Chapter 522

Enzo

The pain in my body was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I had rejected Nina, my one true love, as my mate. Seeing her crumple to the floor had been like a knife twisting in my gut, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done the right thing.

But she had cheated on me. The baby in her belly might not have even been mine. I couldn’t stay with someone like that.

The pain would fade. Or at least, that was what I kept telling myself.

As I laid there in the infirmary bed, staring up at the ceiling, I felt as if a part of my soul had been torn from my body; and it had, really. I would likely never get that part back. But at least soon, I would forget.

“It will all be over soon,” Mila’s voice whispered in the back of my mind, soothing me. “Come to me, and I’ll make you forget…”

“Enzo?”

A tall shadow appeared on the other side of the curtain, and as soon as I heard the voice, I knew who it was: Matt. The traitor. The man who had stolen my wife and who was trying to usurp me as Alpha.

“Leave me,” I growled, my voice hoarse with anger. “I don’t want to see your face.”

But either it was too late, or Matt wasn’t listening to me, because he pulled the curtain back and stepped in anyway.

I sat up, glowering at him from where I sat on the bed. He stood there in front of the curtain, and for several long moments we just glared at each other, each of us too furious to even speak.

Finally, Matt was the first to speak.

“Who are you anymore?”

I didn’t answer. I just sat there, glaring at him as my upper lip slowly curled back to reveal a sneer. “Traitor,” Mila whispered in my mind. “He’s a traitor.”

“God, Enzo,” Matt finally said, clutching at his hair with both hands. “It’s like you’ve been infected with paranoia. Nina and I never slept with each other; neither of us ever even dreamed of it. She loves you more than anything, Enzo. You know she would never cheat on you.”

“You don’t know anything, traitor,” I growled.

Matt scoffed. “Man, you really did get fucked up somehow. Look, no one is trying to take your place, either as Nina’s husband or the Alpha of our pack. We all love you and care about you. Where did this even come from?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it again when I heard Mila’s voice once more.

“He’s just trying to manipulate you, my dear. He’s a liar. They all are.”

“Enzo?” Matt asked.

Once again, I didn’t answer. I just turned my head to the side, setting my jaw hard. Matt stood there for a few more long moments, staring at me incredulously, before he finally seemed to give up. I didn’t move until he was finally gone.

“Are you sure I made the right decision?” I asked Mila.

Mila chuckled, the sound reverberating off my skull. “Of course you made the right decision, Enzo,” she murmured softly and comfortingly. “Would I lead you astray?”

“But you—”

“Do not question me.” Her voice grew slightly deeper; it was a slight change, but enough to notice. And enough to fear. “And do not forget what I said about Nina; if you go back on your decision now, she will only die. Is that what you want?”

I swallowed. Despite everything, despite how angry and disenfranchised and hurt I felt, I didn’t want Nina to die. I never wanted that.

Mila, sensing this thought of mine, softened her tone. “That’s better, my dear,” she whispered. “Remember, it’s almost over. Soon, you will forget. But first, you must recover; and I believe someone else is coming your way…”

Just like clockwork, I heard the sound of the infirmary door opening, followed by footsteps. Another large shadow appeared on the other side of the curtain; this one was larger than Matt, and once again, I recognized it immediately.

Aldric.

After only a moment of hesitation, he suddenly whipped the curtain open and stormed up to me, his shoes clicking on the tile floors and echoing through the vaulted ceiling. There was a look of pure rage on his face.

Before I could react, he grabbed a fistful of my shirt and yanked me back up to a seated position, his free hand pulled back, his fingers curled into a fist. He was going to hit me, and there was nothing I could do except brace myself for impact.

But then, he paused. For several moments, there was nothing but a silence filled only with the sounds of his heavy breathing through his nose.

The whole time, our eyes stayed locked onto one another. I could see the subtle yellow glow there, replacing the usually-jovial nature that he so often exhibited. This was the sort of fury that only a father whose daughter had been scorned could feel.

Then, finally, he released his grip on my shirt and lowered his fist. I fell back down onto my elbows, slightly panting up at him as my eyes came back into focus.

“I should kill you,” he hissed, wiping a bit of spittle away from his mouth with the back of his hand as he took a step back. “But that would be too much of a mercy.”

“Mercy?” I scoffed. “Did you ask your daughter about mercy when she cheated on me? On her husband? Her fated mate?”

Aldric let out a low, furious growl. “How dare you accuse my daughter of adultery, you worthless swine,” he said. “Your father would be ashamed.”

I felt my chest clench, but no words would come out, no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps Aldric was right; perhaps my father would have been ashamed. But I would forget all of it soon. Even my father.

Aldric paused then, composing himself once again and shaking his head. “Perhaps she was right.”

“Right?”

“She said that something dark has taken hold of you from the inside; and perhaps it has.” He turned away from me so that I could only see his shoulders, which trembled slightly with anger. “But wouldn’t deign to offer you the same sympathy that my daughter has.”

I didn’t know what to say; but I knew what he was implying.

“Don’t worry about him,” Mila soothed me. “He will not be a problem for much longer; I’ll make sure of it myself.”

My eyes widened slightly. “You don’t mean—”

“Enough, Enzo. This is not your battle.”

Aldric cleared his throat, pulling me out of my reverie once more. “You may stay here until you are well enough to walk on your own,” he growled. “As soon as that happens, you are henceforth banished from this land.”

“What do you—”

Aldric looked over his shoulder at me, and the yellow flash in his eyes intensified.

“You are no longer my son-in-law,” he whispered. “And you are no longer a part of my kingdom.”

Without another word, Aldric turned away and whipped open the curtain. He stormed out, his footsteps receding in the echoey infirmary.

I was left in exile.