Thorne stepped out of the room, the door shutting behind him. He looked ahead and saw Alpha Kael, his mate Luna Cordelia, their son, and the rest of the pack officials.

They all stiffened at the sight of him, clearly scared. Alpha Kael stepped forward, his eyes darting between Thorne and the door. "Your Majesty, how is Lady Adina doing?" he asked.

"As well as she can," Thorne snapped, and the man shrunk into himself.

No one dared to speak after that. The welcome had been a disaster, and knowing the king's temper, they had no idea what to expect.

Luna Cordelia stepped forward, placing a hand on her mate's arm. "I'll excuse myself now. I should brew Lady Adina some calming tea," she said, then bowed to the king before walking out of there, her son following her.

Thorne shifted his gaze to the alpha and nodded. "We need to talk," he said.

"Y-yes, of course, Your Majesty. We can use my study."

Thorne gave a curt nod. "Lead the way."

They walked through the short hallway, and the alpha pulled the door open, revealing a moderately sized study. Thorne stepped in, his eyes flickering over the place. The door shut behind him, and he turned around to face the alpha, his jaw clenched hard, his face devoid of any kind of emotion.

"What sort of reception was that, Alpha Kael?"

The Alpha visibly stiffened. "M-my king… I am very—"

Thorne didn't wait for him to complete his words.

"You have a mentally unstable pup living in this estate. Yet there is no mention of her in your pack records. No listing. No documentation. Nothing."

Kael flinched—just barely—but Thorne caught it.

"She is my daughter," the Alpha said eventually, his voice low. "But… her condition… it's complicated."

"Complicated? How complicated is it to list your daughter? To list her condition?" Thorne snapped. "That's not complicated. It's hidden."

The alpha gulped hard, shame clouding his features. If only his mate had listened and hidden her properly pending the king's time in the kingdom. Of course, he knew how this would be interpreted, but what could he do? He's an alpha, a respected man at that. How does it sound to the ears that his own seed is mentally unstable? It was a stain on his name.

"Forgive me, My King, but that girl isn't like the others. You've seen the danger she causes. The harm she can do when unsupervised. She's unpredictable. Violent, even. I've kept her hidden to avoid panic."

Thorne's expression remained cold.

"And thus you didn't list her as family because you're ashamed of her. While I am not here to judge your family, I will judge you for the negligence and danger you've put my mate in today."

The man nodded quickly. "Of course. I will take full responsibility. I never meant for this to happen. Please—"

Thorne stared at him and shook his head. "Bring in your reports. I want to know everything that's happened with those missing in your pack."

The alpha nodded in relief, snapping his gaze to his beta who immediately rushed to the shelf, pulling out the records.

Adina lay in bed, eyes shut as she tried to calm the buzzing headache. The door creaked open, and she opened her eyes, widening slightly when she saw the Luna stepping in with a maid.

The woman smiled when she saw Adina staring. "My lady, I brought you some calming tea. It will help calm your nerves after the fright you just had," she said, taking the cup from the maid's hold.

Adina sat up, smiling. "Thank you, Luna," she said, taking it from her and took a sip. It was an unsweetened herbal tea.

Luna Cordelia smiled when she saw Adina's squeezed face. "I should've told you it's bitter."

A bitter calming tea? In what world did that happen?

Adina took another sip, now slightly accustomed to the taste. She looked at the Luna, whose gaze was already on her. The woman bowed slightly to her.

"I apologize on behalf of my daughter," she began.

Adina shook her head quickly. "Oh no, it's totally fine. The damage isn't something heavy."

"Still, I should apologize. It's my fault she was out today. She wanted to see the sky, and I thought it would only be for a few minutes before the king's arrival. I must've forgotten with all the buzz that she was still out."

Adina frowned slightly. "She doesn't get to see the sky often?"

The woman's smile dimmed. "Ah, she's—As you know, she's sick, and so, we try to keep her within sight."

In other words, she's always locked up.

The Luna looked lost for a second, then she blinked, facing Adina again. "Congratulations on your mating with the king. News of what happened reached us," she said.

