hapter 145
Chapter 145
The echo of footsteps down the marble corridor sounded heavier than usual.
Beta Alfonso’s pace was brisk, his jaw tight, his eyes locked on the end of the hallway where the great double doors of the King Alpha’s office loomed. Beside him, Head Warrior Marlow moved with the same urgency, his steps pounding against the polished floor in sync with the Beta’s.
The air felt… different. It was early morning, yet the usual hum of the castle was missing. There was stillness, the kind that prickled along the skin.
When Alfonso pushed the grand oak doors open, the emptiness hit him.
The office was… silent.
servants exchanging quiet greetings, the distant clink of kitchen work –
No scent of their Alpha. No faint trace of Luna Ellaine’s calming fragrance. No sound of Francesco’s low, commanding voice dictating orders or shuffling through reports. The leather chair behind the desk sat untouched, slightly turned to the side as if someone had left in the middle of the night.
Marlow frowned. “Where is he?”
Alfonso’s eyes swept the room, instinctively searching for clues like a predator scanning for prey. “This isn’t right,” he muttered, his voice deep with suspicion.
They stepped farther in. That’s when Alfonso saw it the center of the mahogany desk.
—
a folded parchment, sealed with dark blue wax stamped with the Alpha’s crest, resting precisely in
The wax glistened faintly in the morning light streaming through the tall windows. In careful, familiar handwriting across the front were two words that
made his stomach twist.
To Beta Alfonso
For a long moment, the Beta didn’t move. His fingers hovered above the letter, as if touching it would confirm something he didn’t want to believe.
Before he could break the seal, hurried footsteps thundered down the hall.
The doors burst open. Audrey and Monica rushed in, both breathless, their faces flushed not just from running but from the urgency in their eyes.
“Alpha-” Audrey began, but her voice faltered when she saw only Alfonso and Marlow standing in the office.
Monica stopped short, glancing between the two men, confusion and worry written all over her face.
Alfonso’s gaze sharpened. “What is it, Audrey? Monica?” His voice cut through the tension, low but edged with the authority of a man who did not appreciate his Alpha’s office being barged into without permission.
Audrey hesitated for a heartbeat before blurting, “We… we got letters. From Luna Ellaine.”
The room stilled.
Monica swallowed hard and stepped forward, holding up a neatly folded letter in her hand. “She said… she needed to take a holiday.”
The word holiday sounded absurd in the heavy stillness of the offe. It didn’t belong in the same breath as Luna Ellaine – the woman who had stood beside their Alpha in battle, who had walked through fire and blood to protect the kingdom.
Alfonso’s brows drew together, his temper simmering. “A holiday?” He repeated the word like it was poison in his mouth.
Audrey nodded quickly, pulling out her own letter. “Me too. The same thing. Said not to worry.”
Marlow’s eyes darted to the desk. “Then what’s this?” he murmured, motioning to the sealed parchment Alfonso still hadn’t opened.
1/4
Chapter 145.
Tlonso Enally broke the wax seal seith his thumb, the wound of fearing paper loud in the silence. His eyes scanned the words, with each line, his expression darkened.
Alfonso
I know you must hate me for leaving the kingdom like this in your hands. But maybe… if we’re gone, then no other Alpha will fear me, or my Luna’s power, anymore.
I know you. You will be a great Alpha – perhaps even better than I ever was because you’ve been the one holding the kingdom together while I chased shadows and war. You’ve handled everything instead of me. You deserve the title, and I leave it to you willingly.
The kingdom is free from dark magic now. But our power… mine and Ellaine’s… it can unbalance the peace.
We’ve decided we must go
it, lead it, make it thrive.
far enough that no war will find us, far enough that no one will seek to use us. We leave the kingdom in your hands. Protect
Don’t worry. You can still contact me… if the day comes that you truly need me.
Francesco
By the time Alfonso’s eyes reached the signature, his hand had curled into a fist around the parchment.
The air in the room shifted anger, disbelief, and something heavier, unspoken, pressing down on them all.
“They left?” Monica whispered, almost to herself.
“They abandoned the kingdom?” Marlow’s tone was harsher, the words bitten off like he couldn’t believe he was saying them aloud.
“No.” Alfonso’s voice was deep, cold, final. “Francesco doesn’t abandon anything. If they left… they had a reason. One we don’t yet understand.”
Audrey took a shaky breath. “But… Luna Ellaine wouldn’t just go. Not without saying goodbye in person. Not after everything-”
“She didn’t even tell us where,” Monica said quietly, her voice trembling.
Alfonso moved around the desk, setting the letter down carefully. His mind was already turning, already calculating. The words our power could unbalance the peace echoed in his head.
