Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The One Thing He Would Not Allow

Chapter 39: The One Thing He Would Not Allow

I didn’t ask for help.

The chains came apart faster than they should have. The moment the last restraint snapped, Elera’s body went completely limp, and for a second I thought I was already too late.

Liora moved forward immediately, but I stopped her before she could touch Elera again.

"You’re not using your power tonight," I said quietly.

"She won’t survive if we waste time," she replied, her voice still shaking.

"She will," I said. "But not like this."

She didn’t argue again, but I could feel how tense she still was beside me. She was trying not to panic, trying to stay calm, but her breathing hadn’t steadied yet.

I lifted Elera carefully. She was far too light. Whoever did this didn’t just beat her. They left her there long enough for her body to start shutting down.

My jaw tightened, but I didn’t say anything.

Liora walked beside me as we made our way back toward the territory. Her steps were slower than usual, but she didn’t complain. She only stayed close enough to make sure Elera was still breathing.

The gates came into view, and the guards straightened immediately when they saw me.

Then they noticed the girl in my arms.

The silence that followed was not normal silence. It was the kind that only happened when people understood something had gone very wrong.

"Open the gate," I said calmly.

They did.

No one asked questions. No one tried to stop me. Even the guards who usually watched everything carefully stepped aside without speaking.

I walked straight through the courtyard without slowing down. A few people were still awake, and I could feel their eyes following us, but no one said anything out loud.

Elera was not just any maid.

I had chosen her myself to attend to Liora. Anyone who touched her knew exactly what they were doing. This wasn’t random cruelty. It was a message.

Someone inside this fortress believed Liora could be harmed without consequences.

They were wrong.

I pushed the door to our chamber open and walked inside without waiting. The room was still quiet. The lamps burned low, and Ivy was exactly where she had been earlier, still asleep as if nothing had happened tonight.

I didn’t even look at her.

"Close the door," I told Liora.

She did without saying anything.

I walked toward the far wall and pressed my hand against the stone. The wall moved quietly, revealing the narrow entrance behind it.

Liora stopped walking the moment she saw it.

"I didn’t know this was here," she said.

"You weren’t supposed to," I replied.

The room inside was small, but it was clean. A bed, a table, and a few things that had been placed there long before she came to this fortress. It wasn’t a prison. It was a place meant to hide someone safely if it ever became necessary.

Tonight, it had become necessary.

I placed Elera gently on the bed and stepped back to check her breathing again.

Still weak, but steady.

Liora stayed near the door, watching without speaking. The anger she had earlier was still there, but the exhaustion was stronger now. She was standing only because she refused to collapse.

"You need to rest," I said.

"I’m not leaving her," she replied.

"You are," I said calmly. "Because if you collapse now, you won’t wake up again tomorrow. And I am not letting that happen."

She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes moved back to Elera, then to me again, like she was trying to decide if she should argue or not.

"I can stay here," she said quietly. "You don’t have to do this yourself."

"I do," I replied. "Because whoever did this to her wasn’t trying to hurt a maid. They were trying to hurt you."

She didn’t deny it.

The silence between us stretched longer than usual before I spoke again.

"Go back to the main room and lie down," I said. "I will take care of her tonight."

"You can’t do everything alone," she said softly.

"I’m not doing everything," I replied. "I’m only doing what should have been done from the beginning."

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but the strength to argue wasn’t there anymore. After a moment, she turned and walked back into the main room slowly.

I stayed where I was until I heard the bed move outside.

Only then did I sit down beside Elera and check her pulse again.

Still weak. Still alive.

I leaned back slightly, trying to think clearly, but the anger inside me hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it had become clearer.

This wasn’t the first time someone inside this fortress had acted behind my back. I had ignored things before because they didn’t matter enough to waste time on. I had allowed people to believe they could handle things the way they wanted as long as it didn’t affect the pack.

This affected the pack.

Because if they were bold enough to touch someone I personally assigned to Liora, it meant they were no longer afraid of consequences.

And that meant I had been too lenient for too long.

