Majori's POV:
The moment Brian's name was mentioned, a sharp jolt ran down my spine like an electric current. I swallowed hard, so he had found me already.
My eyes flicked toward the curtain. The lights in the room were off and the only glow came from the hallway seeping through the crack beneath the door. Everything appeared dim and blurred, including the intruder standing there.
How did he even get in? Was he someone familiar with this place and its people?
I parted my lips to speak but he spoke first. His voice sounded deliberately altered as if he was trying to disguise it.
"Lord Brian gives you three days to return. If you don't, he will expose all of your secrets to Vincent and everyone else."
My heart pounded violently at the words my secrets. My breathing grew rapid, my fingers and toes curling tight. I forced out a response.
"I understand."
"Also," he continued, leaning slightly closer, "Lord Brian wishes to apologize for hurting you. It was purely accidental, never intentional. He only wants the best for you. If you return quietly, he promises to make it up to you in every way."
Accidentally hurt me? My pupils contracted. The words were so absurd they almost made me laugh. I had lost count of how many times I'd heard such promises, those hollow apologies that came after every wound both physical and emotional. Make it up to me? No. All I had ever wanted was freedom.
If not for fear, if not for the need to protect the people I love, I would have ended everything long ago. Brian had said that if I killed myself, he would make my parents suffer a fate worse than death. But what if I died naturally from illness or something beyond my control?
Even then, I hadn't succeeded.
"I understand. You can go now."
Perhaps this place was never meant for me. Maybe I truly had to go back. The peace and comfort I had felt here were nothing more than a beautiful dream.
I sat there for who knows how long, dazed and lost. When I finally came to, the man was gone. Only I remained in the silent room.
No one knew when he came, and no one knew when he left. Brian really was cunning to have someone that skilled planted here.
I lay back on the bed. The question that haunted me now was simple: how could I escape from Vincent?
…
I barely slept that night.
The knot in my chest finally had an answer. Vincent had said that once I recovered, he would let me return to Brian. It seemed he truly believed I loved Brian and despised him. Perhaps that was for the best.
This morning I felt like an empty shell, letting the nurses clean and check my wounds without resistance. My mind drifted far away, wandering through foggy thoughts until a few words caught my attention and pulled me back to reality.
"Did you hear? Lord Vincent just conquered a new territory. Our borders have expanded again," one nurse said excitedly.
"Of course I heard. Everyone's been celebrating since last night. My brother's finally coming home from the battlefield. Everyone's so proud of our Alpha."
"All those months of pressure, food supplies, medicine, ammunition finally paid off. Our pack can probably rival the Snow Moon Pack now."
The sound of their cheerful voices rang like victory bells beside my bed. Hearing them, my lips curved slightly. I was happy for him, truly happy.
Vincent was capable of anything. He could shoulder the world without faltering. I had always known that. The people under his rule would surely live in peace and safety.
But then, one of the girls suddenly spoke again.
"That land used to be Luna Heights, right? Such a pity it was destroyed with explosives three years ago. Now it's nothing but ruins."
A nurse clicked her tongue in regret. The others quickly nudged her, their eyes darting toward me. The one closest to her lowered her voice.
"Don't talk about that here…"
My hazy mind snapped to focus. I turned abruptly, my voice trembling.
"What did you say? Luna Heights was destroyed three years ago?"
My fingers gripped the edge of the chair. Panic surged through me like a beast clawing at my sanity.
How could that be? My parents were there. For the past five years, Brian had told me they were living happily in Luna Heights. He never let me meet them but he always showed me pictures and videos. Then… he lied to me? Where were my parents now? Were they even alive?
The nurses' faces paled as they saw mine drain of color, my eyes wide and unsteady like a pendulum swinging out of control. They looked frightened, unsure what to do. They must have known who I was and where I came from.
"Miss Majori… are you alright? Should I call the doctor?"
One of them reached out, touching my arm gently. But I grabbed her hand so suddenly that she screamed in fright.
"Answer me! Luna Heights was destroyed three years ago, wasn't it?"
I could feel her trembling. The others instinctively stepped back, stammering.
"Say it!"
I was losing patience.
"Y-yes, I'll tell you," she stuttered, eyes wide with fear. "Three years ago, Alpha Brian ordered the explosion to threaten the government into surrendering control of the town. I thought you already knew…"
Brian… it was Brian.
My eyes burned. Were my parents safe? Or had he killed them too?
"How many people died? Tell me, how many?"
"No one, no one died! Before the blast, he warned everyone to evacuate. It was just a threat to the authorities. Because of public pressure, he didn't dare start a massacre that big."
No one died. Then where were my parents? Brian must have taken them somewhere else. But he never told me that. He said they were still in Luna Heights even showed me a video of them just days ago. What was happening? What was he hiding from me?
"Leave. All of you, get out."
I released the nurse's hand and sank onto the bed. They exchanged nervous glances and hurried out. In their eyes, I must have looked completely mad.