Chapter 51 51.Innocence
Tabitha’s POV
My throat still burns even after they shove water into my hands, but at least the ache dulls once I gulp enough to satisfy the desert inside me. The next thing I know, the Aldair brothers are calling maids from the estate to come over to the hospital, and everything turns into a blur of fussing hands and soft cloths. It only takes a few minutes for the maids to arrive and I barely manage to keep up as they gently pull me to the bathroom in my hospital room. They wash the dirt from my skin, brush through the knots in my hair, and dress me in fresh clothes. I let them because I’m too drained to argue. By the time I am settled back into the bed, I feel and smell clean with no disgusting from the stale dungeon air that I was just in yesterday.
A tray waits for me on the table beside the bed. There is a bowl of clear broth, tasty-looking porridge, neat slices of apple, and a pretty set of egg rolls. It looks like far more than I can finish, yet the sight of it makes my stomach twist with a mix of hunger and unease. I can’t believe I’m finally seeing real foods after deliriously staring at blank concrete walls and crumbs of the stale bread they gave me back at the dungeon.
But still…
“There is too much food,” I murmur.
“You can eat whatever you can,” Evren says softly. “Just take it slowly, so you don’t upset your stomach.”
I nod, though my hand hesitates on the spoon. It is strange, waking up to this. I half-expect to still be shackled to stone, but instead I am here in a clean bed with three of my stepbrothers hovering like shadows at the edges of the room. They watch me with an intensity that makes me a bit self-conscious. It’s as if they are terrified that if they blink, I might vanish back into the dark.
“How did you even know where I was?” My voice comes out softer than I intend.
The brothers exchange a glance, and something silent passes between them, like they are communicating without words.
“We have our ways,” Jace answers.
Right. Ways. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I want to know whose ways they mean and what it cost. Did they fight Eli or Ava or Alfred for me? Did they break station rules? Did they risk their father’s anger? The questions pile up until my stomach turns.
I do not know if they did this for me or for the Aldair name. I want the answer to be me, and that thought scares me more than the cell did. Gratitude sits next to anger and both feel heavy. I hate that I needed saving, yet I am relieved they came. I hate that I care what they feel, yet I do.
When Reed shifts closer, my chest pulls tight in a way I do not want to name. Evren watches every move I make as if he is counting my breaths. Jace looks ready to fight the whole island if I ask. I do not know where to put any of that, so I stare at the bowl and pretend I can.
“You stopped eating,” Reed points out.
“Yeah, I can’t possibly finish all this unless you plan to roll me out of bed like a barrel,” I reply, keeping my eyes on the porridge.
A low chuckle rumbles out of him. “I miss your smart mouth, princess,” he says as his thumb brushes the corner of my lips, wiping away a stray drop of broth I hadn’t noticed.
I clear my throat and look away to hide the flush creeping into my cheeks. “By the way, where’s Luca?”
“He is busy retrieving the damaged CCTV footage back at the hotel,” Reed answers.
The spoon stills in my hand. “CCTV footage?”
“The elders are calling for a trial hearing tomorrow morning about the artifact that was damaged. We want the footage from the last two days, just around when it happened,” Evren explains.
A hearing, of course how can I forget? Fear grips my chest at the thought that the elders have whispered to their ears about the supposed crimes I have committed. Did they believe them? Is that why I’m here? They want to get me well-fed before they hand me back to the people who wanted me out of the family, out of the island.
“I didn’t do it! I swear. The elders are accusing me of something I never touched.” My voice cracks in the middle, and for a moment I am certain they will look at me the same way the elders did. They will condemn me the same way the elders did.
But Jace reaches out and strokes my cheek with the back of his fingers. “We believe you.”
“I really didn’t—wait, what? Really?” My lips part in surprise. “Y-You believe me?”
“Of course,” he says without hesitation.
The knot in my throat almost breaks me. For days I have felt like a trespasser in this family, unwanted and unheard. And the elders didn’t believe me even after how many times I explained to them that I didn’t do it. Yet here, in this quiet room, the brothers I least expected to care for me are the ones declaring they believe me. My chest aches with the sudden urge to cry, though I fight to keep it down.
“Why?” I whisper.
Reed gives me a look that is both firm and teasing. “Because you are an Aldair one way or another.”
“What does that mean?” I frown.
