hapter 68
above a whisper:
“…Do you think I’ll end up doing what my mother did? Making
the same choices?”
Her question hit me harder than I expected. I hesitated. I knew
she wanted a sincere answer than comforts. And I do believe
she is different. She is stronger than her mother.
Her mother chose to follow the path that fate had laid out, but
my Violet would choose to fight against it.
“No.” I replied after a long pause. “I don’t think you’ll make the
same choices. You’re not like her. You’ve already proven that.
Remember what you father said about you in his letter? You
are all about making the hard yet right decision.”
There was a long silence. Then she said in a whisper, “I just…
need to be alone for a while.”
I felt a sting of helplessness. She was slipping away from me.
Hell did I want her to stay here and open up and let me solve all
of her problem. But I couldn’t. She couldn’t. She needed this. I
wanted the same myself.
“You don’t have to explain,” I said quietly. “I’ll give you space.
Just remember…I’m right here when you need me.”
Chapter 68
She nodded. And without another word, she shifted and dashed
away, heading into the night. I watched her go, feeling the
weight of her emotions pressing down on me.
I wanted to fix things for her. I wanted to make her feel better.
But all I could do was give her the room she needed.
When I came back to the room alone, Charlotte was gone
already. The air still felt thick with tension. Jayden was leaning
against the wall nearby, his arms crossed, his expression tight
with concern. He looked up as I approached.
“How is she?” he asked, his voice quieter than usual.
“She’s… not okay,” I admitted. “But she needs time. She needs to
process everything, just like we all did when our world started
falling apart.”
“Yeah. I get it. I just–I hate seeing her like this. Like she’s
drowning in.”
“I know,” I sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We all are, in
a way. I’ve been where she is. When those things—”
I paused, my throat tightening at the memory.
“-those things about Isaac and my uncle hit me, I questioned
everything. It felt like everything I knew was a lie. And right now, Violet’s probably going through the same thing.”
Jayden’s brow furrowed at the mention of Isaac, his jaw setting. “About Isaac. He’s already got his sights set on the pack, doesn’t
he? Do you think he will try and make a move?”
“Definitely. He didn’t plan those crazy shit for no reason. He
will try to take back control, reclaiming the members and lands
that he believes should be his,” I said, my voice growing harder.
“You should get ready for what comes next.”
“Oh I’m ready.” Jayden let out a cold sneer, the weakness in his
eyes vanished, replaced by determination and courage. “Isaac
can try to invade our territory or use schemes to divide us
again, but I will never let him succeed. He will never step foot
into our pack. You entrusted this pack to me, and I won’t let you
down.”
I smiled. I loved his attitude, how brave and unwavering he
was. That was why I picked him as the next Alpha. This pack
was in good hand.
“You are not alone in this. If you need my help, I’m only a phone
call away.” I gave him my promise, “Honestly, I hope I can stay
here and help you with this Isaac madness—”
Chapter 68
“Don’t be silly.” Jadyn shook head with a grin, “You are a King
now. There’s a lot on your plate. And speaking of which, are
you doing alright? With the whole royal thing?”
“I’ve been around the royal family all my life. I’m used to it. Yes
it’s different now. It’s harder now. But I think I can handle it.”
C
Jayden nodded his face softening. “You’ll be a much better King
than your uncle. That’s for sure. Go back to your duty now. You can’t leave the royal packhouse empty for too long.”
I let out a long sigh. As much as I wanted to stay here with
Violet and Philip and mourn for their father, we couldn’t. I had
just taken over as King and Philip as Beta. We shouldn’t be gone
for too long. There were a lot of works waiting for us.
“You are right. I should head back with Philip soon. And
Violet…”
“Violet’s still trying to find her footing. It’s going to take time. I
guess we’ll just have to be patient.”
I nodded. Violet held the entire pack together while I was gone.
She did the bravest thing for me. And now it was my turn to do
the same thing for her.
