“That’s the curse of the ESE,” Liam replied quietly.Then he stepped closer, lowering his voice.“Go back to the apartment you’ve been using.Think.War’s coming tomorrow, whether you’re ready or not.With or without you, we fight.”
Rune’s fists clenched, nails biting into his palms.“We’ll stand with the Pride,” he swore.“For her.”
They left together, hollow but resolute.The drive back to the apartment was silent, both of them drowning in the echo of what they’d lost.
Once inside, Rune sank heavily onto the couch, his head in his hands.“We fucked up, maybe beyond anything that can be repaired.”
Kamon opened his mouth to answer, but his phone buzzed, screen lighting with an incoming video call.Their parents.
Rune’s stomach dropped.Of course they had felt it—the severing of the bond carried through blood as well as soul.He braced himself as Kamon accepted.
Their mother’s face filled the screen first, eyes wet with worry, their father’s grim silhouette at her side.“What happened?”she demanded.“We felt your pain across the ocean.”
Rune took a deep breath.“We are going to tell you everything now, but we need you to hear it all.Before we talk more about this.”
And then, between him and Kamon, they told their parents everything—summarizing the confrontation on the roof, the accusations they hurled at Klarissa, her devastation, what she had endured in her attempts to end her father’s tyranny, and the shattering of the bond.Every word carried anguish, their voices breaking as they relived the pain of what had happened upstairs.
Kamon swallowed hard.“We ...we accused her, Klarissa, our mate ...of being responsible for Boonsri’s death.”
Their mother gasped, hand flying to her mouth, anguish stark in her eyes.Their father’s face was carved from stone, his silence heavier than any shout.Rune’s gut twisted—fear clawing at him that their father would demand Klarissa’s life in payment.
Desperation shoved the words out of Rune before his father could speak.“If you’re thinking of flying here to take her life, don’t.We won’t allow it.”His voice cracked with the weight of his own shame, but the vow was iron.“She is our mate, the woman the fates have deemed us worthy of, and although we have completely fucked things up at the moment, we will prove to her that we will work every day for the rest of our lives to be worthy of her.She is the love of our lives.We’ll protect her.”
The silence that followed was suffocating, every second stretching like an eternity.Rune’s pulse hammered, dread mounting.What if their parents thought Klarissa truly was guilty, what if they saw her as the monster she feared she was?The thought of their mother turning cold against the woman he loved nearly undid him.
Finally, their father spoke, his voice low but sharp enough to cut.“Why did you not say that to her when she told you her story?She needed to hear those words, not us.She is a good girl.She is not the killer of your sister.That man—Caruso—is.I raised you better than this.Better than to let grief blind you to truth.”
The rebuke landed like a blow.Shame knifed through Rune, deeper than any wound.His mother’s tears only deepened the cut, her disappointment shining as bright as her sorrow.Rune bowed his head, choking on the truth.
They had betrayed their mate.And in their parents’ eyes, they had betrayed their upbringing as well.And they had no idea how to make it right.
****
Klarissa was shattered.She had cried until her head throbbed, sobs breaking her down into raw silence until sleep finally dragged her under.When she woke again, the migraine still clawed behind her eyes, her throat was scraped raw, and her soul felt burned to ash.The curtains were open, the light dimming into evening, and she lay there staring out at the city as night closed in.
Movement from the kitchen filtered through the quiet, along with the rich smell of food.Her stomach twisted, roiling with nausea even as it rumbled with hunger.She pressed a hand to her belly, the contradiction too familiar—wanting and rejecting in the same breath.
And as she lay there, Klarissa began to plan.She couldn’t risk anyone else—she would end this whole thing herself.By the time she had forced herself into the shower, scrubbed away the salt of tears, and dressed in the soft yoga pants, tank, and loose shirt Violet had left for her, she had a plan taking shape.She piled her hair up into a messy bun, stared at her own pale reflection, and whispered, “I can do this alone.”
Leaving the sanctuary of Violet’s room, she walked into the kitchen and dining area.Violet, Josie, and their mates were gathered around, the table set, dinner nearly ready.Violet’s eyes cut to her instantly, glowing with that uncanny energy she always seemed to radiate.Then she sighed and shoved a fifty-dollar bill at Josie.
Josie smirked, tucking the money into her pocket.
“What was that about?”Klarissa asked, her voice hoarse but edged with suspicion.
“A bet,” Violet said dryly.“I bet you were smart enough to know you couldn’t go this alone.Josie bet you’d be dumb enough—well, self-sacrificing enough because you are scary bitch smart—to try it anyway.”
Klarissa blinked.“Seriously?”
Josie shrugged, her tone gentler.“I knew you would.I recognize the type—you see the weight, you shoulder it, even if it breaks you.People like us ...we know our own.”
Heat burned behind Klarissa’s eyes again, but she swallowed it down and slipped into a chair as dinner was served.The smells hit her harder now, making her stomach clench with something closer to need.
Kieran’s gaze settled on her, steady and sure.“Here’s what’s going to happen.We continue as normal.We have the chemicals to fight what Caruso has.The Pride House and Violet’s building are fortified.We are ready to defend what’s ours.”
Liam leaned forward, folding his arms on the table.“It would be better if we were working with Rune and Kamon, though.”
The words were a knife.Klarissa flinched, her fork clattering softly against her plate.“They’re still here?”
