Chapter 152 Chapter 152
Violet
And despite everything, despite the coldness and the manipulation and the casual cruelty, I hated how some part of Elijah still yearned for their affection. I could see it sometimes, in the way his shoulders would tense when Alaric walked past him without acknowledgment. In the way his jaw would clench when Aurelia would speak to him in that distant, formal tone she reserved for pack business. In the flicker of something wounded that would cross his face before he locked it away behind that controlled mask.
He craved the love of the people who had birthed him and wanted their approval even though he knew he'd never get it. Not in any way that mattered.
My mom and dad were angels compared to these cold people he had as parents. At least my parents, for all their overprotectiveness and their constant worrying, had always made it clear they loved me. That they'd do anything for me and that I mattered more than reputation or status or what anyone else thought.
Only Cassie seemed to genuinely care for Elijah in this family, but even she was always treated as a tantrum-throwing child rather than a person. Her opinions were always dismissed and her attempts to defend her brother shut down before she could even finish speaking.
For almost a week, the manor was quiet in the way that graveyards are quiet. I kept to my room mostly, trying to lose myself in work, sketching designs for Mirella's next collection and failing spectacularly because my mind kept wandering.
I'd tried to establish a better rapport with Mirella through email, sending her updated sketches and ideas, being as professional and enthusiastic as I could manage through written communication. But she continued to give me the cold shoulder, her responses brief and impersonal when she bothered to respond at all.
I figured things would be easier when I returned to work with her in person. At least, I hoped they would be. Face-to-face communication had to be better than this stilted email exchange where I could practically feel her disapproval radiating through the screen.
Nate was still in the hospital but recovering very fast, according to the ramblings I overheard between Nicole and her friends from time to time. The supernatural healing serum was doing its job, knitting bones back together and fading bruises at an accelerated rate. Within days, the doctors were already talking about discharge.
Nicole didn't try to put up the good act of including me in their shenanigans anymore, which was honestly a relief. I didn't have to pretend to care about wedding flower arrangements or bridesmaid dress fittings or any of the other frivolous details she obsessed over. But then it made it incredibly awkward for me to be living in a place that had most of its inhabitants actively frowning at me whenever I ventured out of my room.
I'd become the outsider who'd caused trouble. The girl who'd gotten their precious Nate beaten half to death and created a scandal that threatened the pack's reputation.
Never mind that Nate had drugged and assaulted me. That detail seemed to have gotten conveniently lost in the narrative.
After the hospital incident, Elijah had sent Tyler and Gavin back to look after our pack. I'd asked him to leave as well, to go back to the life he'd built away from this toxic place, but he'd shaken his head with that stubborn set to his jaw that I was beginning to recognize.
"I'm not leaving until you're no longer under the same roof as that bastard," he'd said, his tone brooking no argument. "I don't trust him. I don't trust any of them to keep you safe."
I'd wanted to argue, to tell him I could take care of myself, but the truth was I felt safer with him here even if his presence made everything more complicated.
I feared getting summoned to Lady Aurelia's room yet again, dreaded seeing that knowing smile on her face as she congratulated me on making her son fall for me. But thankfully she didn't call for me, for reasons best known to her. Maybe she was satisfied with how things had played out. Maybe she was just waiting to see what I'd do next.
Her husband spent all his time locked in his study, undoubtedly still trying to figure out those mysterious symbols that I had seen on his desk.
Then finally the day I’d been dreading arrived.
I was in my room, sitting cross-legged on the bed with my sketchbook open in my lap, when I heard the commotion downstairs.
My stomach dropped as I heard excited voices and footsteps rushing towards the entrance hall.
It could only mean one thing- Nate had been released from the hospital.
I set my sketchbook aside, my hands trembling slightly. This was the moment where I'd have to swallow my anger and my fear and my disgust and apologize to the man who'd tried to rape me.
I stood up slowly, and changed into simple jeans and a soft gray sweater. I wanted to look as non-threatening and apologetic as possible.
By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, a crowd had already gathered near the entrance. Nicole was there, of course, practically vibrating with excitement. Madison and Veronica flanked her like usual. A few other pack members I'd seen around the manor but didn't know by name had gathered as well, drawn by the commotion.
And then the front door opened, and Nate walked in.
He was still limping slightly, favoring his left leg. The bruises on his face had faded to a yellowish-green, still visible but no longer the violent purple they'd been. The swelling had gone down considerably, and the stitches in his lip had been removed, leaving only a faint red line. His nose was still slightly crooked despite the healing
Nicole rushed forward immediately, throwing her arms around him carefully, mindful of his injuries. "Oh my Goddess, you're finally home! I've been so worried. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? Should I get you some water?"
"I'm fine, baby." Nate's voice was rougher than I remembered, probably from the facial trauma. He wrapped one arm around Nicole, smiling down at her. "The doctors cleared me and said I'm healing even faster than expected."
"That's wonderful!" Veronica gushed. "We've all been so worried about you."
"The manor hasn't been the same without you," Madison added.
Everybody rushed forward then, offering words of welcome and relief, asking about his recovery, making a fuss over him like he was a returning war hero rather than someone who'd gotten what he deserved.
I stood rooted to the spot near the base of the staircase, watching the scene unfold. My hands were clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms hard enough to leave marks. I wanted to turn around and walk back upstairs.
But I'd made a promise so I forced my feet to move until I was standing on the edge of the gathered crowd.
Nate's gaze found me almost immediately, like he'd been waiting for me to appear.