Chapter 25
Dylan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I put so many in the pack against you, told them you were a freak, took away the opportunity for you to have friends and I’m not proud of it, Violet,” he ranted. “I’m your brother, I was supposed to protect you–but I had
somehow turned into your biggest bully. I felt embarrassed, I knew it was wrong–but I
just kept going.”
I felt a tear forming at the corner of my eye, but I quickly blinked it away. My childhood after Mom and Dad died wasn’t something I liked thinking about, and then to learn that
Dylan was the perpetrator.
“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and if you don’t—I understand.”
“I forgive you,” I whispered, deciding to be the bigger person–even though he had supposedly held a knife to my throat. “I never knew.”
Dylan gave a weak, apologetic smile. “How could you have known? I never told anyone.
Not even myself until now.”
We stared at each other, neither of us blinking as we came to a mutual understanding. For
the first time in years, I felt like I understood him.
Suddenly, the gold color of the box dulled slightly as Dylan finished his confession. A small, satisfied smile appeared on his face. “It’s working.”
He handed the box to Nate who sat beside him, and had somehow lost every little spark
that made him Nate. He had always been present, but right now, he looked like he would rather be anywhere but here.
“No rush,” Dylan tried, but Nate shook his head.
“It’s not like I can run from it.”
“Okay. So, uh…I guess the thing I’ve been hiding…” Nate stumbled over his words, pausing for a moment before drawing in a long, deep breath.
“Everyone sees me as Nate, the future Beta, always happy, always positive, the guy who’s supposed to follow in his dad’s footsteps and be perfect. But the truth is, I’m far from it- actually, I’m none of those things.”
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I could feel the tension as I looked into his paled eyes. Nate always carried a warm smile on his face, he was friendly, approachable–and hearing that there was more to him came as a shock.
“When I was younger,” Nate began, “I felt this pressure to be someone. To live up to my dad’s name, to be the next Beta.” He shifted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with anyone. “It was suffocating, you know? I just wanted to feel normal, I wanted it to stop–so, I started sneaking into the medical wing and taking Lunaris.”
Kylan’s head snapped up, and his brows furrowed.
Lunaris.
It was an illegal drug we had studied back home. It was mostly used for anesthesia as it numbed the mind and body–but it was addictive. Overdosing on Lunaris was not something uncommon.
It was only prescribed to healers for painful surgeries, it was hard to come by–and was definitely not for personal use.
“One pill here, one pill there,” Nate explained, and I could hear the shame in his voice. “At first, it was just once a month, something to take the edge off. But then one pill a month became one pill a week. And before I knew it, I was taking several pills a day. I still am.”
“Nate…” my heart ached for him. Behind those smiles was a person who was hurting, a person who couldn’t function without those pills.
I wanted to tell him to stop at once because I knew what Lunaris could do to a person- but that wasn’t my job.
We had all agreed never to bring it up again after tonight.
He released a sad laugh. “So, yeah. The perfect Nate? Not so perfect after all. I’m an addict. There you have it.”
I stared at him, still trying to figure him out. It was probably an ignorant thing to say, but he didn’t look like an addict. If he hadn’t told us, I would’ve never guessed.
As the color of the box faded for a second time, Nate’s eyes flickered to mine, but his
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usual warm smile was now replaced with shame. He couldn’t look at me for too long, and I didn’t want to bother him either–so I looked at Kylan.
After all, it was his turn.
Chapter Comments
Visitor
roll my eyes ugh, wanted to kill you and just i forgive u sigh i wouldve punched his face
Visitor
oof
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