Chapter Seventy–Two 

“...What‘s her name?” I found myself asking politely, though I didn‘t really feel present. 

Truthfully, I didn‘t feel much of anything. My body had gone completely numb, falling into autopilot responses as I struggled to come to terms with what Cai had just told me. 

He found his mate. 

But he was only nineteen. He shouldn‘t have found her so soon. 

‘Caius knight dies at the age of twenty–one with no Luna, mate or child‘. That was the future for Cail had known. Yet somehow this timeline had changed enough that he had met her earlier. It was a cruel slap in the face as reality reminded me, once more, that it would refuse to ever let me be happy. Even for just the few years I thought I might have had with him. 

“Caitlyn,” he replied awkwardly. “She seems... nice. Sweet.” 

‘Nice? Really? That was the best he could say about the woman who was supposedly his other half? His soul mate? 

I wanted to ask him how they met but a part of me couldn‘t bear to hear any more details. Knowing her name would be enough. 

Aria,” he said, tilting my chin up to look at him, to meet his golden eyes. “It doesn‘t change anything for m e... I still want to be with you.” 

Instantly, my body tensed, the gears in my head finally starting to kick back into reality. His words managed to trigger a pain inside me that I was all too familiar with, something I had tried so hard to push t o the furthest part of my mind. It was almost exactly like it was in the past. 

...Except I wasn‘t the girl being abandoned by her mate anymore. 

No, now I was being set up to become Thea. 1 

“No,” I said flatly, grabbing the keys and dagger by my side to leave. “No, I‘m not doing this.” 

Aria, wait. Talk to me.” 

I stood up and started to walk towards the car but Cai quickly rushed to stand in my way

Aria, please. Can we just talk about this for a second?” 

“No, this was dumb from the beginning,” I said. “And I‘m not just referring to us. I mean this whole plan for my escape too. It‘s rushed and clumsy.” 

“We‘ve got everything sorted. We‘ll get you back to the Silver Lake and take care of you.” 

There it was again. No insinuation of moving me, no mention of Iris or the rebellion. As if he thought everyone wasn‘t going to just assume that the Silver Lake was the first place I‘d go. 

“Tell me, Cai, what exactly was the plan? Do you even have one?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. “I was under the impression you were working with Iris for this but I‘m quickly realising that maybe that‘s not the case.” 

He frowned. “Why would I be in contact with Iris for this? I haven‘t seen her since last year.” 

A cynical laugh escaped my lips. “This is actually ridiculous. The first place Tytus is going to look is the Silver Lake, especially once Aleric is forced to confess that info. Then we‘re back to square one; avoiding a war between two territories because of me.” 

Lilapler Seventy Two 

“Then we‘ll move you,” he argued. “We can go somewhere else until it‘s safe.” 

“Just the three of us, yeah?” I snapped back snarkily. “You, me, and Caitlyn?” 

have never touched me tonight knowing he had someone bonded to him. I was too familiar with the

home, Cai,” I said, stepping

stupidity or desperation, I felt as Cai then grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me to face him once

was pissed. Not because he had a mate; that was always going to be a possibility and I had already accepted that. No, I was pissed because he still had the audacity to look at me and tell me that he wanted me, knowing someone

exact situation already

grab me,

managed to quickly

me,” I growled.

in surprise but I didn‘t waver. In truth, we both knew he could very easily swat my hand away

wouldn‘t,” he said, his eyes flicking back and forth from my face to

his words had meant to come off as appealing to the side of me that still cared for him, but now they

instantly, my hand tightened on the

wouldn‘t do it?” I asked him, my eyes narrowing with the

and he was trying to call that bluff. But in that moment, I sure as

that of me made me feel sick. It made me regret so many of my actions and question why I had let

reminder of who I really was, what I was actually capable

forget where I came from. Never

didn‘t wait. With my spare hand, I grabbed at his shirt and pulled

I‘ve done it before,” I whispered. “You shouldn‘t test someone who has killed

...What are you talking about?”

you away. But do you want to know the truth? The real truth? You see, I knew you in the past, Caius Knight, Alpha of the Silver Lake. Our packs were at war for months, neither

of me,”

words! never wanted him to hear. “... I did it for my family‘s honour... I did it

had so brutally deprived me olu! That was what

my words hanging in the

for me, just a version of me I‘d let him see. Not some young, tormented girl he met in high school... but a killer. Someone who had wiped more territories off the map just from within her own quarters, than he

I should have done this a long time ago. But had been too weak to go through with it; to sever that tie that had become a lifeline for me. Cai had become a symbol in my head of what I had always hoped my life would become. The dream of a perfect

acknowledge that this wasn‘t a fantasy, that being with him was always something that was never going to end well. Because now look

to let go of that delusion and prevent a cycle from repeating.

to move

seconds without

though I didn‘t want to, needed him to at least believe I would, to take me seriously, and it seemed this was the only way he was

to make it two for two?” I asked darkly.

fall back to his side, acknowledging that there was nothing he could do

with those eyes. As if I hadn‘t just confessed to murdering him. As if a part of him actually still wanted t

to be involved with him anymore; even though a part of my mind was still screaming at me to take it all back, to find a way to still be with

quickly pulled away from him, taking a few steps backwards to create some distance.

said, my voice finally betraying my exhaustion. “Go home and be an honourable man

then I

key in the

so I just drove. Without a destination, into

Chapter Seventy–Two 

second. 

to the pain just yet... because I needed to

to compartmentalise the aching inside, I tried

life to the mercy of the world... and Tytus. There was no safety for me. Not really. Maybe if I could get in contact with Iris I could try and find a

outside of the Winter Mist, who was in contact with Iris, one person who I could trust my life and whereabouts with... and it was the same

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255