Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"According to their beliefs, Kai’s a tyrant. He killed all his brothers."

I was so shocked by Marcellan’s words that I couldn’t think. Even the music in the background faded into a soft hum in the far distance.

Marcellan, on the other hand, remained unfazed, as though he’d narrated this story so many times the weight of it no longer damaged him. Or perhaps he simply didn’t understand how terrifying it truly was.

Once I could summon my throat to speak and my tongue to salivate again, I asked, "What do you mean he killed them?"

"Not per se, but it’s what he’s blamed for. From being the least favorite to being hated completely by his father. He was detested."

I frowned.

"So, are you saying he did it or he didn’t?"

I swear, my heart didn’t want to know the truth, but I knew my mind did. And it was a terrifying position to place either of them in.

"Kai loved winter, and so he went against his father’s wishes to visit Mount Laro. One by one, he convinced his brothers to follow him. As heirs of the Alpha King, they shifted from a very young age unlike the rest of us, and so in their wolf forms, they sprinted into the icy air." The man sighed, his expression unwavering as though he wasn’t narrating the grim reality of someone’s past.

One that certainly destroyed the person.

"Long story short, the frozen ocean broke apart. The water was so cold it froze the little twins. Then the eldest died trying to save the others. And the one after him died from hypothermia. Kai barely escaped, but his wolf saved him. Since then, he hasn’t shifted into his true form. He just couldn’t. It was as though his wolf died to keep him alive that day."

I was speechless. No words I could’ve said would have made sense. And I remembered Mount Laro, nicknamed the Forbidden Rocks.

Mount Laro was situated at the outskirts of the Pack, close to MoonBlade. It had indeed been forbidden to venture there by Kai’s father, although none of us knew the real reason. I mean everyone.

Except me. Starting now.

Now, I knew why they banned everyone from going there. Not only because it was dangerous, but because it took all his heirs from him, leaving him with only Kai.

And I needn’t ask what killed Kai’s mother, not after hearing something like this. Neither did I need to know why Kai’s father hadn’t shown himself all this time and was already planning to pass the throne to Kai at such a young age.

Normally, Kai’s father wasn’t too old to take care of the Pack, and Kai didn’t have to become the Alpha King yet. It all made absolute sense now.

And the reason Kai couldn’t go against his father became clear too. He’d only hurt the poor man further. If anything, Kai should spend the rest of his life satisfying his father, begging for forgiveness, and drowning in endless guilt.

The rest of the day with Marcellan was silent, and he asked me that question again.

"Marcellan, do you think I’m not worthy of Kai?"

I couldn’t answer that myself, neither could I bring myself to ask him to answer it for me.

I knew the truth, so when Kai finally arrived by evening and we returned to the penthouse, I paid more attention to him, internally sympathizing with him.

I wrapped him in my arms this time around, letting him sleep beneath the comfort of my Omega scent, and when he drifted deeply into slumber, I watched him.

Intricately.

He was such a perfect being. Kai deserved a good life. Yet I knew how crushing it could be when you’d done something so gruesome that death felt like the only escape from the memory.

Just as I’d always blamed myself for my parents’ deaths.

Just as I’d never find peace.

His thick brows framed his eyes, his lashes matching that fullness, their dark edges catching the faint glint of the moonrays. His skin glittered like diamonds, and he looked so innocent, like a small baby in my arms. As though he was finally at peace.

But what was the purpose of such peace when it wouldn’t last?

I understood why he didn’t shift either when he fought Nathan at MoonBlade. I was utterly clueless all this time. I was so stupid to think he had everything going well for him, and I wasn’t adding to his pain.

Rolling out of bed, I stepped out of the room carefully, cautious with the door. I found an open space at the attic where I could feel the moonbeams even better and sense the breeze carrying the scent of the lake alongside the violent whipping of the forests as they swayed in uneven directions.

Crossing one leg over the other while seated, I placed my hands on my thighs and closed my eyes.

And I let my mind sink. My heart calmed. My thoughts lingered on only one thing.

"Come to me. The One Tree," I whispered, as though casting a spell.

"The One Tree," I called again.

"Come. Come to me. The One Tree," I said more fiercely.

Utilizing my training with Nathan, I pushed further. Then the darkness began to crack, and the rush of gravity followed.

It carried me. I felt something. A grasp of something. Like I could push further and seize it. Like I could tear open the void apart like a veil and reveal whatever was hidden beneath it to myself.

See it.

The One Tree.

But instead, the air whipped violently against my face and my eyes fluttered open. I tripped. Not from any vision. I was falling onto the rocky ground from atop the penthouse.

I attempted to catch the edge of the attic, but my fingers grasped nothing but air... and I screamed such an ear piercing scream that my throat tore open.

I was going to die...