Chapter 118: Chapter 117

Chapter 28 – The Revelation

“Pain is easier to deal with when it’s left untouched.“–Tammy L. Gray

(Content Warning: Mentions of Rape/S*xual Assault. Reader discretion is heavily advised)

Neron

Fire turned to ice. Raging hellfire turned to the arctic tundra.

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The summer heat lost the war to the gradual chill encompassing the foyer–the chill that enforced the thunderous shock booming through the entrance hall. Seconds that trickled by felt like hours with Kiya’s lingering absence. The red–fiery rage of my mate burned brightly yet was snuffed out upon her tearful revelation. Her words are the iron, her anguish is the flame, and they’re forever branded in my mind.

“He raped me, Neron.”

Averting my eyes from where Kiya once stood is punishing. I’m not blinking or breathing. Hell, it’s like I’m in an alternative dimension; a dimension riddled with sorrow. Everything is so heavy, but I don’t have the right to complain. I’m standing on the floorboards above the torturous prisons. Her rape happened below my feet.

Bile entered my mouth as nausea sucker punched me in the gut.

“I never expected a superhero,”

Kiya revealed the darkest secret she kept for years. My chest threatened to tighten like a knot with every inhale. The possibility of rape never crossed my mind; it was unheard of in my pack. We merrily walked through these halls unbeknownst to the heinous crime happening underneath us. Who are the monsters here; the rapist or us?

How many signs passed between us, but went ignored? How many times had Kiya walked the halls after the assaults, but we didn’t care to notice the changes? Goddess, how many times had she tried to reach out for help, but was shoved away?

The amount of courage it took her to speak the unspeakable is astounding. Her bravery is to be admired, but at what cost? Something tells me that if she had a choice, she’d tell no one about Tristan out of self- preservation.

Everything about this place is and always will be a trigger. How can I be proud to call this place my own? Every step she takes across my lands reminds her of the assault and how nobody helped her. And she shielded her pain behind a mask. No one knew the burden of hiding it for so long…

I wanted to scream, break glass, and burn this place to the ground. I’d toss my sorry ass in the flames as well because we’re all are responsible for Kiya’s pain–directly and indirectly. And I’m her mate, so it makes it

worse.

My head slowly turned to Tristan’s broken form and the growing red pool under his head. An unfathomable amount of rage rushed through me like an erupted volcano. He deserves to melt in the scorching lava.

This was the man I trusted with my life. I thought he was a man with an unshakable moral compass. Tristan was the type to obey an Alpha’s orders without question. He’s a long–standing guard, passed to me from my father! I’ve patted this man on the back, smiled with him, drank with him, and let him around children. I

Chapter 28- The Revelat

f*cking assigned the bastard to monitor Odessa when I should’ve been monitoring him!

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Tristan knew Kiya is my mate. And he still dared to pledge to protect her and her friends for the duration of

their stay!

If he thought he could get away with his crimes, he’s wrong. Because I’m going to make him suffer once I get my claws in him.

“Did you all know?” I murmured, unable to control the guilt wracking my body. Turning to the Garnet Moon members slowly, I’m taken aback by their unyielding fury. They look ready to tear me apart.

“No.” Beta Jacqueline replies furiously, claws threatening to sprout. My heart sank into a pool of gre

It’s their first time hearing about this too. “If we knew, we wouldn’t have let Kiya come here! My Goddess, what

the f*ck?!”

Kwame pulled out a handkerchief and heatedly wiped the blood from his hands as if the crimson burned him. Tristan disgusted him. He disgusted me. I felt the violent need to ram my heel into his broken face, but he wouldn’t feel it. He needed to feel my wrath.

“We didn’t know…” Valerian whispered shamefully. “We could’ve-!”

“Oh, shut the hell up!” Beta Jacqueline barked as her veins throbbed intensely. “You wouldn’t have done anything, and you know that! None of you cared back then! Why the hell do you care now? Beating her wasn’t enough but allowing her to be raped?! Unforgivable! What happened to her is all your faults!”

“My love, please…” Abigail’s touch to her bicep worked its magic. Her mate is noticeably calmer, but still boiling with vehemence. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Babe, what’s going on?–

All our heads turned to Raina, emerging from the dining hall with party streamers stuck in her hair. In a panic, Valerian stood in front of her but was too late to shield her from Tristan’s body. “What the hell happened to Tristan?!”

“Raina, please go back to the party.” My Beta pleaded with her. “This is a volatile situation. You should watch

Donny.”

Her eyes searched the crowd, looking for something. When she hadn’t found it, she asked a question that made my blood run cold. “Where’s my sister? I thought she went to change her clothes.”