“It means you should let us handle this, princess.” He winks, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
Trust is not something I have ever given freely. I have survived by holding it back, by relying only on myself. Yet Reed’s words sink into me in a way I cannot fight. They believed me when no one else did, and that has to count for something. So, for the first time, I let go of the walls I have held so tightly. I choose to trust them.
Morning comes with a quiet warmth that feels almost unreal after yesterday. I wake with a clearer head and a steadier stomach, and it is not hard to guess why. The brothers hardly let me lift a finger since the moment I opened my eyes. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that I am pampered. If one of them left the room, the other stayed behind as if I needed a personal guard. The routine should feel suffocating, yet it only makes my chest tighten in a way I cannot explain. Truthfully, they look a little silly with the way they hover around me, but some part of me feels giddy at the attention. Of course, that is not something I will ever admit to their faces.
The only one I still have not seen is Luca. I imagine he is still buried in what Jace called the “CCTV project.” The thought makes me feel guilty because I never asked him to put in that much effort, yet at the same time I feel strangely flattered that he would go so far for my sake.
“Are you ready?” Jace asks me as I smooth the hem of my dress.
“Yes,” I answer. I tug lightly at the black fabric that falls just past my knees. It is simple but formal enough for what waits ahead.
The four of us head out, and soon I am sliding into the back seat of the car beside Jace. Reed takes the driver’s seat while Evren claims the front passenger side. I rest my hand against the window, watching the hospital blur past as the car rolls toward the naval station.
“Today’s hearing will not be private. Every member of the pack will be there. Since our father is away, it will be presided over by his Beta, Renston,” Jace explains.
Huh. Renston Carter. I do not know much about the Beta aside from the fact that he is Yennifer’s uncle, but in the few times I have spoken with him, he struck me as a logical man. I can only hope that logic will stretch to fairness.
My fingers twitch against the glass as we grow closer to the station. The last time I set foot in the there, I was dismissed and thrown to the dungeon before I could defend myself. I cannot help but wonder if this will be any different.
Before I can sink too deep into that thought, Jace catches my hand and lifts it to his mouth. His lips brush my knuckles which almost makes me gasp. Heat rushes to my face, and I am too stunned to even pull back.
“Hey, relax,” he coos against my skin. “We will clear your name once and for all.”
Reed glances at me through the rearview mirror and winks.
“Once this is over, no one will be foolish enough to pull something like this again. They will know better than to mess with the Aldair name.”
Evren shifts slightly in his seat, his eyes flicking back at me as if to second Reed’s words.
I draw in a deep breath and force myself to smile, even if it feels fragile. I want to believe them. I need to believe them. For now, I will.
I take a deep breath as we arrive at Kaelara naval station. As soon as we enter the familiar ballroom I quickly notice that it is filled with Crystal Ridge pack members. Last time I saw these people here was during the pack assembly and now, they are assembled yet ago but only to witness either my freedom or ultimate downfall.
“I knew it. You couldn’t last a few months in this island without getting yourself in trouble, Chubbyta.” I don’t have to turn around to know who that voice belong to.
“Leave her alone, Yennifer,” Jace hisses at her and takes my arm, taking a step on my side to block her view.
“You know I’m right, Jace. I am yet see your little stepsister do something right. And by the looks of it, she’s got all of you in a tough situation. If it were up to me, I’d throw her back to the dungeon so she’ll know her lesson. That way, she won’t dare taint your family name again.” I can hear the pure disdain in her voice.
“Quit it, Saint Yennifer. We’re not here to bathe in your holiness. Step aside,” Reed growls at her. I catch a glimpse of irritation and fear warring in Yennifer’s eyes before she steps aside and let us through.
The crowd make a way for the four of us as we head to the middle, my eyes drifting to the people in front of us—there stands Eli, Ava, Aflred, the two other elders they were with when they cornered me back at the hotel, and Beta Renston.
“I’m glad that you honored the agreement of bringing her here tonight,” Eli says. His message is for the brothers but his eyes linger on me.
“Enough with the chitchats, let’s get this over with,” Reed says boredly.
“Very well… we shall start,” Beta Renston declares. “For the crime of damaging the sacred relic that belongs to the pack and the Aldair family, Tabitha Huxley, tell me how you plea…”
I take a deep breath. This is it.