Chapter 220 DISTANT ECHOES
Percival
Mirabelle seemed to notice. She reached out, her hand warm as it clasped mine. Her green eyes locked on mine, filled with quiet concern. "Don't feel embarrassed," she said softly. "The past six months have been really hard for you. I’m so sorry."
I sighed heavily, dropping my gaze to the floor. "I really miss her," I whispered, my voice cracking as I spoke. It felt like admitting that made it more real somehow.
"I know you do," Mirabelle replied, her voice kind and reassuring. "And I think she’s going to miss you too. I told her everything. About Darius. About... everything."
My head snapped up at her words. "Why?" I blurted, confusion and frustration mixing in my chest.
Mirabelle shrugged, her tone casual, "She needed to know. And she doesn't blame you anymore. She understands now—you were trying to protect her. But she's upset... Darius wasn’t who she thought he was. He lied. William lied." Her gaze flickered around the room before she added quietly, "And... she's not pregnant."
My ears perked up involuntarily, and a rush of conflicting emotions hit me. Disappointment settled in, but beneath that, there was a faint sense of relief. Our relationship had ended, after all. She had left me. This news was a reminder that some doors were meant to stay closed. "Oh," I muttered, not really knowing what else to say.
Mirabelle gave my arm a comforting rub. "I'm sorry, but I don't think she’ll be back anytime soon. You both need time to heal. Who knows? Maybe someday you two will be in a better place."
"You never know." Her attempt at optimism only made me feel worse. Frustration flared inside me—not just at the situation, but at myself. What was I even thinking? And maybe, a small part of me was angry at Edeline, too. Though I had no real right to be. She left me—her partner. It made sense. But still, it stung in a way that made me want to push everyone away, to just be left alone. "Thanks, Mirabelle," I said, my voice tight.
She gave me a sad smile, as if she could sense how much I was struggling.
One of the things that had once excited me the most was the idea of finding a mate. It was supposed to be this big, life-changing thing, but everything had spiraled out of control so fast. None of us had expected things to turn out like this. Everyone thought Edeline’s partner was going to be Darius. Secretly, though, I had hoped it wouldn’t be. There was always something off about him. His wolf misbehaved in ways that worried everyone, but my dad had always believed that if Edeline was his mate, she could calm him, rein him in. My mom never really said much about it—she had always treated him like her little furball.
I couldn't stop the heavy feeling that came over me when I thought about Darius, about what I had done. I had never taken a life before—especially not my own brother. The weight of it pressed down on my chest. That wasn’t my responsibility. Dad should have handled it. Not me. We used to be close once. After everything that happened, though, he drifted, and my parents did what they could to look after him.
The memory of it all made me grimace, and I suddenly remembered something. "Mirabelle, are you still planning to share everything about Darius? With my dad?"
She nodded, her expression steady. That gave me some comfort. It was all a mess, but this was something that needed to be done.
"Just so you know," she added, leaning in, "my mom helped him escape. I don’t really want to deal with the trials and all that, but..." Her voice softened as she moved closer. "You won’t have to take the blame for his death. I’ll make sure of it. Darius should’ve been dealt with a long time ago. You did the pack a favor by taking him down. And by protecting Edeline last night, you prioritized the pack too. They’ll respect that, but... there may be challenges ahead. Some of them still see you as weak." She bit her lip, nervously glancing at me.
I nodded. I don’t blame them. I had felt so powerless lately, like I was barely holding it together.
"Yeah, I get it," I murmured. My wolf had been stirring up so much trouble, making things worse. Lately, I’ve been feeling like a whirlwind of emotions—overwhelmed, constantly on edge. Even my skin felt different, like it didn’t belong to me anymore. My wolf was trying to compensate for everything I was lacking, trying to grow stronger to make up for my weaknesses.
In my desperation to feel better, I had even tried using tearosterone, hoping it would help clear my mind, help with my skin. But, like everything else lately, it didn’t have the effect I had hoped for.
Mirabelle's face grew more serious. "Z, you’ve got to be ready for what’s coming. I know you miss Edeline, but you can’t let that cloud your focus."
She was right. I had to brace myself, even though all I could think about was how much happier I’d been with Edeline. Everything felt easier when she was by my side. I needed to get her back someday. But right now, I needed to survive this. I could feel my wolf growing stronger, pushing me, making me more physically resilient. But it wasn’t my strength—it was his. My wolf had his own agenda, his own desires, and I barely had control over it.
I sighed deeply, the weight of everything pressing down on me. "Thanks, Mirabelle," I muttered. "I don’t mean to be rude, but—"
She gave me a small nod, understanding. "I get it. You just want some alone time." Her eyes flicked to my bandaged wrist, the unspoken worry hanging in the air between us. "Just... don’t do anything stupid again, alright? You’ve got a lot more going for you than you realize." She flashed a small, sad smile, then leaned in for a quick hug before heading to the door. She paused, hesitating with a cringe on her face. "Oh, one more thing... I told Nixx about Darius not being mentally stable. I’m telling the rest of the pack tonight. Please don’t get mad… Anyway, Nixx was waiting for Tatiana in the lobby and seemed really emotional. He couldn’t understand why you would hurt Darius. Just… don’t be mad, okay?" With a quick wave, she hurried out the door, leaving me to my thoughts.