“I’m done with everyone judging Ares based on those rumors. The whole fucking time I’ve been here, the only people he has killed were hounds because they attacked us,” I said, feeling the anger pump through my veins. “Yes, we went to Elijah’s. And, yes, Ares hurt him … but he didn’t kill any wolves. Not until Tony hurt him.”
“He’s ruthless,” Dad said, taking a threatening step toward me.
“Did you ever think that the rumors were just rumors because people have seen him fight in battle, because he’s relentless and he stops at nothing to make sure his pack is happy and healthy and protected?”
Dad suddenly became quiet, turned back around, and picked at the bread again. Dull light shone in through one of the small windows up above, hitting the dirty concrete below his feet.
I took a deep breath, hoping to calm myself down before I broke even more. “I’m the monster, not him. If you’re going to blame anyone for all your misery, blame me because he doesn’t deserve it, and I’m not going to let him feel any more hurt.” The world had been too harsh to him already. “I’m the one who brought Ares and a few of his warriors to your pack, but all I wanted was to try to do some good. Hell, all I ever wanted was to help people, and that’s why I wanted to be alpha.”
“And who the fuck were you helping when you brought them to slaughter everyone in your mother’s pack?” Dad asked, knocking the bread off the table and glaring over his shoulder at me. “Were you helping yourself?”
“I didn’t think he’d kill anyone because he hadn’t. Tony provoked him,” I clarified. “We didn’t go there to slaughter anyone … but I was helping Charolette, Ares’s sister. She has cancer. And Tony—the man who betrayed you—knew the hounds had the other half of the stone, which could help her.” I shook my head. “The stone heals people. It healed me. It healed Jeremy.”
If only I could’ve kept him alive …
“Your mother wanted to help her people too,” Dad said. “That’s why she traded you.”
“That’s a fucking excuse, Dad, and you know it,” I snapped. “She’d groomed Tony for years. She thought I was too weak. She gave me book after book after book to get out of her hair.” The pain inside of me festered until I could barely hold myself together. “She wasn’t a good person. She didn’t even try to protect us. Ever.” I took a deep breath and finally came to terms with what had happened all those years ago. “She let Jeremy die.”
Dad stormed up to the silver bars, grabbed them in his hands, and shook them. “Don’t you say that about your mother.”
“All I’m speaking is the truth.” I stepped closer to him and stared him right in the eye to show him that I wasn’t afraid or intimidated by him anymore. “She let him die, and then she did nothing to protect her pack.”
“She made the underground tunnels to save the pups if there ever was another attack, Aurora. Did you forget about that?”
“That was my idea, Dad. While she was recovering from the loss of her son—my brother—I’m the one who came up with that idea. I was the one who assumed the alpha position when she was too overcome with grief. It was never her, no matter what she told everyone else.” My jaw twitched. “I deserved to be alpha more than she did, more than Tony did, more than anyone in that fucking pack did.”
I turned away from him, tears welling up in my eyes again. “And now, I deserve all this pain from seeing my friends and family gone.” It was hard to admit, but I was strong enough to acknowledge my faults, to accept that I wasn’t the best person … but damn, did I try to be.
After taking a deep breath, I decided that I was done talking to him for now. I walked to the stairs. “Don’t think that your mate was an angel because she wasn’t, and neither are you.” And with that, I walked right out of the prison and slammed the door behind me.
I didn’t know what I could’ve done to be a better daughter or a better alpha in their eyes. To them, I had been and I always would be weak. But I knew that I wasn’t weak. I was stronger than they gave me credit for.
And if I hadn’t had Ares, I never would’ve realized it.
Chapter 51
Aurora
Standing at the top of the stairs for me, Mars smiled down at me with two pretzels in his hands. I closed the front door behind me and walked up the stairs, grabbing the saltiest one from him.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked, sucking in his cheek as if he was nervous.
Mars was rarely nervous.
Something must be wrong, and, Goddess, I didn’t know if I was ready for more drama. I already had so much shit to deal with; anything else might tip me right over the edge.
There was a bowl of hot cheese in the center of the table, which Ruffles was staring at from one of the kitchen chairs. Ares opened a bag of Ruffles chips for her and placed a couple at the edge of the table, so she could easily bat them off and munch on them.
He pulled out a chair for me, and I hesitantly sat, my heart racing fast. He sat next to me and stared between the table and the cheese.
“Mars?” I asked softly, needing him to just come out with it. All this silence made me feel uneasy. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong …” He paused for a long time. “I’ve just been
