Chapter 52
Both of them looked shocked, and utterly helpless. They looked like they’d been prepared for something worse, but this revelation, was worst and heartbreaking, than the bombshell they’d been
bracing for.
Their eyes shifted from shock to pity, and suddenly I was angry. Furious, actually, though I wasn’t sure why. The emotion hit me like a tidal wave, and I needed somewhere to direct it.
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I turned toward Tristan. “You think nobody will understand how you feel, but I do. Because I’ve lost a child
too.”
“Oh my God, Ath,” Orion said, reaching out to hug me.
I slipped away from his embrace, seeing the hurt flash across his face. I felt bad about rejecting his comfort, but I couldn’t handle being touched right now.
I was angry at myself. Mad because I’d chosen the wrong man. Mad because I’d let Daxon destroy me over and over again and hadn’t been strong enough to leave. Hadn’t left until I’d lost the opportunity to hold
and love my baby.
Because I was stupid. Because I’d walked out on my pack and family. Because I’d been selfish and weak.
“How did you lose the baby?” Tristan asked, his voice deadly quiet. “Was he the cause?”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
Tristan started pacing, his hands clenched into fists. Orion just stared at me for a long moment, then abruptly stood up and walked out of the room without a word.
I started to follow him, but Tristan caught my arm. “Leave him be for a minute.”
“But he’s…..”
“Look,” Tristan said, pointing toward the window.
What I saw broke my heart into a million pieces.
Orion was in the backyard, screaming as he shifted partially into his wolf form and then forced himself
back to human.
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Chapter 52
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I could feel his pain through our family bond it felt like my chest was being crushed. He was fighting for control of his wolf, trying to keep the animal from taking over completely.
He kept hitting the brick wall with his bare fists, over and over, with supernatural speed and strength. His wolf kept trying to emerge, but I could feel him holding it back.
This was the only way he knew how to deal with overwhelming emotion – physical pain that matched the
emotional agony.
His hands were already bleeding badly, leaving red smears on the wall with each impact.
I tried to run to him, but Tristan caught me and held me back.
“Let me go, Tristan,” I said with a growl, feeling Claire stirring for the first time in days. “Can’t you see he
needs help?”
“Baby girl, letting him be is the only help you can give him right now,” Tristan said firmly.
I pushed against him with more force than I’d ever used before, and he actually moved backward, shocked that I’d been able to break free from his grip so easily.
I was already running toward the door when he caught me again, this time lifting me completely off the ground and carrying me back to the living room.
“Let me go, please,” I begged, tears streaming down my face. “He’s going to hurt himself badly.”
“He needs to hurt himself to get better, Ath,” Tristan said, his voice gentle but firm. “Do you understand what he’s going through right now? He just found out that his baby sister lost her child because her mate
beat her up.”
Tristan’s voice grew darker, more dangerous. “Do you know how I feel right now? I want to break something. I want to find that bastard and torture him, watch him scream and beg for his life. I want to sink my fangs into his throat and watch him bleed out slowly.”
I flinched at the violence in his words, at the pure hatred in his voice.
“Now imagine how Orion feels,” Tristan continued. “He feels like he failed not just you, but everyone who trusted him to look after you. Like he failed as a brother, as an alpha, as a man. So let him get it out the only way he knows how. He’ll be back when he’s ready.

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.