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?” 

feel bad. He should have never touched me tonight knowing he had someone bonded to him. I was too familiar with the anguish of seeing

said, stepping past him to continue

I felt as Cai then grabbed my wrist and tried

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 was waiting for

situation already once.

out to grab me, my instincts got the

Beta heir days, I still managed to quickly bring the dagger

me,” I

went wide in surprise but I didn‘t waver. In truth, we both knew he could very easily swat my hand away without any issue whatsoever, but the sentiment was now there. The intention was clear. This was

wouldn‘t,” he said, his eyes flicking back and

as appealing to the side of me that still cared for him, but now they only came

instantly, my hand tightened on the

do it?” I asked him, my eyes narrowing

do it and he was trying to call that bluff.

the very fact he could even ask that of me made me feel sick. It made me regret so many of my actions

really was, what I was actually capable

from. Never

but I didn‘t wait. With my spare hand, I grabbed at his shirt and pulled his torso down so I could

“You shouldn‘t test someone who has killed more people than you

...What are you talking

Cai,” I confessed. “I lied so I didn‘t scare 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 one gaining the upper hand... and then you died. At the age of twenty-one, you died alone. No mate. No children. And do you

look him in the eye. “Because of me,” I said. “I was your dooth. I killed you. I did it for my own

chest as I confessed the words! never wanted him to hear. “...

me even a fraction of the attention he had so brutally deprived me olu! That was what your life was

remained still as neither of us spoke, just my words hanging in

I‘d let him see. Not some young, tormented

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

it was time to wake up and acknowledge that this wasn‘t a fantasy, that being with him

for us to let go of that delusion and

to move the dagger away.

have overpowered me within seconds without any effort on his part... but he was trying not

to prove my point. Because, even though I didn‘t want to, needed him to at

you want to make it two

his side, acknowledging that there was

incredibly naive it was of him to still look at m e with those eyes. As if I hadn‘t just confessed to

to be involved with him anymore; even though a

quickly pulled away from him, taking a few steps

finally betraying my exhaustion. “Go home and be an honourable man to your

I

in the ignition, and

didn‘t know where to go, yet I realised that all paths ahead were likely the wrong choice. And so I just drove. Without a destination, into the dark, and with my eyes threatening to overflow

Chapter Seventy–Two 

second. 

there was no time to relax or give in to the pain just yet...

compartmentalise the aching inside, I tried to focus

my 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

person who I could trust my life and

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