Chapter 91: Self-Sacrifice

OPAL

After dinner, all we can do is sit around and wait.

For the past few days, there’s been an attack every day, sometimes twice a day. Honestly, I don’t know what this will lead to.

It’s clear that things have gotten out of hand.

Kyle is standing by the door, smoking. Though things seem quiet, they’re far from peaceful. These past few days have impacted me a lot. They made me realize that I’ve truly been sheltered my entire life.

I didn’t know that people could suffer this way.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Aunt Janice, or rather, my biological mother, too. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must’ve been for her to be in love with a rogue when the whole werewolf world seems to be against them.

Sometimes, I have the feeling that I should’ve listened to her so I could understand more of the story. Maybe I acted too irrationally. Then again, my feelings were valid, too. I’d been lied to for my whole life. It’s not easy for people to accept that, or even live with it.

I glance at Kyle and for some reason, I have the feeling of telling him that my father was a rogue leader named Dres, and that the reason why Bruce agreed to marry me is simply because of that fact.

Maybe then, he could tell me a little bit of what I’m dying to know.

Who was my biological father? How was he as a person? I’m sure he’d know.

Kyle glances at me and arches a brow in question. That’s when I realize that I’ve been staring at him nonstop for minutes. I lower my gaze, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“Something on your mind?”

“I just—”

I’m cut off by the sound of approaching vehicles. I stand up and move close to the window. Kyle watches, frowning, then glances at me. “These are my guys. Don’t worry.”

“Do you think it’s another attack?”

“They usually call. I’d never allow them to drive all the way here when they could be helping people. I need to find out what’s going on.”

He heads outside and I stay by the window, watching. Then, I decide I’m too anxious, so I head into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. What could it be? They rarely come here. Usually, we meet them.

Why do I have such a bad feeling about this? Is it just paranoia?

I’m so distracted that I don’t realize that someone is slowly approaching the kitchen until I turn around to head back to my position by the window. I freeze when I see Cassie standing on the other side of the kitchen counter, glaring at me.

Great. What is it now?

“Making yourself at home, I see.”

“It’s just a glass of water.”

I pour the rest down the sink and wash the glass. Then, I turn my attention to her. She must’ve shown up with Kyle’s people. She reaches inside her purse for a pack of cigarettes. “You know, sometimes I have the feeling that I should just shoot you and be done with it.”

“You’d be wasting your time,” I assure her. “You think that there’s something going on between us and that isn’t the case at all.”

Cassie takes a drag of the cigarette while squinting her eyes. “Is that so? You expect me to believe that?”

I realized a long time ago that she was acting this way out of jealousy. “It’s the truth. I’m just helping out.”

“So, I’m stupid? And so is everyone else who says the same thing, right? Your connection is being described in every corner of the rogue world. Everyone talks about what a cute couple you two make. If they found out you were the Luna Queen, do you think they’d continue admiring you?”

“I don’t know,” I claim. “I don’t know everything. I won’t pretend that I do. But I can assure you that I have no romantic feelings toward him and it’s very clear to me that he loves you.”

“A considerate whore,” she comments, chuckling. “How original. You help around a little bit and suddenly, you’re their queen. Their savior. After everything I’ve done for them! They’re all fucking pathetic!”

I frown. “How can you say that about your own people? Maybe that’s the reason why they’ve never seen a true leader in you.”

Anger flashes in her eyes and before I know it, she’s stepping toward me. I close the distance between us, glaring at her and standing my ground.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I claim.

“Fuck you!” she spits. “You don’t know how I feel. You have no right to judge me, skank! You don’t know what it’s like to be replaced while you’re alive.”

“I don’t have plans to replace anyone.”

With a growl, she backs away and heads toward the door. I shake my head at her as I watch her walk away. She’s insane. Literally crazy.

I stand around the kitchen, arms folded, waiting for Kyle’s return. He takes a long time, longer than I expected, and I get worried, so I head toward the window.

He’s still out there. I don’t see his crazy fiancée, though.

What’s going on? It has to be something serious.

About an hour later, he returns. I’m seated on the couch. He looks defeated. I realize that right away. His gaze meets mine and I ask, “What’s going on?”

Kyle shakes his head. “We just got news.”

My heart starts beating faster and it becomes hard for me to breathe. What news? Is everything alright? I want to ask him all these things but I can see how dazed he is, so I’ll give him some time to gather his thoughts.

“We got news that the Alpha King is arranging a pardon for us. Imagine that. A fucking pardon when we didn’t even do anything wrong. He wants us to meet in the city tomorrow. If we accept the terms, then the attacks stop. They want you back.”

My heart starts beating even faster. “Oh.”

He watches me for longer, staring at me in a way that leaves me wondering what else he’s hiding. “Are you okay with that?”

I wish I could answer his question truthfully, but that’s not what matters. It doesn’t matter if I’m okay or not. What matters is that the attacks should stop, even if I have to return to my tormentor. My captor.

“Yes,” I answer. “It’ll save people. That’s all that matters.”

“If you don’t want to go—”

“It’s the right thing to do,” I interrupt. “Don’t worry about me.”

I decide that I won’t tell him about my connection to the rogue world. It doesn’t matter anyway, and I don’t see how it will help.

“Is that all?” I ask. “Was there something else? Because this sounds like good news to me. But you look…”

Kyle lowers his gaze, then nods. When he looks back up, I see something in them that scares me.

“I'm fine. Don’t worry about it. Tomorrow, all of this ends.” After a beat, he adds in a much lower voice, “All of it.”