Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Zuriel

‘You’re scaring her. Please, calm down,’ she speaks softly to me. My wolf listens more to her than me. He retracts to the back of my mind. I go to River and cup her face.

‘I’m sorry you went through all this because of me,’ I say softly, and she hugs me.

She buries her face in my chest. I hold her out of guilt and responsibility. I hear Elara’s breath shudder.

‘How did you escape?’ Princess Elara asks. I was too angry to ask. River pulls away from me and looks at the Princess.

‘There was a fire,’ her breath quivers, ‘ A large fire that was started by Webster Rogue’s rival gang, and I used the chaotic opportunity to run. I ran for miles on end in the forest. I was dehydrated and tired but didn’t stop until I reached this pack. I wish I could have helped the others escape, too,’ she explains. I exhale, angry at what she’s been through.

She was hypernventilating.

‘Do you know where you were?’ I ask. I’m going to make them pay dearly.

‘No, but even if I could point you to the place, I’m sure the rogues relocated after that immense fire that killed many,’

River wraps her arms around me.

‘But how did you know where this pack was?’

‘Campass,’ she shivers, looking at the little Princess through the side of her eyes. Elara’s face is stoic, so I don’t know what she’s thinking.

‘Where is it? Who found you at the border? They need to write a statement,’

‘Please, I can’t speak about this any longer,’ River begs, her gaze pleading.

‘But it needs to be addressed. How long have you been at the hospital, and which one?’

‘I can’t talk,’ River cries louder, shaking her head as she hides in the crook of my neck as though she sees a ghost.

‘River, I know-‘

‘Enough!’ I interrupt Elara. The Princess glares at me, and pain crosses her face.

‘I want to sleep, Zuriel,’ I carry her upstairs and put her in one of the guest’s bedrooms. River gives me a small smile as I cover her with a sheet.

‘I miss you, Zuriel, so much,’

‘Sleep. I’ll call the doctor to check on you,’ I tell her, and she nods, closing her eyes. I leave the room and go downstairs. Elara is pacing the living area.

‘It wasn’t your fault.’

Elara

I didn’t know what to do or the way to react. Zuriel had a girlfriend, and I didn’t know about her. I was crushed when she hugged him. I wanted to push her away from him. He was my fiancé, and he was supposed to marry me! So why was she hugging him, and why was he letting her do that?

River then told us her story. I was mortified to learn what happened to the poor woman. No woman deserves to be raped and have their baby killed. I saw Zuriel’s guilt. He blamed himself for what happened. Therefore, do anything to ease her pain and be there for her.

Zuriel didn’t understand that we needed to find out more about her. Maybe I’m speaking out of jealousy, but something was off about River. She was kidnapped for four years, yet there was no evidence of that. She had no visible scars on her arms and legs even though she claimed to be tortured. She looked sickly and weak, but that’s all.

‘I was thinking the same, and her attitude changed so much when she was with Zuriel,’ Ara added. She doesn’t care about River. She just wants her gone.

‘The hyperventilating and crying, I know,’ I added.

‘And tone and voice changed!’ Ara spat.

‘You-‘ I stopped myself. Why was I bashing a woman who was hurt? What if it was just my covetousness talking that way? What if she went through the horror she did? I need to be sympathetic and help her. I pace around the room until Zuriel comes downstairs. He looks tired.

‘It wasn’t your fault,’ These are the first words that leave my mouth.

‘They only got her to punish me,’ he gritted his teeth. He sat on the couch. I sat in front of him, holding his hand. He didn’t revolt against me.

‘What happens now?’ I ask after a moment of silence. He moves away from me. I wince at the distance he put.

‘I’ll arrange therapy for her, and I’ll find her a home,’ he says, and I let out a breath. I sympathized with River but didn’t want her to stay here, especially since they had a relationship. Zuriel already feels guilty for what happened, so he’d do things to make her feel at ease.

‘Yes, that’s the right thing to do. We’ll make her as comfortable as we can,’

‘We?’ he narrows his gaze on me.

‘Um, yes. We are getting married, so we’ll be like a team,’ I say confidently. Zuriel’s expression alone shuts down my confidence.

‘Oh, that,’

I instinctively pull away from him. I smile tightly.

‘Do you want to get married to me, Zuriel?’ I ask.

‘I have no choice,’ My heart shatters at his response, but I don’t show it. I knew he was only marrying me because he had no choice. His mother wanted this, not him.

‘Zuriel, I’m giving you a way out now. If you don’t want this, I’ll go to my father. I’ll tell him I decided to end this engagement. I promise no blame will befall you,’ I say with a shaking voice. My heart breaks even as I say these words. I fell in love with him, but if he was unhappy, I needed to stop this and take all the blame. I don’t care about a scandal as long as he is happy.

‘The dishonor will ruin you, and you will be bullied. Known as the whore princess, is that what you want?’ his voice is soft.

‘Don’t worry about me, Zuriel. You have up to Friday to decide,’ I say and turn to walk away from his penthouse. The elevator closes, and my knees fall. I sit on the floor crying until I reach the ground floor. I wipe my tears and get to my feet, leaving the elevator.