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The youngest Ambrose looked to his brother, head tilting a bit.
"Yeah, but nothing good,” he admitted. “We weren't always so put together."
And that's how we got the story of Auren blackmailing, bribing, and murdering—that's the big doozy—his way through his opposition. Neo visibly regretted his prodding when Sariel paled.
Reese sat up from the floor, eyeing the Resistance Leader. "That's…"
She made a face, then grimaced.
Horrifying, for us normal folk.
The idea of teenage Auren having had to learn which buttons to press and strings to pull so he could manipulate the people around him… It was heartbreaking, too.
It sparked some of that familiar irritation with the way the Resistance built up their numbers. Thinking back to the way he would occasionally turn off his personal feelings about things in favor of weighing out a person's worth made me feel ill with this new context.
"You were just a kid, doing what you had to do," I weighed in with a sigh, feeling Sariel’s distress like lightning down our bond, each little jolt more painful than the last.
I knew instantly that he was losing his shit and trying not to let me know. It probably didn’t help that I was equally hurt for his wayward brother and not doing a great job of concealing it.
He'd only just been able to set aside his issues with Auren faking his death. The sudden realization that his baby brother had been suffering while away from him was its own form of torture, from the way our bond was flailing with pain and panic.
I laced our fingers together, giving him a squeeze when I felt the tremble there.
The only person Auren was looking at was my mate. "Yeah, but that doesn't make any of it right. Orgood. Kiyomasa showed me the ropes, but I was the one who picked our targets and followed through on them. Sometimes, people can't be negotiated with."
"Damn," Johnny whistled, sipping his drink as Marilyn and Neo shared a look.
Having also grown up in Resistance camps, I was sure they'd lived similar lives prior to getting out on their quests for vengeance, which made me sad. I'd lost both sets of parents, but I'd never been forced to murder someone for not complying with my demands or taking the bribe I'd offered.
I think only Reese was in that group with me, and she looked a little dizzy as she stared at Auren.
"I-I'll be back," Sariel blurted, ignoring my soft calling of his name as he hurried to the door.
Following after, I caught up to him outside, calling his name again; this time, he paused. When he turned those haunted eyes on me, I wanted to hold him, but every inch I took toward him had him backing away until he finally spoke.
"I just need some space, pup."
The nickname soothed some of my worries, but my heart still achedas he turned and continued down the beaten path away from me. My wolf was whining, desperate to chase after him and make him confide in us for once.
Come back soon.
Sariel didn't answer my plea. I stood there until he disappeared around the corner towards the training grounds.
When I made it back to my room, everyone seemed melancholy. Johnny and Marilyn soon made a hasty retreat. Reese had actually hugged Auren goodbye—and he let her, surprisingly—before leaving with Neo. After that, Auren and I were left alone, lingering in uncomfortable silence.
"I didn't mean to do that," Auren admitted, swiping a hand under his shades to rub at his face. "I've never—"
When he doesn't continue, I tentatively take a guess.
"Been around people your own damn age? Yeah, we worked that out."
He laughed, staring down into his drink. "I had Zuzanna."
I snorted, shaking my head and dropping to the floor beside him. Sure, there was a small couch, but with him still on the floor, it seemed wrong to make myself comfortable.
"Okay, but she was raised in a coven, so she's predisposed to being weird. We're talkingnormalpeople your age."
He carefully pushed the shades to the top of his head and gave me a grin, eyes squinting in the dim light. It’s not nearly as dark as he keeps his own apartment, but I had never been one to use the overhead lights when I could avoid it, so we were utilizing the two lamps in the room. I had hoped it would be dark enough he felt comfortable not wearing them; I hadn't even considered the fact he might not want to show the others his scarring.
