Juno’s POV
1 sat rigidly on the bed, arms wrepped around myself as I waited. When the door finally opener, Augustin entered silently. His face revealed nothing but f could read the exhaustion in the slight drop of his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes. Without a word, he headed straight for the bathroom.
1 remained where I was, listening to the shower running. Augustin wasn’t one to delay difficult conversations, which meant whatever he’d learned was truly troubling him.
Twenty minutes later, he emerged wearing only loose pants, his hair still damp. Our eyes met, and in an instant, he crossed the room toward me. His hands cupped my face as he kissed me with unexpected intensity, almost desperately. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine and sighed deeply.
Juno,‘ he whispered, burying his face in my neck and pulling me into a tight embrace.
I ran my fingers through his damp hair, trying to soothe him. “Tell me what’s wrong. What did Fox say?”
He held me for a moment longer before releasing me with reluctance. “He told us everything, Augustin said, “And it’s bad, Berry. Really bad.”
“How bad?‘ I prompted gently.
Augustin’s eyes met mine, conflict evident in their depths. “I wasn’t going to tell you tonight. I didn’t want to upset you. But I promised I wouldn’t keep things from you anymore.”
“Fox revealed that the organization has infiltrated deeper than we thought. They’ve recruited people from the Savidge and Callaway families.”
My breath caught. “Bryloch and Adryx’s families? Are they “ed?”
“No, not them personally, as far as we know. But some of their relatives are. It’s going to cause them a lot of trouble when this becomes public. Augustin’s jaw tightened. “We’re trying to figure out how to handle it without destroying those families.”
“We need Kieran’s help. It’s said that only his territory hasn’t been infiltrated by people from that organization. The situation is very complicated,” Augustin rubbed his temples. “This is simply a political nightmare.”
I nodded, understanding the complexity. “Kieran is stricter with his alphas than Matthew was. Matthew gave his people too much freedom, which made them easier to corrupt.‘
“How do you know that?” Augustin asked, surprised.
“I’ve seen the difference. Kieran’s territory has always been more disciplined. Before Matthew, Charles’s family was in charge of Forestvale. He only recently lost power to Matthew, much like Kieran’s family has controlled Fireland for generations until just recently.” I explained, drawing from my knowledge of the regions.
⚫Augustin went silent, his brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, his head snapped
- up.
“Charles,” he whispered, almost to himself. “Why didn’t I see it before?”
He stood abruptly and began pacing, his fingers counting off points as if connecting invisible dots. “Charles lost his position to Matthew. He would have reason to resent that. Then his daughter turns out to be Matthew’s fated mate…”
I watched as Augustin worked through his thoughts/aloud.
‘He sent Isabelle to your house,” Augustin continued, turning to me with widening eyes. “He put his daughter right in the middle of your marriage, knowing what would happen.”
My heart began to pound as I followed his logic.
“You were the obstacle, Augustin said, pointing at me. “You were the reason Matthew resisted accepting Isabelle at first. If you weren’t in the picture…”
He moved from the bed and paced more intensely. “Matthew’s wolf betrayed him, led him to Isabelle’s
room, made him claim her… but his human side
1/2
Chapter 245
fought it because of you. Because he loved you, Just like Femis let go of Cassandra when I chose you fnstead,
A cold realization washed over me as I connected more dots. “Isabelle visited her father frequently, I said slowly, I always thought she was complaining i him about me, but what if she was reporting to him? Telling him everything that was happening in our house?
Augustin nodded grimly. “Exactly.”
Memories came flooding back, strange inconsistencies in Isabelle’s behavior, her frequent absences, how problems seemed to multiply after she moved in. Charles had been suspiciously quiet after Matthew took over, almost too accepting of his new position. And his strange attitude about his daughter being only a mistress to an Alpha, most fathers would be outraged, but he seemed unbothered.
The pieces were falling into place, forming a picture that made my blood run cold. Fang’s threats, the Alpha issues, all of it connected through Charles.
I glanced at the clock, past midnight now. But my questions couldn’t wait until morning.
‘I need to call Matthew,” I said decisively.
Augustin frowned but handed me his phone. I dialed Matthew’s
number from
Memory, my heart racing as it rang several times before he finally answered.
Chapter Comments
LIKE
