Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 851: Two Conclusions ()

By nightfall, Neveah had come to two conclusions. First, she wouldn’t shed any more tears over what she couldn’t control. Not when there were things at hand that she could help, right there, right then.

The woman Alessio hid away. What was her name again? Eira...

The name struck Neveah with a startling sense of familiarity, one she had not been able to shake off since it’s first mention. She was certain she had heard this name said before, and not just in casual passing. It felt far deeper than that.

Whoever Eira was, Alessio counted on her existence so greatly as a means of taming Neveah. She had to know who she was and exactly how they were connected. She wouldn’t be shackled by ties she couldn’t even remember.

The second conclusion; she couldn’t wait until the moon ceremony.

Alessio wouldn’t be leaving her behind like she had thought. He’d hidden her in his castle all this time, never letting anyone too close, not even his guards and so Neveah had assumed he wouldn’t let her be seen at an event as grand as the ceremony just yet, with many eyes that could possibly recognize her or trigger a recollection.

But she had read him wrong. Alessio was now ready to let the world know of her, whatever that meant and he intended to do this at the moon ceremony. He was losing his patience with her, and that didn’t foretell any good for Neveah.

She could no longer hope to meet the ruby beast for answers, she wouldn’t get to. She would also be leaving the Eclipse Palace by the moon ceremony, and who knew when they would return? Or if they ever would?

Time wasn’t on her side. For some reason, she had a distant feeling it never had been. For this category of people, they had to take matters into their own hands.

Alessio had left palace grounds a short time ago. Neveah knew this because she had seen him ride off with his closest guards herself. But Karan had not left with him.

Much like her, Karan never left the palace. After earlier today, Neveah surmised it wasn’t that he did want to leave, but that he couldn’t. For some reason, he was held captive by Alessio.

There was every possibility she would run into Karan, and regardless of if he was a willing participant or not, she knew he would only protect Alessio’s interest. She could also tell he was no physician.

He was something more. Something worse. And she wasn’t certain she could evade him.

Still, she didn’t know how many opportunities would present itself before the day of their departure, and she couldn’t wait for it. If this woman was held somewhere within this palace, she had to find her.

While Alessio and Karan believed the tonic would keep her unconscious through it all, she would find the answers herself.

She didn’t know how long he would be away, he was never away for too long. But it was a risk she would just have to take. Even if she was caught in the end.

She had to see for herself, and it couldn’t wait. She would go tonight.

Neveah got off her bed, rummaging through her clothing chest. It was packed with luxurious dresses, gold embroidered and gem embedded. She couldn’t even begin to speak on the boxes of jewelry in their dozens.

It was one more thing in this space that just didn’t feel like her. She would always find herself reaching for the most simple and the most practical option, although those were few and far in between.

She had eventually complained to Alessio a week after she regained consciousness, requesting lighter dresses since she mostly stayed in. Of course he had obliged, those were the weeks Alessio catered to her every whim.

He still did. It was just that she wasn’t blind to the hidden intent behind it anymore. Alessio was not just a man in love, he was a cold and calculated manipulator. And after today, she now knew just what great lengths he would go to keep her in this deceitful bubble, even willingly risking her life with heavy tonics.

This wasn’t love. It couldn’t be. And if it was, she wanted no part in it.

Neveah found a change of clothing. A simple black dress with a minimal amount of excesses. She shrugged out of her white sleeping dress and put it on, then she grabbed a black cloak Alessio had left behind on one of the nights he’d stayed over here.

She’d hidden it away after it’d been unknowingly placed with her laundry and he’d never asked. Throwing it on, she fastened the strap and then pulled the hood over her head before heading out.

The hallway was dark, save for the dim artificial lighting at intervals. It was eerily silent at these hours, and Neveah listened for footsteps before she carefully shut her door.

She kept to the shadows by the walls, swiftly making her way down the winding hallway.

The Eclipse Palace was much larger than she had realised. She had always had an unconscious awareness that she hadn’t explored even half of the palace and that there was so much she was missing.

These parts of the palace were still familiar to her, but the farther she got, she arrived at wings that she hadn’t frequented.

Still, she didn’t find it difficult to navigate these deserted halls and evade the lone guards patrolling the palace. It was like muscle memory, she just knew the right turns to take without having to think about it.

The only question on Neveah’s mind was, where exactly was she to look?

While she still pondered over it, she kept moving. Her instincts hadn’t failed her yet, she was willing to trust them again and she let her feet guide her through the maze of hallways that was the Eclipse Palace, and finally she arrived at a pair of huge oak double doors.

Unlike the deserted hallways, there was something different about this one. She could tell someone had been down here not long before this time.

Neveah glanced around her surroundings cautiously before she reached for the door knob, turning it slowly.

"There’s a light down there," A gruff voice sounded from the next hallway. "Should it be lit up at this time?"

"The Alpha King must have left the lights on before he left." Another voice responded. Two pairs of footsteps drew closer and they would turn the corner at any moment.

Neveah’s heart rate picked up. She steadied her breathing, knowing she couldn’t afford to be spotted by wolf hearing.

She exhaled a breath of relief when she heard a click. The door wasn’t locked. She quickly darted inside, shutting it behind her just as the guards turned the corner.

The footsteps drew closer still. Neveah leaned against the door, holding her breath. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"I could have sworn, this door was just shut." One of the guards commented,

"You’re overthinking again. This palace has been vacated for weeks now, I doubt there’s anyone interested in sneaking around." The second replied, "I mean, everyone knows not to get on King Alessio’s bad side. Not if they still value their life."

It took a moment and Neveah kept still, but after a short time, the footsteps retreated, disappearing down the hallway.

Only then did Neveah properly take in the room she had entered. It was a study of some sorts, with rows and rows of shelves filled with books of all kinds.

Neveah frowned slightly. There was a familiar scent trail in the air, and she didn’t have to investigate it to know Alessio had been here not long ago.

She walked further into the study, her eyes scanning every corner of it. It looked just like any other royal study, with all the luxury to be expected from a King’s private space.

It didn’t look at all like a place to hold someone captive. Neveah shook her head slightly and headed back to the door but she paused midway.

She felt a strong conviction deep within that this was the right place. But what was she looking for?

"Well, there’s no time to reconsider." Neveah murmured inaudibly, walking over to the large oak desk.

She slowly rounded the desk, her hand reached out, trailing her path, just shy of touching the wood. The seat behind the desk was still warm and there were files littered on the table. Neveah scanned them but didn’t reach to touch them.

Most of the files were unsurprisingly related to the moon ceremony. There were others that spoke of dissolution of packs and some reported kill orders that had been executed and those yet to be executed.

There were a few names tagged to the file. Eclipse Alphas on Alessio’s kill list, Neveah guessed.

"He’s been getting rid of his own people..." Neveah scoffed, "Why aren’t I surprised?"

She continued scanning the files, looking for something... anything that could provide her a hint, but she didn’t find anything related to her.

Just when Neveah was going to conclude it was a wasted trip, she picked up on a pair of approaching footsteps.

Someone was coming!