Adina's cheeks burned red. "Thank you, Luna."

"I should leave you to get some rest. The tea will begin working in some minutes now. Just call any of the maids if you need help," she said.

"Thank you again," Adina replied, watching the woman walk out of the room. The second the door shut, she sighed, leaning back on the bed.

Adina couldn't sleep.

Even after the calming tea, which was supposed to make her sleep, she couldn't.

An hour had passed, and she was still laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. She sat up, sighing.

This wasn't working. She was bored out of her mind, and even Thorne wasn't back yet.

She got up, looking at herself in the mirror, and once she was sure she was okay, she stepped out of the room. Surprisingly, no maids were out there like she thought.

She wandered slowly, hoping to run into Thorne. Maybe he was still talking to the alpha, or even Gamma Mason. Maybe he'd stumbled out to the garden? All she knew was that she wanted to step out for some fresh air. She turned a corner, only to pause five steps in, brows furrowing when she heard it.

A sound. It was soft at first, like whimpering. But as she walked closer, it turned into something else entirely, a high-pitched, heart-wrenching wail. It sounded like a child crying.

She looked back and forth. With the way the child was crying, one would expect the maids to rush in. Perhaps it was a low-born child?

Adina's brows pulled together in a frown. She walked toward the sound and stopped in front of a door at the far end of the corner. She placed her hand on the doorknob, about to open it when she heard it again.

A harsh slap. Followed by the choked cry of a child.

Adina didn't hesitate. She pushed the door open without a second thought. Inside was a young girl, no older than seven. The same girl who had thrown the stone at her. A woman stood over her, scowling, hand raised for another strike.

The woman froze the second she saw Adina.

"What—what are you doing?" Adina snapped.

The little girl turned and, without a word, sprinted across the room and threw her arms around Adina's legs, sobbing into her gown.

"The girl is being punished for her actions!" The woman said, dropping the whip in her hands. She walked toward to drag the girl from Adina.

"The girl is scared! That's enough." Adina snapped, but it was of no use. The woman grabbed the child's arm, tugging her towards her.

"You say this because you have no idea what demons are in this child. She's evil!" the woman said, her eyes filled with determination.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Adina snarled, her eyes flashing a dangerous red for the very first time.

The woman gasped in shock, stumbling back slightly, her body trembling. "Y-You!"

Her finger pointed to Adina. "You're one of—"

The door jolted open again, this time the Luna came rushing in with her maids, her eyes flickering between the woman and Adina.

"Lower your hand! Have you no brains? Do you realize who she is?" she snarled, but the woman didn't listen, maybe she couldn't. She stared at Adina like she was the devil's firstborn.

The Luna stormed over to her and forced her hand down. "She's the king's mate!"

The woman finally lowered her gaze, bowing her head. "Forgive me, My Lady," she gritted out.

The Luna turned to Adina with a forced smile, her gaze flicking to her legs where her pup was.

"Forgive me, my lady. My maid here has clearly lost her mind."

"She was hitting the child," Adina said, her eyes not straying from the woman now standing behind the Luna.

The Luna smiled nervously. "Ah, that was on my orders. The girl tends to overstep, but I promise it won't happen again," she said, stepping toward Adina, her hands stretched out.

The girl whimpered and hid even more behind Adina's legs. "Come, darling, let the lady go now," the Luna said in a faux sweet voice.

The girl held onto Adina's dress tighter. Adina finally shifted her gaze to the Luna. "She's scared. Perhaps it'll help if she stays with me."

The Luna's eyes widened slightly. She looked totally different from how she'd been when she brought the tea to Adina. "Y-you don't have to. She tends to be a brat because I've spoiled her so much," she said with an exaggerated sweet smile.

The girl held onto Adina's dress even tighter. "Please, let her stay with me," Adina said.

The Luna stepped back, her forced smile still on her lips. "Of course, if that is what you wish."

She turned to the maid still frozen by the door. "Come," she snapped. "We're done here."

They all left without another word. But Adina felt their stares even after the door shut. She looked down at the little girl who was still clinging to her.

Wasn't the child supposed to be mentally ill?