Chapter 145: Ashes and Truth

Words : 1376 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 145: Ashes and Truth Zane~ There are moments when fury feels like fire licking at the inside of your ribs—quiet, burning, relentless. That was me. That was now. Abel and Roland’s words still echoed in my skull, each one driving in like a nail. I stood motionless, hands clenched by my sides as Red paced furiously inside me. He snarled like a caged beast, aching for blood. My chest rose and fell with measured rage as I stared at the folder laid out on my desk. "She told me a part of this," I said, voice rough. "Natalie told me about her mother’s disappearance. About how her father begged Darius for help and was denied. She said her father disobeyed orders to go after her mother—and that’s why he was branded a traitor and then killed." "And that’s what we all believed," Abel replied, his tone dark. "But there’s more." My eyes flicked to him sharply. "What do you mean more?" Abel shifted, reluctant. Then he reached for another folder from the corner of the desk. His hands were slow, almost reverent. "Yesterday," he said carefully, "I was contacted by one of Darius’s former enforcers. He wants to remain anonymous. The man said the truth’s been clawing at his insides for years. Said he needed to tell someone who’d listen." "And you listened?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. "I did. And what he told me changes everything, Your Highness." Red was still inside me, tense and ready, his growl low and steady. Abel continued, "The enforcer swore on the Goddess—he said Evan Cross did everything right. That Evan planned the entire royal visit down to the last detail. Security. Hospitality. Escort schedules. Even the seating arrangement. Everything was perfect." I frowned. "Then what went wrong?" "Evan met with his Gamma—Kevin Norman—that day, just before the ceremony started," Abel said, his voice dropping lower. "He told Kevin that he had an emergency to handle and asked him to step in and manage the rest." "Okay..." I murmured. "But here’s the thing," Abel said, holding up a hand. "Right after Evan left, things started falling apart. Guards didn’t show. Carriages were misrouted. The feast was delayed. The entire ceremony unraveled in minutes. The pack looked like a disaster. Evan was nowhere to be found, and neither was Gamma Kevin." I blinked, trying to digest what he was saying. "You’re telling me the Gamma ran?" "Disappeared," Abel said grimly. "Gone. No one ever talked about it. Everyone just blamed Evan." "Let me get this straight." My voice was low and icy. "You’re saying the preparations were flawless. Evan handed things off responsibly. But after he left, someone sabotaged everything... and Kevin vanished?" Abel nodded slowly. "And all the blame fell on Evan," I whispered. My mind was spinning, connecting pieces that had always seemed jagged and meaningless before. "So this wasn’t some mistake. It was a setup." Red roared in my head, savage and enraged. "They butchered them, Zane. They made it look like justice—but it was murder." "Abel," I said, looking him dead in the eyes, "Are you telling me that Evan Cross and Princess Katrina might’ve been killed—not as punishment—but because someone wanted them dead?" Abel didn’t speak at first, but his silence said enough. Eventually, he nodded. "I believe so. And that enforcer thinks so too." I turned away, pacing as the storm rose inside me. My boots thudded against the floor like thunderclaps. My heart was pounding, wild with fury. I gripped the edge of my desk so hard the wood cracked beneath my fingers. "She lost everything," I growled. "They called her the daughter of traitors. Branded her. Banished her. All while ignorant that she was royalty. My goddess, she was a princess—and they threw her into the dirt." "I didn’t realize it went this deep," Abel muttered. "But this can’t be buried. The king has to know. We have to tell him." I looked up sharply, eyes hard. "Not yet." "Your Highness—" I cut him off, voice hardening like steel. "I said not yet. Natalie hears this first. From me. No one else." As if summoned by fate itself—or maybe the Moon Goddess had perfect timing—her voice came through the mind link, delicate as a breeze but laced with urgency and that soft sweetness only she could carry. "Zane... I’m going to appear in front of you in a few seconds. Please don’t freak out. I need to see you. We need to talk. Now." Even in my mind, her voice soothed something raw inside me. I didn’t hesitate. "Okay, my love," I replied without thinking, heart suddenly pounding. "I’m ready." A single heartbeat passed. Then came the ripple in the air—a shimmer of energy, like the very fabric of space rearranged itself just to bring her to me. She appeared in the center of my private chamber like a vision pulled from a dream—or maybe a storm wearing human skin. Natalie. She didn’t need an entrance to be dramatic. The wind shifted when she was near, the light seemed to bend toward her, and my entire damn soul responded to her presence. She stood tall by the window, sunlight pouring around her like a spotlight from the gods. That sweet, broken girl I’d once met was long gone. The woman in front of me was fire—fierce, unafraid, and breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes met mine—fierce, blazing, untamed. And still, soft. Still mine. "Hi," she said, her voice sounded small, but every syllable wrapped itself around my heart. "Hi," I echoed, my voice lower, thick with many feelings. We just stood there, eyes locked, time slowing down until it didn’t feel real anymore. My heartbeat drummed in my ears, loud and aching. And then—we moved. No words. Just motion. Pure instinct. Raw emotion. I closed the space between us and caught her in my arms like I’d been waiting to breathe. Her hands found my face, mine curled tightly around her waist. Our lips met with desperate urgency, like the universe had kept us apart too long. She tasted like warmth and chaos and everything I never thought I’d feel again. I buried a hand in her hair as she clung to me, like she was afraid I’d vanish. "I missed you," she whispered between kisses. "I missed you more," I breathed back, forehead resting against hers. "Every damn second." We pulled apart just slightly, both breathless and flushed. That’s when she noticed we weren’t alone. Natalie blinked, and her fiery confidence flickered—for just a second—into that soft shyness I still adored. She turned, eyes widening slightly as she caught sight of Abel and Roland. "Oh—uh... hi," she said, cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. "I didn’t realize..." Roland gave her a warm smile. "Hello, Natalie." Abel nodded with a small, respectful bow. "Always a pleasure." She gave a little wave, her fingers still tangled in mine. "Nice to see you both here." But then her eyes fell. To the table. And everything changed. Her gaze locked onto the documents and photos—some black and white, some in harsh color, every one of them screaming with memories and secrets. Her expression hardened instantly, that spark in her eyes snapping to a sharp edge. "Zane," she said slowly, voice tighter now, serious. "What’s going on?" She stepped toward the table, her fingers hovering over a photo—one of a smiling woman with her hair tied up, standing beside a man with proud eyes. Isla Cross and Evan. Her parents. Natalie turned back to me, her voice quieter but sharper, trembling at the edge. "Why are there pictures of my mom and dad on this table? Why does it feel like you’re all about to tell me something that’s going to break me?" I inhaled slowly, walking over to her and placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Because, Natalie..." I said, voice deep and trembling with restrained rage and something even heavier—grief, maybe. "You deserve to know the truth. All of it." Her eyes searched mine. Fierce. Fragile. Ready. And I knew in that moment—I would burn down kingdoms if it meant keeping that light in her eyes alive. And now... I had more than enough reason to start the fire.

Chapter 145: Ashes and Truth

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