“Thalia hasn’t left the pack since the incident; I don’t think she is behind this,” Kaius said, his voice uncertain despite his words.
Hear me out. Thalia has every reason to hate you. Do you remember the deal you never kept your part to? Or the fact that after 1 left she might have hoped you would finally make a move, but you didn’t. The pieces were coming together in my mind, a puzzle 1 hadn’t known needed solving.
“She seems to have moved on,” Kaius replied, but I could hear the doubt creeping into his voice.
“That might be what she wants you to think. Do you really think she could move on after everything? She did sacrifice a lot, but of course that’s just a speculation. Even as I spoke, I became more cominced, Thalia’s ambition, her ruthlessness, her hatred when Kaius chose me instead of her–jt all made perfect sense,
Kaius was quiet for a long moment, considering. I’ll keep a close eye on her, he finally said. His gaze shifted, something new entering his expression. “We can’t keep you hidden here forever, I wonder if you are ready to officially meet the pack once again.”
The implication was clear–he was assuming I would stay. “Kaius, this is not and would never be my home,” I said, needing to establish that boundary.
“I didn’t mean anything I said back then, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. I hurt you and deserve every last bit of the punishment, but I can’t let you go.” The naked honesty in his voice startled me.
“Why Kaius? Why do you want to bring me back to the things I had tried so hard to forget? I cannot stay here; my mother must be so worried.” I thought of her back at Storm Wardens, how frantic she must be not knowing what had happened to me.
“Then she could come live here; it would all be like it once was,” he suggested, a hopeful note entering his voice.
“She would never come back here; she had always hated this place, and more than ever, she abhors it.” I remembered my mother’s face when we first arrived at Ophelia’s house, the deep–seated loathing for everything associated with Ravenhollow.
“If you’d let me, I could talk to her; I could make her see reasons to stay here.”
I shook my head. “Is not just that. I made a deal with Kieran. He had played his part, and it is my turn to do mine.” My fingers found the moonstone ring, a physical reminder of my promise.
“Is that why you are marrying him, as part of a deal?” Kaius’s voice hardened slightly.
“Yes, but more to that, he would never hurt me as you did; I would always be good enough for him. The words were meant to wound, and from the flicker in his eyes, they hit their mark.
“You were always good enough,” he said softly, his amber eyes holding mine.
“We’re not in the same cycle. You know it; I know it, and everyone else does too.” I looked away, unable to bear the intensity of his
gaze.
“What cycle do you speak about?”
“We are not meant to be, and maybe that’s why everything seemed to be against us all the time. It felt like a fundamental truth, something I’d always known but never fully admitted.
“No, the fact that you are here makes it even more clearer. He leaned forward, his conviction unwavering.
“I led the attack on your pack; I didn’t come back to see you.” Even to my own ears, the protest sounded weak.
1/2
Chapter 198
“Are you sure?” His voice dropped lower. “You can’t deny a part of you had wanted to go against all odds; a part of you did want to meet me again, even after everything.”
“And what if you are wrong?” I challenged, my heart racing..
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