Chapter 429 Brave Finally Broke

Chapter 429 Brave Finally Broke
“Hope Elara seems a little high-maintenance,” Ansley said as she dragged an armored box over to them.

“She is, and she isn’t,” Nathan replied. “She likes nice things, and she expects people to be honest with her. Hope Elara makes everything fun. Even when she feels sick or stressed, she never takes it out on anyone. And it takes a lot to make her lose her temper.

“She’s amazing with kids. They notice everything and understand more than we like to admit, but she never lets that overwhelm her. She can solve almost any problem without using violence. She’s capable of fighting, but she never depends on it.

“You met her at the worst possible time. I never thought I’d see her snap like that. That was all Hope Elara, not her wolf. Those people hurt her more than she let anyone see. It’s a shame because she’s about to give them everything they’ve ever wanted... and more.”

“It would have happened sooner or later,” Ansley said. “You can’t protect her from everything, Nathan.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to show her how cruel the world can be. We were raised to become weapons because Dad never wanted what happened to him to happen to us. Just because she’s that powerful doesn’t mean we should use her because of it. Teaching her to defend herself is enough.”

“So... how do I make it up to her?” Ansley asked, brushing his words aside.

“She’ll match your energy. If you act foolish around her, she’ll do the same. She treats people the way they treat her. And that little troublemaker is very good at playing games.”

“This is my fault.” She handed him a cigarette. It looked tiny in his hand. “It slipped, and I never should have let her get into the car with me.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

Nathan crouched beside her and reached for anything else to distract her.

He froze when she leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Buddy surfaced carefully.

They had tried to let her in before, and it had cost them dearly.

She shook her head and covered her face.

To Nathan, her sadness carried the sweet smell of kettle corn with extra salt.

He gently rested a hand on her head.

He had never seen her cry before.

“I don’t know how to be a real person,” she sniffled. “All I’ve ever done is follow Dad’s orders. I had to take over everything you left behind. He always said having a mate was a weakness. When I refused to accept Hope Elara, he was furious. After that... it became about telling him to get lost.”

“You don’t have to obey him anymore. He’s a rogue, and you’re the Alpha,” Nathan reminded her. “He has no control over anything involving the packs.”

She sat down completely and let out a shaky laugh.

Her face was red.

Her eyes were wet.

Nathan had never seen her this vulnerable.

Relief washed over him.

So did thoughts he never wanted to have.

Old instincts.

It would be so easy to reach out and take back the part of her that belonged to them.

The part that could make them whole.

He buried those thoughts deep inside.

Then he sat beside her, pulled out the small pack of tissues he always carried for Zenep, and quietly held it out to her.

Maybe it was an old habit.

It took Ansley a moment to realize what he was doing.

Slowly, she took the tissues, wiped her face, and handed them back with a small smile.

“You really are a father,” she said with a sigh. “Who would have thought?”

“You know how we never got to do normal kid things when we were growing up?”

Nathan smiled faintly.

“I’m having the time of my life with them. Sometimes I question everything because of the things they say. Other times, they remind me that what we went through wasn't normal. It wasn't right.

“When I look at them, I just want them to never go through what we did.”

“How do you know?”

“What?”

“How do you know you're raising them the right way? How do you know you haven't gone too far?”

“I follow Hope Elara's lead. She's unbelievably kind, especially after everything she became. Everything we know about silverbacks is wrong.

“Or maybe not completely wrong. But she's nothing like the stories in the books. Neither are the pups.

“Did you know Zenep can write simple computer programs? She can even use the advanced programs Perry designed, and she's only five years old. Zoey is incredibly talented at editing. You've seen their social media page, right?”

“Yeah.” Ansley grinned.

“Zenep does most of it herself. Zoey guides her, and Zenep adds her own magic. His handwriting is better than mine, and he's becoming a little beast in training. He loves it. He actually enjoys being around people. He welcomes them the same way Hope Elara does.”

“You sound happier.” Ansley flicked his ear with a playful smile before pulling her knees close and resting her chin on them.

“You know... it was the only way I thought I could escape.”

Her earlier words stayed in Nathan's mind.

Guilt was something he hated feeling.

But it was back.

Hope Elara wasn't the only person he had tried to leave behind.

Even after they were separated, they both had their own battles.

And he had almost left Ansley alone with their father.

“Your escape would have been a life sentence for me, Nate,” Ansley said quietly. “You were leaving me alone with him again. This time, you wouldn't have been there to draw his attention away from me.

“That was cowardly.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“No one cared,” Nathan said with a shrug. “Everyone was ready to let it happen. After I left the pack and became a rogue, I realized something.

“The more people missed me, the better their lives seemed without me.”

He looked down at his hands.

“Ever since that order in my head finally broke, I can think clearly again. There's room to see what's right in front of me. I'm not distracted anymore. I'm not constantly terrified of losing control.

“You don't understand, Ansley.

“It felt like I was living underwater. If I moved even a little, I'd sink deeper.

“I was exhausted.

“No matter how far away I stayed from her, the urge to hunt never disappeared.”

Nathan slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing the scars hidden beneath the tattoo.

Ansley reached for his arm.

Her eyes widened in horror.

“I built up a tolerance to silver,” he said quietly. “During every full moon, I injected myself with it so I wouldn't hunt Hope Elara in my sleep.

“You were right.

“It was cowardly.

“But I was so tired of being brave.

“I just needed it to stop.”