Chapter 35 035
Chapter 35
Thalia’s POV
When I finished talking, my mother cried.
It wasn’t quiet. She didn’t try to hide it. Her shoulders shook, and she pressed her hand to her mouth like she was trying to stop the sound from coming out. It didn’t work. The sobs broke through anyway.
I watched her.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. Sadness maybe. Or relief. But nothing came. I just stayed where I was, kneeling on the floor, my hands resting loosely on my thighs.
The concrete was cold and rough. When I shifted my weight, it scraped against my knees. The sting registered somewhere in my mind, but my body didn’t react. I didn’t flinch or pull away. Pain had started to feel distant lately, like it belonged to someone else.
“Thalia,” she said after a while. Her voice cracked as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”
She sounded serious. Desperate, even.
That was new.
I wondered if she really meant it or if she just needed to believe she was doing something right now. Either way, it didn’t change much for me.
“What’s the point?” I asked.
My voice echoed slightly in the small space.
She looked at me, startled, like she hadn’t expected me to say anything at all.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“What happens after?” I said. “If I leave. What am I supposed to do?”
She didn’t answer right away. She pressed her lips together and looked down, then took a slow breath.
“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “One step at a time. Things don’t stay bad forever.”
I didn’t respond.
I stared at the floor instead. The surface was stained in places, darker patches where water or something else had soaked in over time. I traced one of the cracks with my eyes, following it until it disappeared under the wall.
After a moment, she spoke again.
“While you’ve been here,” she said carefully, “things have changed.”
I stayed quiet.
“Varian and Shelly have been seen together. Publicly.”
My chest tightened, but I didn’t move.
“They attend meetings together now. She stands beside him.”
I nodded once. I didn’t know why. Maybe to show I was listening.
“He’s been… suggesting things,” she continued. “About what happened between you. About the bond.”
I looked up then.
“What kind of things?”
She hesitated. “That you weren’t faithful. That you acted out of jealousy. He doesn’t say it directly, but people understand what he means.”
I felt something twist in my stomach. Not sharp. Just heavy.
“That’s his choice,” I said. “Shelly didn’t force him.”
She frowned. “I think she’s influencing him. You know how persuasive she can be.”
“He’s the Alpha,” I replied. “If he’s saying those things, it’s because he wants to.”
She didn’t argue, but she didn’t agree either.
I looked away again. I didn’t want to talk about Varian. Thinking about him only led in one direction, and there was nothing useful waiting at the end of it.
She reached out and rested her hand on my shoulder.
Her hand was warm. It felt strange after days of no contact at all. Still, it didn’t comfort me. It just reminded me of how empty everything felt.
“I spoke to Varian,” she said. “It took time, but I managed to get him alone.”
I didn’t react.
“He agreed to release you.”
That got my attention.
I lifted my head slowly. “Just like that?”
She shook her head. “There’s a condition.”
I already knew there would be.
“What is it?” I asked.
She swallowed. “He wants you to apologize to Shelly.”
I let out a short breath. Not a laugh. Just air.
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
“She doesn’t need to apologize,” a voice said calmly. “I already forgave her.”
Shelly.
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t need to.
Varian stepped into view beside her. His presence filled the space immediately, like it always did. The air felt tighter with him there.
My mother stood up quickly and bowed her head.
“Alpha,” she said.
Varian gave her a brief look, then shifted his attention.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked. “You should greet Shelly as well.”
Shelly smiled. “Varian, it’s fine.”
She took a small step forward. “I understand. Emotions were high.”
She paused before finishing her sentence.
“I haven’t officially become your—”
She stopped on purpose.
I felt my hands curl into fists.
Shelly turned to me.
“Thalia,” she said gently, “I forgive you. What happened before was unfortunate, but I don’t hold it against you.”
I didn’t respond.
“If you’re willing to change,” she continued, “we can all move forward.”
“Stay away from me,” I said.
My voice was steady. Flat.
Shelly sighed. “May I speak with her alone?”
“No,” Varian said immediately.
“I’ll keep my distance,” she said. “I just want to talk.”
He looked at me then. His eyes were hard.
“Five minutes,” he said to her. “That’s all.”
He gestured to my mother. “You too.”
They left. The door closed.
The lock clicked.
Shelly’s expression changed almost instantly. The softness faded.
“You look worse than I expected,” she said. “This place does that.”
I stayed silent.
“You know why Varian agreed to let you go?” she asked.
I didn’t answer.
“Because the elders are starting to question things. Keeping you here without a public resolution looks bad.”
“So I’m the solution,” I said.
“You’re the loose end,” she replied.
I stood up slowly. My legs felt stiff, but they held.
“You already have him,” I said. “You don’t need anything else from me.”
She studied my face.
“An apology would make things easier,” she said. “For everyone.”
“For you,” I corrected.
She didn’t deny it.
Footsteps approached again.
Shelly stepped back, adjusting her expression just as the door opened.
Varian entered.
“Well?” he asked. “Have you decided?”
He waited.
And I knew whatever I said next would follow me for the rest of my life.