Chapter 67

Chapter 67 Chapter 67.

Nelly’s POV.

“It's just crazy, seeing you with someone who clearly doesn’t care about you,” he said, his voice pained and raw. “He only comes to you when he needs something, when he has a problem to solve. He doesn’t value you, and he doesn’t deserve you.”

| couldn't help but chuckle at his words, despite the seriousness of the situation.

“How does it feel, seeing your mate with someone else?” | asked, curious about his reaction. His eyes widened, confusion crossing his face.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked, his voice sharp.

For a moment, he looked at me, his expression unreadable. Then, he gave me a smile. that didn’t quite reach his eyes, a mask of false cheeriness.

“I'm in pain,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I’m in pain, watching her wait for this man who doesn’t deserve her.” My heart ached for him, his pain so raw and real.

“Why don’t you want to give up on her?” | asked, wanting to understand. He was quiet, staring at me for a while, and then | knew he knew the answer without waiting for him to talk. | chimed in. “The reason you can’t move on from her is the same reason |

can’t move on,” | muttered.

“You can’t compare the two situations, Nelly,” he said, his voice tinged with frustration. “She doesn’t even know we’re mates. But in your case, Astel knew, and he still rejected you. Not only that, but he sold you out to another pack.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and | felt my heart sink.

“Fine,” | said, unable to think of anything else to say. “Can we just let this matter die down?”

| asked, slumping back into my bed. | just wanted this whole ordeal to be over.

He let out a long, heavy sigh and reached out, taking my hands in his. We sat there in silence, unspoken words hanging in the air between us. | could feel the tension in his grip, the frustration radiating from his body.

| just couldn’t understand why he was so upset. He had his mate to worry about, why was he wasting his time trying to discourage me from being with Astel? | wanted to say something, but | couldn’t find the words. So we just sat there, the silence growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

79%

Chapter 67 “If Astel comes back telling you he wants both of you to be together, and you want to be with him, don’t hesitate to tell me | will never judge you,” he said, kissing my hands.

| heard his words, and saw the pain behind his smile, the smile that never reached his. eyes. It was a smile that said, “I’m here for you, no matter what.”

| gestured for him to come closer, and he did. | wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug, my head resting against his chest.

“Thank you,” | whispered, my voice barely audible. “Thank you for caring about me.” | felt him relax in my arms, and | knew he understood.

We stayed like that for a while, and | felt some tension in his body dissipate. But then, there was a knock at the door.

“Who's there?” he asked.

Alpha,” a voice called out from the other side. “We've got the culprit. We're ready for a trial.”

Kex released me from the hug, and | felt a sudden chill at the thought of what was to come.

“What culprit?” | asked, my voice trembling.

“The man | suspect killed your brother,” he said, his eyes full of sorrow. My stomach dropped.

| got to my feet, a determined look on my face.

“| want to come along,” | said, my voice firm. Kex looked at me for a moment, his expression conflicted.

“No, you can’t come with me,” he said, his tone soft but final.

“Please, Kex,” | begged, tears welling up in my eyes. “I need to be there.”

He paused, his hand on the door handle. Finally, he let out a sigh.

“Fine,” he said, and gestured for me to follow him.

| pulled my hoodie on, then packed my hair into a messy bun. | pulled the hood over my head, then followed Kex out the door. |

could feel my heart beating in chest as we walked down the hall, the sound of it echoing in my ears.

up my He stopped in front of the door, and the guard opened it with a heavy creak. The sight that greeted us made my stomach drop.

The man in the middle of the room was bald, his head gleaming under the light. His hands were bound behind his back, and his feet [e)

<

were chained together. He looked up at us, his face expressionless.

“Who is this?” | whispered to Kex, my voice barely audible.

“The Alpha Beta,” he whispered back.

Ashiver ran down my spine. We stepped into the room, Kex leading the way. Kex turned to the bald man, his hands still clasped behind his back.

“Remove the restraints,” he said to the guard.

The guard did as he was told, and the man’s hands dropped to his sides. Kex sat down in front of him, his back straight, his eyes cold and unyielding.

“Do you know him?” he asked, his voice firm and uncompromising.

He slid a photograph across the table, the image of my late brother’s face staring up at us. The bald man stared at the photo for a moment, then slowly shook his head, indicating no.

“| don’t like games,” Kex said, his voice low and menacing. “For the last time, do you know this person?”

The bald man shook his head again, a single tear running down his cheek. Kex stood up suddenly, the chair he had been sitting in falling to the ground with a crash. He marched over to the man, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him to his feet.

“lam not in the mood for this,” he growled. “Do you know this person?” The man shook his head, his eyes wide with fear.

“No, | don’t,” he stammered.

Kex raised his hand, and before | could react, he slapped the bald man across the face. Blood trickled from the man’s nose, and he coughed and sputtered, struggling to regain and he coughed and sputtered, struggling to regain his breath. | gasped, my hand flying to my mout “Nelly,” Kex said, his voice grim. “I think it’s best if you leave.”

“No,” | said, my voice quavering. “I need to know what happened.”

“Please, Nelly,” he pleaded. “You have to understand.

| looked at him, my resolve starting to waver. “I want to be a part of this,” | said, my voice firm, though it still trembled. “I need to know what happened.”

Kex met my gaze, his eyes pleading. “With you here, | can’t do anything,” he said, his voice frustrated. “You're a distraction.”

fii)

| felt my heart sink, but | couldn’t back down now.

“Please,” he said, his voice a whisper.

I let out a long, heavy sigh..

“Fine,” | said, my tone resigned.

| turned to leave, | closed the door behind me, the sound of it clicking into place like a death knell. Just as | was about to step away, | heard a shout from the room. “No!” the voice cried out, a sound of pure desperation.

0