His head snapped up, every line of his body tense with fury as he glared daggers at the man who I’d formed the True Bond with.
“Enough!” Stephen thundered, the sound crashing through the space like a shockwave. The air trembled around me, thick with a volatile energy that raised every hair on my skin. It felt alive—unsteady, electric—like the room itself was holding its breath, waiting to explode. My heart pounded, and for a split second, I wasn’t sure if the pressure in the room was coming from the magic or from me.
“I asked him to meet us here,” he continued in a dry tone, “because he’s as much a part of this as the rest of you.”
“The Elder is the third possible father?” Caden looked confused. “How the fuck doesthathappen?”
There were so many questions, so many unanswered riddles, I could barely hold it together.
Staring at Julian, I couldn’t believe my former best friend was here. Myformer, whom I was very mad at. “You left. You left us during battle,again! I was in a coma, and you simply vanished? And now you’re here? What the hell…” I struggled to find the exact words. Betrayal, confusion—everything swirled inside me like a wildfire I couldn’t control.
“You were in a coma?” Caden’s brows lifted slightly, and there was an edge to his voice—controlled, but fraying at the edges. I ignored him, my attention fixed on the Elder.
Julian looked at me with a smirk that made my skin crawl. Then he turned his attention to James.
“So, you didn’t tell her?” Julian’s tone oozed mockery, but beneath it lurked a darker undertone—the kind that made my stomach twist. “I’m surprised. I would’ve thought you spilled the beans as soon as I left.”
Beans? What beans?
Frustration flared in me, and threatened to bubble over with each passing second. I whipped my head back to James, my patience wearing dangerously thin. “What does he mean?”
Godsdamnit, I was already on edge and Julian’s cryptic bullshit pushed me right over it. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I waited, the room suddenly too small, too suffocating.
James, already looking pale, avoided my piercing stare, guilt flickering in his eyes. Whatever this was, whatever Julian knew—it was big. And James had kept it from me. Again.
“James?” I pressed, despair coursing through my veins.
“Yes, James,” Julian taunted, a cruel smile stretching across his face. “Why don’t you tell her? I’m sure she’s dying to know.”
“You told me not to,” James finally said, the words strained as he forced them through clenched teeth.
Julian’s snicker was low and unsettling. “Stephen informed me you never do as you’re told. I guess he was wrong about that. Or do you only follow rules when it suits your lying habits?”
I felt a sickening knot in my stomach. My breaths came quicker as I fought back the rising bile.
“Tell her, James. I’m giving you all the explicit authorization you so clearly want or need.” Julian’s voice dripped with malicious satisfaction.
My head pounded, and dread seeped through me like a cold sweat. “Tell me what, James?” I demanded, while I tried to keep myself together. But James remained silent, refusing to look away from Julian.
“We need you to speak up now, James,” Julian pushed, his tone edged with impatience. “Not only for Emma’s sake. Stone and Colt need to hear the truth, too. Especially since everything they’ve done to Emma will turn out to be completely redundant once they learn our secret.” His venomous smirk sharpened.
Stephen and Caden exchanged quick, wary glances, before both their frowns deepened. I could practically see the shift—the moment the control they thought they had over this situation slipped from their grasp.
The tables had turned.
For once, they weren’t the ones holding the answers. They were as much in the dark as I was.
“James?” I tried again, my voice shaking, raw. “What do you know? What have you…kept from me?”
Anger simmered beneath my ribs, but it wasn’t what made my hands shake. No, that wasfear—quiet, insidious, and far more dangerous.
James drew in a slow breath, his expression sinking into quiet defeat.
“Everything.”
A boulder lodged in my throat, crushing me under its weight.
“About what?”
