Chapter 68

Third Person POV

Asher hadn’t seen Sienna in almost an entire day, and he was sure it wasn’t on purpose this time.

Simon had been staying in Asher’s room while he recovered, the potions Sienna had mixed having done wonders. The color was returning to his face, making him human again, the bruises across his body healing quicker than normal.

“Hey,” Asher greeted Simon around midday, finding him awake when he’d come to check on him. It was still a little surreal to see him back here, safe and sound.

“Hi, lifesaver,” Simon smiled, rubbing his eyes. “I really don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t get poisoned coming to save you,” Asher chuckled, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“One of their arrows got you?” Simon’s eyes widened, behind on all that happenings for the last few weeks.

“Almost died,” Asher winced. “But Sienna got the antidote in time.”

“Of course she did,” Simon said with a sad smile. “It’s almost six months now, isn’t it?”

The tone shifted in the room as Asher nodded, letting out a short sigh. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“She already has so much going on, so many eyes on her. Is now really the time?” Simon stood on both sides, a neutral observer.

Asher hesitated, letting the question sit with him for a moment. “The memorial is coming.”

Realization washed over Simon, and he nodded. “You’re going to make your reappearance then, aren’t you?”

“At the memorial,” Asher affirmed. “I can’t believe its been ten years.”

Ten years since his father was betrayed and Asher’s life changed forever. Ten years since his heart was ripped from his chest and he was forced to run away with his tail tucked between his legs.

He hated running.

Now, with the memorial only a few days away, it was finally time. He was ready to step up and take his place, to finally prove his uncle was a traitorous murderer.

The fact that his uncle held such a memorial every year made him fume. After what that horrible man had done, how could he honor his brother when he was the one that killed him?

“Is that how Sienna is going to find out?” Simon asked gently, the topic a tender one.

Asher winced, averting his gaze. The truth was, he still wasn’t sure how she was going to find out.

If Sienna discovered his truth through the news or word of mouth, it would destroy her. The smart thing to do would be to sit her down and tell her in the privacy of the Alpha house, but…

“You still don’t know,” Simon answered for him, and all Asher could do was nod back.

“Having Mia here hasn’t been easy,” Asher grumbled. “She’s causing every problem you could possibly imagine.”

“I imagine she is.” Simon rolled his eyes, propping himself up against the headboard, his hair disheveled from sleep. “But…”

Asher looked at Simon, raising his brows.

“I don’t think you should let her stand in the way.” Simon locked eyes with Asher, his opinion very clear.

“If I do this — divorce Sienna — then it’s just another thing for Mia to use against her, isn’t it? Mia has done everything possible to ruin Sienna’s Alpha status.” Asher sounded bitter, his jaw clenching at the singular thought of Mia’s attitude.

“It is,” Simon said with a single nod. “Isn’t there a world where you don’t divorce?”

“She’ll want to murder me on the spot when she finds out the truth, which is inevitable. As soon as I take my place back, she’ll find out.” The thought of Sienna’s reaction to the truth terrified him.

“Then maybe tell her beforehand. Salvage this, Asher — because isn’t it worse to leave her on her own to find out and feel more betrayed than ever?”

Betrayed. Asher couldn’t betray Sienna too. Not like he’d been.

“You want to know my honest opinion?” Simon asked, always having done that when he had something harsher to admit.

“I do.” Asher looked him in the eye, waiting for him to continue.

“I think you’re clinging to a past that you should really let go of.” Simon met his eyes, too, a firmness in his own. “Mia isn’t your future anymore.”

A tightness formed in Asher’s chest, because everyone had, at some point, had this same conversation with him, and he still hadn’t listened.

He’d just continued to sit there, burying himself deeper and deeper into a pit of despair and lies.

“I know,” he croaked out in response, entirely awake of how much he’d messed this whole thing up. “I should have just been honest.”

“Because remember…now she hates Alaric with a raging passion. She wants him dead.”

“Do you think she’ll change her mind when she knows the truth?” Asher asked with a wince.

“There’s a bigger chance she’ll forgive you if you tell her before the memorial.”

Asher knew himself too well, though, and the sad truth was that he probably would avoid telling her until it was far too late. She’d end up finding out the truth through someone else, and it would shatter her.

What is wrong with me? He cursed himself, hating the weird blockade that stopped him from being honest with her.

“On another note…” Simon trailed off, his expression suddenly turning to one of anxiety.

Asher’s brows furrowed. “What?”

“When I was with the rogues…” Simon cringed, the memory of what he went through stinging him. “I overheard a conversation.”

“What kind of conversation?” Asher pressed, leaning forward a little bit, his voice falling to just over a whisper.

“I…” Simon took an unsteady breath in, and every second that passed made Asher sweat more. “I heard them talking about the attack at Blackmoon.”

Asher’s heart leapt to his throat. “Yeah?”

“They’d been targeting Alpha’s, which is why they took Julian. I just got caught up in the mess of it, but…” He took another breath in, whatever he was about to say bringing a weight to his shoulders.

“Did they mention how they did it?” Asher asked tightly, his heart pounding in his chest.

“That’s just it…see, I heard a group of them outside my tent the night after we were taken, before Julian got dragged away to another camp, and…” Simon forced himself to look up at Asher. “They said something about Mia.”

“What?” Asher blinked, his mouth going bone dry.

“They weren’t just mentioning her in passing.” Simon gulped, staring up at the ceiling, trying to compose himself. “They called her their contact.”

“There’s no one else it could be,” Asher whispered, his voice cracking. He looked up, finding Simon’s sad eyes on him.

“She was working with them, Asher. Probably still is.”

Hearing those words out loud completely broke Asher, his seething anger for Mia exploding.

He hated her. Hated that she’d come to Nightwind, hated that she was always getting in the way.

“I suspected this the night it happened. Before the bomb exploded, she was missing, so suddenly, almost like she knew it was going to happen and she went somewhere safer.”

“And I don’t think your history with her, or your secret, would change anything.” Simon was right — it wouldn’t change anything at all.

Mia was a traitor.