Chapter 15: 0015
Jaxen POV
The bitter thought twisted violently in my chest.
I swallowed hard and quickly took another drink.
Then another.
I desperately wanted to drown out the memories and the suffocating pressure building inside my head.
But just as I was about to finish my third glass, Callista suddenly went pale beside me.
Her hand flew to her mouth as she gagged harshly.
"What is it?"I immediately turned toward her while her mother quickly rose to her feet.
"Are you okay, dear?" she asked worriedly, but Callista simply forced herself to swallow nothing back down as she shook her head.
"It’s not a big deal," she said weakly. "I just feel a bit nauseous. The smell of the food is... a lot."
"The baby," Elara said knowingly, a soft smile spreading across her face. "It’s perfectly normal. I went through the same thing during my pregnancy too."
"Perhaps some fresh air would help," my father suggested, giving me a stern look.
Probably because he had noticed how tipsy I was getting, and knowing him, he didn’t want me embarrassing him in front of everyone. So in a way, this walk was meant for me too.
"Yes," Elara agreed. "Jaxen, I mean... Alpha Jaxen, please accompany your wife to the balcony. I’ll have a servant bring some ginger tea."
Knowing I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, I didn’t argue.
I offered Callista my arm and she took it, her grip tighter than necessary as we walked through the crowd, past the dancers and musicians, toward the balcony doors.
The night air was cool against my face, instantly bringing a small sense of relief from the suffocating atmosphere inside.
But the second we stepped outside, Callista pulled her hand from my arm and turned her back to me as she suddenly began to sob.
My brows knitted together in confusion at the abrupt change in her mood.
I had heard pregnant women could be emotional.
Was this why?
"What’s wrong?" I asked, stepping closer to her, but she quickly moved farther away from me, sobbing even harder, making unease crawl through me.
"Is it the baby? Does it hurt anywhere?"
When she still didn’t respond, I couldn’t take it anymore.
My grip tightened around her arm and I forced her to face me.
"If you can’t tell me what’s wrong, how am I supposed to help?" I snapped, all my frustration pouring into that single moment.
But the second she flinched, I let out a heavy sigh.
Fuck... I really didn’t have the patience for this right now.
Her sobs slowly turned into sniffles as her reddened eyes met mine.
"Are you in love with my sister?" she asked so suddenly that my blood turned cold.
"What... what are you talking about?" I asked carefully, my heart suddenly racing. "It’s you I married. You’re the one carrying my child. So what makes you ask that?"
Callista’s lips trembled as she lowered her gaze.
"Ever since the sentence, you’ve been acting strange," she whispered. "Distant. Like your mind is somewhere else. And even now, when that dignitary mentioned her name, you looked completely out of place and started drinking."
"Of course I looked out of place," I replied quickly. "That woman almost hurt you and our unborn child. Any sensible husband would be stressed."
The second the words left my mouth, guilt twisted violently in my chest.
Because none of that was the real reason.
Callista stared at me silently, almost like she was trying to peel my skin open and look directly into my thoughts.
Then she suddenly wiped her tears and wrapped her arms around me.
"If that’s the case, then I’m glad," she said softly. "I can’t imagine what I would do if you actually cared about her. If all those years of her trying to ruin my life had actually worked."
Hearing that made my entire body stiffen.
"What do you mean?"
Callista pulled back slightly, her eyes wide and innocent.
"You know, I used to think you liked her whenever you went out of your way to defend her."
"If you’re talking about that incident before all of this, then you got it wrong," I said defensively. "Did you really expect me to stand there and watch you almost stab her in the face?"
And that part, at least, was true.
But instead of getting upset, Callista suddenly chuckled softly.
"That’s the thing," she said. "You only ever saw when I reacted or when my parents reacted. You never saw what she did to cause those reactions." She tilted her head slightly. "I mean, are you even aware she was treated well in the beginning? Despite the curse she carried?"
"Yes," I replied.
I might not have witnessed everything myself, but I knew she hadn’t always been treated like a maid.
"Then do you know why my parents took all those privileges away?"
I shook my head.
Even Lorelei herself had never told me why. All she ever said was that she wanted to move on from her past, so I assumed she was running from painful memories. That was why I never pushed her to talk about it.
Callista’s smile widened slightly before she let out a sad sigh.
"She tried to kill me," Callista said simply. "When we were eight years old, a boy she liked wrote me a love letter. I tried explaining that I didn’t even like him and was going to reject him anyway, but she wouldn’t listen. She got angry and pushed me, and I ended up unconscious for two days."
My eyes widened briefly.
"That could’ve been an accident," I said in Lorelei’s defense before I could stop myself. I just couldn’t picture an eight-year-old girl doing something that cruel intentionally.
"That’s what we all thought too," Callista said, tears filling her eyes again, though she quickly blinked them away. "Until one day she slit my wrist with a piece of broken glass. I barely survived."
I staggered back a step as my breathing turned heavy.
I had thought Lorelei was simply acting out because she was jealous that I got her sister pregnant.
Who would’ve thought she had been this cruel since childhood?
How the hell had I been so blind?
And all this time, Callista had been the victim.
"I’m sorry," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
"It’s not your fault," Callista said softly.
But it was.
She was my wife now, and I had been standing here feeling jealous over a woman who was no longer my mate.
"I’m sorry," I repeated, stepping closer before pulling her into my arms.
She slowly melted against me, but just as she did, a guard suddenly appeared at the balcony doorway.
"Alpha," the guard called urgently, slightly out of breath. "We need you."
"Can’t it wait?" I snapped, making him visibly flinch.
"It’s about the prisoner, Alpha. Lorelei Vance."
At the mention of her name, Callista stiffened in my arms.
"What about her?" I asked sharply.
The guard nervously glanced at Callista before looking back at me.
"Speak!" I barked.
"I’m sorry, Alpha," the guard said, his hands trembling at his sides. "But... she’s gone missing."
And at that, color instantly drained from my face.
