SWNOVELS Chapter 72
Chapter
72
I could not believe those words had left Jaxon's mouth. It made sense the longer I thought about it. He had been weak for a few days and I could tell that he was having a hard time but I never thought it was something as bad as poison. The thought that someone could have gotten close enough to him to poison bim was scary.
"What are you going to do?" I asked him. "How are we going to make sure they don't try to poison you again?"
"First, I'm going to try to see what I can get out of Noxian. I doubt he will give anything, he hasn't said a single word since I threw him in jail but it is worth a shot. I also had Aiden vet the cooks. We need to know if any of them has been in contact with Noxian or anyone from his team. The easiest way to poison is via food."
I blanched. "Does that mean they could have poisoned Kiara and 1?"
He didn't respond but the answer was clear on his face. I thought we were safe here, I thought this was our save haven but I was proven wrong once again. It was getting exhausting having to look over my shoulder all the time. I was tired of it and for once. I just wanted to have an easy day: especially one that did not involve someone trying to kill someone in my family.
"Have you heard anything from Violet?" I asked and he shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense though. She was his mate, she should be here. Have you taken over the pack yet?"
"We have and she wasn't there. Some of the officials told us that she hasn't been there for the past few weeks. They had a huge fight when she realized that he was planning to get you back. He sent her away and nobody heard from her since."
I went silent. That did not sound like Violet at all. She was not the kind to stay silent and watch as her entire life was ripped away from her. She was not the kind to just leave without a fight "You need to find her."
"I already have my men combing the nearby towns and tracking her cell phone history," he responded almost immediately.
"That's good. I could help too. I know her better than everyone. I just get a chance to go back home, I could go through her stuff. Maybe she left something there that could help us."
"My men are more than capable of finding Violet, there are more important things at hand," I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off with a sharp look. "You on the other hand need to rest. You have gone through so much and you can think about all of this later."
"I want to help.
"You will help after you are well rested. The most important thing to me is that you rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow. need to see the families of everyone who passed, I have to address the soldiers and I need to see Noxian. Right now, I jus want to be with you."
I fell silent and nodded because he was right. With everything that was happening, we barely had time to just be a family: 1 allowed him lead me into bed and wrap his arms around me pulling me closer. He pressed a kiss to my temple and just as I was getting comfortable in his hold, there was a knock on the door.
Jaxon went to open it and I was shocked to see Kiara standing there with Aiden directly behind her. She had a teddy bear in her hand and she hesitantly made her way into the room. She was staring at me carefully as if she was unsure of what to do but the moment I operied my arms, she practically leaped into them.
"Can I stay with you?" she asked softly and I nodded immediately.
Jaxon returned to bed next to us and pulled me closer so my back was pressed against his chest. Kiara nuzzled herself into my chest and I held her closer. We were just as we were supposed to be- a family. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
From the moment I woke up the next morning, I was pulled in al directions. I woke up early and out of fear and concern.
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Chapter 72
due to what Jaxon told me about the poisoning, I took it upon myself to make breakfast for us. The 1 me and I could tell that they were shocked but nobody made a move to stop me. maids walked in and saw
After breakfast, Kiara was wrapped up with Nadia while Jaxon and I went to address the families of the fallen. I was anxious about seeing them because I was unsure of how they would react. If it was judging by how I was received by the guards yesterday then I knew it would be good but then again, grief made people do crazy things and they might blame me.
As if sensing my unease, Jaxon kept a tight grip on my hand the entire time. From the moment we got out of the car, his hand remained in mine. He didn't even let go of me to greet the woman who welcomed us. I was grateful for his presence because the moment I saw the number of people in that room, my knees buckled.
There were over twenty families represented and my heart leaped into my throat, I didn't know how I was going to face all of them knowing that I was partly to blame for their families dying. My heart broke for all the children who would grow up without parents and the parents who had lost their children. I was certain the only reason the casualty count was this low was because they were lycans. It was a lot harder to kill a lycan than a wolf.
"Are these only the families of the soldiers?" I asked and Jaxon shook his head.
