I turned my gaze back to Max and Zoe. I took a few steps forward, approaching with hesitation and caution.
Max was still staring at Zoe with a mixture of confusion and shock. Suddenly, his features turned harsh, and he closed his eyes, shouting loudly:
"No! This cannot be! How is this possible? How?"
I saw the pain in Zoe's eyes due to his shocking rejection. Her eyes shimmered with tears as she tried to hold herself together in front of him.
I immediately intervened in the dialogue between them, speaking with anger and sadness for Zoe's condition; I had gone through this with Night and knew her feeling all too well:
"Hey, you! Zoe has nothing to do with the conspiracy that happened to you!"
I was about to step forward further, but Night grabbed me by the arm, pulling me back.
I glared at him angrily:
"Let go of me, Night!"
He looked at me sharply and said in a decisive tone:
"No!"
I said to him calmly, trying to convince him of the necessity of the situation:
"Listen, Night, your foolish brother has fallen into some kind of trap. That's what Minerva told me, so please, let me handle this."
Night looked directly into my eyes, searching for any hesitation or lies, but he saw nothing but seriousness and determination.
He finally loosened his grip and said in a warning tone:
"Don't get too close."
He let go of me then. I smiled at him calmly, then stepped toward Zoe and stood beside her, protecting her.
Max looked away from Zoe, staring at me, taking a deep breath to regain his composure. I said to him:
"You are looking for the Heart of the Forest, right?"
He was surprised by my words and narrowed his eyes at me; he truly was looking for it. I gave a side smile and continued:
"I am it. It is inside me."
His eyes widened in shock. Not just him, but Night too, who was watching us, seemed unable to believe that I had revealed myself to him so easily.
Most likely, Max wouldn't believe me unless I confessed my true identity first.
He had to believe me at any cost to save the situation.
"Are you kidding me? Do I look stupid to you?"
he said with clear mockery, his features returning to their usual harshness.
I said to him with total frankness and indifference:
"Yes, and you look very stupid too."
His mockery turned into sharp anger.
Night's angry voice came to my mind through telepathy:
"Did you go there to reason with him or to enrage him?"
I looked at him and gave a side smile:
"Just watch, Night, what I will do to your brother. I will give him the shock of his life."
My smile widened as I imagined the look on this scoundrel's face. I said calmly to Max:
"There's no need for anger; be a little rational. You want proof of my words? Fine, here it is."
I looked at Zoe, whose tears were already falling as she watched us sadly. I said to her:
"Step back a little, dear. I will tell you everything later, okay?"
Her sad look pained my heart; I swore to myself that I would make him regret what he did to Zoe.
Zoe complied, stepping back hesitantly, staring at Max, who was waiting impatiently for the proof of my words.
I closed my eyes, focusing all my attention and energy on summoning the energy of the stone latent within me.
I felt a slight sting, and my hair began to float in the air, revealing a radiant and terrifying green aura that completely surrounded me.
I opened my eyes slowly, and they had turned into the color of radiant rubies, shimmering with energy.
I saw his shock. Max froze completely before me, unable to believe what he was seeing. His eyes widened incredibly, doubt and fear mixing in his gaze.
"What? Has the cat got your tongue?"
I said, but my lips didn't move. Instead, my voice echoed in the air, vibrating with a strange and powerful energy.
At that moment, Minerva took complete control of my body, her raspy voice revealing her presence.
"I will not speak much. I will show you with your own eyes what you have been blind to, Max."
She raised her hand. Energy emerged from her palm to form a large sphere floating in the air.
She sent strong vibrations to Max, connecting his mind directly to the sphere. Images and information began to appear on the sphere for everyone to see, revealing the filthy conspiracy he had fallen into.
His eyes widened more and more from the massive amount of information—or rather, the facts that had been hidden from him.
He saw how he was bound by a fake bond with that spy, how she was only deceiving him to use him, and how she intended to kill him as soon as her mission was complete.
His heart rate increased frantically as he saw all this before him—the definitive proof of her betrayal. A single tear slid from his left eye—a tear of pain and oppression.
