“I know that,” she utters, looking utterly broken. “Believe me, there’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already told myself a thousand times over. I didn’t just hide her away for fun.”
I sit with that revelation, struggling to find a way to handle this while complying with pack code, and without making her hate me more.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lila scoffs, bordering on a bitter laugh. “Really? After everything… how you treated me before, casting me aside just to turn around and force this bond onto me, and you actually think I’d tell you? You don’t get to act betrayed.”
Anger rises inside me, but I urge it to stay down. I know she has her reasons, even if they’re grating.
“I’m not talking about us. I’m talking about her safety.”
Lila’s glare sharpens. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
I hesitate at that, taking in her unwavering expression. Her words burn more than I want to admit.
“Did you really think I’d let anything happen to her if you did?”
“Yes,” she says, not missing a beat. Not needing to think about it as hurt passes through her eyes. “Because I watched you let things happen to me.”
She might as well have sucker-punched me in the gut. It would’ve hurt less.
At my pause, Lila pulls in a shaky breath and averts her gaze. “You weren’t there when she started showing signs, and you didn’t see how terrified I was. You didn’t have to hold her while she cried, and you didn’t have to see the look on her face when she didn’t understand why she had to hide what she’s capable of. She’s sensitive, Caleb… and her powers don’t negate her innocence.”
The pain in her eyes is clear as day, and my throat tightens.
“So yes, I kept it from you and everyone else. She’s my daughter, and if coming out with it meant anyone trying to take her from me, then I’d rather die trying to suppress it than let that happen.”
The way she says those words, with such conviction and honesty, is dizzying in a way, stopping me from finding the right thing to say in return.
Being privy to this information feels like a double-edged sword for me.
On one hand, I have an answer for why Wraith Peak is after Astrid, but on the other, I’m burdened with the knowledge of that secret.
As Alpha, I have a duty to my pack. I have codes and ethics to follow. I am the one who makes decisions, and their safety is in my hands.
Astrid wielding magic… that could be detrimental.
And yet, she’s everything to Lila. She’s becoming everything to me, too.
It feels like an impossible position to be put in, and all I can do is stare at her.
The fear in her eyes isn’t for herself. Now I know it never was.
Chapter 19 - Lila
I don’t know if I’m furious, humiliated, or just exhausted, but it feels like something is pressing against my lungs. Having this conversation with Caleb leaves such a raw ache in my chest, mixing with that deeply rooted shame and anger.
Astrid is asleep in the bedroom, and the house is all too quiet despite how we both raised our voices only moments ago.
Caleb stands across from me, jaw tight, while his dominance fills the room. It’s contained but still present, reminding me of his position. Of mine.
I hate that I’ve let him see me shaken up like this, and I hate that I needed him to save Astrid and me. And I despise the fact that part of me felt safer the moment he arrived in the woods.
Beneath it all, my embarrassment simmers, and I know I can’t hide it.
I should’ve been strong enough, and I should’ve been able to protect Astrid myself.
And now, he has forced the confession from me. Now he knows Astrid carries magic inside her, and soon enough, I won’t be able to hide it.
