Chapter 28
“Yes,” Zayron responded.
Kayla lifted her head from Zayron’s chest, where she had been resting, and gazed up at him.
A deep longing stirred inside her as she leaned in to kiss him, but before she could, Zayron’s hands gently but firmly caught her shoulders.
He pushed her back slightly, shaking his head.
“Don’t do that again,” he said quietly.
His voice carried no anger, only exhaustion, like a man caught in a storm he couldn't escape.
Without another word, he turned away and stood behind the long mirror again, his eyes fixed on his reflection.
Kayla didn’t argue.
She simply turned to face the mirror as well, standing beside him.
She studied his face through the glass, the sharp angles, the hollowness in his gaze, the tension in his jaw.
He looked like a man haunted by ghosts only he could see.
“You've been staring at the mirror for a long time,” she said gently. “What do you see?”
Zayron’s hands tightened around the towel draped over his neck.
His lips parted slightly.
Then, finally, he spoke.
“I see myself,” he murmured, “but not as I was before. This isn’t me. This one looks like a hungry rogue, lost and unhinged. A confused Alpha who doesn’t even recognize his own scent anymore. Even my wolf seemed to me more confused. I look like a beast that no longer belongs to his pack.”
Kayla reached out and took his hand.
He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t squeeze back either.
“You are still you, Zayron,” she said. “No matter how lost you feel, no matter what the mirror shows you, I see the same powerful alpha I’ve always known.
The one who fought for his people. The one who rescued me and protected me when no one else would.
The one who, despite everything, still cares and still has a heart worth saving. ”
Zayron didn't say a word.
His gaze remained locked on his reflection, as if searching for something he had lost.
One thing was painfully clear.
Every trace of a smile had been drained from him.
The Zayron Kayla once knew had moments of warmth, of humor, even in the middle of chaos.
But now?
It was as if he had forgotten how to smile at all.
Minutes passed in silence.
The only sound between them was their quiet breathing.
Then, breaking the stillness, Kayla spoke again.
“I’m going out,” she said. “I need to see the extent of the damage you’ve done.”
Zayron remained silent and Kayla continued talking.
“It looks like you were about to bathe. Go ahead. You need it.”
Still, no response.
Kayla turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, Zayron’s voice finally came, low and rough.
“Are you really going to keep wearing that?”
His eyes flickered to her dress, the same one she had worn since yesterday.
Kayla blinked, then let out a breath.
She turned back toward her bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a simple gown, one that would allow her baby bump to sit comfortably.
She slipped into it, adjusting the fabric over her stomach, then met Zayron’s gaze again.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
With that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving him behind with his reflection.
As soon as Kayla stepped out of the packhouse, Ana rushed toward her, her eyes wild with urgency.
“Kayla! Did Zayron regain his mind?” she asked, her voice breathless.
Kayla shook her head.
“No,” she said. “The potion didn’t work.”
Ana let out a heavy sigh, frustration flashing across her face.
“I told you it wouldn’t work,” she said. “It’s been more than twelve hours since the Shadow Caster cast her shadow on him. The longer it lingers, the deeper it sinks into his mind.”
“The potion worked,” she corrected. “Just not in the way we wanted. It made him sleep. It made him eat. But his mind, his mind is still trapped. I have to set him free.”
Inside Helena’s chamber, the air was heavy with silence.
Helena sat on a carved wooden chair, dressed in a black gown, surrounded by the elder women of the pack.
They were all dressed in long black gowns.
Their faces were lined with wisdom, their voices hushed as they murmured amongst themselves.
But as soon as Kayla appeared at the door, Helena lifted a hand, waving them away without a word.
The women obeyed, filing out quietly, sensing the conversation that was about to take place was not meant for their ears.
Once they were gone, Helena gestured to the chair in front of her.
Kayla hesitated before sitting.
She could see Helena was sad.
But it wasn’t the kind of sadness she had expected.
“Supreme mother, I’m so sorry about Mia,” Kayla whimpered. “I never wanted this to happen. I know she was important to you.”
