Chapter 135
Faith’s Pov
I was wiping the tears off my face when the door opened.
I didn’t need to look up to know it was him.
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Astor walked in, and before I could even stand up or try to yell, he was already there. He moved so quickly. One moment I was sitting alone in misery, and the next, strong arms were wrapping around me, pulling me tight against his chest.
I was so angry but when his warmth surrounded me my anger just deflated.
I let myself collapse into the hug. Just for one second. I let my wolf, who had been howling in frustration, sink into the peace his presence always brought. Right now, I needed him more than I
needed to be angry.
After a long minute, I forced myself to pull back. I took a deep breath trying to get my heart under control. I had to speak before the tears started again. I had to make him understand how wrong he
was.
But before I could even open my mouth, he beat me to it.
“I’m sorry, Faith,” he said, his voice low and ragged. His eyes held so much guilt and worry. He reached up, cupping my cheek gently. “I didn’t mean to go against what you wanted. I know if I had asked you about taking Isabella, you would have said no.”
I just stared at him, waiting for the rest of the excuse.
“But Faith, there is nothing more important than our family. Nothing. And Alice was the only person who could give us the next clue to finding you and her only condition was seeing Isabella.”
He looked desperate. “If I hadn’t taken Bella to her, Alice wouldn’t have told me anything more. And right now, it is important to catch Kyle before he hurts anyone else.”
His words hit me harder than they should have. He was talking about doing something dangerous for family. Something potentially foolish.
And I realized I was about to do the same exact thing.
A wave of cold dread washed over the anger. I had my own stupid, dangerous plan brewing, and it was all for family too. How could I be angry at him for doing what he thought was necessary when I was preparing to risk everything myself?
My fury started to feel pathetic. I had to let this go. But not without a warning.
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I looked straight into his eyes, making sure he understood how serious I was. “Astor, listen to me. I understand why you did it. But if you ever, ever do something like that again, something that puts our daughter in danger without talking to me first, even if you think it’s the only way I will not forgive you. Do you understand?”
A small, tired smile touched his lips. “I understand, Faith. And I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
That was all I needed to hear. The pressure in my chest eased, and the anger faded away. I moved forward and wrapped my arms around him again, burying my face in his neck. The feeling of being safe, of being exactly where I belonged, washed over me. Being in his arms brought me and my wolf absolute peace.
Ring. Ring.
The sound of the phone ripped through the silence like a gunshot. It was a number I didn’t recognize. I pulled away from Astor, frowning, and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Faith? Is this Faith?” A man’s gravelly voice asked.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“My name is Harold. I am an old friend of your adoptive father.” I remember Harold as one of the good for nothing man who used to hang around my father and they experienced my abuse as well and they said nothing.
My heart jumped. “Oh, Harold. Is my father alright?”
A sharp spike of guilt went through me because I haven’t spoken to my dad in a few weeks, things have been too messy and dangerous right at the moment, and I didn’t want him to worry. I had planned to visit him soon, face–to–face, so I could talk about everything without frightening him over the phone.
The man on the other end cleared his throat, and the sound was heavy, full of pain.
“Faith, I am so sorry. I wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell you this.” His voice broke. “Both your parents… they were murdered.”
The room went silent. I couldn’t breathe. My hand started shaking violently, making the phone buzz against my ear.
“W–what are you saying? No. They’re fine.”
“They found them about an hour ago, Faith. They weren’t just murdered. They were… they were torn to pieces. Like an animal attack.
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We’ve been trying to contact your sister as well but we can’t get through to her but I’m very sorry for your loss.”
The noise I made was not human. It was a choked, wounded sound. Torn to pieces.
The world tilted. My adoptive parents. My dad.
“I’m on my way,” I whispered, my voice thick with shock. I didn’t wait for him to respond. I just dropped the phone, letting it clatter onto the floor.
I couldn’t stand up anymore. My legs gave out, and I sank down to the ground, landing next to the
bed.
Astor was instantly beside me, his arms reaching out. He didn’t try to force me to stand; he just sat down heavily next to me, crossing his legs and pulling me close.
The tears that had been threatening to spill minutes ago finally came and they were unstoppable. I pushed my head onto his shoulder, clinging to the fabric of his shirt, and let the grief wreck me.
“It’s Kyle,” I choked out, the name tasting like ash and poison. “It has to be Kyle.”
Astor tightened his hug. His voice was soft, dangerously quiet. “I know, Faith.”
That single confirmation was the thing that broke my heart entirely.
I pulled back just enough to look at him, my eyes swimming. “All this time, I thought I could understand him. He’s been hurting and killing people because he wants revenge on the people who killed our father. I could almost understand that rage.” I wiped my nose desperately. “But my adopted father didn’t do anything to him. My dad was a good man. He loved me!”
Astor gently pushed my hair back from my face. “He probably killed them to punish you, Faith. For escaping him. For choosing us.”
The thought was a physical blow. the man who stayed quiet all those years ago to protect me from the truth, the man who tried to give me a normal life. He was gone because of me.
I started to sob again, the guilt mingling with the raw pain of loss.
“He’s gone,” I whispered into Astor’s shoulder.
Astor kept stroking my back, offering silent comfort. After a long moment, I managed to speak again, my voice rough and cracked.
I don’t want to say that my father and my Father–in–Law as well as the people who helped them do what they did are Monsters but everybody has played a part.
How do I make peace with the fact that my biological brother murdered the one person that I
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always knew was on my corner.
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He took my father away from me and I don’t understand why he had to punish me for a crime that I don’t even know off.