"There were a few civilian casualties. Some people weren't able to get to the bunkers in time. I am unsure of the exact numbers but we should see them here. If you don't want to do this-"
"I'm fine," Leut him off. "They deserve respect at least. Their families died for me. The least I can do is honor that."
Jaxon pursed his lips but nodded and the pleasantries began. I was relieved to see that none of them were outrightly hostile to me. Most of them were too wrapped up in their grief to assign blame to anyone. I was hurt when I realized that most of the people who died were younger lycans who probably didn't know how to defend themselves properly.
We had almost gotten to the end of the room when I caught sight of a flash of unruly black hair. My heart caught in my throat and I instantly left Jaxon's hand. I felt his panic as he tried to reach out for me but I was more concerned by the person I saw. Hidden behind everyone and in a far corner where he would not be easily sighted was Kieran.
I made my way over to him and when he saw me, his shoulders sagged in relief. I went down until I was at eye level with him and gestured for him to come out into the light. He hesitated for a second before taking my outstretched hand and walking out to meet me.
"What are you doing here?" I looked around but I couldn't see his grandmother. "Where's your grandma? Did she drop you
He shrugged. "I was told to come here this morning. I haven't seen Grandma since yesterday. Can you help me find her?"
Before I had a chance to respond, Jaxon made his way over to me. He glanced at Kieran and I could see the wheels turnin in his head. I kept Kieran's hand in mine as 1 stood to my feet to whisper to Jaxon. "He hasn't seen his grandma since yesterday. Do you think she was among the civilians?"
"I can ask Aiden to check. Not all the bodies have been claimed. If she is there, he will find her."
"What happens if she is?"
"We will cross that bridge when we get to it."
I sat with Kieran while Jaxon spoke to Aiden. I was terrified for what Aiden would say. I already knew the answer but hearing it was a completely different thing. Kieran was oblivious to everything that was happening. He just sat next to me and rested his head against my shoulder.
Jaxon was gone for about fifteen minutes and he didn't need to speak before I knew. From the pained expression on his face it was certain- Kieran's grandmother was dead. I looked down at Kieran who was sitting oblivious to how his life had just taken a sharp turn. His grandmother had asked me to keep an eye on him and the reality of that was bearing down.
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12:46 Fri, May 24 GRM Chapter 72
"We can talk to foster homes and orphanages. There might be a few families who want a child," Jaxon spoke through the mind link. "I can speed up the process for him but adoption is a totally different thing. There is no way to ascertain who will want him or when."
"We can't just leave him there. She asked me to watch over him, can't just throw him to the wolves."
"I know Freya, but what do you suggest? I am behind you in whatever you choose to do but you need to make a decision
fast.
I already knew what I wanted to do. I just hoped that Jaxon would share the same continent. "Can he stay with us?"
Jaxon paused. "Do you want to adopt him?"
"I don't know yet. That's a huge responsibility but he could stay with us at d
"If you are certain you want it then I am okay with it."
least until we find a good family that wants him."
I broke off the mind link and turned to Kieran who was staring at us with his head c*cked to the side as if trying to figure out what we were doing.
"Are you hungry?" I asked and he just shrugged. "You can have anything you want on the way back."
"Back?" he repeated sounding almost confused and I nodded.
"You're going home with us."
Is grandma going to meet us there?"
I was stumped because I didn't know how to respond to that. I glanced at Jaxon pleading with him to help me out of the situation and he immediately swooped in. He sat next to Kieran and they spoke in hushed whispers. I wasn't sure what they spoke about but I knew that Jaxon would explain things to him in the kindest way possible.
By the time Jaxon was done, Kieran had a small frown on his face but his eyes held resignation. He was slumped but he took my hand when I stretched it out to him.
"Do you have anything of yours that you want to take?" I asked and he gestured to a small box standing against the wall. It was so tiny that it could classify as holiday luggage. It hurt to imagine that his entire life could fit in there.
Jaxon picked it up with ease and I could feel eyes on us as we walked out of the house. Whispers began to pick up but I ignored them. My main focus was the child with me.
"Will I have to come back?" Kieran asked when we got to the car
"I don't know yet," it was Jaxon who responded. "We'll see."
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12:46 Fri, May 24 GRM