Chapter 227
I know he’s right. Deep down, I know this isn’t about revenge- it’s about justice. But that doesn’t make it any easier to
swallow.
“And what if she lies?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “What if she twists the truth to protect Rhett? How do we know we can trust her?”
“We don’t, but I don’t think she will lie,” Soren admits. “She’s smart enough to know that lying won’t save her. If she tries to protect Rhett, she dies. This deal is her only chance at survival, and she knows it. We also have an incentive to make
her talk.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Survival. That’s all she’s ever cared about, isn’t it? Saving her own skin.”
“And her parents,” he adds and I look at him.
“Long story, I haven’t got the energy for right now, but her parents are in the dungeons with her. She gave Rhett up when I threatened to kill her parents.”
Soren stands, closing the distance between us in two strides. He cups my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I hate this as much as you do, Aubrey. But I need you to trust me. I need you to trust that this is the right move. We’re so close to ending this, to being free of all of it. Please.”
His words, his touch, the raw sincerity in his eyes–it breaks through the wall of anger. Slowly, I nod, swallowing the lump
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Chapter 227
in my throat.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I trust you.”
1240 Vouchers
Relief flashes across his face, and he pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly. I close my eyes, resting my head against his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart calm my racing thoughts.
“I hate this,” I murmur again, my voice muffled against his shirt.
“I know,” he says softly, kissing the top of my head. “But it’s almost over. Just a little longer, love, and we’ll finally be free.”
I cling to those words like a lifeline, hoping he’s right, hoping that this nightmare really is almost over.
“So what happens next?” I ask him.
“The trial is tomorrow. We have Clyde and Rhett here. I don’t trust the council fully so I demanded we hold them. Then we plan the wedding, we have a plan, it will work.” he assures me. I sigh heavily, that doesn’t make knowing Bianca will barely be punished for her crimes any better, but at the same time I don’t believe her crimes against me warranted the death penalty, however Clyde’s and Rhett’s definitely do. And we are only just learning the full extent of Alaric’s crimes. “I need to shower and then check on Max.” Soren states and I nod before pausing.
“Can I borrow your phone, I wanna check in with Mom, see how Dad is doing?” Soren pauses, pulling his phone from his pocket and passing it to me.
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“Why didn’t you use the landline?” he asks.
“Issue at breakfast, I could feel you. It set my anxiety off. So I’ve spent the day in here not wanting to scare Max or the staff.” Soren sighs.
“Let me shower and see Max, then I’ll take you for a run. It might help.” I chew my lip nervously and reluctantly nod, watching him wander off into the bathroom before dialing my mother’s number to check on my dad.
She answers after only a few rings, it’s strange, after everything with Rhett and my parents disowning me, I feel relief upon hearing her voice. Maybe it is because I know they only did it hoping I would choose them, how I wish I did. At the same time, I don’t regret it because it led me to Max and Soren. My father’s pack is no longer home for me, I found home here, yet that sickly feeling in my gut eases when I hear her voice. Only I get her voicemail, that relief is replaced with that sickly feeling again. It makes me wonder if Dad is ok because she hasn’t answered for a few days now. Soren told me she would be busy with damage control because he has also been helping on that front, since they want to keep everything quiet as long as possible, at least until the wedding. I just hope my father wakes before I have to walk down that aisle.
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