Chapter 68
After hearing that Dane is not a member of the Apex circle, no one feels the sting of disappointment more than I do. And yet, somehow, I’m the one everyone blames for the betrayal.
How is this my Lault: 1 don’t even communicate was lum. Every interaction I’ve fast with Dane since I left frondaw Pack has been against my will.
Who could be behind this? And how do I pr
prove my innocencet
Who here has enough contact with Dane to help him infiltrate the Apex cicle? The thought of him still being tied to me in any way makes my Blood boil
He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t get to win after ruining me afer tamishng my name and my reputation. The Moon Goddess most be laughing at me because there’s no other explanation for this madness, les cruel, and 1 hate her for it. What kind of sick game is thist
I thought the Apex circle doesn’t accept fools. So how did this one manage to get past them? And yet, This the one being blamed.
I don’t know who’s responsible, int I can feel it–this has Mary’s name written all over it. Every disaster here always traces back to her somehow,
I already feel sick the day before the terrible accusations came my way. When they hit, they shatter me into pieces. Sering Deckard’s fury directed: ame–me–breaks something inside. I’ve witnessed his rage before, but never has it been aimed at me.
My wolf feel the blow even harder. He’s so furious thn, for a moment, I believe he’s capable of hurting me over something I know absolutely nothing about
And then he accuses me of being involved in the attack at the Apes ceremony. The sheer absurdity of ind
When Deckard looks at me with rage in his eyes, ready to unleash his wrath, a haunting flash overtakes me. My ex–husband’s face replaces his thase moments of assault replay themselves vividly in my mind. The way Dane ised to hit me. It’s all there again.
This is Deckard. He’s never been gentle. His strength and rublewness have abrays been his shield. Of course, he would by his hands on me. Of course, be’s no different from the man who broke me before.
Ezra is petrified. She trembles. How can the one I call mate do this? How can fate be so cruel as to throw me into the same nightmare again! Are they all the same1
He’s going to strike me. I can see it. And once it starts, it won’t stop–not unless I leave this place.
But then he doesn’t
To my
ny shock, Deckard hesitates. His hand never falls, Instead, he turns and commands that 1 be locked in a room.
Fear consumes me. Heartbreak And sadness–ileep, soul–crushing sadness–engulfs me whole.
It feels like a curse, a steady shadow haunting my every step.
Tears streak down my face as I sit in the suffocating silence, searching for answers, desperate for a way to prove my innocence. But deep down no one would believe me. They never do
Suddenly. My body shivers uncontrollably, goosebumps rising in waves. I grab a blanket, trying to ward off the cold, but it’s useless. This fun’t nomal. This isn’t natural.
to steady mysel
The room spins as I attempt to steady myself, my legs weak beneath me. I stumble toward the door, hoping for some esca ic, darkness crashes over me
Bun before I can trach
When my eyes open again, I’m somewhere else. The old healer, Martha, is there, her weathered face a mix of concern and calm. Bria’s worried eyes dart toward ine, but it’s the sight of him–Deckard-
“Oh, fuck” 1 whisper under my breath, my voice harely audible.
Before I can process what’s happening, Deckard moves toward me,
e, pulling me into a hug—warn, strong, and comforting. Why? Why does in feel
genuine!
My mind screams at me to pushi
sat me to push him as raw and unguarded
away, to reject his touch. But something in the way he holds me it feels real
it—the sincerity in his eyes.
Chapter 68
Mary stands a few feet away, arguing with the healer about something I don’t care to hear. Her voice grates on me, lot 1 let it fade into the background. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. None of this does.
1 zone out, my mind heavy with exluustion. This place, these people, this life–it’s all too much. Darse has ruined my name so completely. It doesn’t matter what I say or do; no one will believe me. Not even the title of Lama holds any weight anymore.
I wish I could vanish. Just disappear to some place where no one knows me. A chance to start over without the baggage of my past following me like
And then there’s Mary. Always there. Lurking Watching, Ploning. She thrives on my downfall, feeding off every humiliation that comes at me. She is threatened by me, though I don’t understand why Deckard don’t want me I’m here out of obligation, nothing more. She still shares his bed- he’s hers in every way that counts. So why can’t she leave me in peace!
She won’t stop until I’m unerly destroyed. And that’s why I can’t let my guard down. Mary is not innocent in any of this. I can feel it. She’s involved
In some way.
What if she’s aligned herself with Done! It’s absurd, I know, but I can’t ignore the possibility. She’d do anything to see me fall. She’d even make deals with devils if it meant driving the final rail into my coffin.
After I finally get out of intensive care. I stay quiet, lost in thought; Deckard has been acting strange–playing the role of a caring partner, which he’s not. I see through it. He’s only pretending because he’s terrified of what it would mean for his reputation if I were to die under his prosection. It’s not out of concern for nie. It never has been
He thinks I’m a traitor, a liar. He believes the work of me, and there’s an changing his mind.
We’re having dinner tonight, as required by this cursed condition that’s tied my life to his. I hate it. I can’t even storm off or make a decision out of spite because the consequences would be fatal.
The dinner setup is odd. If i didn’t know better. I’d say this is a romantic dinner; Candlelight, a perfectly arranged table–it’s too intimate to be casual. But there’s no way this was Deckard’s idea. Someone else must have put this together
cared about
What’s even stranger in Deckard himself. He’s trying to offer me chocolates and cherries like we’re a normal couple. Since when has he ca what I like?
And now, because I refuse to talk to him, he’s flaring up, his cemper showing through his polished facade
I can’t hold it in anymore. All the frustration, all the pain I’ve been bouling up, comes spilling out. I let him have it, all of it.
But his reply shocks me. What a narcissist talking about how he has to worry about me as I beg him to,
Who fucking cares about his worry when my life is at stake?!
I couldn’t stand his presence anymore, so I left as I felt tears about to flow out of my eyes, I can’t let him see that! He has seen too much of me.
But he wouldn’t leave me alone, he had to follow me back to my room, ranting about how he never had to worry about me til I came, Like I am the one who paid a fortune to get a mate, or it is who is desperate to find a mate.
Things took a weird turn quickly after he kissed me. I did not expect it. I was furious, I needed him to get out of my space! He vexes me! But no, he had to biss me
rily, and then he apologized. He had to apologize!
I pushed him off angrily,
What the hell is up with him?
And what is wrong with me? My reaction to that kiss was a relles, but I want him more! I want all of him!
I am furious, and the tension in the air is highs, but it is begging for something else. I found myself running back to him for more, and he grabbed me without hesitation, Kissing me more passionately and passionairly with a passion 1 have never felt before.
And
amb
Comment
