Chapter 130

Helen POV

I hurried to get to Justin’s side, worried that Randy’s pause would grow into a fight, but he took me into his lap and brushed my hair back, letting me lean into his chest while he held me simply, carefully—lovingly.

“Randy, tell him,” I plead. “Tell him he’s being irrational. You don’t like me like that.”

Justin didn’t even growl at me, didn’t try to help me not defend Randy, and I thought it was weird that Justin was so smooth over this accusation that was obviously a lie.

But still, Randy sat there perplexed and ignorant to reply.

I kissed my mate’s lips quick, wanting to ease the tension, but I saw Randy flinch behind me, the sight making my heart drop in dread. Everyone saw it, too.

Everyone could tell Justin’s accusation wasn’t false after all.

I looked on in horror as Randy hung his head, straightened his chair and fell into his seat. Justin was cooing over me, petting me and being tinder, either out of sovereignty or to calm himself down, I didn’t know which for sure.

Randy buried his face into his palms and surrendered, Russo looking off into the distance to avoid being part of this weird, unforeseen problem.

Another problem, after another problem, after another problem—stemming from one very large, very unfortunate problem we still hadn’t solved yet.

I wanted it to all just end but I knew it was only the start of a terrible conversation. I pulled Freya off my shoulder gently, handing her gently to Russo who took her in his cupped hands without protest, cradling her to his chest.

Leaning forward on Justin’s knee, I tried to get Randy’s attention, but I couldn’t seem to get him to look at me back, and I knew then that he wasn’t just infatuated with me. He liked me more than he would like to admit to me, to my mate—to anyone.

“Just tell me the truth, Randy,” I begged. “It’s not true, right? Tell Justin it’s not true.”

He shook his head automatically. “I can’t do that, Luna. I’m sorry.”

“Randy,” I panted. “What—how? After everything, we’ve been through so much together, the three of us, why would you admit this now? Justin is my mate and I just figured—I just knew you and I were close like siblings.”

He wiped a heavy palm down his cheek and shuddered. “It was like that for a while and then after the turning point where he stopped trusting you, started throwing you in the jail, I just felt like it wasn’t right.”

I bowed my head ever so slightly. Randy so was nice to me in that cell when Justin was furious. He was nice and kind and thoughtful—I just though he was trying to be a really good friend.

I never took anything sexual or affectionate from Randy. It still makes my head spin just at the sadness in his eyes when he finally does meet my eyes again.

“I wanted to protect you as my Luna,” he purred. “Then it just changed into something… more.”

“How long?” I asked, frightened to know the truth. “How long since you started to—to—”

“When you founded the True Mates village. You really saved our necks by befriending those pack members and getting us somewhere to put all of our wolves and their families. It was difficult to see that to seeing Justin put you in the cell after you stabbed him. It wasn’t right and I felt so bad for you that I…”

He stopped there, shaking his head.

Justin ran a hand down my back, upset but surprisingly really calm. “It’s okay, Helen. Why don’t you go to bed now? I will handle this.”

I looked at him in worried horror. I didn’t want another fight between them. I didn’t need the Alpha and Beta to duel it out and cause problems when we already have so many more.

I didn’t want to leave but I had to in order to relax the tension. Russo led me into the hall and I stopped there, my ankle still wounded. I took a moment to rest and take my weight off my ankle. I couldn’t help but notice Russo pressed to the wall by the kitchen door, listening in.

He met my eyes, shrugged, and I figured I should do the same, just out of curiosity.

I pinned my back to the wall as well and tried to be as quiet as possible to avoid my Lycan mate’s hearing. He probably did hear us too, but never mentioned it thankfully.

“I’m not mad,” Justin purred at last.

I held back a sigh of relief and tried not to smile too much.

Randy spoke next, his relief palpable in his relaxed tone. “I’m sorry, Justin. I would have never made a move on her, but it’s true. I do have feelings for her. I didn’t like your anger over what happened.”

“She stabbed me, Randy. You saw that happen. You can understand my anger over it.”

The Beta still pleaded the case over me. “I know, I saw what I saw, but I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t want to get into this, Beta.”

“That’s the problem,” he snapped. “I can’t help but feel sorry for her— I gained sympathy for her, over seeing her hurt just trying to please you, trying to convince you that she never wanted to hurt you. I don’t believe that she wanted to kill you.”

“She’s still my mate, Randy. You have to accept that I don’t trust why she hurt me, or that she will never do it again. I’m stuck in the middle. I love her, but sometimes I’m afraid she is going to hurt me.”

The silence grew between them. I would have assumed that Justin would be furious but he didn’t seem that way. He was okay with everything and let it go with Randy expressing his crush on me.

But Justin still was upset with my betrayal? The betrayal that was never my fault to begin with. I tried not to be mad, and Russo looked at me funny, seeing my tears on my cheek.

He leaned down and asked, “should we stop listening in and go to your room?”

I shook my head. “Why can he forgive Randy, and not me?”

Russo looked uneasy with the weight of that question. He finally answered with a shrug, “everyone is infatuated with you by nature, Luna. You’re beautiful and strong and wise. But you did try to kill your mate with a knife.”

I let my emotions collapse and I sprinted out of the hall and into the night air, trying to catch my breath. it wasn’t fair though! It wasn’t fair at all. Justin was so calm and understanding with Randy but he still believed, after everything we’ve been through, that I was still at fault?

I wanted to scream at the moon in anger, but instead I composed myself and planned to go inside. I wouldn’t be mad at Randy over some childlike crush, or at Justin for forgiving his Beta over it.

None of that mattered. I just wanted to help the pixies and forget this stupid, horrible, worthless night. Instead, it felt like waves of pain shot through me all at once and heat rippled from my spine to my chest.

I reached to my back, feeling a knot form there, where I plucked a small, metal dart out of my skin. I knew it was familiar when I looked at the length of it, the coldness of it, and feeling that same ease of tire come over me.

“Justin! The Huntsman is here!”