The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter-Chapter 41: The Kingdom or Her

Zane~

The silence in my office was deafening.

I sat in my leather chair, staring blankly at the glass of whiskey in my hand, swirling the amber liquid in slow circles. The room felt colder, emptier, as if something vital had just been ripped away. And maybe it had.

Natalie had ran out crying.

And it was my fault.

My hands curled into fists on the desk as Red stirred uneasily inside me. His presence was a force, his emotions intertwining with mine, amplifying my turmoil.

"You should have stopped her."

I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Stopped her and done what?"

"Anything. Everything."

Red growled lowly, frustrated, but he had no answer. Neither did I.

I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling a slow, frustrated breath. My mind raced with a thousand thoughts, each one clashing with the next. I hadn’t meant to hurt her—I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. But dammit, I couldn’t ignore what I had learned.

Natalie had secrets. Big ones. And she’d kept them from me.

I had been so proud of her earlier today. She had passed her exams, and for the first time since I met her, I had seen true joy on her face. I had felt it too. A strange, unfamiliar warmth had settled in my chest, watching her celebrate and also play with Alexander.

Then Abel had walked in.

The heaviness of his words still sat like a bolder on my shoulders.

"Natalie is Evan Cross’s daughter."

I had barely reacted at first. Evan Cross—Alpha Darius’s former Beta. A traitor, according to every official record. But that wasn’t what made my stomach turn. I could have overlooked that. I knew better than to trust historical records, especially when they were written by victors. I had heard enough whispers about Alpha Darius, and none of them were good. Also I had also witnessed his cruelty up close. Besides, Natalie had been a child when all that happened. It wasn’t her fault. What disappointed me was the fact that Natalie had known and still kept it from me. I had spent months ensuring she was protected from Darius, and she hadn’t even thought of telling me she had a direct connection to him.

Still, I could have looked past it as well.

But then Natalie herself had delivered the final blow.

"I didn’t mask my scent... If I could mask scents, I would have masked Alpha Darius’s scent on me a long time ago."

Those words had made me realize something I hadn’t even considered as a possibility before that minute. Natalie was wolfless. That had been the real dagger.

A wolfless werewolf.

I clenched my jaw, my fingers tightening around the glass. If the world found out that I had harbored a wolfless werewolf in my home—if my father found out—it wouldn’t just be a scandal. It would be the kind of thing that could bring down my entire future and reshape the kingdom.

In our world, being a wolfless werewolf was a curse—an unforgivable flaw. They were known as outcasts, the forsaken children of the goddess. A century ago, wolves like Natalie would have been slaughtered without question, until my mother forced my father to sign the law that put an end to the bloodshed. But a law couldn’t erase centuries of hatred. And now, as the heir to the throne, my destiny had been carved in stone. My entire life was meticulously shaped to ensure that nothing—absolutely nothing—stood between me and my rightful place as king.

And now this.

I groaned, shutting my eyes as Red kept stirring restlessly inside me.

"We can’t just leave her alone in her pain, go talk to her," Red growled.

"She made things turn out this way by not telling me the truth sooner," I shot back.

"You frightened her in the very beginning and that’s why she folded."

"I had no choice then, I thought she was sent by Nathan."

Red huffed, but before he could argue further, a sound from outside my office made me tense.

Crying.

Loud, heartbroken sobs.

And then a familiar voice.

"Alexander, please, calm down—"

I shot up from my chair, my heart pounding.

The moment I yanked open the door, I was met with the sight of my son thrashing in Nora’s arms, his face streaked with tears.

"Let me go!" Alex screamed, kicking at her.

"Don’t touch me!"

"Alex!" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but the second he saw me, he bolted toward me, throwing himself into my arms.

"Daddy!" His little body shook violently against mine. "She’s gone! She’s gone! I can’t find her anywhere!"

I stiffened. My stomach dropped.

"Who?" I forced out, even though I already knew the answer.

"Mummy Natalie!" he sobbed. "She’s not in her room! She’s gone, Daddy! She left me!"

My blood ran cold.

No.

I turned sharply to Nora. "Check her room. Now."

Nora hesitated, her face pinched with worry, but nodded and rushed down the hall. I followed close behind, Alexander still clinging to me.

When we reached her room, my chest tightened.

It was empty.

Her bags and clothes were still there but she wasn’t there.

Alex’s sobs grew louder, his tiny fingers twisting into my shirt. "She promised," he choked out. "She said she wouldn’t leave me! Where is she?!"

My heart clenched.

I immediately sent out a mind link to Abel and Roland.

"Find Natalie. Now."

A few minutes later, Abel and Roland stormed into the living room.

"We checked with the guards," Roland said, his face grim. "She didn’t leave through the main gate."

I cursed under my breath.

"Then where the hell did she go?"

I was already forming orders in my head, ready to send out search teams, when I felt a soft hand on mine.

"Zane."

I turned.

Nora.

Her expression was unreadable, but there was something... knowing in her eyes.

"We need to talk. Alone."

I hesitated, glancing down at Alex, who was still gripping me like I would disappear too if he let me go.

Abel stepped forward. "I can take him—"

"No!" Alex screamed, thrashing again. "Don’t touch me!"

I sighed heavily. "Take him to his room. Gently."

Abel gave me a wary look but nodded. As soon as he lifted Alexander into his arms, my son shrieked, pounding his tiny fists against Abel’s chest.

"Mummy Natalie!" His cries echoed down the hall as Abel carried him away. "I want my Mummy!"

Guilt stabbed through me like a cold knife but I forced myself to look back at Nora.

"What’s wrong?"

Once the room was empty, Nora took a deep breath.

"I know you care about Natalie," she started. "And I know you’re worried about her. But my love... you have to think about yourself first."

I frowned. "What in the goddess’s name are you talking about?"

She exhaled sharply. "You know what happens to wolfless werewolves in our world. They’re considered cursed. Untouchable. And stripped of any shard of dignity. You’re the next king Zane." She took a step closer. "If the kingdom finds out you’ve been harboring someone like her—protecting someone like her—they’ll reject you. They’ll believe the goddess has turned her back on you too."

I clenched my jaw, but she wasn’t done.

"If the king finds out... he’ll cover it up. He has to. And the only way to cover it up is to get rid of Natalie permanently." Her voice lowered. "You know what that means."

A cold wave of realization hit me.

If my father found out about Natalie... he’d send someone to kill her.

A heavy silence stretched between us. I could barely breathe past the weight of it.

Finally, I exhaled.

"Are you saying she’s better off gone."

"I’m saying you are." Nora’s voice softened. "And so is she."

I sat down heavily on the couch, rubbing my temples.

I hated this.

I hated every second of it.

But deep down, I knew she was right.

Natalie deserved a life free from this. And if staying away from me gave her that, then... maybe this was for the best.

But Alex—

I swallowed hard. "What about Alexander? Nora, you know how much he needs her. If Natalie doesn’t come back, he might spiral."

Nora exhaled, her voice softer but firm. "He’ll be fine, Zane. He’s just a kid. He’ll grow out of it."

I wasn’t so sure.

But after everything I had fought for, everything I had sacrificed, there was no other choice. It was the kingdom or her.

With a heavy heart, I sent a final mind link to Abel and Roland.

"Call off the search."

"What?" Roland’s shock was instant.

"It’s over. We don’t need to look anymore."

Red stirred inside me, a low growl vibrating through my chest. "This isn’t right."

"I know," I muttered. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

But it was too late.

Natalie was gone.

And deep in my soul, I knew—I would never be the same again.