Chapter 28 Return to Wrath
[Nyx]
Morning light streamed through the car window, catching on the silver moonstone bracelet around my wrist. The delicate stones scattered blue reflections across the leather interior as I absently turned it, watching the play of light. The resort was miles behind us now, and with every passing minute, we drew closer to Verdant family estate—closer to the storm we couldn't avoid.
"We're almost there," I said softly, my eyes involuntarily drifting toward the massive iron gates that marked the entrance to my family's domain. My stomach tightened. "What do you think they'll do to us?"
Lysander glanced at my wrist, at the moonstone bracelet glimmering in the sunlight. "With that," he nodded toward it, "maybe not as bad as it could be."
I shook my head, feeling a rare tremor in my voice. "You don't know Karl. Making him lose face in front of the entire wolf society..." I swallowed hard. "He never forgives that kind of thing."
Lysander released the steering wheel with one hand and covered mine where I clutched the bracelet. His palm was warm, calloused from years of combat training. "Don't worry," he said, his voice low and steady. "We'll face it together. Whatever happens, it was worth it."
That simple touch, that simple promise, made me look up in surprise. Though things had changed between us on the island, this open protective stance still felt new and strange.
As we passed through the iron gates, Beta guards immediately reported our return through their radios. I could smell their nervous sweat—they'd been waiting for us. In front of the main house stood Ariel, wringing her hands, her face etched with worry.
"Thank the Moon Goddess you've returned," she said quickly as we stepped out of the car. Her eyes darted nervously between us before landing on my wrist. When she spotted the bracelet, her eyes widened. "Is that..."
"My mother's bracelet," I confirmed, deliberately lifting my wrist so the sunlight caught the stones. "We found it on the island."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "So that's why you left." She lowered her voice. "Alpha is furious. He's been waiting in his study for hours. Tristan has been suggesting that perhaps you weren't coming back at all."
"We'd better not keep him waiting any longer," Lysander said, placing a gentle hand at the small of my back.
I noticed his hand resting there, a public gesture that felt both protective and possessive. Though I told myself he was just being supportive, the warmth of his palm through my thin blouse sent an unfamiliar comfort through me.
---
My father stood before the study window, his back to the door, silhouetted against the morning sun. Even without turning, his rage filled the room like a physical presence, heavy and suffocating.
"Father," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "We've returned."
Karl turned, his gray-blue eyes—so like my own—stormy with barely contained fury. "You made me lose face in front of two hundred pack representatives," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "For what? Some childish elopement drama?"
"The responsibility is mine, Alpha," Lysander stepped forward, meeting my father's rage head-on. "I received information about an item of significance and believed immediate action was necessary."
"What item could possibly justify insulting the entire wolf society?" Karl's voice remained low, but his Alpha aura surged through the room like ocean waves, making me instinctively want to lower my head.
I took a deep breath and raised my wrist, letting the moonstone bracelet catch the light. "This."
The effect was immediate. My father's expression froze, anger draining away, replaced by shock and something else I couldn't quite identify.
"Diana's bracelet," he whispered, his voice containing a tremor I'd never heard before. "It disappeared after she died..."
"It appeared at a private auction on the island," Lysander explained. "If we'd waited until after the ceremony, we might never have recovered it."
My father approached slowly, as if drawn by some invisible force. He extended his hand, fingers hovering over the moonstone, almost reverent in his hesitation. For that moment, he wasn't the fearsome Alpha, just a man touching a relic of his dead wife.
"Who took it? Why was it at an auction?" he asked, eyes still fixed on the bracelet.
"We don't know," Lysander said. "The seller information was confidential. I only knew it would mean something to Nyx."
My father's gaze shifted from the bracelet to me. For a fleeting moment, something soft passed through his eyes. Then, just as quickly, the Alpha mask slid back into place.
"This doesn't excuse your betrayal of trust," he said firmly. "There must be punishment."
"Punish me," Lysander straightened his spine. "I made the decision to take Nyx away."
"No, that's not how it happened," I stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lysander. "I chose to go with him. It was our decision, together."
Lysander glanced at me, surprise evident in his amber eyes. He clearly hadn't expected me to claim responsibility.
A ghost of a smile touched my father's lips before disappearing beneath his stern expression. "Very well. Since you both confess, you will both be punished. Nyx, you are confined to the West Wing for two weeks. Lysander, at dawn tomorrow, you will receive thirty lashes."