Page 46 of A Crown of Fates
Not in this lifetime or any other.
“You may think these tears are a sign of weakness, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth,” I rasp, my voice filled with a rebelliousness that builds from the depths of my soul. “But even gods can bleed. And no matter what it takes, I will make sure that’s the last thing you ever do.”
The flash of anger in his eyes is my only satisfaction as he steps back into the shadows, and I hold onto it, letting this moment fuel me. I may be broken, bleeding, and helpless right now, but he’s just made a fatal mistake—he’s shown me his weakness, his arrogance. And I’ll find a way to use it against him even from here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THEO
Each step forward feels like a war within me. The bond that ties me to Estee pulls taut, a visceral ache that digs deep into my chest, but I push through it. The castle lies behind me in quiet disarray—a reflection of the chaos I’ve been battling since realizing she was missing. The wreckage doesn’t matter. None of it does, not when Estee is still out there, somewhere, waiting for me.
The beast inside stirs restlessly, demanding action, demanding blood. My hands tremble with the urge to tear down every barrier in my path, but I hold firm. This isn’t who I want to be anymore. Not for Estee. Not for the kingdom.
Jerome’s attempts to calm me had only sparked my frustration earlier, but now his words echo faintly, urging me to think beyond my pain. I let the pulse of rage simmer beneath the surface instead of letting it consume me. My control is fragile but deliberate as I approach the first house in the pack’s village in search of my mate, or anyone who might have seen anything that could tell me more.
“Alpha King Theo,” Zane greets me at the threshold, his stance rigid but his tone measured. He doesn’t flinch, though the tension in his shoulders betrays his apprehension.
I meet his gaze evenly, feeling the weight of my authority and the eyes of my people behind me. “I’m looking for Estee,” I say, my voice steady despite the wild storm within.
“You won’t find her by tearing through your own pack’s homes,” he replies, standing firm in the doorway. “My daughter is asleep inside. She doesn’t need to see her alpha like this.”
I glance past him, seeing the small figure curled up on the couch, her tiny chest rising and falling peacefully. The sight strikes me in a way I don’t expect, piercing through the haze of my desperation.
Zane continues, his voice softer now. “I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. My mate’s mind became broken, and before we could get her help, she disappeared. It almost destroyed me, but Sadie was only a few months old. I couldn’t let the beast win. My daughter needed me, and I needed to be strong for her.”
His words hit with the punch of truth that I can’t ignore. I see myself reflected in the window behind him—not as the alpha I aspire to be, but as the monster I fear becoming. The shadows around my eyes, the unbridled anger in my stance… I’m so close to breaking, just as Orix wants. I can’t let that happen. Worse, Estee wouldn’t recognize this man. She wouldn’t want him.
I take a breath, steadying myself. “Thank you for your words,” I say, stepping back from the door.
Zane nods, his expression softening. “Find your mate, Alpha, but don’t lose yourself in the process. Your people need you whole—not broken by your own fury.”
His words stay with me as I leave, weaving through the village, to go back to the castle. I already know I won’t find answers out here. Coming to search the houses was merely a way to feel as though I was doing something to get me closer to Estee, instead of accepting that I have no damn clue what I’m supposed to do now.
Still, I need to be better. Not only for myself and Estee, but for the people who look to me for strength. The beast inside me howls for destruction, but I silence it with a single thought—Estee needs a man who can lead, not a monster who destroys.
She’s out there somewhere, and Iwillfind her. And when I do, she won’t see the wreckage of a broken king, but the mate she deserves—the one she believed I could be.
I’m almost at the edge of the village when another figure steps out of her home, this one wearing a smile and cackling. “Oh,KingTheo. Have you learned nothing? Put your claws away and come inside.”
It’s Elyn, the elder wolf, her gaze sharp, assessing. Her voice is a mocking caress, a challenge wrapped in silk, and I can feel my wolf stir, his irritation bristling beneath my skin.
“I’ve learned plenty,” I tell her as I keep walking toward the castle. “I don’t have time for your nonsense,”
But then her voice stops me cold, slicing through the air with an authority that sends a chill down my spine. “If you want to know where your mate is, I’d suggest you make time, young wolf.”
I whirl to face her. “What did you say?” For her sake, she better not be playing with me. The control I have over my wrath is fragile. As much as I don’t want to lose myself to this fury, I can only handle so much.
Her grin deepens as her eyes gleam with something dangerous. “You heard me.” She steps back, her silhouette framed by the dim light spilling from her doorway.
Feeling as if I have no other choice, I make my way toward her home, hoping this won’t be a waste of my time or that she won’t push me over the edge. Yet, as I step into her doorway, a hidden force traps me within her threshold, and that sends my wolf spiraling.
I can’t move and the sense of loss has my inner beast attempting to force a shift on me. My bones begin to crack, but in the next second, I can’t feel anything. Not physically or even emotionally. The wrath that was surging within me is stolen away, replaced with a nothingness that’s even worse.
“What did you do to me?” I ask, my voice lifeless.
Elyn sits at her table across the room and shrugs. “I’m protecting myself. You might think you’ve hidden yourself from the people, King Theo, but I’ve known exactly who you are since the moment you stole the throne.”
While I glare at the wrinkled woman, I see that glint in her lavender eyes—the look of someone who knows more than she should. More than I’ve ever hoped anyone to know about me.