CHAPTER 49: 49-HE LEAVES US FOR HER

Iris:

Kash stretched his arm behind my side of the couch, his gaze steady on me while his other hand rested casually on one knee, bent just slightly.

"I don’t think there’s any need to go that far," he said at last. "A doctor will be able to help. There’s a difference between your mother as a rogue trying to find help and me as the Alpha King."

His words carried calm authority, but the way his eyes lingered on me made my skin prickle.

It felt like he was studying me, searching for something behind my silence.

"Iris is right," my mother cut in. "You’ll only be wasting your time. But—just imagine, if we could get the water from the Blue Rivers. Wouldn’t that be amazing?"

Somehow, she twisted the conversation back toward it again.

I caught Kash casting her a slow, deliberate glance before his eyes returned to me.

"Well," he murmured, "it seems whatever we thought we knew about the Waters was a lie."

The room went still. My mother’s mouth fell open, and I swear, for a moment, it felt like even my soul had left my body.

"What do you mean by that, Alpha King Kash?" my mother demanded.

Her tone shifted suddenly, the urgency in it making even Kash raise an eyebrow.

He moved his hand from behind the couch and straightened his posture, sitting wide on the cushions.

I didn’t blame him, he was simply too large to sit otherwise.

"The Blue River isn’t what the rumors claim," Kash explained. "There’s no solid evidence that it has any healing or magical properties. In fact, I’m pretty sure even Ronald never got his hands on its water."

Each word from his mouth struck my head like a hammer, and I could tell my mother felt the same.

The problem was that this river had been our only hope for my brother’s survival.

Without it, she had no reason to believe she should keep torturing her child with false promises.

My mother seemed lost in thought.

"What happened to your brother?" Kash asked, turning to me.

My eyes held my mother’s for a little too long before I finally answered.

"He’s no more," I lied.

It was the lie my mother had told me to tell. But this time, the lie weighed heavier on her.

She instantly covered her mouth, stood up, and rushed to her room to cry.

She wasn’t faking it, those tears were real.

Because even if he hadn’t died before, hearing that the Blue River held no healing power meant there was no hope left for my brother.

Once she left, I stood and went to check on Amy.

I noticed Kash still sitting on the couch, pulling out his phone.

I could only assume he was texting or talking to Lara.

I checked on Amy and found her playing happily.

Even Colin had woken up and was sitting on the bed with her.

I sat down next to him, and he immediately hugged me before turning his attention back to the toys.

"You’re okay now, aren’t you?" I asked Colin, running my hand through his hair.

He lifted his head, smiled and nodded.

"You know, Mommy, I fell asleep on Daddy’s shoulder," Colin said with a small pout, his eyes full of affection.

"I know," I replied softly.

"And Daddy made me sit on his lap. He was so nice to me. He even told Grandma not to control me," Amy added, telling Colin about the incident.

I noticed how much the little things their father did meant to them. It broke my heart.

Then I remembered the Blue River.

Maybe now that my mother had heard from the Alpha King himself that there was no point in talking about it, I could finally hope she would end this torture and unlink my son from hers.

I sat there watching my kids play before deciding to check on Kash and probably tell him he could go.

But as I started to get up, Colin held my hand and looked at me sweetly.

"Mommy, can Daddy stay over for the night?" he asked. A small tug pulled at my heart.

"Daddy has his own home right next to ours. He’ll be right there," I told my son, trying to make him understand that having Kash stay over would be unreasonable.

"No, but I’ll feel much better if Daddy’s right here. What if I get sick and he’s not around?" His voice cracked a little, breaking my heart at the same time.

"Yeah, Mommy, he’s right. What if it takes Daddy too long to come? What then?" Amy added, siding with her brother.

Both of them watched my face carefully.

How could I tell them that he wasn’t even going to be nearby but all the way in the South? I took a deep breath and nodded to them.

As I walked out, planning to pass their message to Kash and let him handle it, I saw that he was already ready to leave.

His phone was pressed to his ear, and it seemed he was talking to Lara.

"Can you stop crying? Everything will be fine, I told you," he muttered, grabbing his shoes. As he slipped one on and straightened up, our eyes met.

I quickly looked away, pretending not to care.

"Okay, okay, stop crying. I’m coming over, all right?" he said quietly, almost under his breath, trying to make sure I didn’t hear it.

But of course, I did.

"Yeah, yeah, me too, me too," Kash muttered, sneaking glances at me and lowering his voice even more.

"Fine, I love you too," he whispered.

That’s when I realized what he had been hiding from me.

He was showering her with love. But why so secretive?

He had already made his decision, he had chosen her long ago.

As soon as he hung up, he avoided my eyes for a few seconds while fixing his belt and coat.

"Call me if Colin or Amy needs me. I’ll be in the South for the night, or maybe for a few days," he said quietly.

I clenched my jaw and nodded.

"Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of my children without you for a very long time. I’m sure I can do it now too," I replied.

Even though I tried to sound calm, the bitterness slipped through.

He looked straight into my eyes, and I guessed he understood how miserable I was with my child being sick.

But maybe he was right when he said he knew when to give things priority because he turned around and walked out of the guest house to be with his beautiful, perfect fiancée who needed him at that moment.