I adjusted the blanket around Elera carefully. Her breathing shifted slightly, like she was trying to wake up but didn’t have the strength to stay conscious.

"You’re not dying tonight," I said quietly. "Not after everything that’s already happened." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Her fingers moved weakly for a second, then went still again.

I exhaled slowly and stood up.

The room felt quieter than usual, but it wasn’t peaceful quiet. It was the kind that came before something worse happened. The kind that made you feel like someone was watching even when no one was there.

I walked back into the main room.

Liora was already lying down, but she wasn’t asleep. Her eyes opened the moment I stepped closer.

"She’s still breathing," I said.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly at that.

"You don’t have to stay awake," I continued. "I’m not leaving the room tonight."

"You’re angry," she said quietly.

"Yes," I replied.

"At me?" she asked.

"No," I said. "At myself."

She didn’t say anything after that, but her expression changed slightly, like she didn’t expect that answer.

"I should have noticed earlier," I said. "Someone inside this fortress believed they could touch you without consequences. That means I allowed them to think that."

"That’s not your fault," she said softly.

"It is," I replied. "Because this fortress only stays under control as long as people believe I am watching. The moment they stop believing that, this is what happens."

She stayed silent again, but this time it wasn’t because she didn’t know what to say. It was because she understood.

"Sleep," I said quietly.

She looked like she wanted to argue again, but she didn’t. After a few seconds, her eyes finally closed.

I stayed there long enough to make sure she wasn’t pretending, then walked back into the hidden room again.

Elera hadn’t moved.

I sat down beside the bed again and stayed there longer than I expected. The anger inside me had settled into something colder now. It wasn’t rage anymore. It was certainty.

Whoever did this wasn’t trying to send a warning.

They were trying to make Liora weak enough to stop fighting.

They were trying to break her slowly so I can break too.

That mistake alone was enough to make sure they wouldn’t be given a second chance.

---

Isolade stood near the outer side of the courtyard where the guards rarely passed at night. The shadows were deeper there, and the silence made it easy to speak without being overheard.

The wolf in front of her lowered his head slightly.

"You called for me, my lady?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "And I need you to listen carefully. Tonight, I want the Luna gone."

The wolf didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked like he had been waiting for this order for a long time.

"No traces," she continued. "No mistakes. Nothing that leads back to me."

"Your words are our command, my lady," he replied.

She watched him leave before turning away slowly.

"You think I will stand there and watch her give birth to his heir?" she muttered under her breath. "You think I will wait until my position is completely taken from me?"

Her hands tightened at her sides.

"I am the one who was supposed to be Luna," she whispered. "Not her. Never her."

Her breathing steadied slowly, but the anger didn’t disappear. It only became colder.

"You think I will just accept this?" she said quietly to herself. "You think I will fold my hands and watch someone else sit where I was meant to be?"

Her expression hardened completely.

"No one else is taking that throne," she said softly. "Not while I’m still alive."

---

Isolade did not return to her room immediately.

Instead, she stopped near the Luna chamber. Someone was already waiting there.

Ivy stepped out from the shadows slowly, her arms folded like she had been standing there for a long time. There was no hesitation in her eyes, only impatience.

"So?" Ivy asked. "Are we still doing this, or did you suddenly change your mind?"

Isolade studied her for a moment before answering. She wanted to see doubt. Fear. Even hesitation.

There was none.

"Lady Ivy," she said calmly, "all you have to do is lure her to the place. That’s all. The rest will be handled. Or do you want to back out now?"

Ivy let out a quiet breath and shook her head.

"No," she said. "I have nothing left to lose. Let’s just get this done. As long as you are willing to keep your promise."

Isolade’s lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t a smile that reached her eyes.

"Of course," she replied. "Once this is over, everything will be exactly the way it was supposed to be."

Ivy didn’t say anything again, but the way her fingers tightened slightly made it clear she was already thinking about what would happen after tonight.

Isolade watched her for a second longer before turning away.

"You think you will carry his heir and stay here peacefully?" she muttered under her breath. "You think this fortress will accept you forever?"

Her expression hardened.

"No," she said quietly. "That ends tonight."