“She wasn’t,” Helena interrupted.
Kayla blinked and was caught off guard.
Helena exhaled and leaned back in her chair.
“Kayla, I am not mourning Mia,” she said. “She brought this upon herself. Do you know how many times I called her? How many times have I warned her? I told her to stay away from traitors in this pack, but those were the people she chose to surround herself with.”
“That girl had every opportunity to change, but she never listened,” Helena continued.
“I saw her that night, before they left for the Obsidian Tower. She and Samira were whispering in the halls, their heads close together. I knew they were up to something. I should have stopped her. Maybe if I had, she’d still be alive. But Mia made her choice.”
Helena shook her head, her expression hardening.
“No, I don’t feel remorse for her. The only people I feel sorry for are the two innocent pups she left behind and my son,” Helena added, her voice growing heavier with emotion. “Zayron is the one paying the price for her mistakes now. He’s the one suffering, not Mia.”
Kayla looked down, guilt pressing against her chest.
“Supreme mother,” she started to say, but Helena lifted her head then, her eyes sharp with concern.
“Kayla, since Zayron killed Mia, the entire pack has been living in fear. No one knows what he’ll do next.”
She paused, as if weighing her next words carefully.
“Richard sent a message to the Great Southern Council. And they’ve already responded.”
“What did they say?” she muttered under her breath.
Helena’s gaze darkened.
“They’re sending representatives. When they arrive, they’ll remove Alpha Zayron and take him away, to a place where he won’t be a threat to shifters anymore.”
Kayla’s world tilted.
The words felt like a blow to her chest.
Zayron, taken?
Dethroned?
Locked away like a rabid beast?
Kayla had known something like this was coming, but hearing it out loud made it real.
“I need to do something before they get here,” Kayla whimpered.
“Once the Council makes its decision, there will be no going back.”
“When are they coming?” Kayla asked.
“They didn't say. I think they want to take us unaware,” Helena responded.
Kayla met Helena’s gaze but couldn't say anything.
Her mind was elsewhere.
She was thinking about Zayron and how to save him.
“I’m afraid, Kayla. I’m afraid Zayron might never be himself again.
He isn’t thinking about this pack anymore.
He isn’t thinking about anything except avenging his mate’s death.
That isn’t the mind of a leader. That isn’t the mind of an Alpha.
Richard said he’s no longer fit to lead.
He also reported that Zayron is no longer fit to be in the midst of werewolves. ”
Kayla kept quiet for what seemed like eternity.
Then she spoke.
“I need to go to Lythos tonight.”
Helena's brows pulled together.
“Lythos?”
“Yes,” Kayla said.
Helena shook her head.
“To reach Lythos, you have to cross the frozen wastelands of the North. Even the strongest wolves freeze to death out there.”
Kayla’s eyes didn’t waver.
“I won’t freeze.”
“And how exactly do you plan to climb the cliffs of Orpheus with your bare hands? No horse, no wolf, no beast can make that journey. And you”
She gestured at Kayla’s stomach, her voice edged with disbelief.
“You are pregnant. How do you expect to survive climbing cliffs when you can’t even shift?”
“I will do it,” Kayla said firmly. “Determination is everything.”
“Kayla, if something happens to you, who will Zayron have left? Right now, the only people who genuinely care about him are you and me. If you go and you don’t come back, who will he have as a trusted ally?”
“I don’t think about failure before taking action. We will go, and we will return safely.”
“You and who?” Helena asked.
Kayla looked at Ana who was standing at the entrance.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. But I can’t go with you.”
Kayla held her gaze for a moment before nodding.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll go alone. After all, this is my fault.
Zayron is in this condition because of me, and I have to save him.
If it were me in his place, I know Zayron would do everything to make sure I was okay.
He wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t stop until I was safe.
He would tear through mountains, face any enemy, and defy the entire world if he had to. So how can I do any less for him?”
“You are pregnant, Kayla!” Helena whispered sadly.