Chapter 81: Rhys
I could tell that Grace was upset by the way she curled up in the blankets, but over what I wasn’t quite sure. Guilt and ick flooded through the bond, and I thought about her questions, and wondered if they were related.
I laid down next to her and combed my fingers through her hair and pulled her in close to me. “Why do you feel guilty my love? I’d much rather you talk to me than keep it locked inside.” I said after a few minutes.
“Because I want them to be caught. I want them to be hurt like I was. And that makes me a bad person.”
“Oh Gracie,” I sighed, knowing no matter what I said she wouldn’t believe me. “They tortured you. They hurt you in the worst of ways. Wanting revenge and wanting to lock them away or even have them killed, does not make you a bad person. It makes you a person who has been badly hurt, and who really wants to make sure it never happens again. And I will love and support you no matter what, and I will protect you with everything I have.”
She sighed against me, clearly not believing me, and I didn’t think there was much I could say to get her to believe me. She would have to accept this part of her if she wanted peace. I couldn’t do it for her, even if I wanted to. It was never easy wrestling with who you were before and who you want to become or even who you are becoming. Grace had never known who she was before. She had always played people-pleaser, so anything that showed even a little bit of realness, it scared her.
“I just don’t understand how this happened,” She confessed tiredly. “How could my own family do this sort of thing to me? I could maybe understand this from Kinsley. We were ‘battling’ for the same spot even if I didn’t know it. But my own mother? I was just a baby.”
My heart broke for her. As much as I knew about her, I didn’t know much about her. I mean, it was hard because she didn’t really know who she was, but also no one had ever asked her how she was or what she needed. No one had really asked her about her life before now. And I wanted to know everything about her from her shoe size to her worst memory.
“Did anyone ever tell you anything about your mother?” I asked carefully. In theory, her talking about everything would help her in the long run, but in the now, it might really suck.
“I mean, yes and no.” She answered, looking up at me with her big blue eyes. “No one ever talked to me about my mother, but I definitely heard things. A lot of people said she was just searching for power, sleeping her way to the top. I heard that she purposefully got pregnant in an attempt to force the hand of my dad to choose. She wasn’t very well liked, but she also wasn’t hated either. It was more like, well if he had to have a mistress, she’s the right choice, if that makes any sense at all. I guess she had also once been decent friends with Luna Ava.”
“Who took care of you once she died?” I asked curiously, realizing I had never asked.
“Well, as an infant, it was the head maid, Kathy. I guess my mother specifically entrusted her with me. But once I was about 4, I was placed in the smallest room in the packhouse which I spent most of my time in, and then by the time I was maybe about 6, I was given chores by Kathy and expected to sort of earn my keep.”
“Did Kathy ever truly care for you or give you any affection?” I asked with a frown.
“Not really. Once I was old enough to get my own food and things, I was sort of left to my own devices. I only had a handful of outfits that all were fairly plain and matched each other. But to Kathy, I was just a job.”
“Was there anyone who cared for you?” I asked trying to keep my anger in check.
Grace sat up in the bed and I moved to sit up too.
“Well, Luna Ava was always kind. She’s the only one who I ever remember giving me a hug.”
“What about your dad?” My voice cracked slightly.
“He was ashamed of me. He hated me with every fiber of his being, but there were times he wasn’t quite so cold, especially when Luna Ava was alive. But Luna Ava was something else. She was gentle and never harsh. My situation wasn’t as dire when she was alive. But when she died,” Grace’s voice broke a little, and tears filled her eyes, but she continued. “When she died, everything changed for the worst. I was accused of murdering her and thrown in the dungeons. I hadn’t even seen her that day, so I wasn’t sure how I got blamed. I was just grieving the only person who had ever been kind to me.”
Grace’s tears began to stream down her face, and I couldn’t contain my rage anymore. I hated the way she was treated. Why had I taken so long to check in on this pack? Why hadn’t I seen the signs earlier that there was something odd going on?
I hopped off the bed and punched the wall as hard as I could. My mate had not deserved any of the pain she had been subjected to! I took a deep breath and turned back toward Grace. Her startled face made me instantly regret my angry display.
“I’m sorry, Gra-” But I stopped midsentence when I noticed her very pale face, and before I coud ask what was wrong, she fainted, nearly falling off the bed.
Oh goddess, what have I done?!?! I grabbed her carefully and readjusted her more comfortably on the bed. Her skin was burning up. I swear it hadn’t been that warm when I was touch her a few minutes ago.
“SAWYER!” I mindlinked in panic. “GET TO MY ROOM NOW!”
“Grace, hunny, can you hear me?” I tried as I waited for Sawyer to get here. I grabbed a cool cloth and started to dab her head with it.
“What happened?” Sawyer asked as he threw open the door breathlessly, his doctor bag in hand.
“She just passed out and now she has a fever, and it all came on so suddenly.” I rushed the words out, not wanting to waste any time.
“I thought we solved the effects of her old mark?” Sawyer asked as he began his examination. “This is nearly the exact reaction, but it shouldn’t be happening.”
Grace began to squirm slightly and then all the sudden began the wretch. Blood spilled out of her mouth onto the floor and my shoes, and I realized just how fucking serious this was.
“The hospital. Now.” Sawyer commanded, and I picked her up not wasting any time.
Her eyes were still closed as she threw up more blood and drifted off again as we raced off to the hospital. I sat her on the bed and helped her sit up a bit as she threw up more blood. Sawyer continued his examination furiously.
When he lifted her shirt to listen to her chest, we both saw it. There was a swollen bruise on her back.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked feeling sick.
“One way to find out,” Sawyer bit out grabbing a large syringe and needle and extracting blackened blood from the center of the large bruise.
“Yep.” Sawyer said in disgust and fear, “It’s wolf poison.”