Chapter 9
Layla's POV
Kael said he'd deliberately distanced himself because of the elders. I wanted to believe him, but I knew it wasn't that simple.
There must have been parts of him that Olivia had changed. I was so terrified of Kael pulling away—he was my everything. Olivia, whom I'd treated like a real sister, kept hurting me, hurting the people around me. It filled me with rage.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. Trent peeked in, his usually mischievous face somber. The sight of the bandages peeking from beneath his shirt made my stomach clench with guilt.
"Luna, don't look like that," he said immediately, reading my expression. "Five lashes is nothing compared to what it could have been."
"You shouldn't have gotten any," I whispered, rising to hug him gently. "How's Tristan?"
"Grumpy that I heal faster," Trent attempted a smile. "He's resting, but he'll be fine. We both will."
I squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry, Trent."
"We're not," he said firmly. "We'd do it again in a heartbeat. You're our Luna."
His loyalty brought fresh tears to my eyes. "Has Kael... said anything about the medicine?"
Trent's expression darkened. "He's having the bottles analyzed by Elder Thaddeus. The old man knows his herbs better than anyone." He hesitated. "But that's not why I came. There's something else you should know."
I tensed. "What is it?"
"I've been watching Olivia," he admitted. "After what happened, I wanted to find more proof. She's been sneaking out, Luna. To the witch Stella's house."
My heart quickened. Stella was known for her potions and remedies—some legal, others decidedly not.
I paced the room, mind racing. "Why would she need a witch? What is she planning now?"
"I don't know," Trent replied. "But I'll keep following her. Whatever she's doing, we'll catch her."
He left shortly after, promising to report back anything he discovered. I spent the day in restless anxiety, jumping at every sound, hoping Kael would come with news about the medicine. But he remained absent, likely dealing with pack matters—or avoiding me.
Three days passed in tense silence. The twins recovered quickly, though the marks on their backs would take longer to fade. Kael remained distant, sleeping in his office rather than our bed. The investigation into the bottles seemed to have stalled, or he wasn't sharing the results with me.
On the fourth morning, Trent burst into my room, eyes wide with excitement.
"Luna, she's on the move again! But not to Stella's this time. She left the territory boundaries."
I stood immediately. "Where is she going?"
"I don't know, but this is our chance," he urged. "Tristan is creating a distraction for the guards. We can follow her."
I hesitated only briefly. If Kael caught me leaving pack lands without permission, especially after recent events... But I had to know what Olivia was hiding.
"Let's go," I decided.
We slipped out through a rarely used service entrance, Trent leading me through the forest with surprising stealth. We caught Olivia's scent trail easily—she wasn't trying to hide it, clearly confident no one would follow.
The trail led us toward the nearest human town, a small place where werewolves occasionally ventured for supplies or information. As we approached the outskirts, Trent pulled me behind a large oak.
"There," he whispered, pointing.
Olivia's distinctive figure moved purposefully down the street, her normal regal bearing somewhat diminished in human clothes. She glanced around occasionally but didn't seem to sense our presence.
"Stay back," I murmured to Trent. "I'll follow her from here."
He looked ready to protest, but nodded reluctantly. "Be careful, Luna. I'll wait here."
I pulled my hood lower and trailed Olivia at a safe distance. The town was busy enough that one more person on the street didn't draw attention. She turned down several side streets before stopping at a nondescript building with frosted windows and a small, discreet sign: "Women's Health Clinic."
My breath caught. I knew what these places were—human establishments that provided various services for women, including...
Olivia disappeared inside. I crossed the street and pretended to browse a nearby shop window, watching the clinic from the corner of my eye. After nearly an hour, she emerged, her face paler than before. She clutched a small paper bag and looked around nervously before hurrying away.
I waited until she was out of sight before returning to Trent's hiding spot, my mind spinning with implications.
"Luna?" Trent studied my face anxiously. "What happened?"
"She went to an abortion clinic," I said, the words feeling strange on my tongue.
Trent's eyes widened. "An abortion... so she's pregnant?"
I nodded slowly, pieces clicking into place. "It would explain her visits to Stella. Probably for confirmation or maybe some kind of werewolf-safe abortion option first."
"But whose baby would it be?" Trent asked, voicing the question now burning in my mind. "If it's Kael's..."
"No," I said firmly, though doubt gnawed at me. "Kael and I have been trying for a baby for months. The timing wouldn't make sense unless..."
Unless Kael had been with Olivia behind my back. The thought made me physically ill.
"There's another possibility," Trent said carefully. "Remember those rumors about her and Raze?"
"If it's Raze's child..." I breathed, the implications staggering.
Trent said, "For the alpha's secretary, having a child with a rogue is considered treason, an act punishable by death."
We made our way back to the territory in tense silence, both lost in thought. If Olivia was pregnant with Raze's child, it would explain her desperation to get rid of it—and her attempts to drive me away from Kael. But if the child was Kael's...
Was Olivia truly pregnant? And if so, whose child was it?