After hearing his Alpha’s account, Gamma Levi couldn’t shake the growing suspicion gnawing at him. Too many things had happened in too short a span—far too many to chalk up as re coincidence.
And in his experience, when there were this many ’coincidences,’ it usually ant a plan was in motion. Though he lacked concrete evidence, a troubling theory began to form in his mind: the princess might have wanted Addison out of the way, and she could have been working with Beta Greg—and possibly others—to make it happen.
But suspecting a royalty, let alone suggesting a conspiracy involving soone from the royal family against others and tarnishing their na, was a dangerous ga. Even being accused of slandering the royal family could be considered treason, punishable by death. Levi knew he had to proceed with extre caution—one misstep could cost him everything.
After all, Levi had been by Addison’s side the longest. He knew her well. Though she was physically weak, she was never clumsy. And as a woman herself, it was highly unlikely she would do sothing reckless out of jealousy to a pregnant woman.
Yet rumors had begun to spread—whispers incited by soone with an agenda—claiming Addison had pushed the princess down the stairs in a fit of envy, angry that her mate, the Alpha, treasured Claire more than he ever did her.
But Levi knew Addison better than that. She wasn’t petty. She wasn’t cruel. And above all, she wasn’t the type to harm soone just to ease her own pain.
If Zion truly no longer wanted Addison and had chosen Claire, Levi knew Addison well enough to believe she would’ve walked away with what little pride she had left. She would have quietly left the pack and started a new journey, far from its people, far from the pain.
But things didn’t turn out that way. Zion had shown clear interest in Addison, and from what Levi gathered, it even seed they had crossed the final line and mated. Whispers among the ogas confird it—talks of how Zion had shut himself in his Alpha suite with Addison for three days and nights without stepping out.
Levi also recalled that soon after Claire arrived, the forr Luna—Zion’s mother assigned several young ogas to serve Claire. Since then, those girls had grown close to her, and it wasn’t hard to imagine that one of them might’ve overheard the gossip about Zion and Addison.
If that information had reached Claire, it could have sparked sothing deeper. Of course, this was still speculation, but Levi knew he had to get to the bottom of it.
Levi rose from his chair and bowed respectfully. "I’ll begin the investigation as you ordered, Alpha Zion."
"Alright," Zion nodded. "I’ll go check on the Royal Convoy so you can focus entirely on the investigation. Send a mindlink the mont you find anything."
Though Zion knew his Gamma was disappointed in him, it was clear that Levi hadn’t completely lost faith in him. The fact that he still showed basic respect—and more importantly, accepted the task without protest—ant there was still a thread of trust between them.
Perhaps it was loyalty, or perhaps they simply shared the sa goal. Either way, they needed to work together to uncover the truth. And as for Zion, he had one more mission of his own—finding his Luna. His only Luna.
And if he truly uncovered foul play behind everything, he would make sure that every responsible party paid for it. No one would be spared. He needed the truth—not just for justice, but so he could defend his Luna’s na if questioned by the Royal Convoy.
After all, Claire had fallen down the stairs too, while pregnant, and had bled heavily. That ant the pup she carried might also have been hard. Once the Royal Convoy discovered this, the entire pack could be dood.
Worse still, even if Addison had escaped, the Royal Family might dispatch hunters to track her down, dead or alive. He didn’t want things to escalate that far.
He had once convinced himself he hated Addison... but not enough to see her hard. And now, deep down, he was starting to accept a truth he didn’t expect: maybe he never truly hated her at all.
After dragging a shaky breath and rubbing his palm over his face, Zion forced his feet to move, making his way back to the second floor to check on Claire. It had been a while since he had last heard from the doctor or healer.
No news could an she was stabilizing—or it could an the worst had already happened, and they were simply preparing how to tell him. The thought unsettled him, but he pushed it aside.
Just as he reached Claire’s room, an oga stepped out. Upon spotting him, she imdiately began to fidget, her eyes darting everywhere but at him. Zion narrowed his eyes, a cold sense of awareness settling in.
Now that his mind was clearer—grounded by his determination to uncover the truth and protect Addison from being hunted—he began to see things he had missed before. Details that escaped him when his focus had been consud by the sight of Claire lying in a pool of blood.
Now, fear for Addison’s well-being no longer clouded his judgnt. Only one thing mattered: getting to the bottom of this.
In a way, although the pain of being separated from Addison still ached deeply within him, Zion had co to realize several hard truths. Her escape—while it tore at him—might have been the best way to keep her safe, at least for now.
If he failed to gather solid evidence or provide a convincing explanation to the Royal Convoy, he wouldn’t just be questioned—he could find himself standing before the Royal Court, receiving the punishnt they intended to bestow on Addison, and he would be accused of harboring soone who had hard a royal bloodline.
Zion’s expression darkened. His nose scrunched slightly—he didn’t sll blood on the oga, but he studied her every movent carefully, noting the fidgeting, the way she avoided his gaze.
"How is Claire?" he asked, his voice cold and stripped of emotion.
"Th-The Luna... Claire is out of danger now. We just finished wiping the blood off her body," the oga stamred, eyes darting everywhere but at him. Her forehead glistened with sweat, her hands fidgeting nervously. Zion caught the lie imdiately. She had just deceived her Alpha—an act that made her loyalty all too clear. She had aligned herself with Claire.
A traitor like her had no place in his pack. But now wasn’t the ti to act rashly. He needed to uncover the rest of the rats lurking beneath the surface. Still, one word lingered in his mind—Luna. Luna? When had he ever accepted Claire as his Luna?
Zion’s jaw tightened, his gaze darkening. Clearly, he had played his role too well—even Claire seed to believe she had him wrapped around her finger. He stood silently, suppressing the storm inside him. Too much had been happening on his own grounds without his knowledge, and now, he couldn’t even trust those who served closest to him.
It was a good call to put Levi on the investigation personally. Right now, trust was a luxury he could no longer
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