Chapter 181
Tears blurred my vision, my entire body convulsing with the force of my desperation.
“I’ll die without them, Tristan. My life means nothing without my children.”
He looked down at me, his expression cold despite the flicker of unease that crossed his features.
“You think I care if you live or die? You want to die? Then die. You made me live in hell for five years. Now it’s your turn.”
He shoved me away with such force that I nearly crashed into the fireplace. Beta Varian caught my arm, steadying me. He leaned close, voice barely audible.
“It’s better to let them go,” he murmured, something like sympathy in his eyes.
My father rose shakily to his feet, then did something I’d never seen in my life–he dropped to his knees before Tristan, head bowed in supplication. The sight of the former Alpha kneeling was a knife to my heart.
“Those children are the only things my daughter lives for. Please don’t separate them from her. I’ll do anything you ask, but please don’t do this to my daughter, Alpha.”
Tristan’s response came without mercy. “What could you possibly do for me? Everything you have is already mine. This display doesn’t suit you, Caspian.”
His gaze turned distant, almost reflective. “Do you remember warning me to stay away from your daughter?”
My father didn’t answer, his proud shoulders slumped in defeat.
Tristan straightened, turning toward the fireplace, his back to all of us. The room fell silent except for my broken sobs and the crackling of flames.
He reached for the whiskey on the mantle, downing it in one swallow. The glass creaked in his grip, nearly shattering before he slammed it down on the table. The sound cut through the silence like a gunshot.
His shoulders tensed, back rigid with some internal struggle. When he finally turned to face us, his expression remained hard, carved from
stone.
“You’ve always worried about your daughter because of me.” He approached our kneeling forms, towering over us. “You don’t need to worry
anymore.”
Each word fell heavy as lead.
“She’s free.”
The words echoed in the sudden silence of the room, hollow and final. The double doors slammed shut behind Tristan, leaving us in the wreckage of what had once been our lives.
I stared at the empty doorway, my mouth still open in a silent scream that wouldn’t come. The sound of my children’s cries lingered in my ears like phantom limbs. My fingers kept grasping at nothing, searching for small hands that were no longer there.
Mom collapsed onto the nearest chair, her body folding in on itself as sobs racked her frame. Dad remained kneeling on the floor, eyes fixed on the spot where Tristan had stood, his expression vacant. The proud former Alpha of Moonshade Pack reduced to this–a broken shell of a man.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears, each pulse a reminder that I still lived while my entire world had been torn away. My throat felt shredded from screaming. My eyes burned, too dry for more tears.
“I can’t-” A hoarse whisper was all I could manage. My lungs didn’t seem to work right, each breath like swallowing glass.
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Chapter 181
Deep in my consciousness, Astrid howled a primal, agonizing sound that vibrated through my very bones. The purple wolf’s grief merged with mine in waves of raw anguish that rippled just beneath my skin. For a moment, faint purple light shimmered across my forearms before fading back into ordinary flesh.
Pull it together, Think. THINK.
I forced myself to inhale deeply, dragging my mind away from the endless loop of Lyra’s pleading face and Orion’s desperate promise, My children needed more than my griel. They needed action.
I pushed myself up from the floor, legs shaking so badly I had to grab the back of a chair for support. The room spun momentarily, but 1 refused to give in to the darkness edging my vision.
“Mom, Dad, I managed, my voice barely recognizable. ‘We need to figure out what to do.”
No response. Mom’s crying had faded to silent tears streaking down her face. Dad hadn’t moved.
My fingers trembled as I pulled out my phone. Some instinct made me reach out beyond my immediate family. Uncle may be gone, but surely there were others who could help. Aunt Eliza–mom’s sister–in–law. She’d always been kind to us.
I dialed with unsteady fingers, each ring stretching my frayed nerves tighter.
“Hello?‘ I croaked when someone answered. “May I speak to Aunt Eliza, please?”
Mom looked up at the sound of my voice, a flicker of hope crossing her tear–stained face.
I switched to speakerphone, my grip so tight on the device that my knuckles turned white.
“Yes, she’s here,” a voice replied, followed by muffled sounds of the phone changing hands.
“Who is this?” Aunt Eliza’s familiar voice came through clearly.
“Aunt Eliza, it’s me, Lysandra.” I forced politeness into my tone despite the scream building in my chest. “How are you doing?”
“You know your uncle is gone.” Her voice turned sharp, accusatory. “How do you think I’m feeling?”
I froze at her tone, throat constricting further. I cleared it painfully, forcing myself to continue.
“Aunt Eliza, Mom and Dad aren’t doing well.” I swallowed hard, pride dissolving in desperation. “I was wondering if they could stay with your pack for a few days. I hope that wouldn’t be a problem.”
The silence stretched for a moment before she responded, her words slapping me across the face.
“Don’t even think about sending them here. I don’t want that burden.” Her voice hardened further. “Look, I heard what happened. My condolences and all that. But I don’t need this trouble, so don’t call again.”
The line went dead before I could respond.
Inside me, Astrid roared in fury, surging against my control. My gums throbbed as canines threatened to elongate. My fingernails sharpened into claws, scratching the phone’s surface. I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, forcing my wolf back down.
I stared at the dark screen, shock numbing me momentarily.
Mom shook her head slowly, incredulity mixing with her grief. “We sent her child to college,” she whispered. “Every summer vacation at our house. The jewelry set for her anniversary…” Her voice trailed off. “And now we’re a burden?*
I stared out the window, wishing desperately that Uncle were still alive. Would he have helped us? Or would he too have turned his back? Alaric’s warning echoed in my mind: Don’t trust anyone.
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Chapter 181
The broken pieces of my life seemed impossible to fit together. My children torn from my arms. My brother hovering near death. My parents homeless and unwanted. And me–hollow and empty, a shell without purpose.
Where do we go now?
A few hours later, heavy footsteps in the hallway made me turn. Gamma Darius appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. I tensed immediately, instinctively moving between him and my parents.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, tears stubbornly returning despite my best efforts. “What has your Alpha ordered you to do now? Take our lives too?
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