Chapter 119
We sit down in the empty theater, Max between us with his arms full of popcorn and candy, while the king’s guards cover all the exits. The lights dim, and the movie starts, but I can’t focus on the screen. The images blur, the sounds fade away while I am off in my own little world, and all I can think about is the punishment he’s promised if I don’t come back. I know him too well. He won’t just let this go. He’ll come after me–he‘ Il destroy everything if I don’t find a way to stop him. Yet the idea of telling Soren I know will ruin things, either way I am screwed. But the thought of losing Soren and Max, the life I have built with them is soul crushing.
I
I glance over at Soren, who’s watching the movie with a small smile on his face as Max laughs beside him. His silhouette illuminated under the theater’s lights. Everything feels so surreal. How my life has taken a turn but now it feels like it’s spinning out of control so fast and there are no breaks to slow the spiral I am falling into. Staring at Soren, he seems so at ease, so unaware of the storm brewing just beneath my surface. Unaware of the guilt twists in my stomach at having deceived him for so long. Can someone be forgiven for deceiving the person they love for so long. Love, something I never thought I would feel after Rhett, yet I feel it with every fiber of my being when I look at him. I should tell him the truth, but how? How can I admit that I’m the thief Rhett framed, that I’m the one they’ve been discussing all day? How can I admit that I’m the reason everything is falling apart? How do I break Max’s heart when he learns I am not who I said I am, who they believe me to be. He has lost so much but I
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know Soren will be furious and probably hand me back to Rhett once he learns the truth and that scares me the most.
“Bree?” Soren’s voice reaches me as I stare off into nothingness. I shake my head, snapping out of my thoughts, realizing Soren is looking at me, concern etched clearly on his face. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice soft despite the deepness of his voice. “You seem a little… distant.”
I force a smile, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, like I said earlier.”
Soren watches me for a moment longer, his eyes searching mine, but I hold the smile until he finally nods, turning back to the movie. I exhale quietly, relieved that he didn’t push the issue while swallowing the lie I just told.
But I can’t relax. Not with Rhett’s threat hanging over me, not with everything I’ve overheard today. The rest of the movie passes in a blur, and by the time we leave the theater, my exhaustion feels like a weight dragging me down. We pile back into the car, Max falling asleep almost immediately in the back seat, his head resting against the window.
Damian drives us home in comfortable silence, but I can feel Soren’s occasional glances in my direction. I lean my head. against the window, the cool glass soothing against my heated skin.
When we get home, Soren carries Max to bed, and I slip into our room, closing the door behind me. I pull out my phone
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and stare at the screen, my heart pounding in my ears not wanting to turn it on but curiosity gets the better of me. I know Rhett he’ll try to get hold of me, and if I don’t answer, he’ll start something like he already has, but I need to speak to Soren first to explain my side.
Switching it on, I have a million missed calls and texts. But I only look at the last one he sent. Sent a few hours ago. A message from Rhett.
Come home. I’ll forgive you. But if you don’t, Bree, I’ll make sure you regret it.
My hands tremble as I read the words, bile rising in my throat. I knew this was coming. I knew Rhett wouldn’t just let me go. He’ll never stop until he has me back, until I’m under his control again.
I swallow hard, closing the message and sinking onto the bed. My mind races, a thousand thoughts and fears swirling inside me. What am I going to do? How long can I keep running? How long can I keep this secret from Soren?
I sit there in the dark, clutching my phone, my pulse racing as the weight of Rhett’s threat presses down on me.
I don’t know how much longer I can handle this.
I’m getting out of the shower when Soren returns. Wrapping a towel around myself, I step into the bedroom to hear him sigh loudly. “Are you okay?” I ask him and he glances at me. His
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eyes flicker, his lycan coming to the surface as his gaze drinks me in.
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