Chapter 95 Laughingstock
Aurora's POV
The main hall felt suffocating as Damian wheeled Grandmother toward the side parlor, their departure leaving the rest of us suspended in uncomfortable silence. I stayed rooted to my spot near the fireplace.
The silence in the room grew heavier with each passing moment, thick and oppressive like a physical weight pressing down on all of us.
Then came the crash.
The sound of shattering porcelain exploded from the parlor, sharp and violent enough to make several people jump.
I took half a step toward the parlor door before catching myself, forcing my feet to stay planted even though every instinct screamed at me to rush in there and salvage whatever was falling apart. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms hard.
The silence that followed the crash was somehow worse than the sound itself, heavy and oppressive and full of terrible possibilities.
More minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. I wanted to scream at all of them to do something, to stop standing around like useless statues while Damian poisoned Matilda against me, but I couldn't break character, couldn't let them see the rage building behind my worried expression.
Finally, the parlor door opened.
Damian emerged first, his face completely unreadable as he maneuvered Matilda's wheelchair back into the main hall. I searched his expression desperately for some clue about what had happened in there, but he gave nothing away, his features locked in that same neutral mask he'd worn throughout this entire nightmare.
Matilda looked shaken, her skin paler than usual and her hands gripping the wheelchair's armrests with white-knuckled intensity. But more than that, she looked angry in a way I'd never seen before, a cold fury that made her amber eyes glitter dangerously even as she kept her expression carefully controlled.
I moved toward her immediately, letting concern flood my features as I reached for her hand. "Grandmother, are you alright? What happened? I heard something break—"
She didn't answer right away, just stared at me with an intensity that made my skin prickle with warning. Her gaze traveled over my face slowly, cataloging every feature as though seeing me for the first time, and something in her expression made my carefully constructed persona feel suddenly transparent and fragile.
The silence stretched out uncomfortably while everyone waited for her to speak.
Matilda finally spoke, "You're right, Damian. Perhaps it is time for Aurora to learn independence. Moving out of the Pack House doesn't mean she can't visit regularly or that she's being abandoned."
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs and making my vision blur at the edges. I felt my expression freeze, felt the mask I'd worked so hard to maintain beginning to crack as shock and fury crashed through my carefully maintained control.
My wolf surged forward with vicious intensity, feeding on the betrayal and humiliation burning through my chest. For just a split second, I felt my eyes flash gold as my beast rose too close to the surface, felt the predatory snarl building in my throat that wanted to tear free and show them all exactly what I thought of their decision.
Matilda's eyes widened slightly as she caught that flash of gold, and I saw something shift in her expression. Her face went very still, and her grip on the wheelchair's armrest tightened even more.
I forced the wolf back down with brutal efficiency, shoving the rage and hatred back behind the mask of wounded innocence even as my hands trembled with the effort. My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it, but I managed to twist my expression into something that looked like reluctant acceptance mixed with brave determination.
"Of course, Grandmother. Whatever you think is best. I only want what's good for the family, and if living elsewhere will help keep peace, then that's what I'll do."
I reached for her hand again, squeezing gently even though I wanted to crush her fingers until she took back those terrible words. "As long as you're healthy and happy, nothing else matters to me."
---
Damian's POV
Ten minutes earlier, in the quiet of the side parlor, I had pulled out my tablet and opened the first video file without preamble or warning. Grandmother needed to see the truth without any softening or explanation that might allow her to dismiss what was right in front of her eyes.
The footage showed Aurora during her recovery period at Nolan's private villa, captured by security cameras. The first clip was relatively innocent on the surface, just Nolan helping Aurora move around as she recovered from her injuries, but the intimacy of their interactions was impossible to miss.
His hand lingered too long on her shoulder when he steadied her, his fingers brushing against the curve of her neck in a gesture that went beyond simple support. His fingers brushed against hers when he passed her things, holding on for just a beat longer than necessary. His whole body angled toward her in a way that spoke of protective possession rather than brotherly concern, his attention focused on her with an intensity that made the nature of his feelings unmistakable.
Grandmother's face had gone very still as she watched, her expression unreadable but her hands tightening on the wheelchair's armrests until her knuckles went white.
I swiped to the next video without comment, letting the evidence speak for itself. This footage came from the restaurant where Nolan had taken Aurora for dinner, and it showed him feeding her dessert from his own spoon with an easy intimacy that made my stomach turn.
The camera angle captured Aurora's smile as she accepted the bite, the way her lips closed around the spoon while Nolan watched her with undisguised affection. Then he ate the remaining bite from that same spoon, consuming what she'd left behind.
"Damian—" Grandmother's voice came out thin and strained, but I didn't let her finish.
The third video showed the two of them in the restaurant's hallway afterward, Aurora laughing as she tried to evade Nolan's playful pursuit. He caught her easily and backed her against the wall, his arms caging her in on either side in a position that was unmistakably intimate and possessive.
The angle of his head as he leaned closer, the way her hands came up to rest against his chest without any real attempt to push him away, the soft smile on her face as she looked up at him.
Grandmother's face had gone completely white, and I heard her breath catch in her throat.
The final video was from the hospital corridor. It showed Aurora rushing toward Nolan and throwing herself into his arms, her body colliding with his hard enough that he had to brace himself against the wall. His arms came around her immediately, holding her tight against him in an embrace that lasted far longer than appropriate, and then he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
The tablet slipped from Grandmother's hands and clattered against the floor. She stared at the blank screen for a long moment before her gaze lifted to meet mine, and I saw devastation and fury warring in her amber eyes.
"There's more." My voice came out flat and clinical, stripped of any emotion that might make this easier for either of us. "Ryan has developed feelings for Aurora as well."
That was when Grandmother's hand shot out and swept the decorative vase off the side table, sending it crashing to the floor in an explosion of porcelain and water and crushed flowers. Her chest heaved with the force of her breathing.
"If we don't intervene now, our family will become a laughingstock," I continued quietly. "Two Alpha-blooded sons competing for the affections of their adopted sister? The scandal would destroy our reputation and our Pack's standing in the supernatural community."
Grandmother had stared at me for a long moment. Finally, she gave a small, sharp nod that told me she'd accepted the necessity of what had to happen next.
Now, back in the main hall with everyone watching, Dad seized the opportunity to cement the decision before Grandmother could change her mind. "Since Mom has agreed, we'll proceed with moving Aurora to the downtown apartment this week. I'll have the staff begin preparing everything she'll need."
Grandfather's response came with visible relief, his shoulders relaxing as he pushed himself up from his chair. "Then it's settled. Handle it however you think best." He left the room without looking back.
Ryan moved forward immediately, reaching for Grandmother's wheelchair with an expression of concern. "Let me help you upstairs, Grandmother. You look exhausted."
Her reaction was instant, her voice cutting through the room with unexpected sharpness. "I don't need your help! Go to your room! Now!"
Ryan froze, his face going blank with shock and hurt. His hand dropped away from the wheelchair.
Grandmother seemed to catch herself, and her expression softened slightly even as her voice remained firm. "You've had a long day too. Get some rest. Aurora will help me upstairs."