What happened in the Palace while the Alpha and the high ranked wolves was out, was unlooked for. Though Sophie had Hugo, it was so easy for Rebecca to infiltrate the Palace. Rebecca used the absence of the wolves to her advantage. And before Sophie could even figure it out, Rebecca succeeded.
Sophie had no memory of what had happened after she collapsed. She just woke up the same night, with different pair of clothes, and in a different room. Hugo, and unknown wolf they called a physician, and some of Edward’s trusted men were.
Her body was light. The sting on her arm was gone. She could move freely, too. She tried to ask what had happened, only to found out about Rebecca, Rousel, and Flora’s treachery….
And there was another.
“Sophie….”
Sophie did not move from her position. Nor did she budge an inch, when Axel held her on his arms. She remained silent. Her face void of any emotions. Sophie’s silence screamed the depths of her detachment. While her heart continued to beat in cold blood.
Normally, her heart would flutter at the slightest touch of the Alpha. She would magically feel the bliss by hugging him after he came home from his duties at the base. But that did not seem to be the case now.
“What happened?” Axel asked, almost a whisper. “Are you okay?”
Physically, yes.
She was a healer. Though she was harmed by the poison, she easily managed to fendit off with her ability. Her prowess negated its effect. She was saved from it.
Sophie swallowed hard.
“Sophie…” Axel called her name, but with a softer tone this time.
He shifted his position. From hugging Sophie from her back, to going on her front, to meet her eyes, and read her face. He wanted to get a better access, but still Axel was not able to decipher Sophie. She did not open to him.
“Alpha, Mr. Roce told us it would better to leave Sophie alone for now…” Hugo passed what the physician reminded them to relay to the Alpha.
“Leave Sophie alone?” Axel’s eyes sharply pointed to Hugo. “I am his mate, Hugo. What are you saying?”
“Sophie is still traumatized, she needs time, Alpha.”
Axel’s jaw thickened. “From what?”
“Alpha…”
“I’m sorry….” Hugo apologized, letting out a heavy breath. “But it’s gone…”
Axel stood up, not taking his eyes off Hugo. “What is?”
Hugo hesitated.
When Sophie heard about it, her emotions overturned. Sophie went berserk. She forcedfully talk to the physician asking for her baby. She insisted to do another check up, refusing to believe what had happened. She had gone wild. Sophie felt resentful. And without the Alpha’s presence on her side during that moment, Sophie’s emotions went disarray.
“The baby…” Hugo’s voice became faint. “The baby’s gone, Alpha.”
“No….” Axel’s shoulders slumped down. He shook her head, not believing Hugo. “Sophie’s a healer. She should be able to negate the poison…”
“Sophie was unconscious, Alpha. She was not able to--”
“Are you telling me the caster needs to be awake to be able to use her ability? The baby is inside her!”
Edward, who was listening, pitifully looked at Axel, who was trying not to believe Hugo. He felt a burden in his chest. Now, knowing the baby was dead, because of his negligence, made him feel regretful and disconsolate.
Edward swallowed hard. With a heavy heart, he closed his ears and turned around.
He came here hoping he’d receive a good news. He tried to held on with the slighest chance that neither Sophie and their baby was harmed. But hearing how things went directly from Hugo disappointed him big time.
No. Disappointment was an understatement.
“The physician managed to get the dead fetus inside Sophie. But we didn’t know what to do with it…”
Dead fetus.
It sounded like a defeaning sound repeatedly affecting the flow of Axel’s brain. Appalled, Axel stood on his position, absurdly thunderstruck with the news he least expected. He wanted to deny it. He wanted to search for Dr. Roce to gave him a detailed explanation beause suddenly hearing from it was inconceivable.
How did that even make sense? It may have been an attack, but it was a poison. Shouldn’t at least Dr. Roce be able to do anything about it? He was a physician. Sophie was a healer. That should be enough to save the baby.
But why is it dead?
Why….
Silenced engulfed the room. Hugo, who felt bad to be the one to inform the Alpha, gave him enough time to processed it. He knew it was hard to swallow. Even for the Alpha… it should be destructive. Lethal. Unbrearable.
“W… where is it?”
Axel’s lips quivered. His eyes exhibited an emotion he did not know he was capable of feeling. His heart skipped a beat. The feeling of losing someone in a way you did not expect, was a lot more painful than losing to a war. Axel had just realized it.
Axel’s eyes moved, in hope to get a sight of Sophie’s face while they talked about the agonizing incident that occurred two days ago. His breathing hitched.
“Leave us alone..” Axel ordered Hugo.
Everything was far-fetched. To both Sophie and Axel, it was a nightmare that they wanted to wake up from. It was horrible. Losing the baby Axel prayed for his whole regime, was distressing. More so, when he wasn’t even able to do anything to prevent it.
Because he focused too much on the war, not giving Teresa’s warning much attention.
“I’m sorry…” The corner of Axel’s eyes heated. He sat beside Sophie, and slowly reached for her arm with a trembling hands.
He regretted it so much.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to protect the both of you.” Axel’s voice broke.
For the first time in his entire life, Axel felt the antagonizing pain of losing someone he deeply loved. Appended by his regrets and empathic for Sophie, Axel shed tears. In Sophie’s shoulder, Axel showed his weak side he never showed to anyone else.
He carefully rubbed Sophie’s arms, crying. Until he felt Sophie’s shoulders tremble.
The Alpha’s grief reached Sophie. The sound he made while he cry became a tool to connect to Sophie, who was temporarily detached from the world. They both fell to vulnerability.
“I’m sorry…” Sophie apologized in a faint tone. “I’m sorry for being careless. I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve been---”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there…” Axel cutted him off. His hand slid down from her arm down to his hand to hold it. “I’m sorry you had to experience that without me.”
If anything, Axel did not hate Sophie. Nor did he blame her for the plight she had to go through. He knew, of all people, that if Sophie could, she would do anything to save the baby
“You don’t need to blame yoursef…” A tear fell from the Alpha’s eyes. He did not mind showing it to Sophie, who was in the same state as him. “I know…”
Sophie was afraid. She knew the baby was that someone that would make Axel happy. She feared the reaction he would make once he find out. Above all, she blamed herself for the baby’s death, as she was the bearer. The pain of losing someone she adored took a toll on Sophie mentally, that she became irrational and unstable.
What kind of mother she was to let her unborn child be harmed without even noticing it? Without being able to do something about it? She was a healer. She should’ve been able to protect her baby.
But she was incompetent. Unsuitable. Uncapable.
“Axel…” Sophie started sobbing. “I wasn’t able to do anything….”