His Abandoned Luna, Her Disabled Alpha

CHAPTER 38

Yet now she found herself unable to continue down that path.

Whether Kael intended it or not, he had done something nobody else had bothered to do. He had looked at her circumstances and questioned them.

He had demanded answers that Ivy herself no longer had the strength to ask for. Standing there in the darkness, she suddenly realized how strange it felt to see another person take a stand for her. To challenge the narrative that had been forced upon her.

The realization settled heavily in her chest.

She did not understand why Kael cared enough to come here. She did not understand why he was speaking on her behalf when they were barely even acquaintances. She also couldn't deny that perhaps she was reading too much into it.

But none of those questions mattered right now. What mattered was the simple fact that someone was willing to fight for her when she had nearly given up fighting for herself.

Even if it was only in her head, she was willing to take this chance.

Ivy slowly curled her hands into fists at her sides. The movement was weak, and every muscle in her body protested.

Her limbs still felt unbearably heavy, while exhaustion clung to her bones like chains. Even so, she remained standing.

There was something stubborn and unyielding in the way she held herself, as though a spark buried beneath layers of grief, humiliation, and despair had finally found enough air to burn again.

Across the corridor, Kael watched her in silence.

Neither of them spoke. Yet in that moment, surrounded by cold stone walls and suffocating darkness, the unspoken understanding between them felt louder than any words exchanged that night.

Alpha Victor's jaw clenched the moment Ivy spoke. Her name left his mouth like a warning dragged across sharpened steel. "Ivy..."

That single word, laced with pressure, could silence most people. It was a reminder of his authority, a final warning to stay quiet and leave the matter alone.

Yet Ivy did not lower her head.

Perhaps it was the recklessness of a newborn wolf taking its first steps into the world. Or perhaps it was the courage of someone who had already lost everything worth losing.

Whatever the reason, the constraints that once kept her obedient, no longer held the same power over her.

She met his gaze, and her shaky voice echoed off the damp, musty walls of the cell, "It wasn't my fault. It never was."

Being switched at birth wasn't her fault.

Enjoying their love and affection wasn't her fault.

Not being able to accept Emma right away wasn't her fault.

She didn't break the crown.

She didn't push Emma off the stairs.

She didn't challenge her for no reason.

Ivy didn't want to blame anyone for her sufferings. She was told from a young age that life was an uphill battle and it wasn't easy to get to the top.

If those were the challenges written in her fate, she would accept it without a single complaint. However, she could clearly see the hands behind the malice and couldn't sit still anymore.

Across the bars, Kael's gaze that never left Ivy's face, slowly travelled down her body, taking in every detail that the dim lights allowed him to see.

The fading bruises around her wrists, the cuts scattered across her exposed skin. The exhaustion carved into her face. His gaze lingered a second more on her trembling legs and he noticed the laboured rise and fall of her chest with every breath.

As if the act of standing still was taking years off her life itself.

After a moment, Kael raised his head to look at Alpha Victor, raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't believe this is the place to discuss sensitive matters."

The prince paused. His tone remained steady, not betraying whatever he felt in the deepest, hidden corner of his heart.

"We should continue his conversation somewhere else."

Only then did Alpha Victor fully understand that the situation had slipped beyond his control.

The explanation he had prepared was no longer enough. The narrative he wanted everyone to accept had already begun to c***k.

With the burden of endless thoughts on his chest, he lowered his head, forcing himself to nod.

At Kael's subtle nod, Leon stepped forward and extended his hand toward Caleb.

The head guard stared at him blankly for a moment before Leon lifted his chin and pointed toward the key hanging from Caleb's belt.

Realization dawned on him instantly. "Oh."

Flustered, Caleb hurriedly unhooked the key and placed it in Leon's palm. As he did, his hand brushed against the opposite side of his belt where he normally kept the rest of the cell keys.

His movements paused. A frown creased his forehead. The loop was empty.

Caleb instinctively looked down and checked again, but the result remained the same. The entire ring of keys was gone. His heart skipped a beat.

Just as he started retracing his steps in his mind, a familiar jingle echoed through the corridor. The sound seemed unusually loud in the silence. Caleb jerked his head up.

A ring of metal keys dangled from Leon's hand, swaying gently as he shook them once to catch the guard's attention.

For a brief moment, Caleb simply stared. He had no idea when they had disappeared from his belt.

Leon, meanwhile, looked completely unconcerned. He stepped forward, hooked the keys neatly back onto Caleb's belt loop, and gave them a light pat as if ensuring they were secure.

"I apologize for borrowing them without permission," he said pleasantly.

Caleb's mouth opened and closed twice before any words came out.

"W-When did you take them?" His voice cracked despite his best efforts.

Facing Leon felt strangely oppressive. The man carried himself with such effortless composure that Caleb could not tell whether he was being polite or making fun of him.

"That's not important, is it?" He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug before glancing toward the cell. "In the end, they proved useless anyway."

A faint trace of amusement flickered across his face. "None of them opened the door."

"Leon, hurry up."

Kael's voice was calm, yet it carried enough weight to cut through the tense atmosphere in the corridor.

Leon's attention immediately shifted from Caleb back to his master. He offered a small nod before turning toward the cell. Without wasting another second, he inserted the key into the lock and twisted it once.

A sharp click echoed through the silence.

Leon enjoyed a certain degree of freedom within the palace. When they were alone, he often acted more like a companion than a subordinate. He could speak his mind, offer advice, and even argue when necessary. Kael rarely restricted him in such matters.

Outside the palace, however, things were different.

Beyond those walls, Leon followed instructions with absolute precision. He never added his own opinions unless asked and never acted beyond what was required. If Kael gave an order, it was carried out exactly as spoken.