5
Chapter 5
AZALEA POV
Two Months Later
Two months. Two fucking months.
I sat slumped in my chair, my head heavy, eyes fixed on the peeling paint of the ceiling above. The silence in the room was suffocating, broken only by my ragged breath. I couldn’t believe how quickly everything had spiraled out of control.
Miller was dead.
It still didn’t feel real. The man who had been like a father to me was gone, found lifeless in his apartment under suspicious circumstances.
Murder, they said. But the truth? No one knew who did it. No clues. No suspects. No justice.
We had tried everything to find the killer. Mack and I poured over every lead, interrogated every witness, followed every whisper, but it was like the world swallowed all evidence whole. Nothing.
Silence.
And with every passing day, my world crumbled a little more.
But the hardest part wasn’t just Miller’s death. It was Mack.
The man I had loved, trusted, fought for, the man who had been crowned Alpha two months ago, was no longer the same. A few days after his coronation, everything changed.
He grew distant. Cold.
He stopped sleeping beside me, stopped holding me, stopped looking at me like I mattered. I was no longer his Luna, at least, not in the way I thought I was supposed to be. He hadn’t marked me. He hadn’t even acknowledged me as his.
Every time I asked, every time I pushed, he gave me the same excuse: “I’m busy.”
Busy.
Like I was some trivial task to be put on the back burner.
I tried so hard to believe it was just the weight of leadership, the burdens of power that consumed him. Maybe he was right, maybe this wasn’t the right time.
But the truth? I felt so alone. So lost.
And Ophelia? My twin, my other half? She was drifting away, too. More distant than ever. I couldn’t confide in her either. She had her own battles, her own plans, meeting the Lycan Prince soon, an event I was supposed to support her through, but even that felt empty.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, tears threatening to spill. Maybe Miller was right. Maybe I was a fool for believing in Mack. Or maybe I was just overthinking everything.
Was I clinging to hope that wasn’t there? Or was I just scared to let go?
A knock at the door broke my spiraling thoughts. I ignored it.
Another knock, louder this time.
“Who is it?” I called out, voice strained.
“It’s me, Princess Azalea,” came the familiar voice of one of Mack’s guards. “Alpha Mack requests your presence in his office.”
Princess? I snapped, fists tightening. It’s Luna, damn it!
I pushed myself up from the chair. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
The hallway felt colder than usual as I made my way to Mack’s office. I’d showered and dressed simply, nothing flashy, just enough to not look like a ghost drifting through the halls.
When I entered, Mack and the elders stopped their discussion and turned to face me.
“Good morning, Princess, ”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I cut them off sharply, anger bubbling up like a volcano about to erupt. “Who the fuck calls me Princess? It’s Luna, for fuck’s sake!”
Mack’s face darkened. “Azalea, calm down.”
“I’m calm,” I shot back, voice trembling with fury. “Tell me, Mack, how long are you going to keep pushing me aside? Ignoring me? Treating me like I’m nothing?”
He sighed, a small, tired smile playing on his lips. “I’ve been busy, okay? There are things I have to handle. I’ll do what’s needed… but now is not the time.”
“Busy? Busy with what? Saving the fucking world? When will it be the right time? When I’m old and gray? Marry me, make me your Luna, fucking mark me! I’m your fiancée! Is that so hard to understand?”
His hand found my shoulder, and I flinched.
“Azalea, please. Like I said, I will when the time is right. Right now, I have important Alpha matters to attend to.”
“Like what?” I challenged, folding my arms stubbornly.
“Alpha things. You wouldn’t understand.” His smile was innocent but tinged with irritation like I was a child pestering him for nonsense.
“And what about Miller?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Have you found anything about his death?”
Mack’s expression darkened. He called over Elder Simon, who approached carrying a small bag.
Simon handed it to Mack, who opened it carefully. My breath hitched when I saw its contents, bottles of pills, prescription drugs, sleeping tablets.
“This,” Mack said softly, “was found under Miller’s bed. He was addicted to them. The autopsy revealed antidepressants in his system.”
I shook my head, disbelief and pain crashing over me like a tidal wave. “Miller was like a father to me. He wouldn’t hide something like this from me.”
“Sometimes people hide their deepest wounds,” Mack said gently. “He wanted to spare you the pain. It’s not easy to accept, but it’s true. The cause of death wasn’t murder or suicide, at least not exactly. There was no gun, no knife. No signs of forced entry.”
I stared at him, searching for any hint of deception, but his eyes were sincere, filled with regret.
“Can I… hug you?” The words escaped in a whisper.
“Of course.” Mack pulled me close, his lips brushing my forehead. “I’m sorry, Azalea. I’ll make this right. Just give me time.”
“I love you.”
“Love you, too.” He kissed my lips lightly. “Now go rest. We have a long day ahead.”
10 PM
I woke again, the fifth time that night, but Mack was nowhere to be found. The bed felt cold and empty. I sighed, heavy with defeat.
I needed air.
Throwing on a hoodie, I slipped out of my room and wandered outside, finding a quiet spot in the palace garden. The sky was a dark canvas sprinkled with stars, but instead of feeling calm, my mind raced with memories and questions.
Why, Miller? Why did you hurt yourself?
The pain of losing him burned sharp, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were pieces of his story I’d never know.
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard voices drifting from the open window of the room nearby.
Curious, I crept closer, pressing my ear against the glass.
“Ophelia, we have to act fast,” said a deep male voice, Mack’s voice. My heart skipped.
“What do you want to do?” Ophelia answered.
They sounded tense, and urgent.
Why hadn’t they told me? Was I being left out of something important? Was there a war brewing behind closed doors, a plan I didn’t know about?
Then, something chilling made my blood run cold.
“After all, I'm pregnant… and it’s yours.”
My mouth fell open.
No. It couldn’t be.