13
Kassius
Halo’s story felt like a brutal slap to the face.
My chest clenched with uncertainty, grief and regret. I grasped the front of my shirt, as if trying to remove a weight there, like it would ease any of the pain.
“Is that true?” I asked barely above a whisper.
“All of it is true,” Halo replied. Despite the dreadfulness of the memories, his expression was calm and collected. Or maybe he was just blocking off his emotions to make this any easier.
“I… I don’t know what to say. Where to even begin.” I stared at my hands, clenched into distressed fists on the comforter. The same hands that had dragged Halo away and thrust him towards the Knights for judgment.
Halo glanced away with a slight shrug.
“I am so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know - ”
“No, you didn’t,” Halo interrupted. Old unearthed anger stirred in his voice. “You didn’t know what was going on, and you just jumped to conclusions. You didn’t even hear me out, Kass, even when Itoldyou he was trying to hurt us.”
Furious and ashamed at myself, I remained silent.
“Say something,” Halo demanded with a sigh.
“There’s nothing I can say that can change what I did,” I muttered. “I was an idiot.”
Halo frowned, even angrier than before. “Yeah, you were. But this isn’t about you. This is about what you did to Angel and I. Tous, our family.”
The comforter tightened in my grip as I clenched my fists. “But it’s true. I ruined everything.”
Halo let out another disgruntled sigh. “As much as I love hearing that after four hundred centuries, seeing you all pathetic like this is pissing me off. Look at me.”
I lifted my head. Tears lined the corner of his eyes, and only then did I notice that my eyes burned with the onset of dammed-up tears as well.
“Nobody can change the past.” Halo paused. “Well, except maybe me. But I have no intention of going back in time. I only care about moving forward. Do you get that?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, good. So… What are we going to do?” He gestured to both of us, then lifted his arms. “About us? About this whole shitty situation we’re in?”
I grumbled and put my head in my hands. “I don’t know.”
“No. Stop that!” Halo smacked my arms away. “Stop moping. You already had enough time for that. We need to fix this, Kass. I need you.”
The words stirred affection in my heart. “You do?”
“Of course, idiot.” Despite insulting me, Halo was smiling. “I need my big, strong, confident alpha. The one I fell in love with. Not this mopey guy.”
“Can’t I be a big, strong, confident alphaanda mopey guy at the same time?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I guess you can. But we can help change the latter part. So use your brain.”
My brain felt like mush after the harrowing story, but I tried to kick it into gear for Halo’s sake.
“We need to deal with Silas,” I began, “and find out who he’s working with. Once they’re dealt with, I don’t think we’ll have any more issues. I thought magic might be a problem, but Cinderhollow is fine. In fact, it’s thriving.”
Halo smiled. “Thanks for finally acknowledging that. And you’re welcome, by the way.”
“After that… We can find Angel,” I said. “Wherever she is.”
