chapter 11

Louis stayed silent for several long seconds before fully grasping the meaning of the sentries' words.

Catherine… she's really dead?

No!

There's no way something like this could happen! Catherine and I only just parted—how could someone suddenly shoot her?

It had to be Catherine playing hard to get, trying to make me come back to her.

Thinking this, Louis forced down the sudden surge of panic in his chest and sneered. "As my subordinates, you actually cooperate with Catherine to lie? Do you even realize the consequences of deceiving your Alpha?

"Get her here to see me immediately, or I will never forgive her easily!"

The sentries across from him exchanged glances, each seeing the helplessness reflected in the other's eyes.

"Alpha, as sworn public sentries, we have pledged to the Moon Goddess never to lie. Ms. Erickson has indeed died, and the medical center has issued a death certificate.

"If you don't believe us, you can go to the medical center and identify the body yourself."

As the words landed, the cold indifference on Louis's face vanished instantly, his expression turning deathly pale in an instant.

His body swayed violently, and he had to brace himself against the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

If the sentries were already this serious, there was no reason to lie.

So… Catherine… she's really dead?

No!

That's impossible.

We marked each other—we're fated mates, sharing the world's most perfect soul bond…

When Louis tried to reach Catherine through their soul bond, he realized that the invisible thread that had always connected them had somehow vanished.

The void he had long tried to ignore surged over him like a tidal wave, his mind sounding alarm bells, and the pain crushed him in an instant.

"Impossible!!"

Louis roared violently, his eyes instantly blazing red, as if madness had consumed him in that moment.

"Take me to the medical center! I don't believe it, Catherine can't be dead!"

His Catherine wouldn't be harmed—she had promised him, she would never leave.

Louis transformed into a wolf and dashed toward the medical center.

All along the way, the wind howled past his ears, a torrent of emotions crashing over him, making his entire body tremble.

He desperately wished this was just one of Catherine's cruel pranks.

But when he saw her body with his own eyes, all hope shattered.

"Catherine…"

Tears streamed down Louis' face as he took a few hurried steps to her side.

He had never seen Catherine so fragile, her face pale as paper, as if she could vanish at any moment.

"Catherine, don't scare me like this. Let's not fight, okay? It's my fault for making you angry. Please… open your eyes and look at me, alright?

"Catherine, didn't you promise you'd never leave me? You can't go back on your word…"

Louis felt as if he had been trapped in a horrific nightmare, unable to believe that it was real.

The mere thought of losing Catherine forever pierced his heart with unbearable pain.

In that moment, the Alpha who once commanded fear and respect completely fell apart, utterly defenseless.

Half-kneeling before Catherine, he let his tears smear across his face. The entire room rang with his hysterical cries, and even the nearby sentries looked on with pity.

"Alpha… Ms. Erickson has passed away. Please accept our condolences."

Louis collapsed to the floor, eyes vacant, and asked, "How did Catherine die?"

"Ms. Erickson was shot multiple times. One silver bullet pierced her heart, and the silver coursed through her veins like venom. By the time she was brought in for treatment… it was already too late."

Each cruel word burned itself into Louis's mind, and he could almost feel Catherine's suffering.

He remembered the call from the medical center, and his face went pale instantly.

That had been Catherine's last call to him before she died.

At the time, the doctor urged him to sign the surgery consent, but he had thought it was Catherine playing a manipulative trick and had said those harsh, terrible words.

If I had rushed to sign the surgery consent, would Catherine still be alive?

It's my fault—I caused Catherine's death!

Despair surged in his chest, and in the next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood from sheer anguish.

"Alpha!"

Catherine… I'm sorry…

Louis's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

When he woke again, Louis felt as if his very soul had been torn away.

The agony of the severed bond plunged him into emotional isolation, and even when Avra—the one he had once cared for most—spoke to him several times, he didn't respond.

"Louis, the dead are gone. You shouldn't grieve so much. I'm sure Catherine's spirit wouldn't want to see you like this…"

Avra's face showed a hint of pity, but a glimmer of triumph flickered in her eyes.

She hadn't expected her plan to go so smoothly, directly eliminating Catherine.

At that moment, still lying on the hospital bed with a vacant stare, Louis lifted his head and asked in a low voice, "Avra… did Catherine really hire someone to assault you?"