Hays hail passed since the execution. My guilt crushed me, suffocating me at night and haunting my every step during the day. The girl’s terrified eyes followed me through my nightmares. Her face, cuptorted in that final moment of understanding, flashed before me whenever I closed my eyes.
How could I live with the knowledge that an innocent girl had died my mothers place? That her blood stained my hands just as surely as if I’d wielded the blade myself?
Kalus had noticed my distress these past days. One morning at breakfast, he suddenly announced, “We’re visiting Layna’s family today.
I nearly dropped my fork. “Why would we do that?” I asked, though side I felt both grateful and guilty. Grateful for the chance to face the family whose lives were destroyed because of me, and guilty because I was the reason for their suffering.
Because you need
closure,” he replied simply. “And they deserve out respect,”
Hours later, we stood before a modest dwelling on the outskirts of the pack territory. Frost had joined us, his presence a silent support 1 desperately needed yet felt I didn’t deserve.
Layna’s mother opened the door – a small woman with the same dark hair and delicate features her daughter had possessed. Her eyes widened at the sight of us.
Alpha Kalus, she whispered, dropping into a hasty curtsy, “Luna Eleven. Please, come in.”
n in time, a reminder of what The home was humble but meticulously kept, Family photos adorned the walls – Layna’s smile frozen had been lost. A young man with Layna’s eyes glared at us from the Utchen doorway before disappearing.
“Rowan,” Layna’s mother murmured apologetically. “He’s taking it hard.“
We settled in the small living room, an awkward silence falling. Frost moved to sit beside Layna’s mother, his presence seemingly comforting to her.
“Luna,” she began hesitantly, “would you mind if we spoke privately for a moment?”
I glanced at Kaius, who nodded his permission. Following her into a mall adjoining room, I steeled myself for accusations, for hatred.
Instead, she gestured for me to sit beside her on a worn sofa.
“I wanted to know… if you knew my daughter Layna on a more personal level?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Guilt threatened to choke me, “Not really, but she is a part of us,” I replied, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue.
She nodded, eyes distant. “She spoke a lot about you–she believes you being with Kalus is a complete twist, one we never expected.”
My heart raced. Maybe she too had experienced the pain and struggle of wolves from different ranks being together. Perhaps she understood how difficult it was to love someone when society said you shouldn’t.
“I don’t know how she was ever capable of going against the Alpha King… her mother continued, shaking her head. “I fell so disappointed; I had not expected such a thing from a girl like her; she was always so calm.”
The unfairness of it all hit me anew. Layna hadn’t done anything wrong–she’d been sacrificed for my happiness.
“What if there had been a reason?” I suggested gently. “What if there is more to this that we both don’t know about? I say you hold
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Chapter 92
onta het memories, the gooil Mues. From the little I knew about her cannot judge her,”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I can’t believe she is gone.
“Neither can 1,” I whispered, my own eyes burning.
know she is a good person; whatever her reason might be, we
She reached for my hand, surprising me with her gentle touch. I want you to know… I don’t blame him, the said, her mice steady despite her tears. “He did what he must; it is a part of his duty; at least he let us bury her body.”
Her forgiveness felt like knives in my chest. She didn’t know her daughter was innocent. Didnt know her child had died for a crime she never committed.
I don’t care what any other p
person says,” she added, squeezing my hand. “I think you are the best Luna this pack has ever gotten
I couldn’t speak. The lump in my throat grew until I thought I might suffocate on my own guilt. This woman – this grieving mother – thought I was worthy of respect, of admiration, when I was complicit in her daughter’s murder
When we finally left, I felt hollowed out, scraped raw from the inside Kaius’s hand at the small of my back was both comfort and torture. How could I love the man who had killed an innocent girl for me?
Several days after our visit to Layna’s family, I spotted Frost in the pack dining hall. He sat at a table with a young she–wolf I didn t recognize – a pretty thing with copper hair and a musical laugh. Something about the way she leaned toward him, the way her fingers brushed his arm, made my stomach clench with an emotion refused to name.
I observed them throughout the meal, barely touching my own food. When Frost finally rose to leave, I intercepted him near the doorway.
“Frost,” I said, my voice sounding strange to my own cars.
His eyes met mine, cool and distant. “Luna.“
“I’d like to speak to you,” I said, hating how formal we’d become.
is with
“Lead the way,” he replied, giving a small nod to the copper–haired woman, who watched us open curiosity.
I led him back to my chambers–my and Kaius’s chambers confident that the Alpha would be occupied with duties for hours yet. The room felt strange with Frost in it, as if the space itself were confused by his presence.
Trost, what’s going on with you?” I asked once the door closed behind us.
an?” His expression remained carefully neutral
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. You rarely ever visit; Kaius had said you’ve been engaged.” I stepped closer, needing to breach the invisible wall beeen us. You seem so cold, so distant, and that is very unlike you.”
“I had been engaged, he acknowledged with a slight shrug.
“Who is the new girl?” The question slipped out before I could stop it
flicker of something – amusement? irritation? – crossed his features.
“You do know you can’t have us both.”