He knew what Francesco meant. He had seen the way the other Alphas looked at the King – with a mix of awe and fear. He had seen the way Luna Ellaine’s very presence shifted the air, how her white wolf was the stuff of whispered legends.
They had fought battles most people couldn’t even imagine. And perhaps… perhaps Francesco was right. Peace built on fear was a fragile thing.
Still, the ache in Alfonso’s chest was sharp.
“They’re not gone,” he said finally, looking each of them in the eye. “Not truly. This kingdom is still theirs, whether they’re here or not. And until they return… I will make sure it stands.”
There was silence for a long moment.
Outside, the morning sun climbed higher, its light spilling across the empty chair behind the desk – the place where their King Alpha had ruled.
For the first time, that chair looked… abandoned.
And in the quiet, one unspoken thought lingered between them all.
2/4
22 Mon, 16 Aug
Chapter 145
Where had their Alpha and Luna gone?
And… would they ever come back?
One Week Before
R
16
The news had spread like wildfire.
Whispers carried through corridors, echoed in training yards, and slipped into the polished halls of foreign courts: Luna Ellaine has awakened.
–
After more than a year missing from the public eye, she had returned not quietly, but in a storm of courage and light. She had stood against Luca, a wielder of dark magic so vile that even the oldest Alphas avoided speaking his name aloud. And she had won. At a cost, yes – collapsing into a deep unconsciousness after sealing him away forever – but she had survived.
For many, that was cause for celebration.
Alphas from distant lands began arriving within days, their entourages trailing behind them like ripples in a grand procession. They came draped in their finest silks and furs, bringing ornate gifts and elaborate words of praise. The grand hall was filled with the scent of foreign spices, the glitter of jewels, and the soft hum of diplomatic pleasantries.
But not all smiles were genuine.
Francesco saw it – the fleeting glances, the too–long pauses before they spoke her name, the way their eyes shifted from Ellaine to him as if calculating something unspoken. To them, it wasn’t only a reunion. It was an assessment. The King Alpha of the Western Realm now stood beside a Luna who had not only fought but destroyed a wielder of ancient dark magic. Together, their combined strength was… intimidating.
And in politics, what people feared, they eventually sought to control.
They didn’t voice their doubts. They didn’t dare. But Francesco read the language of their posture, their tone, their sidelong glances. They were testing the waters, weighing possibilities.
Ellaine, as always, faced them with quiet grace. She didn’t bark or boast. She listened, answered when necessary, and smiled when it was polite. But he could see the toll it took. Every false compliment, every thinly veiled concern, was another weight on her shoulders.
By the fifth day, the palace air itself felt heavy. Francesco noticed it in the evenings when the reception halls emptied and the candlelight softened. Ellaine’s shoulders would slump, her smile fading into something faint and tired.
That night, he found her standing on the balcony, the pale moonlight catching in her hair. She leaned her hands on the marble railing, exhaling slowly as though trying to release the pressure building inside her.
“You’re tired,” he said, stepping behind her. His arms slipped around her waist instinctively, pulling her against him.
She didn’t argue. “It’s just…, a lot,” she murmured. “They say congratulations, but their eyes…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
“I know.” His voice was low, a quiet rumble against her back. He led the way they looked at her – as if she were some unpredictable force, a dangerous relic instead of the warm, fierce woman he knew.
Her fingers brushed the railing. “I didn’t ask for this, Francesco. I wanted to finish my studies, see the world, maybe paint a little before-” She stopped herself.
“Before I brought you here,” he finished for her, guilt flickering in his chest.
She turned in his arms then, searching his eyes. “I’m not saying I regret it. I just…” Her lips curved into a small, weary smile. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m
3/4
Chapter 145
strong enough for what they expect of me.”
Francesco cupped her face, his thumb brushing her cheekbone. “You’ve already proven you are. But you’re still young, Ellaine. You’ve fought battles most people never dream of. You deserve more than council meetings and forced smiles.
Her brow furrowed slightly, sensing something in his tone. “What are you saying?”
He hesitated only a moment before speaking. “What if we took a holiday?”
The question startled her. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes wide. “Can we do that?”
His mouth quirked in a faint grin. “No. But we can go.”
She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “You can’t just leave. You’re the King Alpha.”
“And you’re my tuna,” he said simply, pressing a finger gently to her lips when she started to object. “Peace is what we have now. Our power- power–is what they fear. If stepping away gives them peace, then maybe that’s what we give them.”
Her gaze softened, though doubt lingered. “You’d give up your title? Just like that?”
His answer came without hesitation. “As long as I have you, I need nothing more.”
your
The air between them stilled, heavy with meaning. And in that quiet moment, they both knew the decision had been made. They would go – not immediately, but soon. They would prepare, arrange for the kingdom’s safety, and leave it in capable hands.
And when they did, they would go without fanfare.
Without warning.
