<SHARE
The gun felt heavy in my hand, its cold metal almost burning against my palm. I stared at Dorian–broken, chained, yet somehow still alive. The man who had caused me so much pain was now completely at my mercy,
I stepped into the cell, the door clanging shot behind me, Kalus remained outside, watching through the bars like some dark spectator at a gladiator match.
“Elowen?” Dorian caked.
“Shut the fuck up,” I spat, raising the gun. My hand trembled slightly but 1 forced it steady.
know what I’ve done to you. I know I
I’ve caused you so much pain
I cut him off with a vicious slap that snapped his head sideways. The sharp crack echoed in the small cell. Blood immediately welled from his split lip, dripping onto his dirty shirt.
“You don’t know shit,” I hissed, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back. “You have no fucking idea what you did to me.”
I struck him again, harder, my knuckles connecting with his chockbone. The skin split on impact, blood spattering across the damp stone floor. The physical release felt good–too goddamn good.
“Please, Elowen,” he gasped, blood bubbling between his lips. “You’re not like them.”
I laughed, the sound harsh and wild. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’ve always been.”
I drove my fist into his stomach, feeling the air whoosh out of him as he doubled over, retching. When he tried to straighten, I backhand–slapped him so hard my palm stung. A tooth flew from his mouth, skittering across the floor.
“You took my baby from me, you motherfucker!” I screamed, unable to contain the fury anymore. “You blamed me for losing our child when YOU weren’t there! You were fucking that bitch instead of answering my calls!”
He spat blood onto the floor. “My mother… she wouldn’t let me
“Bullshit!” I slapped him again, leaving a perfect red handprint on his cheek. “Don’t you dare blame your mother!”
“It’s true,” he gasped between bloody coughs. “My mother orchestrated everything you suffered in the pack. I’m ready to die, but you deserve to hear the truth first.”
I pressed the gun against his temple, digging the barrel into his skin Keep talking. Make it good. This might be your last chance”
Dorian struggled to a sitting position, leaning against the wall for support. Blood dripped from his split lip, smearing cross his chin as he spoke..
“My mother controlled everything, everyone… Including me. When I met you at that ball, the bond was instant–I’d never felt anything like it.”
I slapped him hard across his already bruised face. “Fucking liar.”
He
didn’t flinch. “I was going to announce you as my mate that night Mother pulled me aside. Said an Alpha couldn’t have mate, that your mother’s slave status would destroy our family’s standing.”
p a weak
“I should have stood up to her,” he continued, spitting blood onto the floor. “But I was weak. When I asked for time, it wasn’t to hide you–it was to make her accept you.”
1/2
“Billshit,” I hissed, but the whom was fudding from my voice.
“She moved Inst. Introduced Selene, sprend rumors about our childhood romance. Before I knew it, she announced our engagement.”
I grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me. “Then why not tell me Why let me suffer thinking I wasn’t enough?
She threatened to have you and your mother exiled, he whispered. thought keeping you close, even secretly, was protecting you.”
His voice cracked as he continued. “The night you lost our baby… was with Selene because Mother had insisted on a public appearance. The storm wasn’t predicted–none of us knew how bad it would get. When I saw your missed calls, I tried to leave immediately.”
“But you d
didn’t come,” I said, the memory of that night still raw.
Tears streamed down his face, mingling with blood and dirt. “Mother intercepted me at the door. She knew–somehow she knew you were pregnant. She said it would ruin everything, that a child would make our bond impossible to break.”
I wanted to hate him, I really did. And I told myself his sob story about being trapped was just a story. But damn it, what if there was a shred of truth?
“She had men stationed outside, blocking my way. By the time I managed to get to you…” He covered his face with his hands. “T found you unconscious in a pool of blood. Our baby was gone. And I could think was that if I had been braver, if I had stood up to her sooner, none of it would have happened.”
After that night, something in me broke. I couldn’t fight anymore. et Mother’s poison spread, let her tum me into someone I didn’t recognize. I became cruel to mask my guilt, blamed you because I couldn’t face my own failures.”
He looked up at me, his eyes hollow with grief. “When Kaius claimed you at the ball, I was furious–not because he was taking you from me, but because he wasn’t afraid to claim you publicly. He didn’t care what others thought, didn’t let anyone’s opinion weaken his resolve.”
The gun felt heavier in my hand, my finger trembling on the trigger. How easy it would be to end him. To silence this story that threatened to complicate my hatred.
“I deserve whatever you choose to do to me, Elowen. My weakness cost us everything–our child, our to pull that trigger, I won’t blame you. I just needed you to know the truth before you did ”
, your trust. If you want
Chapter Comments
