Chapter 114: She should have known!

It didn’t make any sense!

Not a single word she said had made sense, but the question ’what if?’ kept stirring intensely inside her chest.

At Eclipse Crown, most of the power rested in the Alpha’s hands, but the council still exerted some influence, and they did have an impact on the Alpha’s decisions in some cases.

Rowan had been the secret helper.

He’d helped them secure the cottage at the human town. He’d gotten her a job at the town clinic. He’d been the one who asked her that Della was collapsing and that she needed help that night.

And Anne has an inkling that Malachi had majorly been the one instructing Rowan on doing all that.

He’d been the actual helper.

The man might seem vile and wicked and completely out of bounds, but he’d developed a softness for Della — even though he still believed she was the culprit behind everything.

But that was exactly the kind of person Malachi was.

As the Alpha of Eclipse Crown, he was feared and deeply respected by everyone. And that respect came from always fulfilling his duties as Alpha. He knew when to lift the sword and when to be merciful. He was a savage, but a merciful man at the same time.

And he always made decisions that benefited the Pack without question.

Duty over everything.

The Pack would always come first.

And that meant he could always choose to turn his back on Della at any moment, just as he’d done many times.

Weeks had passed since they’d left Eclipse Crown, and Annelise knew the council had constantly pressed for Della’s head to be brought to the table. Which means Malachi could have actually changed his mind about her.

And knowing that Anne was with her, Moira would be placed in a tight spot.

The council could have really announced her death sentence simply as a trap, to pull out Annelise form wherever they were hiding, but whatever the case was — all she wanted to see was her mother.

And that was the only thought in her head as she ran into the castle without a care, straight for the healing wing.

She’d been running for hours now, hadn’t stopped for even a sip of water. Her body was soaked in sweat, and she was exhausted and a little woozy in the head.

Her wolf burst into the door of the healing wing, forcing many patients to shoot up from bed in panic as she almost crashed into them, "Mother!"

Moira was sitting by the head table in the corner, and she shot up from her seat when she saw her daughter stumble in like something was chasing her.

"Anne?"

Anne transformed back to her human form, her eyes tearful and fearful at the same time.

Distance vanished in an instant as she reached for her mother, her arms circling her with a sudden, overwhelming urgency.

She held her close, pressing her against her as if to anchor her to the spot, while the rapid, heavy thrum of her heart echoed between them. She rested his forehead against her shoulder, her breath coming in jagged, uneven gasps, holding on with a profound intensity that spoke of a deep-seated fear finally finding peace.

"Anne?" Moira called out softly, wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter, "What is going on?"

"You’re okay, right?" Anne said in between sharp pants, "The council...the Alpha...they didn’t call you or hurt you, right?"

Moira gently puked back and cupped her daughter’s drenched face, staring deep into her eyes, "You need rest, Anne. You look like you’re about to fall,"

"Tell me you’re ok!" Anne pressed.

"I’m fine. Of course, I’m fine. Why would you think otherwise?"

"The council...they didn’t call you for questioning? They didn’t do anything to you?!"

"Of course not!" Moira started to drag her toward an empty bed, "Come with me, please. Your heart sounds like it’s about to burst,"

Anne felt like thousands of years of worry had just been lifted off her shoulders. Her panting became slow, and she let her mother take her to sit.

"Tell me," Moira whispered, as she began cleaning off the sweat with a clean towel, "Where are you coming from? You look so dehydrated. How many hours did you spend running?"

Anne squeezed her eyes closed, "I’m so sorry, Mother. I’m sorry for...for how I left the last time. I didn’t want to walk out on you, but I—"

"No," Moira cupped her face again, her grip and eyes gentle, "Let’s not talk about that right now. Let’s not even talk about anything. I won’t ask questions. I just need you to drink some water and get lots of rest,"

Moira helped her lie on the bed after she’d finished almost ten cups of water.

Her heightened emotion of fear had lessened greatly, and her breath had come back to normal. She could feel strength slowly returning to her bones, and as she looked ahead, her eyes found the open window.

It was almost sundown.

She’d been running for almost ten hours straight.

Thank Goodness her mother was alright.

Which means Beatrice had lied. She had been tricked.

Tricked...into leaving Della all alone.

The thought alone had her jumping off the bed, her eyes widening into giant saucers, "Della!" She cried.

Della was without a doubt in danger right now.

She could even be dead right now!

Beatrice would have gotten to her from the moment she’d run off.

"Anne?" Moira called out, looking slightly grumpy again, "You need to get some sleep,"

She wasn’t listening to her mother anymore.

She was currently spiting herself for having been tricked so easily, so easily manipulated.

She should have known Beatrice was lying when no one had apprehended her on her way here, because if they knew she was helping Della, then guards and even civilians alike would have stopped her on the road and arrested her long before she got to the castle.

"Oh God," Anne cried, already rushing for the door again.