The sphere vanished as soon as the presentation was complete. Minerva said to him in a calm but harsh tone:
"Huh? Do you still want to complete your plans? Or their plans? You have been deceived and exploited in a way filthier than filth itself, to the point of turning against your brother unjustly."
I paused for a bit—or rather, Minerva paused—staring at him with genuine sympathy this time.
"And now, your true mate is before you, alive and well. I see the mate bond between you very clearly, and it is thick and strong. You have a wonderful future; I can see that."
He was staring at me, trying to process my words, the pain in his eyes visible to everyone.
He was struggling with himself; his facial features shifting from anger to sadness to shock.
He breathed heavily in an attempt to control himself; all the emotions had gathered inside him at once. I truly pitied him; he was a major victim of a vile conspiracy.
Max shifted his gaze from me to Zoe, who was crying silently, pressing her hand firmly over her mouth to stifle her pained sobs.
The pain was clear on her face as she saw the truth about her future mate. He took two steps toward her, appearing hesitant between his instinct and his new reality.
But I stood firmly before him, blocking his way. I said to him in a calm and controlling voice after Minerva left my body:
"You must process the shock first and decide whose side you are on. We are waiting for you in the kingdom to hear your decision; whether to join us or continue with your betrayal while knowing the full truth."
He closed his eyes tightly, the internal conflict seemingly raging within him.
He clenched his fist and jaw hard, his features strained with anger, pain, and confusion.
He stared at Zoe for a few moments; his gaze was a complex mixture of suppressed longing and painful rejection.
Before he and his soldiers disappeared from before us in a cloud of black smoke, he looked at Night for a long time.
It was a look of challenge mixed with something else I couldn't quite interpret.
Night returned the gaze with killing coldness and steadiness, after which Max vanished, leaving behind black smoke and the scent of tension.
I returned to my human nature as soon as Max disappeared, and I felt exhaustion invading my body.
No sooner had the black smoke vanished than Zoe collapsed to the ground, finally allowing her cries and sobs to surface.
Her father, Mark, was holding her, comforting her with quiet words, while his features carried intense anger toward Max and his actions.
I hurried toward her, knelt on my knees, and hugged her tightly in an attempt to comfort her and share her pain. I said to her with great tenderness:
"It's okay, little one. Everything will be fine. It's okay."
She clung to me tightly, crying on my shoulder without stopping.
I placed my hand on the back of her head and pressed a certain spot, sending a few vibrations from my energy.
I wanted to mercy her from this emotional pain, and she immediately fainted.
I called out to Klaus:
"Can you carry her, Klaus?"
He approached me quickly, confusion visible on his face, but he was cooperative.
"Oh, yeah,"
he said tensely I saw the panic in the eyes of Mark, the former Beta, so I said to reassure him:
"Don't worry about her; she's fine. She just needs some rest."
Night approached me, grabbing my hand firmly. Mark sighed with clear relief and nodded.
"I will take her with me for a few days so her mental state can improve. She is safe."
He looked at Night, whose features were cold and his gaze sharp, and said in a voice that seemed like a prelude to an argument:
"Everything will happen..."
Night interrupted him sharply:
"No objections. You cannot refuse. Now we must leave, come on."
I furrowed my brows at his arrogance, and more than that, he had raised his aura to intimidate Mark! Can't he act a bit more cordially?
I sighed in despair and patted Mark on the back with a warm smile to reassure him and ignore Night's rudeness.
I turned to my brother Jack and said with a final smile:
"We have to go now. We will come again so I can see Julia and my mother. Give them my greetings."
He nodded to me and said in a concerned tone:
"Be careful, Sera. Don't be reckless."
I chuckled as I bid him farewell, and we began to leave. We stopped at the edge of the forest.
I was about to shift into my wolf form to return quickly to the kingdom, but Minerva's voice interrupted me in my mind:
"You can create a portal to transport you quickly to the kingdom."
I responded to her in amazement:
"Can I really do that? How?"
She replied simply:
"Extend your hand and release a little energy, imagine the shape of the portal and where you want it to take you, and it will form immediately."
