chloe's eyes filled with tears, a few of them tracing down her cheeks.
"Oh my, what's wrong?" Freya looked at her with concern, patting her back. "Is it because of Marcus?"
"No, no," Chloe lied. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure why she was crying. "I had a terrible nightmare. I'm just relieved to see you're safe, that's all."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Freya smiled warmly. "I'm just exhausted from lack of sleep, that's the only issue."
"Well, that makes the two of us,” Chloe chuckled through her tears. "I think I'll go back to my room and get some rest now..."
"Alright, babe," Freya gently wiped away Chloe's tears. "Goodnight. See you tomorrow."
As Chloe turned to Iron, who was about to head back to their wing, Marcus hurriedly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Chloe," he mumbled. "We need to talk."
"I've heard more than enough," Chloe sneered, pulling her hand away.
"Chloe, I'm sorry! I... I wasn't thinking clearly... But you started it!" he blurted out, sounding like a wounded child. "I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't slept with Iron already. You clearly chose him, so why are you so upset?" His expression turned darker. "It's not fair."
"Well, Iron and I only made it to third base," Chloe retorted, her eyes piercing him like daggers. "But you two clearly hit a home run."
However, she knew his statement was right. She had practically slept with Iron already. But he didn't know that! He couldn't possibly know. And that's what made it feel like such a betrayal.
"Now we all know what your word is worth," she continued, giving him a cold stare. "Asking someone to marry you means absolutely nothing. Your word means nothing."
"It's not fair, and you know it," Marcus growled. "I still love you, Chloe. But you keep pushing me away."
"Goodnight, Marcus," Chloe scoffed. "You go finish what you started while I go back to sleep. Alone."
With those words, she briskly walked past Iron, with him following closely behind, and didn't stop until she reached her door in the left wing.
"Feeling better?" Iron whispered, wrapping his arms around her from behind and burying his nose in her hair. "Now that you've seen what he's done... Shall we continue where we left off before?" His hands traced down her belly.
"No thanks," she muttered, distancing herself from him. "But thanks for accompanying me on this walk of madness," she gave him a weary look. "Now, I'm going back to bed."
"Hey..." he lowered his voice, his hand cupping her cheek. "Are you alright? I can stay with you tonight, no strings attached..."
"I'll be fine," she gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I just need some space." Giving him an apologetic look, she entered her room, ensuring that the door was securely locked before making her way to the bed. Sitting down, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
Well, that was... intense. Now what? She felt a hollow emptiness inside as she glanced at her watch. It was the dead of night, and she was feeling completely drained. Unsure of what else to do, she climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.
Suddenly overwhelmed with homesickness, she reached for her new phone, dialing her mother’s number. The phone rang a few times, and just as she was about to hang up, a voice answered on the other end.
"Hello?" Rebecca's voice echoed through the phone's speakers. "Who is this?"
"Mother!" Chloe squeaked, relief flooding over her. She hadn't realized just how much she longed to hear her mother's voice until now.
"Chloe," Rebecca gasped. "Chloe, are you alright? What's happening? Whose phone is this?"
"It's a long story," Chloe let out a chuckle. "But you could have answered my calls," she added reproachfully.
"I've been calling you countless times, Chloe," Rebecca's voice sounded weary. "But you never answered."
"My phone is missing," Chloe shrugged. "Didn't you suspect something when you received a missed call from this number?"
"No, I checked it and it showed a call center in the south, so I thought it was just spam," Chloe could hear the embarrassment in Rebecca's voice. "I'm so sorry, honey... I've been trying to reach your grandmother too, but she keeps saying you're busy."
"She never told me," Chloe muttered. Though she wasn't surprised…
"That old hag," Rebecca growled. "I knew it. It was too good to be true that you were having the time of your life up there in the North. I should have known..."
"Speaking of that," Chloe lay down in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Mother, you have a lot of explaining to do. There's so much you never told me, and the things I've heard... Well, they're mind twisting, to say the least."
"I know," Rebecca sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Chloe. But don't believe everything they say, especially about me. They're masters of manipulation up there."
"And yet you let me go?" Chloe scoffed. "You could have at least given me a warning!"
"Your father wanted you to make your own decision... But now I see it was a mistake. But how are you?" Rebecca's voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine, mother," Chloe chewed on her nails. "It's overwhelming up here, though, and I don't know what's true and what's not."
"That's how they are, those northerners," Rebecca spoke in a hushed tone. "You can't trust them."
"And yet, you used to be one of them," Chloe reminded her, a wry smile playing on her lips. "You should hear all the stories about you... Is it true that you were destined to mate with Cato Praetor but rejected him?"
"Oh, honey, we'll discuss that when you come back home, not over the phone," Rebecca's voice grew tense. "I promise, I'll tell you everything, but it has to be in person."
"Fair enough," Chloe smiled. "At least now I might be able to get some sleep."
"Yes, me too! I've been so worried. I was actually trying to convince your father to let me lead a rescue team and come to the North to get you out of there and bring you home... Do you want me to come?" Rebecca sounded eager.
"No, mother," Chloe chuckled. "That's not necessary. I'll be alright. We might be leaving tomorrow morning anyway. I'm a bit tired of this place already."
"I'm glad to hear that," Rebecca laughed. "Is that terrible of me? I couldn't bear it if you came back home saying you loved it up there and wanted to spend the rest of your life in the North."
"Not a chance!" Chloe joined in the laughter. "Don't worry, mother. I'll let you get some sleep. Give my love to Isabel and everyone, won't you?"
After they hung up, Chloe smiled, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. Her mother hadn't forgotten about her; she still cared… And her parents hadn't sent her there to deceive her.
And tomorrow, she was going to leave this wicked place... Right?
- Writer
