Chapter 11

"Your sister is beyond help. It's best for you to forget about her and move on."

His words sent Celine into a frenzy. Her heart sank, draining color from her face as if life itself had been sucked out of her.

"W—What do you mean? Did those vampires… did they murder her?" Celine's voice wavered.

…

Calhoun didn't give any definite answer, allowing Celine to draw her own conclusions as it was easier for Celine to think that her sister was dead and move on as soon as possible. 

"Answer me, please…" Celine's voice trembled as she was on the verge of crying. 

Calhoun's breath stiffened as he saw her blue eyes glazed with tears. He usually remained unaffected by the pitiful tears of women, because he had a history of them using their fake tears to deceive him, only to betray him later on. 

Yet, her tears gave an uncomfortable feeling in his heart, making him wonder if he might have gone too far. 

But what he did was for the best for this weak human.

So he numbed his heart and said, "I can't give you the details, but it's better if you move on. There is no point in hoping for her return."

Dozens of different scenarios ran wild inside Celine's mind. She imagined her sister's suffering at the hands of those vampires, picturing Monica's desperate final moments. 

Celine wondered if Monica was calling out her name as she was on her last breath. Monica relied on Celine a lot when they were young; she was a crybaby who wouldn't stop crying until Celine hugged her. 

And now that cute sister she had was gone, died under the hands of creatures that she didn't even know existed before. 

'Monica…' her world had crumbled when she knew that her sister had truly left this world. 

She was all alone now.

She had no family. She had no purpose in life. 

Celine tried to wipe her tears before she inquired more, "Then, do you know where they disposed of her body? Please tell me that she at least has a resting place so I can give her a proper funeral."

…

As Celine's tears continued to fall, Calhoun grappled with an unfamiliar sensation—guilt. It tugged at his heart, and it was difficult to dismiss. He felt extremely guilty for making this woman, his mate, cry.

'But this is for the best,' he tried to convince himself. 'She needs to move on before things spiral out of control.'

As for his guilt…

Calhoun told himself it was simply a temporary effect because she was his mate.

Once he finally found a way to erase the crescent mark binding them together, this guilt would vanish instantly. 

As Calhoun gave her no answer, Celine lost all hope and purpose in life.

"Why couldn't you save her like you saved me?" Celine's voice quivered, barely holding back sobs as she clenched the edge of the sofa.

"I am an Alpha, not a God. I can't save everyone I came across," Calhoun replied. "Celine, you need to move on."

Celine felt dizzy as she kept thinking about Monica. She nodded weakly before getting up. "Thank you for everything."

Calhoun frowned as Celine slowly headed towards the main door. It was still daylight, but that didn't mean it was completely safe for a human like her.

Calhoun couldn't hold his silence anymore. He took big steps to overtake her and stood before her, blocking the only exit.

"Where are you going?" He asked. 

"Outside," Celine replied weakly. She stared past Calhoun's body, staring at the deep woods with a warm glow from the sun. "I want to see my sister."

"I told you she is a lost cause. Move on already," Calhoun repeated.

"Move on?" Celine lifted her head, tears glistening in her blue eyes. "You don't understand, Calhoun. I practically raised my sister. She is the only family member I have left!"

Calhoun's breath stiffened.

Of course, he understood that feeling of having only one family member left, and you clung all of your hope to that person. But he lost her anyway, and now he realized that life must go on no matter what happened.

He wanted to tell Celine to tough it up and move on, but the more he stared at the crying Celine, the more excruciating it was in his heart. He clenched his fists as he was also fighting the desire to give in, a sign that he might not be strong enough to resist his own instinct. 

"I will not let you hurt yourself, Celine," Calhoun said.

Celine smiled bitterly, "I don't expect you to understand anyway. Let me leave, I have nothing to talk with you anymore."

Calhoun couldn't handle it anymore. He wished that Celine would just eat up his lie and move on because the situation with Monica was more complicated than she had imagined.

But seeing how Celine was on the verge of a breakdown, Calhoun succumbed to his guilt, his voice barely audible as he conceded, "Go to my room. There's something I need to tell you about your sister."

"What's there to tell? She is dead…"