Chapter Seventy Four

“Hey.” Nikolai stood up as soon as I stepped inside the room, his face holding an expression of worry. “What's wrong?”

“Just hold me,” I whispered.

He held me, his arms wrapping around my waist and allowing me to buy my face in his chest. His touch was warm, and comforting just like I’d told my mom it was. His arms felt like home, a home I’d never had.

Nikolai’s scent washed over me and I remembered the first time I’d perceived it and how intoxicating it was and still is. My body recognized his smell, and his touch and always found ease in his presence.

He was indeed my mate.

We said nothing and simply stood, him holding me and me merely relishing in his touch.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked after a while.

I shook my head. “I think I dealt with it enough.” I smiled sadly. “There's nothing left.”

He led me to the bed and settled me between his legs and slowly began to caress my shoulder.

“Nikolai?”

“Mmm?”

“You do love me, right?”

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said. “With everything in me, darling.”

I looked up at him. “Did you find me frustrating at first?”

He laughed. “Most of the time, yes, but it's part of the reason I fell for you. You just knew how to keep me on my toes, I never stopped thinking about you, not from the moment I first saw you.”

My heart swelled. “You always say the right things.”

“They come easily when they are being said to the right person.”

I was silent for a while. “Do you think I’m being stubborn about pushing for us to go to war with Silviu? That I'm just going to sacrifice lives because I can't forgive him.”

He sighed before carrying me by the waist causing me to face him. “Darling, I took my men and forced Callan’s men to attack Emerald pack for your sake. I'm the wrong person to ask.”

I shook my head. I would never know how this man had managed to make Callan surrender his army because I knew my brother-in-law sufficiently enough to know he would never willingly go against the werewolf council.

He continued, “But no, Natalie. I don't think you are a fool for doing this, I think I am the fool for opposing it. You are right, we have to attack Silviu before he does us. He was hanging around my pack, he has been in cohorts with Warren, of course, he won't be satisfied with just being Alpha, he will want to teach you and your sisters a lesson and we shouldn't give him that chance.”

He pulled me in for a kiss and murmured against my lips. “You, my mate, are one hell of a brilliant woman.”

“You don't say that enough,” I said before deepening our kiss.

A knock came from the door and Nikolai groaned, pulling away. “A man is starving here.”

“Ignore,” I said, pushing him to the bed before climbing on top of him. I straddled him and took his mouth in mine once again.

The knock became incessant. “Natalie, are you in there? Natalie, it's me!”

Of course. Of course, it would be Kate with no sense of time or respect for privacy.

Nikolai pulled me back, stopping me. “I'm afraid we can't ignore that.” He nodded towards the door where Catherine's knocks remained ceaseless.

“If we pretend we can’t hear long enough, she’ll go away,” I said, attempting to kiss Nikolai again.

“Natalie! Mother said you'll be in here. Please, Nat, this is urgent.”

I stopped. Catherine hadn't called me Nat since we were kids.

“Go on, I'll be here,” Nikolai said.

I got up. “Don’t sleep off.”

“Not without you in my arms, no.”

I chuckled and went out to meet my sister. “Is everything alright?” I asked her, shutting the door behind me.

She looked around. “Is there someplace we can sit and talk?”

I studied her, she looked disturbed, almost on the verge of crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and she kept pinching her fingers, attempting to tear off her cuticles.

“Nikolai’s study is just down the hall, come on.”

I led her to the large doors, I pushed them open and allowed her to go in before I stepped in after her. The lamp was still burning so I settled down behind Nikolai’s desk and waited for her.

She walked to the window and back. I let her pace around until she was ready. “I think I messed up, Natalie.”

My heart skidded to a halt. Catherine was the most unreliable one among us, she’d proven that over and over again.

“Tell me.”

She shook her head. “I wasn't being completely honest, I… After you got arrested and Augustine took the pack, I told everyone I couldn't reach Theo because he sealed our bond but I was lying.”

I remained stoic but inside I’d already died a thousand times over. “You are still in communication with him?”

“He stopped talking to me for a while,” she said desperately. “I wasn't lying at first but then he reached out to me and I just missed him so much, you know how the mate bond is. I couldn't help myself, I know he betrayed us…”

“No, Kate. He didn't betray us, you did! You betrayed me when you made plans with him and his father at first to overthrow me!”

She threw her hands up. “Well, I was stupid and in love and I shouldn't have but haven't we all done the worst things out of love?”

I eyed her with disdain. “No, Catherine. That is the difference between you and me, I would never betray my sister because of love. Heck, that is the difference between you and the rest of them because neither would Sephora, Sophia, and Marilyn.”

“I'm sorry, okay! Is that what you want? I'm sorry, I didn't think it through and I should have but I didn't and I'm sorry!”

Her apology meant nothing to me.

“What have you done this time?” I asked coldly.

Her eyes widened and she swallowed. “Theo was… He is… First, you must know that I was mad at him, was disappointed and I cut him off when he told me but after everything…”

“Get to the point!” I screamed.

“Silviu made him Beta!”

I shot up from my seat. “What?”

She began to cry. “I know and I am so sorry, Natalie. I was taken by surprise and I…”

“Silviu killed Augustine.” I walked up to her. “Right?”

She shook her head slowly. “No, he imprisoned him and became Alpha by forcefully making Augustine renounce his position.“

“Is that how pathetic your mate is? He became Beta to the man who took his father prisoner?”

Kate looked up at me with scared eyes. “I'm sorry…” she whispered.

No.

No.

No.

“Catherine,” I called softly, taking a slow step toward her. “What did you do?”

“Something terrible, Natalie. I had no idea what came over me, how I allowed him to manipulate me so much.”

“Kate…”

“First, you must know the truth about what happened in the past and you must know that Theo forced me. I wasn't going to, I would never but—”

“What did you do?!” I yelled.

“I killed Gregory!”