Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Gideon’s POV
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With the way things were, I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers from Claire and Ivan, no matter what I said. To find out the truth about what happened six years ago, I was going to have to confront someone else who was there, who had a hand in the events of the day.
Dealing with Daphne was out of the question, so I turned to the next best person. The man in my custody, who had likely been the mastermind of it all.
Darius.
As I entered the jail, I was immediately irritated by Darius’s accommodations. A chef had to be hired just to specifically cook Darius’s meals. The Alpha King himself had specified that Darius needed to eat more, and this had been the only way I could think of to convince the man to do so. Because of this, Darius ate better than any other prisoner and also most of the members of my pack.
He was smug about it too. Sitting on his chair, he had his feet kicked up onto the table in his cell, as he drank down the last of whatever high–quality soup he had been enjoying.
“Gideon,” he said, seeing me. “To what do I owe this visit?”
I glowered at him. “I need answers.”
“And you’ve come to me for them? Me? Are you sure that is the best choice.”
“I know what you and Daphne did all those years ago. Who Daphne lied about Claire, and I believed her. I know she was sent to the rogue lands when she was only supposed to be sent to a house near the border. I know that your daughter hates her. But I want the rest. I want the how’s and the why’s and I want to know what happened after Claire was taken from my pack.”
“What makes you think Claire was ‘sent to the pack lands‘ like it was some kind of punishment? You are always so quick to blame my daughter that you can’t see the vipers in your midst that are right in front of you. Or were right in front of you.”
“I don’t want your lies and manipulations,” I said firmly. “I want the truth.”
He snorted then shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe the truth.”
“Try me.”
He looked at me. Finally, he dropped his feet off the table and down to the floor. “Claire left willingly.”
I tensed at once, my full body rejecting that notion, but I forced myself to listen and to think objectively. He might have been speaking the truth. I needed to pay attention, to be smart and observant. If there were holes in his story, I wanted to be ready to pick them apart.
If I was on the defensive immediately, I could miss key facts. I had to be more open than that.
So, even though my body wanted to reject this thought outright, steadied myself and kept listening.
Watching me, Darius continued, “She was talking with Ivan, even back then. She wanted to be Ivan’s Lama, not yours. And everything that happened after was the result of her plotting.”
“You are saying that you and Daphne weren’t involved at all?” I hardly believed that, given all of their betrayals afterwards.
“Think what you want about me and my daughter,” he said. “At that time, Daphne was in love with you. When she saw Claire betraying you behind your back, she grew angry. Any animosity between the two girls at that time was strictly because of Claire’s betrayal of you. In the end, Daphne took the blame but she wasn’t involved.”
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Chapter 145
This was a tall tale, one that I didn’t particularly believe. But, with Claire’s actions lately, and her closeness to Ivan, I had to admit to myself that a part of me did wonder if there was some truth to this story.
“I hate to be the one to bring this into question,” Darius said, smirking slightly. “But have you considered the possibility that Leo might not be your son.”
This was the final straw, and my anger spiked. “That’s enough,” I snapped. “Do not spew anymore lies. Leo is my son. Anything else is impossible.”
But… the more I thought of Claire and Ivan, the more I realized…
Claire had endangered Leo in the past for Nova’s sake. If Nova was the result of Claire being with the man she loved, and Leo was only a necessity, wouldn’t it make sense for her to want to protect Nova over Leo?
She could have purposefully prioritized Nova, while ignoring Leo.
My fury heated the blood in my veins until I felt as if I was so hot that I might catch fire.
I had no doubt that Leo was my son. I could feel my bond to him as plainly as I could see him when standing before him. But I did begin to doubt that Claire cared for Leo as much as she cared for Nova.
Which in addition to making me incredibly angry, also left me feeling very sad, for my son’s sake.
He loved Raven. I hoped he wasn’t about to learn the hard way that her feelings for him came with conditions differing from those her daughter faced.
I would speak to him on his return, to ensure he had been treated with fairness. Anything less, and I would end these visitations on the spot.
I didn’t know how much if any of Darius’s story was true, but I would protect my son, even from his mother, if necessary.
Claire’s POV
When I stayed busy, things didn’t bother me so much. But whenever I had a moment on my own, even if it was only to walk down to the kitchen to sneak a couple of cinnamon rolls to bring up to Nova, my mind began to wander.
About Gideon…
About Leo…
If I was making the right choices….
And then my thoughts went to Ivan and his proposal. He’d been very patient with me, waiting for me to make my choice, to be his Luna or not. He didn’t push either way, other than to list the practical pros of such a situation.
And they were good pros: acting as a barrier for Gideon, supporting nie in earning parental rights with Leo, protecting Nova…
Truly, I had no good reason to reject him.
Yet there was something holding me back. My heart felt on reserve, and I couldn’t figure out why. It was almost as if someone else’s name was already on it.
But this was a foolish line of thinking. After all, I didn’t need to be in love with Ivan to become his Luna. I didn’t feel like he was in love with me either. What we shared was more of a friendly connection. What he was giving me with this proposal
was unbridled kindness.
I carried the cinnamon rolls upstairs, but Nova wasn’t where I left her in the sitting room. Instead, through the window, I saw her racing around outside, with Ivan beside her.
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Chapter 145
Nova had been frightened to leave the house, but she seemed okay now, laughing and cheering at Ivan.
My heart swelled, seeing this, and I knew I had my answer.
I waited until later, after Nova had gone to bed. Then I found Ivan in his office, and I told him simply, “Yes. I will be your Luna.”
He nodded, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I will make the arrangements.”
It was as simple as that.
“Thanks,” I said, then turned and walked out of the office.
I should have felt good about what just happened. Instead, in my heart, I was worried.
Had I made the right choice?
