I shake my head and wipe at tears I didn’t realize were falling. I clear my throat. “She tried to tell me they were planning to kill her. She needed to leave sooner than we planned.”
“You didn’t help her.” Liam’s voice is cold. I deserve his judgement.
My mouth opens then closes, not sure I want to tell him more. “We got into a fight. I kept denying what she said would happen because I had it under control. I wouldn’t listen to her. She said things I didn’t want to hear, truths I didn’t want to face. I grew angrier and threw the blood promise I made to her in her face. I made her feel guilty for questioning me, for not trusting me. I said the most horrible things to her. I left her that night, hurt and disappointed, and ignored her urgency to leave sooner.”
He sighs and shakes his head.
“I wanted to prove her wrong, that as a Young Alpha, I had authority over a bunch of teenagers who bullied her every day.That I was smart enough to manipulate my father and hers. On the date we planned to escape from the territory, I let my father drag me to the city for some bullshit meeting. I didn’t even fight to stay. I didn’t send word that I couldn’t meet her. As we drove out to the city, I convinced myself she would be fine. They wouldn’t touch her because I commanded it.” I sigh, hanging my head. “But she was right. I was such a fool to believe that I had that much power.”
Memories of that horrible car ride back from the city rush forward. The dread that wouldn’t leave me all night grew heavier. My chest ached until it turned into a sharp unforgettable pain. I clutched at my chest, unable to take in breath. My mother tried to comfort me from the back of the car. The Beta’s intense stare never strayed from me.
Suddenly, the pain and feeling of dread vanished. Heavy rain pelted against the windshield of the limo. I sat up straighter. My bond was missing. My mother’s lips set in a thin line; creases sat between her brows, eyes filled with worry.My bond is gone,I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t, not with the Beta and his mate sitting a short distance in front of me.
The rain fell harder, and lightning streaked the sky. The car moved slowly due to the sudden storm. I need to get home. I need to find Grit. Squeezing my eyes closed, I prayed to the gods for the storm to pass so I could find her.
A shrill noise filled the silence of the car. The Beta answered his cell phone, and he smiled, exposing his crooked yellow teeth. In a low calm tone, he told my father, “Everything is in order, as it should be.”
My father nodded in acknowledgement. I knew what that hidden message meant. I couldn't breathe again. The car’s interior closed in on me. My heart ached for a different reason this time. The car drove into the territory. I pushed open the door. My father shouted orders, and my mother cried for meto stop. I ignored all of them and jumped out before the driver could stop the car. I transitioned into my wolf and fought against the rain. I searched and searched, but the storm removed all traces of her. I searched for three days until I collapsed from exhaustion. I woke up days later to bullshit rumors spread by Bart and the Beta. I knew the truth. They killed her. I didn’t stop them. I didn’t protect her like I promised I would.
An image of anger, disappointment, and hate on her face while I let Bart and his friends beat and molest her flashes to mind. That was the last time I saw her alive. It was supposed to be a game, an undercover ruse. I let her down.
“Sodie forgave me, but I will never forgive myself,” I softly confess.
“Why didn’t you kill them? It’s obvious you knew their plan.”
“Death is too easy, too simple. I want them to suffer. I want revenge for what they did to Grit, for the years of abuse she endured. I don’t want to just kill them. I want to destroy them—the Betas, Bart, and his little group of ass-lickers. Even my father.”
“Your father?”
I shrug. “I don’t have proof, but I know he was involved. I just need to find some information before I execute my plans.”
His silvery eyes light up with interest. “What kind of information do you need?”
“Everything Resistance-related that leads me in their direction. Shadow was going to help me. We need to find him. He’s the only one who can help me find what I need. He’s the only one who can help me keep my promise.”
“You broke your promise.”
I shake my head. “I broke half of it. In addition to protecting her, I promised I wouldn’t let people like our parents hurt shifters like us.” I gaze up to the moon. “I will join her in death before I break this one.”
A few beats of silence pass between us. I feel a little guilty for laying all my shit on him. I think back to my earlier thoughts before my confession.
“I don’t know the story between you and the Princess, and I’m not asking for you to give me one. But I do know this. Shadow is a good man. Strange… but good. He cares about the guards and their mission. He wouldn’t jeopardize his position among them for a quick fling. And I saw the Princess’s scars. She deserves to be happy. I can tell that you’re hurting and that somewhere—somehow—she let you down. Take my advice. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t let her walk into this fight thinking you hate her. It’s too late for me to make amends, to apologize for what I said, what I did. For you, the Princess is still alive. There is time to make peace before they come.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he growls. “I’m pissed because I caught her kissing one of the recruits who left. Then, I find out she’s been seeing one of the commanding officers in secret. I thought she was better than that. I defended her because I thought she was better than that.”
I chuckle at my friend’s expense. “Are you talking about the kid who found out his mother passed away this morning? You know, if I had an opportunity to kiss a girl I liked, I think I would have used any excuse to give it a shot, especially if I didn’t have the courage to do it on my own. Besides, I also heard that not everyone knew about her relationship with Shadow. Maybe that included the recruit.”
He doesn’t answer.
I sigh. “You’re in love with her. You’re jealous.”
“I’m not in love with her, not anymore,” he finally says.
“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter.”
“She didn’t choose me. She didn’t wait for me. Is that what you want to hear?” he spits.
“How long has it been since you last spoke to her?”
