Chapter 124
Tazmin’s POV…
1 still cannot comprehend everything that had been revealed; how could I have been so st**d? I trusted Kaide with all my heart, my sworn brother in battle, who was always there for us.
How couldn’t I have seen the brewing plan between him and Alvira? All this time I was blinded to the truth; a s**d part of me had tried to push the guilt down and had tried to get Rygan to believe that their punishment for Elise was justified. I never knew I was being brainwashed into it by my friend, whom I sought as family.
But they had planned it all. And I played a part in it, a pawn in their game, and I believed Kaide time and time again when he told me Elise’s body couldn’t be found; we all did, and so I stopped asking.
He was the one who told me to pursue my happiness and not think of the past, who would have thought he needed me to be distracted with Vienna, who I was utterly in love with.
And even as my mate Vienna’s nights were filled with tears and sorrow for her friend, she begged me to search, but I believed Kaide, and we all stopped searching. We all thought Elise was gone.
I couldn’t believe my eyes the day she appeared in the moon city hall, not just as any normal wolf but as the Luna of the Calhan pack; she was a ruthless and fearless queen who didn’t blink as she ripped off Dexton’s arm, the same arms he used to snap her mother’s neck; she was not the Elise we all knew.
Even then, the glances she gave us were filled with mistrust, and I knew then something was amiss with my friends, yet I couldn’t s**dly place my finger on it. Not until Kaide’s and Alvira’s lies came crashing down that night.
The moment they confessed to their plans, I felt my knees weaken in shock, and I cried for my friend Rygan, what he’d been through for the past years because he chose to believe them.
And only to find out Katya wasn’t even his, but for Kaide, the male who we thought to be our best friend, it was all too much. I still wondered how Rygan kept it all together and not unleashed himself and their deaths in that very room.
“How could you do this?” I asked Kaide the moment we were left alone after Rygan’s confrontation; I couldn’t see that bright, kind friend anywhere but was replaced with a wicked male.
“How would you ever have known how I felt when you were always locked up in your fantasy, filling yourself with the pleasure of alcohol and women? You never knew how much I hungered for that throne and Alvira.”
I recalled the way I pushed him to the wall and punched him, but he only laughed in return. “You better ask for proper forgiveness when we head back to the pack tomorrow for your trial,” I warned him.
At the very least, I thought they’d learned their lesson, but all they continued to do was take, take, take; they killed our friends and people just to escape the next day before we could make it back to the pack for their trial.
And worse, they had taken Rygan’s son; the resemblance was almost sp***k**y the first time I laid eyes on the boy. I had so many goosebumps but was too careful to say a word when Rygan didn’t.
But he was Rygan’s son, Ethan, who we hardly had time to meet and know, and Kaide and Dexton took him, which raised a dark demon in Rygan, but he was trying his best, trying to show his redemption for all he’s caused.
And now they have both embarked on a mission to get their son back from Kaide and Alvira. My only wish is that they get there in time home, passing by the town that came to welcome us, but the pack was stunned to see that Rygan wasn’t part of our group.
News had spread like wildfire about Kaide’s and Alvira’s betrayal, along with Elise’s heroic endeavors and how she helped our pack wolves without hesitation when they were wounded. They felt guilt in their bones, knowing how they treated her.
But I wasted no time running to the clinic where I watched my mate attend to a sick boy, even though her pregnancy, which had caused morning sickness for her, hadn’t stopped her from helping people.
With the last person leaving, I finally made myself known. I watched as her eyes widened and her lips stretched into a smile. I opened my arms wide as she ran and slammed into me, a warm hug that set my world on fire.
Vienna changed my life; I never knew love until I found it with her, and I’ve loved her every day of my life. From our first kiss to that smile that brightened up my world, she made me think of no one but herself.
Even as I tried to forget her and try other females, I could never go through with it, and with our first meeting, I knew my whole body belonged to and only her after that day. “Welcome back, my love,” she muttered into my skin.
And even now, as her warmth swallowed me whole from her hug, I couldn’t help but break down before her. She held me through it, confused why I trembled, as I whispered in her nape, “Elise..she is alive,” I let out.
I felt her stiffen in my hold; she pushed against me till we faced each other and our gaze locked. “What did you just say?” She muttered to me; her body trembled, her lips quivered, and her eyes widened.
I nodded with a lump stuck in my throat, clearing all of Vienna’s doubts and nightmares she’d had for years, a freeing feeling of relief; she felt like chains of guilt had fallen from her. “All this time, she’s been alive; she survived; she survived!” I repeated.
Both our eyes filled with hope as Vienna began to wail, hugging me tightly, and I embraced her, giving all my love and pride. to her. “How? How is that possible?”
“I don’t know the full details, but she is alive. I saw her with my own two eyes. I talked to her.” I assured her, her smile immediately faltered when she stared at me; she knew immediately I was hiding something from her.
“There is something wrong; what happened?” She asked, and I told her everything. From Kaide’s betrayal to the fact that Kayla wasn’t Rygan’s, but he had a son, Ethan.
I told her about Dexton, Kaide’s wicked plan that took the lives of some of our best men, and also what they had done to Ethan..
Vienna wailed for her friend’s pain. I helped her through it. We both prayed to the moon gods for their safety and that they could get their son back after what Kaide had done to them. I assured her that after the battle was over, we would meet Elise again when the dust had settled.
Hope shone in my gaze from my words; I could only hope that they were both alright.I couldn’t still help the wave of regret wash all over me, only if I’d known how cruel the Beddors can be.
But all I knew is that those monsters needed to be stoped at all cost.