Chapter 50
The conversation stopped abruptly, and I could picture them both freezing, suddenly aware that I might be awake and listening.
Of course they’d heard me. They both have incredible hearing all werewolves do. There was no way my gasp had gone unnoticed,
My mind was spinning. Tristan had been mated. He’d had someone he loved enough to create a life with, and he’d lost both of them, When had this happened? How had I never known about something so huge, so life–changing?
And more importantly, how was he still functioning? How was he taking care of me and running the family business and being there
for everyone else when he was carrying around that kind of devastating loss?
Suddenly, so many things clicked into place like puzzle pieces I’d been too blind to see before.
The way he’d thrown himself into taking care of me after I came back, like he desperately needed someone to protect.
The photos around his apartment – the ones with the dark–haired woman I’d never been brave enough to ask about. The reason he used to disappear every night at ten o’clock sharp, like he had some sacred ritual he couldn’t break. He’d probably been visiting her grave.
The guilt hit me like a physical blow to the chest. Here I’d been wallowing in my own trauma, feeling jealous every time he paid attention to someone else, never once considering that he might be dealing with his own unbearable pain.
I’d been so wrapped up in my own misery that I’d completely missed the signs that one of the most important people in my life was
quietly falling apart.
“Athena?” Orion’s voice was gentle now, concerned. “Are you awake, sweetheart?”
I took a shaky breath and opened the door, stepping into the hallway where they could see me. Both of them looked absolutely
terrible.
Orion had dark circles under his eyes and stubble covering his usually clean–shaven jaw. He looked older somehow, worn down in a
way that made my heart ache.
I hadn’t seen him in five years, and this was how we were meeting again with him looking like he’d aged a decade in the time I’d
been gone.
Tristan looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and there was a haunted quality to his eyes
that I’d never noticed before.
“How long have you been listening?” Tristan asked, and I could see the fear written all over his face. He was terrified of what I might have heard, of what questions I might ask about his past.
“Long enough,” I said quietly, my voice still rough from the medication and hours of sleep. “Long enough to know that I’m sorry. To
both of you.”
I swayed on my feet, the room spinning slightly, and before I knew what was happening, both men were on either side of me,
hands gentle but firm as they steadied me.
their
“You shouldn’t be up yet,” Orion scolded, his big brother voice coming through even in his worry. “The doctor said you needed at least
twenty hours of rest after what happened.”
‘I heard what the doctor said,” I interrupted as they carefully guided me to the couch. I sank down onto it gratefully, my legs feeling
like they might give out at any moment. “I heard all of it. About the pills, about you thinking I tried to… that I wanted to…”
I couldn’t say the words. Couldn’t voice what they thought I’d attempted to do.
Tristan and Orion’s eyes never left mine, watching me like hawks, like they were afraid I might disappear if they looked away for even
a second. I could see pain in both their faces, the kind of deep hurt that comes from thinking you’ve failed someone you love.
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking directly at Tristan. “I didn’t know you’d lost your mate. I shouldn’t have been bothering you with my
problems when you’re dealing with something so much worse.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
