Chapter 34
Karl’s POV
Outside the hospital room.
+8 Pearls
Theo and I ran into each other head–on. He didn’t bother hiding his annoyance. “I’d advise you not to go in there. She’s pissed off, and if you walk in now, all you’ll get is yelled at.
I didn’t answer. My eyes locked on the hospital bed through the narrow glass window. Riley’s frame was so small, so bruised, it was like staring at the aftermath of a war. My wolf growled low in my chest, a restless thrum of fury.
“How’s she doing?” I asked, my voice hoarse from everything I hadn’t said.
Theo scoffed, “She had enough energy to argue with me, so I’d say she’s fine.”
Then he paused and looked at me more seriously: “Why did your dad beat her like that, anyway? That was.. excessive.”
1 clenched my jaw but didn’t speak. I couldn’t.
Seeing my silence, Theo kept poking “What, was it because she hurt Scarlett or something-?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I cut him off sharply, the words like a whipcrack. My brow furrowed deep, my entire body tense.
“It wasn’t?” he pressed.
“It wasn’t,” I repeated coldly.
“Alright, alright.” He raised his hands and backed off. “I’ve got stuff to do anyway. You should go home and get some rest.” I didn’t respond. I just kept staring at Riley through the window like I could somehow reach her across the glass.
It was a long time before I finally turned and walked away, my steps as heavy as my heart.
The moment I stepped into the kitchen of the Vale estate, I caught the scent first. Not just the lingering aroma of herbs and. wolfberries in a tonic, but something sharper–burni pride, fear, and old blood.
Mia stood stiffly near the counter, her eyes wet, hands clenching a cloth that had long since stopped wiping anything. Across from her stood Scarlett, holding a porcelain bowl of tonic. The steam curled upward like smoke from a wildfire.
I knew what it was. I’d smelled it yesterday in Riley’s hospital room. The same tonic Mia made to help her recover,
Scarlett always said she hated it–bird spit, she called it. Said it made her gag
But now? She was guarding it like a prize.
“That’s for Riley, Mia said. Her voice was calm, but I could hear the quake in her chest.
Scarlett snorted. “You forget your place, Mia. You’re a servant. This isn’t your decision.
My jaw clenched.
Mia stayed quiet, but Isaw the fury in her. She didn’t say it, but I could feel it in her scent. She was reliving everything Riley had suffered the orphanage, the prison, the injuries, the missing finger. The fact that she had to beg for her own recovery.
And here Scarlett was, holding that bowl like it was a trophy. Like Mia hadn’t spent hours preparing it before dawn.
gripped the railing at the top of the stairs.
CRASH
A vase exploded against the marble floor below.
Scarlett shrieked. Zara and Alaric jumped.
I was already descending, each step slow, deliberate. My boots echoed like war drums.
337 PM
Scarlett’s smug smile vanished, She clutched the bowl tighter, shrinking back.
I didn’t stop
I reached her, snatched the bowl from her hands, and hurled it at the floor.
It shattered, herbal broth splattering across tile and cabinets.
Scarlett screamed.
“You were smiling.” I said coldly, staring into her widened eyes. “What was so funny?”
T–I wasn’t!” she stammered, grabbing onto Zara’s arm.
Zara turned pale. Alaric’s expression darkened.
+8 Pearls
“You weren’t smiling?” I challenged, stepping closer. “So I imagined it? The same way Riley imagined being framed? Imagined being beaten until her bones cracked? Imagined carving off her own finger in this very house?”
Nobody answered.
I turned to Zara, You knew Scarlett hated that tonic. You knew Riley needed it more than anyone in this house. And you let her have it
Zara’s mouth opened, but no sound came.
“She’s your daughter!” I snapped “She’s your blood.”
Her face crumpled. Tears welled in her eyes.
“If you really cared, you’d be in that hospital room right now, not babying the girl who damn near drove her sister to suicide.” Alaric growled, low and warning. That’s enough. You forget who you’re talking to?”
“No,” I said. “I know exactly who I’m talking to. An Alpha who let his daughter rot in prison. A Luna who let her scream in silence. And a so–called sister who steals from her while she bleeds.”
My voice was a snarl now.
Zara shook her head. “Kael… you’re out of line.”
“No. 1 hissed. “This whole pack is.“.
I turned, stormed out the door, and slammed it behind me. But in my chest, I carried the weight of Riley’s silence. And I knew this wasn’t over.
It was just beginning.