Chapter 50

Gideon’s POV

At night the house has gone quiet again.

Dinner ended a while ago now the silence was starting to eat me and made me feel suffocating. I remained in my office with the door shut, though it did little to block out the thoughts chasing themselves through my head.

The dinner time kept on repeating in my mind, how Leo finally lowered his guard at the dinner time tonight. Seeing Raven feed Nova, Leo let Raven feed him. His face shifted from sad and hopeful to full of happiness.

I can tell Leo felt like he was living his childhood which he didn't have. His expression wasn't just for food and hunger but it was also for affection he yearned.

And it wasn’t me who gave him that. It wasn't me that brought out the trust in him. It was her. Raven.

Or… was it?

I relaxed on my chair and stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully as if it would give me the answer I needed. Raven made me feel unsettled, I was able to tell she was hiding something from me but I didn’t know what. She made me feel the emotions I promised myself not to feel again.

The way she watched the kids affectionately was genuine. I can tell her emotions for the children were real. The way she tried to keep her distance when we met at the garden. Her movements and the way she guarded felt familiar.

Too familiar.

I rubbed my hands over my face, frustrated. I couldn’t keep doing this.

She was not Claire. She couldn’t be Claire. That part of my life was gone, stolen years ago. And yet my heart beats increase when she laughs softly. Every time she looked at me I felt like she was somehow connected to my past.

I had almost called her by the name which I have tried to bury in my past. Claire. The sound of it lingered like a ghost on my tongue, and it infuriated me.

I abruptly stood up and paced around my office. I couldn’t let myself slip into illusions, not when there were real threats in this house. Not until I find out the whole truth about Daphne.

Daphne.

The thought of her sent anger surging through me all over again.

I had been blind, hadn’t I? I had dismissed her schemes, let go of her manipulations and even allowed her to become future Luna for the sake of politics. But if she is really behind the wolfsbane incident, if she really had killed a maid and tried to poison Leo, then Daphne have crossed the line which she shouldn't have.

The more I thought of it, the more the puzzle pieces began to fall into place, jagged though they were.

The rogue attacks on Leo.

The uncanny timing of certain ambushes.

The way Claire has vanished without any trace.

My stomach churned as I realized this could be a possibility. Had Daphne been orchestrating this all along? Had she been behind hurting children but also eliminated Claire from my life?

I gripped onto the edges of my table tightly as my knuckles turned white. If it is all true then it could be that she is behind Claire’s disappearance, if she really did that, she is not just manipulative but hungry for power.

And I had let her remain under my roof.

I took out some old files from the drawer and sat on my chair and cleared the dust off the file and opened the file about the disappearance of Claire. I reviewed the file as many times as I could but tonight I realized that I had definitely missed something, my suspicion felt sharper than the blade.

Some staff of the hospital have gone missing or dismissed abruptly. The records were either missing or “misfiled.” Witnesses who either vanished or conveniently contradicted one another. I realized at that time I didn't investigate properly, I told myself that Claire is dead and rogues attacked her, but now I felt the truth is far different then that.

But now? Now I realized everything was preplanned. A cover-up.

And it all leads me back to the beginning of the nightmare, the hospital where Leo was born. That was where I had last seen her. That was where..I took Leo from her.

My heart beats increased as I looked through the documents carefully, placing together the Pieces which I should have long ago. But the clues were all messy but I knew the the assailant must have left some clues for me to find the truth.

I closed the file swiftly.

Tomorrow, I will go by myself. I wouldn’t send my beta or messenger. No one else could be trusted with this. If Daphne had allies in the hospital that will cover for her crimes then I will have to go to hospital by myself, that is the only way I can find out the real truth.

I rose and crossed to the weapons cabinet. I took a pistol and a knife. I secretly hide the weapons under my shirt for self defense, in case I get attacked. As an Alpha I knew better not to approach the unknown unarmed.

I blew out the lamp, leaving only the moonlight spilling through the window to paint the office in cold silver. The shadow in the moonlight didn't help with the turmoil inside my head.

I should have felt calmer now that I had a plan, but instead, I was restless. Pacing again, my thoughts strayed back to Raven.

Her voice when she told me she was just a bodyguard.

Her eyes when she held back emotions I could feel even without her speaking. Her touch with the children was loving and full of affection like a mother.

And that ache inside me every time I looked at her and thought, If only Claire were still here… I stopped, gripping the edge of the desk once more. Why? Why did this stranger make me feel

as though I were standing at the edge of something I had already lost? Why was my mind refusing the truth spoken by my instincts?

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face.

It was impossible. Claire is gone forever. I had to stop chasing someone who is now far from my reach.

But even if I tried to convince myself, the memory of Raven’s smile lingered in my mind. And against all reason, against the vow I had made to bury that part of myself, I found myself whispering into the empty room:

“Claire…”

The name tasted bitter and sweet all at once. That name was both a painful wound and a soothing balm.

I looked away from the files as I pushed away my weakness. This wasn’t the time. The truth I want is definitely in the hospital where Leo was born. Tomorrow I will investigate myself and dig out the truth that was buried deep in the hospital walls.

And if Daphne is the mastermind behind Claire’s disappearance..then she will pay the price for taking away the person I regret to ever let go.

For Leo.

For the children. For Claire.

Even if Claire is gone from my life, I owe her the truth she deserves to know. I looked at the moon as the determination solidified in my mind.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of hunting for the answers. Tomorrow I will find the secrets that Daphne tries so hard to bury. And I will not stop till all I find the truth as whole and bring it to light.