I smiled in awe and said loudly and with excitement:
"That's great!"
Night and Klaus stared at me in surprise at my sudden reaction. I chuckled excitedly and said to them:
"Wait! I want to try something!"
"What is it?"
Night answered me quickly, approaching me with curiosity.
I looked ahead toward the spot where I wanted to create the portal.
I raised my hand toward that spot and closed my eyes, focusing on the remaining energy within me, and began to release it slowly. As I did that, I began to imagine the portal before me as it formed.
As soon as I finished, I opened my eyes, and to my great surprise, I saw it before me! A shimmering and stable portal.
It worked! My God! I looked at Night with immense joy, and I saw him surprised and amazed, and Klaus was no less astonished.
I shouted spontaneously:
"It's a teleportation portal! Minerva told me I could make it, but I didn't expect to succeed on the first try!"
His surprised look turned into a stunning smile that made my heart dance. He brought his face dangerously close to mine and said in a low, charming voice:
"You amaze me day after day. You truly are something else."
I felt shy from this dangerous proximity, and my cheeks flushed again. I moved away from him quickly and said in confusion:
"Come on, we have to cross quickly, it consumes a lot of energy."
I grabbed him, pulling him behind me, crossing through the magical portal, with Klaus behind us carrying Zoe in his arms, her eyes closed peacefully.
I stared at the place around me—it was the palace garden! This is amazing. No sooner had we stopped admiring it than the portal disappeared, turning into glowing dust scattering in the air.
I placed Zoe in my former room, in the same suite where I used to live. I leaned down and kissed her forehead with sincere love, then covered her with the warm bedspread, in a desperate attempt to provide a physical refuge for her wounded soul.
I closed the door slowly behind me and left the room, sighing with deep sadness for her miserable condition.
I walked down the corridor without a specific destination, my feet pushing me away from the trace of pain.
My walk led me to the garden door. I noticed something strange: that old man and his daughter, there was no trace of them in the palace.
Did they return? I hope so, for they were an extra source of tension that we don't need now.
I stretched out on the large chair there, watching the flowers and birds that had begun to return to their nests as sunset approached.
The calm that overwhelmed me was like a balm for my internal wounds. I was no longer aware of myself, so I surrendered to a peaceful sleep in my spot, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
But my sleep didn't last long. I opened my eyes to someone shaking me gently. I caught a glimpse of her slightly confused and frightened features It was Zoe.
"Zoe?"
I said questioning as I stood up quickly, leaving room for her to sit.
"Are you feeling better?"
I inquired with deep concern if she was okay, and she nodded to me that she was fine, although the exact opposite was drawn on her pale face.
She looked me directly in the eyes, with a look carrying pain and determination at the same time, and said in a faint, fragmented voice:
"Tell me everything about him, Sera. Everything."
I smiled at her very calmly, stroking her hair with tenderness, and began telling her everything I knew about Max.
I saw her tears falling—tears burning like embers. She tried to control them firmly, pressing her lips together, but her faint sobs revealed the magnitude of the pain raging inside her.
Zoe held herself together despite her tears, then stopped crying suddenly. She wiped her face sharply and said with all firmness and insistence:
"I don't care about this nonsense. I will not give up on him."
Her words weren't surprising to me at all. Just as I expected from my friend Zoe; she wouldn't give up easily.
I had always trusted her decision, even if she was sometimes wrong. She possesses immense inner strength.
Zoe continued her speech without hesitation, her eyes shining with a new determination that I loved in her.
I held her hand with love and strength, in a silent gesture of encouragement for what she was going to do. I said to her with a warm smile full of support:
"Don't worry, I am always by your side."
The tension suddenly shifted to a feeling of relief. I looked at her again and said:
"Now, come on, let's eat."
She laughed softly—a carefree laugh for the first time in hours, which made my heart happy. I grabbed her hand and dragged her with me toward the dining hall, leaving behind the weight of sadness.
As soon as we entered the hall, I saw everyone was there The atmosphere was relatively calm compared to the emotional chaos we left outside.
