CHAPTER 557: UTHER’S FAILED DREAM

Uther paced his room like a caged wolf, his boots hitting the floor with heavy, angry steps. He had been restless since dawn, when he watched Xaden, Jasmine, Anna, and even that meddling Nanny Nia mount the royal carriages bound for the Queen’s palace.

The bells had rung, the banners were raised, and Uther had been forced to stand among the rest of the pack and bow as though he were one of the common men.

Him, Uther, kept behind like some forgotten shadow.

He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. Why him? Why not me?

He had plotted, schemed, and bled for this place, and yet they didn’t even consider him worthy enough to step into the Queen’s court.

Instead, he was left to rot, left to watch others take the glory.

The rage boiled inside him until he could no longer bear the confinement of his room. He stormed into the hallway, eyes flashing with fury. His wolf snarled under his skin, demanding release, demanding control. He needed someone to hear him, someone to feel his frustration.

And so his path led him to Lily.

He pushed her door open without knocking, his chest heaving.

The sight that met him froze his steps.

Lily was bent over her dresser, carefully folding gowns into a small leather trunk.

A second bag lay half-packed on the bed, and her cloak, her traveling cloak, was spread across the sheets.

He saw other female servants there helping her pack up things into massive boxes.

Her hands trembled slightly, but her movements were steady, decisive.

Uther’s eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

She turned to the servants. "Leave us."

The girls curtseyed in respect and then proceeded to leave the room.

Before they were even gone, Uther snapped me. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!"

Lily flinched, then stiffened. She did not turn to face him at once. "It should be obvious."

He blinked, unable to comprehend. "You’re packing."

"Yes."

"Packing for what?" He strode further in, his voice rising with disbelief. "Where are you going?"

Finally, she looked up at him. Her eyes, usually filled with fire and mischief, were hollow. Her lips parted slowly, almost painfully. "I’m leaving, Uther."

The words sliced through him. He slammed the door shut behind him, the echo rattling through the chamber. "Leaving?" His voice cracked with shock. "What madness is this? You can’t just leave!"

"I can, and I will." She straightened, meeting his eyes with a kind of weary defiance. "There’s nothing left for me here."

He scoffed, shaking his head violently. "Nothing left? Are you insane? Xaden is here..... your mate! This is where your future lies. You can’t just walk away from that."

Her jaw tightened. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "Xaden rejected me, Uther."

The room went still. Uther stared at her, uncomprehending. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Her voice shook, but she didn’t falter. "He rejected me before he left."

"No." Uther’s laugh was hollow, bitter. He took a step closer, searching her face for some crack, some hint that she was lying. "No, you’re lying. He wouldn’t.... he couldn’t. He’s your fated mate. Since you were children."

Her eyes glistened. "And yet he did."

"Are you worried about that whore?" Uther made reference to Jasmine. "She is useless and very insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

"Apparently not." She replied as she picked up a gold hair brush from the make up table and placed it inside her bag. "We decided it was best."

Uther staggered back a pace, his mind reeling. He had built his plans around this bond, around her place at Xaden’s side, around her power. "No... no, this can’t be. This ruins everything."

"This frees me," Lily countered. Her voice grew stronger now, no longer wavering. "I’ve wasted too many moons waiting for him to see me, to choose me. But he never will. It’s Jasmine he wants, Uther. Not me. Never me."

At the mention of Jasmine’s name, Uther’s wolf snarled. He slammed a fist against the dresser, making the wood shudder. "That bastard girl! She’s the one who ruined everything!"

"She didn’t ruin anything," Lily said, her voice low and sharp. "This was never mine to begin with. And I’m done fighting for scraps. I’m sick and tired of waiting for something that doesn’t belong to me."

Uther turned on her, his chest heaving. "Where do you think you’ll go, Lily? What will you do without me? Without this pack? Without him?"

She lifted her chin, her resolve glimmering like steel. "I’ve decided to find my peace in a wolf convent."

He stared at her as though she had grown a second head. "A convent?!" His voice was a growl. "Do you even hear yourself? You would abandon everything, the power, the position, the chance to rule by his side? for silence? For prayer? For nothing?"

"Yes," she said simply. "Because I’ve had enough. The things I’ve seen in this pack... the politics, the lies, the betrayals. Love twisted into a weapon. Murder hidden behind smiles. Violence wrapped in silk. And even made me do things that I’m not proud of. Horrible things! All because I wanted a man who would never want me back!" Her hands trembled as she lifted her cloak from the bed. "I’m done, Uther. I won’t drown in it anymore."

"You can’t!" He moved toward her, desperation thick in his tone. His hand shot out, gripping her arm. "I raised you! I brought you here for a reason.... to help me take this pack. You are mine, Lily! You don’t get to walk away from me."

She tore her arm free, her wolf flashing briefly in her eyes. "I am not yours. And I am not a weapon for your ambition."

Uther’s breath came ragged now, torn between rage and disbelief. "You ungrateful fucking bitch! I should have let you die along with your parents and everyone else in Bale’s raid."

She closed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath before saying. "Sometimes I think you should have."

"You owe me." He sneered at her.

"I am free," she cut in. "And I owe you nothing."

Her words struck him harder than any blade.

She fastened her cloak, snapped her fingers and then the servants appeared once again.

One after the other, they took them out.

And then her last trunk left.

Then she walked toward the door.

"Where will you go?" His voice cracked again, quieter now, almost pleading.

"I told you," she said without looking back. "The convent. A very distant olace far from here. A place where I can breathe again. And a place where I would not get to see you or anyone else again."

The door creaked open.

"No!" Uther shouted, rushing after her. He grabbed the edge of the door, but she shoved it with all her strength, forcing him back.

She stormed down the hallway, and then went through corridors.

"Lily!" Uther roared, his voice echoing. Servants scattered out of the way, staring in wide-eyed confusion. "You can’t leave me! Do you hear me?! You can’t! Get back here! I demand you get back here!"

She did not turn back.

She simply walked on ahead and Utjer followed after her like a mad man

Barking demands on her to return.

By the time he reached the gates, she was already climbing into a carriage.

The driver looked uneasy, but Lily pressed a coin into his palm and ordered him forward.

Uther lunged toward the steps. "Don’t you dare shut that door! You’ll regret this, Lily! You’ll regret betraying me!"

For the first time, she met his gaze with calm, unflinching eyes. "The only betrayal," she said softly, "was ever thinking you cared for me beyond your schemes."

The door shut with a hollow thud.

The horses lurched forward. The wheels creaked.

Uther’s roar followed her down the road, raw and broken, echoing long after the carriage disappeared into the trees.

And Lily did not look back.

Uther raked his hair in frustration.

The servants were looking at him.

"What the fuck are you bitches looking at?!" He screamed and then stormed back up the flight of stairs.

His one way of taking over the pack was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The moment Lily was inside the carriage she took in a deep breath of relief.

The relief to know that she was done with this place.

She had thought that overtime Xaden would come to love her.

But she had seen the love he had for the slave girl.

It could never be removed.

It was never going to be her and she finally had to accept it.

Her mind flashed to all the horrible thing she had done.

She shivered in disgust.

This was the best thing that she needed for herself.

She closed her eyes and let her mind remember how he had approached her and how she had been rejected.