Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 93

Hades

After a long day buried in royal duties, I finally stepped into my study, the door shutting behind me with a heavy thud that echoed in the silence. The dim light of the desk lamp cast a warm glow over the piles of paperwork still awaiting my attention. Trade agreements, defense proposals, diplomatic correspondences—all meticulously stacked but untouched. They demanded my focus, my decisions, my signature. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, my mind wasn’t on the intricate web of politics or the kingdom’s affairs.

It was on her. Ellen.

I dropped into my chair with a weary sigh, leaning back as my eyes wandered to the stack of letters marked urgent and the thick financial reports I had barely skimmed this morning. Normally, I’d have been consumed by the intricacies of balancing the kingdom’s budget or negotiating trade routes. But today, even the most pressing matters couldn’t hold my attention.

Instead, all I could think about was the way she had looked at breakfast this morning—radiant and self-assured, a far cry from the vulnerable woman I was accomtommed with. The coral lipstick, the faint blush when Kael had spoken to her, the way her laughter had filled the room—it was maddening. She’d barely looked at me, and when she had, it was with cool detachment, as though I were nothing more than a figurehead in her life.

I clenched my fists, the leather of the armrests groaning under the pressure. Cerberus stirred restlessly beneath my skin, his frustration mirroring my own. She was punishing me. I should have laughed, because it was funny.

My gaze drifted to the window, where the night stretched endlessly, the moon a sliver in the dark sky. What was she doing now? Still in the library, surrounded by those damn books that seemed to offer her more comfort than I ever could? Or perhaps she was with Jules again, sharing those quiet smiles and hushed conversations that were beginning to feel like shards of glass between my ribs.

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. This wasn’t envy. It couldn’t be. I was the king. I had no reason to feel threatened by my second-in-command or a damn library. But the memory of her leaning toward Jules, her laughter soft and genuine, refused to leave me.

I leaned forward, picking up the topmost document on the stack in a futile attempt to distract myself. It was a treaty proposal from the Northern regions, outlining terms for an contract. But as I scanned the neatly typed words, they blurred together, meaningless and hollow. The image of Ellen’s guarded smile, her defiance, her damn independence—it consumed me.

Cerberus growled low in my chest, a primal sound of frustration and agitation.

With a growl, I shoved the papers aside, sending a few fluttering to the floor. My patience was razor-thin, and my thoughts were a tangled web of anger and confusion. I couldn’t let this spiral continue. I needed answers. Or at the very least, I needed to see her—to confirm she was where she said she’d be.

Crossing the room, I activated the screen on the wall, a panel that controlled the CCTV feeds across the Tower vicinity. The gym should have been empty by now, save for Ellen.

With a few taps, the cameras flickered to life, showing empty hallways, and finally, the gym. My jaw tightened as I cycled through the feeds.

Nothing. No sign of her.

The pristine training space was exactly as it should have been: dumbbells neatly racked, machines untouched, and not a single soul in sight. My fists curled at my sides, the leather of my gloves creaking as Cerberus growled louder in my chest, his frustration feeding my own.

She lied.

The realization settled heavily, like a lead weight in my stomach. Ellen had lied to me. It shouldn’t have mattered. I had a pack to rule, an endless stream of problems to address, and yet... the betrayal felt personal, sharp enough to cut.

I checked the cameras in our shared bedroom but of course it was empty.

I lit a cigarette after that I could take a breath and began to pace the room, my mind racing. Where was she, then? And with who? My thoughts circled back to her kidnapping, an anvil easy forming in my gut. I shook away the suspion. It was impossible. I had doubled security and changed every key card. She was safe..

"Why does it matter?" I muttered under my breath, though the words felt hollow. It mattered because she mattered. Because, despite the walls she had built around herself, I had grown accustomed to breaking through them, to seeing the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide. And now, she was shutting me out.

Cerberus clawed at my control, a deep growl vibrating through me. I couldn’t sit idle, not with the possibility that she was somewhere—anywhere—with someone else. My hand hovered over the screen again, ready to search the other cameras, but I stopped myself. What was I doing? Was this jealousy? Or paranoia?

My breath came hard and fast as I fought to center myself. I wasn’t the type to be consumed by irrationality. But the i6dea of her out there, laughing and smiling with someone who wasn’t me, felt like a slap to the face. Not like she did much laughing with me, yet...

"Dammit, Red," I hissed, slamming my fist against the desk, the impact reverberating through the room.

Wherever she was, whatever she was doing, she wasn’t here. And that fact alone was enough to drive me mad. Then suddenly, it popped into my head. She wanted to learn to fight, but I had disallowed it. Was she defiant enough to go behind my back? To do exactly what she knew would provoke me? Of course she was. That stubborn fire was as much a part of her as the defiant tilt of her chin or the quiet strength in her eyes.