Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Chapter 73

"Out."

The healer froze halfway through pouring the tea. "Luna, you’ve eaten nothing since—"

"The healer hesitated. "Luna, you haven’t eaten properly since the summit."

"I said I don’t want it."

"Your body needs nourishment. You’ve been under considerable stress, and if you continue refusing—"

Sophia swept her arm across the table.

The plate crashed against the floor.

The healer jumped back as food scattered across the polished floor.

"I said I don’t want it!"

Her breathing was heavy, her eyes burning with tears.

"Until Alpha Kael makes her pay for this, I won’t eat."

The healer stared at her. "Luna—"

"Tell him that." Sophia turned away from her. "Tell him I refuse to eat until Evelyn Valemont is punished for humiliating me in front of the entire realm."

The healer swallowed. "As you command."

Sophia waited until the door closed, then she wiped the tears from her face. She wasn’t hungry anyway, and if starving herself for a few days made Kael feel guilty enough to act, then so be it.

She had spent years learning exactly which strings to pull. Kael’s guilt had always been one of the easiest.

The door opened again, and Sophia immediately lowered her head, fake sobbing. "I’m not hungry." She croaked out.

"It’s me." Came Kael’s voice from behind.

"Kael..." she called shakily, as he crossed the room and stopped beside the bed. Sophia kept her eyes down.

"You shouldn’t be doing this to yourself." He began.

"Then make it stop." Sophia interjected, her voice cracked.

Kael sat beside her. "Sophia—"

"Don’t you get it, Kael. I can’t walk outside without imagining everyone laughing at me." She finally looked at him, tears gathering in her eyes.

"They’re all talking about me, Kael. About what happened at that summit. And Evelyn is probably somewhere laughing about it."

Kael’s jaw tightened. "She won’t be laughing for long."

Sophia looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means I’m going to make sure Evelyn regrets what she did." His voice was quiet, but there was something hard underneath it.

"She wanted to humiliate us in front of the entire realm. Fine. Let her enjoy her victory for now." He reached for Sophia’s hand. "I won’t let her have the last word."

Sophia’s lower lip trembled. "You promise?"

"I promise."

She leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. For a moment, Kael simply held her.

Sophia closed her eyes. This was exactly where she wanted him—angry, protective, and guilty. Completely convinced that she was the victim.

"I just don’t understand why she hates me so much," Sophia whispered.

Kael’s arms tightened around her. "She has always been bitter. She lost everything and decided the only way to feel better was to destroy us."

Sophia closed her eyes against his chest. For the first time since the summit, she allowed herself a small smile.

"I swear to you, Sophia. She will answer for what she did. I don’t care what it takes." He paused for a bit. "And that’s why I need to leave for a few days."

Sophia’s smile vanished in an instant. "Leave?"

"We’ve secured new investors for the trading guild."

Sophia stared at him. "Leave?" She repeated like that was the only thing she heard.

"It’s only for a few days."

She immediately pulled away from him. "You’re leaving me?"

"Only temporarily."

"After what happened? Really, you’re going to leave me?"

Kael sighed. "Sophia, listen to me."

"I’ve just been humiliated in front of the entire realm. Everyone is talking about me, and you’re telling me you’re leaving?"

"I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to." He argued.

She stared at him, tears beginning to form again. "I wouldn’t do this to you if our positions were reversed."

Kael’s expression softened. "I know. I know you’d stay."

"Then why aren’t you? Why won’t you stay with me during this tough moment?"

Kael rubbed his forehead. "Because I can’t, Sophia. Silver Creek is... Silver Creek is going through a moment. The market reacted badly to the summit." He looked away as though he were ashamed.

"Some of our merchants have pulled out. Our stocks have fallen, and several investors are reconsidering their positions."

Sophia’s heart skipped.

"But Callum found us new investors. He managed to secure enough capital to stabilize the trading guild."

"He’s solved it then." She said, but he shook his head, giving a tired smile.

"Not exactly like that, but it’s enough to give us some breathing room."

"And you need to go meet them?"

"Yes." He replied.

Sophia looked down at her hands. "So you’re leaving me during the most difficult time of my life."

"It’s only a few days," Kael said, guilt visibly working through him. "I’ll return as soon as the agreements are signed. Callum will manage the pack while I’m away. I won’t burden you with anything else, not while you’re still recovering."

"Recovering." She repeated the word like it tasted foreign in her mouth. "As though I’m merely ill."

"You know what I mean."

She didn’t answer, only turned her face away, and he took that as permission enough to press a kiss to her hair and leave shortly after, murmuring apologies she barely registered.

Once the door closed behind him, Sophia remained perfectly still for several seconds.

Then the tears disappeared.

She sat upright, the weakness in her shoulders vanished, replaced by a sharpness that had been missing since the summit. She stretched her arms above her head, rolled her neck from side to side, and let out a slow breath.

"Finally."

She climbed out of bed. If Kael wanted to believe she was too fragile to function without him, she would happily let him.

But there were things she needed to know. Just how bad was the financial situation of Silver Creek? Kael had never spelled it out fully to her, but seeing how fast everything was sinking and knowing there was no way in hell Evelyn was returning, Sophia had to know.

And with Kael gone, his office was finally hers to search.

Once she was sure he was totally out of the pack, she stepped out of the room, keeping her head lowered whenever a servant passed. Everyone in the pack had been told their Luna was devastated, barely eating, barely sleeping.

It was almost laughable how easily people believed what she wanted them to believe.

Kael’s office was empty when she got there. She closed the door behind her and locked it.

Her eyes immediately went to his desk, and she instantly got to searching. She pulled open drawers one after another until she found what she was looking for: Kael’s private correspondence.

Her fingers moved quickly through the letters, scanning names and dates. Then she noticed a smaller compartment beneath the desk.

Sophia crouched and pulled it open only to find several sealed envelopes inside.

She took them out one by one, examining the seals and reading through each and every one of them. The more she read, the paler she grew.

She cross-referenced names and numbers, building a picture in her head of exactly how much longer Silver Creek’s finances might last before there was truly nothing left worth staying for.

Not long. Weeks, perhaps, if she was generous.

For the first time in forever, Sophia felt ill. She dragged a hand over her face. Silver Creek was a dried-up well, barely producing water.

There was no way in hell she would sink alongside Kael. She had to do something fast.