I went and sat next to Night, while Zoe chose to sit next to Klaus. Zoe exchanged a calm smile with Klaus—a smile of gratitude and some relief—and he returned the smile with clear confusion.
His face looked a bit tense as he received this much friendliness.
I looked at Night, who was staring at me as usual, with his piercing eyes that pierced through my soul. I raised my eyebrow as if to say,
"What's wrong with you?"
I saw his smile grow wider—that confident smile that sometimes irritates me.
While I was eating, I heard his melodious voice whispering in my mind through the link:
"I noticed you're becoming more beautiful."
Upon hearing that, the food got stuck in my throat catastrophically! I began to cough loudly and hit my chest hard so that the stuck food would pass.
Night noticed my choking immediately and quickly offered me a glass of water while patting my back lightly. I drank the water all at once, panting and trying to regain my breath.
I glared at him sharply, my face completely red from coughing and embarrassment. He said with some mock concern:
"Are you okay?"
I answered him with clear annoyance, trying to lower my voice so no one would hear us:
"You almost killed me by choking!"
That stupid smile of his returned to grace his handsome face. Oh my God, does he never stop embarrassing me like this in public?
I felt a mixture of slight anger and immense shyness invade me, while I tried to ignore him and focus on my food again.
I stared ahead, away from Night's smiling face Zoe was talking to Klaus.
He seemed noticeably engaged with her, to the point that his confusion that was apparent toward her had completely vanished.
They were in harmony in conversation, and Klaus began to laugh softly at what seemed to be a joke Zoe made.
I felt a slight sting in my heart, mixed with hope: I truly wished Klaus were her mate instead of that scoundrel.
The harmony between them seemed very natural and smooth, unlike the complex and painful relationship between Zoe and Max. Klaus was kind and a good listener, which is what Zoe needs now.
This thought led me to a sudden question that occupied my mind: Has Klaus not found his mate yet?
Or is he hiding her from me for some reason? Curiosity began to gnaw at me.
I won't sleep tonight until I know the answer. I must interrogate him later about this matter.
Klaus excused himself to go outside.
I immediately seized the opportunity to follow him, claiming I was full, under Night's watchful and curious gaze.
I called him as I walked behind him to catch up:
"Klaus! Wait!"
He stopped and turned to me in questioning, question marks drawn on his face.
I approached him, rubbing my hands together in confusion.
Oh my God, how will I tell him? Should I say:
"Hi Klaus, do you have a mate?"
No, no, that's ridiculous. How about:
"I heard that you..."
No, no, that's a blatant intervention.
He interrupted my internal dialogue and my disturbed speech, saying with some bewilderment:
"What's the matter, Sera?"
I chuckled in confusion, staring at him with wide eyes:
"Uhh... mmm..."
He gave me a look that meant
"What?"
which pushed me to speak quickly.
I said all at once, the words coming out of me like gunshots:
"Listen, I want to ask if you found your mate or not! But I was afraid you'd be annoyed by my question!"
I finished my speech, closing my eyes tightly in fear of his reaction. I opened one eye, staring at him expectantly.
He didn't answer right away; instead, he was trying to stifle his laughter at my confused look and childish behavior.
He finally composed himself, smiled at me with slight sadness, and said:
"No, I haven't found her yet. It seems I don't have a mate, so don't worry about me. And now, good night."
He patted my head with great affection and was about to leave.
I was going to follow him to ease the weight of sadness from him a bit, but Minerva's voice stopped me in my mind:
"He needs to sit alone for a bit, leave him."
I said to her in confusion at his words:
"Does he really not have a mate? Can you do something to make sure?"
She answered me with a mocking and derisive laugh:
"That's nonsense! Everyone has a mate, unless his mate died. And if so, he would feel it. But I don't see the link thread, which means his mate hasn't reached the age of maturity and shifting yet. So don't worry about him."
I smiled broadly with joy at this news! Oh my God, this is great! We must tell him; he will truly be happy with that. Minerva hummed to me with indifference as usual.
I started to truly like her, despite her indifferent behavior and excessive mockery of everyone. She is extremely useful!