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“I’m okay,” I force out when I manage to get some air. “Thanks.”
I look up just in time to catch Gavin’s grin. He winks, then reaches for a glass of wine and takes a small sip.
“I can’t take it anymore!” Grayden yells and slams the palm of his hand against the table. “Are you all fucking crazy? Are we seriously having a dinner with a fucking commoner like it’s nothing? Are we really voluntarily, and outside of an official event, sharing a meal with a foreign queen?”
“Careful,” Gavin growls, but I’m already on my feet and halfway to my brother.
Grayden turns just in time to give me more space to grab him by the collar and throw him against the wall. He lands with a satisfying thump, and though he’s conscious and seemingly unhurt, he doesn’t get up. With his face turned toward the floor, he’s leaning on his left elbow as if he’s avoiding meeting anyone’s gaze.
“First, you’re going to apologize to my wife, who is also your queen. You’re going to beg her forgiveness, and only if she chooses to grant it to you, you will have an opportunity to explain to us what the fuck is going on with you,” I say with a low voice. My hands are clenched in fists and shaking with cold anger. “If you get through all that, then you’re going to get your shit together and quit partying every night. I can honestly tell you that it leads nowhere but to rock bottom.”
Grayden stubbornly shakes his head, and I’m about to kick him in the stomach, when someone grabs my arm. I suppress the urge to struggle when I realize it’s Alyssa. She ignores my look and kneels next to Grayden.
“While, under normal circumstances, I would demand an apology and even encourage an appropriate punishment to make sure this doesn’t happen again, I don’t believe that this will work here,” Alyssa says, and while she’s looking at him, his eyes are still turned downward. “You’re going to tell us what’s on your mind. You’re going to share with your family the burdens that you’re carrying, and you’re going to lean on them, lean on us, to help you get out of whatever mess you’ve found yourself in.”
We all strain our ears to hear Grayden’s reply. The silence that follows seems to stretch forever when in reality, it’s only been a couple of seconds. The tension in the air is palpable and heavy.
“I can’t,” Grayden replies at last. Though he still refuses to look at anyone, he shakes his head. “It’s impossible to explain. You wouldn’t understand. Even I don’t understand it.”
“Try us,” Alyssa tells him, her voice soft and gentle.
I lift my brows in surprise when she offers him her hand. Grayden should consider himself lucky that he took it because if he had insulted her again, I would’ve ripped him to shreds.
“What’s going on?” Alyssa asks him when he sits on his chair.
Grayden looks more distraught than ever. His usually groomed stubble is overgrown and neglected. When his dark eyes look at me, they’re filled with shame that I can’t quite place.
“I’ve done something bad,” he tells us, sounding both apologetic and embarrassed.
“What did you do, Son?” my father asks him with a grave expression on his face as the endless possibilities cross everyone’s mind.
“I’ve warned the witches that you’re coming,” Grayden confesses, and just like that, a dam has broken, the words bursting out of him in an unstoppable current. “I didn’t mean for any of the wolves to die, but I also didn’t want her to die. You have to understand that I love her. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.”
“You’re...in love...with...a witch?” I ask in disbelief, struggling to get the words out.
“Yes,” Grayden confirms, locking his eyes onto mine as he silently pleads for forgiveness. “You have to believe me that I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“You warned them that we’re coming!” I snap angrily. “Alpha Jenkins is dead. A lot of good wolves died. Do you understand how serious this is? While we’ve been trying to save our species from extinction, you had the answer for it this whole time.”
“It’s not like that,” Grayden argues. “She doesn’t have anything to do with it. She’s nothing like her sister. She’s good, and kind, and compassionate towards all species.”
“Wait a second,” Gavin stops his brother, his index finger up in the air as he’s trying to wrap his mind around something. “Who exactly is that witch of yours?”
“Her name is Helia,” Grayden replies and shuts his eyes to hide himself from the disappointment on our faces. “She’s Hekate’s twin sister.”
I can’t handle it anymore. I need to leave the room, or I’ll murder my brother on the spot. It’s not something I want anyone to see, and it’s also not something I want to do as this new person I’m trying to be.
“Garren, wait up!” Alyssa calls after me when I put some distance between me and the room.
“What should I do?” I ask, turning around with an exasperated look on my face. “My own brother’s a fucking traitor.”
“I know, but that doesn’t matter right now,” Alyssa tells me and cups my cheeks to hold me still. “What matters is that we’re all together. What matters is that we’re healthy and alive. Everything else will work itself out.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I argue. “Grayden will have to be punished for his betrayal.”
“Either that, or he’ll have to earn forgiveness,” Alyssa replies. “We’re in the middle of a war, and he just revealed an important piece of information. For the first time in quite possibly forever, we have a wolf pretending to be a sheep. We have an inside man, Garren. Do you know how big that is?”
“But he’s a traitor,” I argue, still unable to wrap my head around it.
“He’s also your brother, which is why you’ll give him a chance to redeem himself,” Alyssa insists. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Except, that when we offer it, we also keep a close eye on them.”
“Do you really believe that?” I ask, relying on her to help me figure out our next step.
“I do,” she assures me and takes my hand. “For now, let’s go back to the dining room and finish dinner. Your family needs you. Your brother needs you. He’s regretting his actions, and it’s up to us to show him that the world doesn’t end because of one bad decision.”
“You’re right,” I agree, reminding myself that I could’ve just as easily been in his place. I was lucky that during my so-called partying, I wasn’t approached by any shady figures, otherwise, in that state, I would probably have told them just about everything.
“Everything will be okay,” she assures me, giving my hand a comforting squeeze.
I intertwine my fingers with hers and determinedly lift my chin up. “Let’s go save our family.”
