Chapter 253

Agnes

The office felt too quiet after Richard left. He’d barely waited five minutes before heading back to his territory, determined to start investigating immediately. I couldn’t blame him—if I’d just discovered that my dead mate might have been tortured in an underground facility right under my nose, I’d be racing home too.

Elijah and I sat there for a long time, both of us staring at nothing. My mind was reeling from the realization of it all.

“We need to confront my stepmother,” I finally said, breaking the silence. “We can’t just sit here and wait for Richard to find the facility. She may have the stone now, thanks to Lena. And we both know what she’s planning to do with it.”

Elijah nodded slowly. “I agree. But how do we get close to her? If she has the stone and elementals in her retinue, we might be killed on sight.”

He was right, of course. My stepmother was too smart for that. She had to know by now that we were onto her, and that we were a threat.

“Then what do you suggest?” I murmured, at a loss.

He raked a hand through his hair and sank into the seat beside mine. “I don’t know. But there has to be a way. Goddess, I wish James was here.”

My throat tightened at the reminder that our dear friend’s grave was still fresh, but then it hit me. “And Thea,” I whispered, glancing at him. “What are we going to do about Thea?”

We both fell silent again. It was the question we’d been dancing around since James died, since Lena betrayed us. Our daughter needed protection now more than ever, but who could we trust? James was gone. Lena had proven that even the most trusted people could be working against us. The rest of our staff were good people, but they weren’t equipped to protect Thea from the kind of danger we were facing.

“We could send her away,” Elijah said quietly. “To another pack, maybe. Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look for her.”

I shook my head immediately. “No. I’m not sending my daughter away. I just got her back after thinking I’d lost her forever. I won’t be separated from her again.”

“Then what?” He turned to me, and for the first time, Elijah looked truly desperate. “Agnes, we have no one left. No one we can fully trust with her safety. And we can’t take her with us if we’re going to confront your stepmother.”

That was when the thought hit me. A cold feeling settled over my stomach. There might be one person. One person who had already shown he cared about Thea’s safety, even if his methods were… questionable.

“There might be someone,” I said slowly.

Elijah looked up. “Who?”

I swallowed hard. “My father.”

The hope that had formed in my mate’s eyes died instantly, replaced by disbelief. “Your father? Agnes, are you serious?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out,” I said quickly. “He warned me about Lena at the banquet. He was right about our home being compromised. And he’s tried to protect Thea before, in his own twisted sort of way.”

“By having Olivia take her from you and then casting you out,” Elijah growled. “All he did was hurt both of you because he was too much of a coward to do anything else.”

“I know. I know.” I pressed my palms against my eyes in an attempt to think clearly. “But it’s not like we have any other options. And you have to admit that protecting Thea seems to be a priority for him. I don’t give a shit if he doesn’t protect me. I only care about her.”

Elijah was quiet for a moment, considering. Through our bond, I could feel his anger and frustration, but also his resolve crumbling. We really didn’t have any other options. We needed help. And if anyone knew about my stepmother’s antics, it was my father.

“You think he’d turn against your stepmother?” Elijah finally asked. “After everything, you think he would choose you over her in the end?”

“Not me,” I admitted, and the thought made my lip curl with wry humor. “Thea. I think he would choose Thea.”

Elijah stared at me. “And you’re sure he’s not secretly working with your stepmother, just as Lena was?”

Truthfully, I didn’t know much of anything anymore. I didn’t know who to trust these days aside from Elijah.

But I thought about my father’s face at the banquet, the way his hands had gripped mine during the dance. The fear in his eyes when he’d glanced at my stepmother. He’d changed so much from the man I remembered from my childhood. The strong, confident Alpha who’d loved my mother had been replaced by someone hollow, constantly looking over his shoulder.

“There’s only one way to find out,” I said.

Elijah stared at me. “You want to contact him.”

“We need allies, Elijah. And despite everything, he is Thea’s grandfather. If there’s even a chance he’ll help us…”

“And if it’s a trap? If he tells your stepmother everything?”

I shrugged. I didn’t know how to answer that. But we had no one left. The potential reward of taking my stepmother down—maybe even saving the world if her plans for the stone were true—was greater than the risk. We’d be careful, of course. But I felt as if we had to try.

Elijah was silent for another long moment. Finally, he sighed. “If you think this is the best option, then I’ll trust you. Just as I always have.”

I stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. It felt crazy, stupid even, but I was… desperate.

And maybe a tiny part of me, the same part that had once looked up to my father as a hero and protector, just wanted my dad back.

My hands shook slightly as I scrolled through my contacts. My father’s number was still there, saved under just “Father.” Not Dad, not Papa like I’d once called him as a child. Just Father. Cold and formal, like our entire relationship had become.

I hesitated with my thumb over the call button. Once I made this call, there would be no going back. Either my father would help us, or we’d be walking into a trap. But this was a dire situation, and sometimes, in dire situations, you have to take dire risks.

I pressed call.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. I was about to hang up when his voice came through.

“Agnes?” He whispered my name, although whether it was because he couldn’t tell if it was real or not or if my stepmother might overhear, I wasn’t sure.

“Father,” I said. “I… I need to talk to you.”

“Is everything alright? Is Thea—”

I wanted to tell him that I doubted he actually gave a shit, years of righteous anger bubbling to the surface, but stopped myself. If I didn’t think that a small part of him actually cared, then I wouldn’t be making this call.

“Tonight,” I said firmly. “Come to my house tonight. Eight o’clock, come alone, and don’t tell… her.”

The silence stretched on so long I thought he might have hung up. Finally, he spoke.

“I’ll be there.”