I pushed open the heavy door of the palace clinic, my boots echoing sharply against the floor. The sharp scent of herbs and dried blood hit my nose instantly. Rowan was lying on one of the beds, pale, his face twisted in pain. Kael was beside him, his chest rising and falling slowly, still unconscious from the sedatives the healer had given him.
My chest tightened. Seeing them like that, my brothers, my blood, it cut deep.
"Take them to their chambers," I ordered the guards beside me, my tone sharp and low. "Let the healer attend to them there. They don’t belong in this damn place, and make sure this doesn’t get out!"
"Yes, Alpha," one of them replied quickly.
They lifted Rowan carefully, while another two carried Kael. I followed behind, my mind heavy with worry and anger.
Once inside their chamber, I turned to the healer. "Do what you can," I said. "Use whatever herbs are needed. I want their pain gone."
The healer bowed. "Yes, Alpha."
As the healer worked, I moved closer to Rowan’s bedside. His lips were pale. I could see the faint trembling in his fingers. His eyes fluttered open slightly when he heard my footsteps.
"Damon..." His voice was hoarse, weak. "Did you... catch her?"
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "No, Rowan. She’s gone."
He blinked slowly, pain flashing across his face. "Gone? You didn’t find her?"
"I tried," I said quietly. "But she was faster. She escaped before my men could reach her."
His jaw tightened. "You should’ve stopped her."
"I know," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
He scoffed bitterly. " Damon, she’s dangerous. You saw what she did to us."
My heart clenched. "She didn’t mean to hurt you."
Rowan gave me a long, tired look. "You sound like you’re defending her."
"I’m not," I said quickly. "But whatever’s happening to you is not her fault."
He looked away, breathing hard. "You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t rejected."
The silence that followed was heavy. I stared at him, my chest burning. I knew what rejection felt like, at least the edge of it, but not the depth Rowan and Kael were feeling now. It was eating them alive from the inside.
"Maybe not," I said quietly. "But I do understand pain."
He didn’t respond. His eyes fluttered again, exhaustion taking over.
Just then, a sharp knock echoed at the door.
One of my guards stepped in, bowing deeply. "Alpha Damon."
He straightened, nervousness flickering in his eyes. "We have captured Belinda’s father. He’s been locked in prison."
"Good," I said coldly. "Make sure he’s not fed. No water either. I want him to feel what his daughter made others feel." Content orıginally comes from 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
The guard swallowed hard. "Yes, Alpha."
"Tell the soldiers to start the interrogation immediately. I want him tortured until he gives up her whereabouts."
I paused, then asked, "Did you rally the pack with the news?"
He nodded quickly. "Yes, Alpha. The message has already spread through the grounds. Everyone knows Belinda’s father has been caught."
"Perfect," I muttered. "Let her hear it wherever she’s hiding."
The guard hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. "There’s also Beta Luke from Alpha Thorne’s pack. He came to request your presence, Alpha. He said it’s urgent."
I frowned. "Tell him to come back another time. I have no business with Alpha Thorne right now."
He bowed and turned to leave, but before he could reach the door, two more guards stumbled in.
The stench of blood hit my nose instantly.
Their uniforms were torn, armor dented, and their faces were badly bruised. One of them was limping, the other clutching his side. My heart dropped as I recognized them; they were one of the squad I sent after Lisa.
"What the hell happened?" I barked, stepping forward.
They both fell to one knee, gasping for breath.
"Alpha... forgive us," the first guard said weakly. "We... we tried..."
"Tried what?" I demanded, my voice rising. "Where is Lady Lisa?"
They exchanged a terrified glance.
"She...she attacked us," the second one stammered.
"What?" I froze, my blood running cold. "Lisa attacked you?"
"Yes, Alpha," he said quickly. "We didn’t mean any harm. We only tried to stop her as you commanded. But she....she used some kind of power."
My eyes narrowed. "Power? What kind of power?"
The first guard’s voice shook. "She didn’t shift, Alpha. But... she was glowing. Her eyes...they turned silver. She moved faster than we could track, and the ground... it shook when she screamed."
My jaw clenched. I took a step closer. "You’re telling me she did this to you?"
They both bowed their heads lower. "Yes, Alpha. We couldn’t stop her."
I stared at them, anger and disbelief colliding in my chest. "You expect me to believe that Lisa, fragile, my quiet Lisa, took down trained palace guards?"
The first guard winced. "It sounds impossible, Alpha... but it happened. She... she didn’t kill us. She just threw us back with some kind of force. We hit the walls hard. When we woke up, she was gone."
"She apologized, explaining that she had to leave and had no intention of coming back to the palace," they added, their voices shaking.
I froze, my breath catching for a second. "She said that?"
"Yes, Alpha," one of them replied quietly, his head still bowed. "She said she was sorry... but that she had something important to do."
I ran a hand through my hair, my pulse pounding in my ears.
"What the fuck is so important to her?" I muttered to myself.
"How far did she get?"
"We don’t know, Alpha. But she was heading toward the forest line," another said, wincing as he held his injured arm.
I muttered a curse under my breath. "Damn it." The words came out low and sharp.
Behind me, Rowan stirred on the bed, his voice weak but steady. "Damon... I told you she seems different."
I didn’t answer at first. My mind was spinning. None of this made sense. Lisa was human. She had no training, no combat skill, and yet, she’d taken down palace guards without even shifting. I stared at them, still kneeling and trembling from pain. It was unreal.
"Go," I finally said. "Get your wounds treated. Then return to your posts. And not a single word of this leaves this room. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Alpha!" they said together before hurrying out.
The door shut softly, and silence filled the room again, heavy and suffocating.
I turned toward Rowan. He was watching me with half-lidded eyes, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "She’s not who we thought she was," he muttered.
"No kidding, if what they said is the truth." I rasped, my voice barely above a whisper.
I clenched my fists. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me. You should’ve gone after her, it whispered.
"I know," I murmured aloud, my throat tight. "I know."