Chapter 62

~Grace~

Alex took me by the hand, squeezing tightly. He took a deep breath before beginning.

“I was still young… my mother, she… was murdered by human hunters.”

I clenched my jaw, feeling empathy for him. I knew what it was like to lose your parents, and it was clear this memory still hurt him to his core.

“It almost tore our family apart. I remember home becoming such a cold place…”

He sighed and shook his head.

“My father fell in love with another woman. I never understood it, perhaps it was the only way he could fill his grief.”

I nodded, prompting him to go on. I’m sure it was a very difficult time in his life and still a very bitter memory.

“She was… a werewolf woman,” he continued, giving me a knowing look.

I pursed my lips together. Another untraditional love story between a werewolf woman and a Lycan man…

Why did I feel like this story ended badly?

“Even though I couldn’t understand how he moved on from my mother, they honestly seemed to have a good time together. He… seemed happier, and the clan grew from our hardships under their rule.”

I smiled slightly at him. It seemed like such a sweet story now, I wonder what went wrong?

“But I could never like her. I hated that she replaced my mother, and I made sure she knew how much I hated her.”

He sighed deeply.

“I… think I pushed her over the edge. I was a rotten kid. One day, she betrayed us all.”

I squeezed his hand to let him know I was there to support him. My heart sank knowing what now went wrong. I could understand why the clan was so hesitant to accept me.

“She came in the middle of the night with a group of werewolves from her pack. We were all sleeping, I remember being in bed, and I woke up to a banging. I thought I was dreaming, but-”

He closed his eyes, visibly disturbed. It was as if he could see the memory behind his eyelids.

“It was real. My father burst through my door, I had never seen him so panicked. It scared me. I realised the banging was coming from the window.”

I nodded, and reached out to brush his hair off of his forehead.

“I looked at the window and saw wolves jumping at the glass, snarling, teeth bared. My father told me to get out, to run into the forest and hide.”

“I didn’t want to leave my family, even though I was more scared than I had ever been, and I refused. Angry, my father grabbed me and pulled me into the hallway. That’s when we heard the sound of breaking glass.”

“A window had broken in my sister’s room, and my father immediately ran toward her, and as I went to follow, I was grabbed from behind by a werewolf.”

“Everything after that was a blur. I fought back and ran for the woods. I remember the bodies of Lycans and werewolves on the ground…”

“It was so… surreal. It still felt like a dream.”

My god…

I clasped my hand over my mouth. This was… awful. I couldn’t even imagine seeing that now, let alone as a child…

I gave Alex a sympathetic look but said nothing. What could I say in this situation?

“I hid in the forest for days, starving and dirty. I was too scared to return, but I knew I’d die out in the forest on my own, so eventually, I snuck back.”

“My home looked war-torn. I saw dead-eyed and defeated Lycans cleaning up the exterior of the castle. I didn’t see the bodies anymore.”

“When I arrived, I was met with enthusiasm. I was…. informed that my family was killed in the attack. My father and sister.”

Alex cleared his throat, and I could see shininess rimming his eyes.

My heart hurt for him. It was such a tragedy, and it hurt to know how much it hurt Alex.

Alex’s demeanor changed. He stiffened. and his eyes darkened.

“That woman…. who betrayed our clan…. She was Liam’s mother.”

What?!

I stood up, taking a step back.

Oh my god, I had no idea…

I ran my hands through my hair.

Was she really? My ex mother-in-law massacred half of the Lycan clan?!

I took a deep breath and sat back down. Alex continued.

“Ever since that day, I vowed to take revenge on her.”

He sighed.

“That’s why Liam and I are rivals and why I hate him so much.”

Alex took my hand again. “But when I met you… It’s true I wanted to see his downfall more than anything and you gave me the perfect opportunity.”

“But soon…” he looked up at me, his eyes soft. “I fell in love. And you showed me a kindness I didn’t believe existed. And before I knew it, I no longer wanted to seek revenge against Liam, I just…”

He gave the slightest smile.

“I wanted to feel happy again. You made my home light up like when my family was there. That was more important to me than any quest of vengeance.”

I smiled back at him. It was so sweet I could have cried, but something was bothering me.

He told me the tragedy of his clan, and I understood him better now because of it, but I had asked him about the murder of my parents.

What had this story had to do with any of that?

“Alex…” I began, a look of hesitation on my face.

He gave me a questioning look.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you and your clan, but what about…”

I sighed, trailing off. I felt awkward pushing it, as if I were making my issues seem more important than his.

“Your parents,” he finished for me.

I looked at him in surprise. He nodded.

“They… were some of the werewolves that attacked the clan. They… were killed in the fight.”

No…

Tears filled my eyes.

No, they wouldn’t….

My lips pouted, and my heart felt like a spear had been driven through it.

They wouldn’t go to kill Lycans, they weren’t those kind of people!

Was Alex lying?

But what was worse? Believing that Alex killed my parents in cold blood, or that they were killed by a Lycan who killed in self defence?

I placed my hands against my head.

I didn’t know what to believe.

But… I knew I couldn’t keep away from Alex. I knew that I still loved him.

This trip proved that. Even when I thought he was dead, that realization hurt me more than the thought of him betraying me.

I didn’t want to believe that he was a murderer.

I didn’t want to believe my parents were bad people, either, but I could set that aside for now. I’d have to dig deeper into this mystery, but for now…

I just wanted things to go back to the way that they were. Things were really good, and I loved what Alex and I had.

I just wanted Alex back. And if I had to believe my parents were bad to do that, I’d be willing to do that for now.