Abigail looked down, Sapphire bit her lip, and Galen is about to blow a gasket. Beta Jacqueline scoffed in disgust as her jade eyes pierced into Raina’s form. “Unbelievable. Everyone in Zircon Moon is f*cking ignoramuses.”

“Excuse me?” Raina arched an eyebrow in offense. “Is there something you want to say to me, Jacqueline?”

“I have nothing to say to a worthless excuse for a sister.”

Valerian used his strength to hold his wife back from attacking another Beta. I couldn’t risk another attack and women are vicious in fights. A smug smile rested on Jacqueline’s face as Abigail gently pulled her back into her arms. Raina isn’t the type to take insults but insulting her status as Kiya’s sister is a definite way to rile her up.

“Raina, go back to the party,” Valerian ordered again. “We have this situation handled. Please, don’t make it more difficult than it already is.”

Chapter 28 – The Revelation

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“Alpha Neron.” I turned my head to see several nurses entering the foyer. Their eyes landed on the bloody, unconscious man on the stairs. They approached but didn’t get far when Kwame stopped them. “Don’t you03:21 want us to take him to the hospital?TM

Why should I waste valuable medical resources on a rapist? I believe Kiya with my whole heart. Tristan raped her. And his punishment is long overdue,

“No.” I replied. “Go back to the hospital and treat your patients. Don’t worry about him.” As the nurses hesitantly took their leave, my eyes narrowed at my Gamma. “Take him to the dungeons. Shackle him up with silver and don’t tend to his wounds. Let his bones heal with the way they are now.”

“Why not just kill him?” Kwame questioned despite being on board with my plan. “It takes less effort.”

“Tristan doesn’t deserve a quick death. I’ll make sure he suffers for his crimes against Kiya.” I didn’t voice it, but I also wanted to hear him admit to the rape. And I know how to make him confess. But I wonder, will he lie like a coward or be foolishly brave enough

to tell the truth?

“Crimes against Kiya? What the f*ck are you talking about?!” Raina demanded. I forgot that she’s still here.

“What did he do to her?!”

“Is everyone so goddamn spineless?” Sapphire bellowed as she marched to Raina. There’s not much of a height difference between them, but the warrior carried more bravery than a thousand armies combined. “Tristan raped Kiya while she was a slave. And judging by your expression, you didn’t know about it, huh? But

I can’t expect you to care.”

Raina froze. Tears pricked her eyes as the news sunk into her body, heavy and merciless. She turned to her husband with the silent hope that what Sapphire said was false. But Valerian couldn’t bring himself to do it. His silence was all the Beta Female needed. It’s like her entire world shattered into a million pieces. “I–I’m going to g–go check o–on my son.” Without hesitation, she escaped to the faux safety of the party.

The contrast is interesting. In one room, children are laughing and are cared for without the world tainting. their innocence. But, in the foyer, everything crumbled under the darkness of Kiya’s experience.

“And you all dare to call yourself a great pack.” Galen snarls at us. “You’re all pathetic.” One by one, the members of the greatest warrior pack left the foyer with disgust permeating with their every step. Behind me, I hear Kwame grunt with effort as he slung the bastard over his shoulder, muttering something about needing a shower after this.

They left Valerian and me alone. Inhaling deeply, my resolve grew despite my arduous sorrow. “I need to find

her.”

“And say what, Nero?” Valerian asked me. Like me, his voice is heavy with emotion–from either feeling Raina’s sorrow through their bond, this f*cked up situation, or both “There’s nothing any of us can say to make this shit any better.” He’s Kiya’s brother–in–law. But neither were close. However, his emotional Intelligence is high enough to feel guilt for his wife’s sister.

Guilt comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors. And it affects us differently.

“I can’t leave her alone out there, Val.” Especially with Osiris roaming about. Hell, he undoubtedly watched the debacle with front–row seats! “Won’t we still be abandoning her if no one goes to check up on her? She…

she needs someone.”

Chapter 28- The Revelation

“I don’t think she’d want to see anyone now.”

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“Look, Val.” I turn with fire licking in my eyes. “I get it. You’re freaked. None of us were expecting this, but it happened, and we can’t go back in time to change it. I can’t go back to the party without knowing how Kiya is. You’d be the same with Raina, but you both have a bond. We don’t.”

The scent of Tristan’s blood is getting bothersome. It’s souring, and it’s pissing me off. “Get an Omega to clean this shit up.”

“Neron.” Valerian sighed defeatedly with a nod. “Bring her back safely.”

“I will.”

“What about Tristan?”

“He’s mine after I take care of this.” I smiled sweetly, which seemed to horrify Valerian. “If you or Kwame want to give him a few punches before I get to him, you have my full permission.”

Leaving my shocked Beta behind me, I ran into the woods in reckless abandon. Kiya’s clothes are missing, so she must’ve taken them with her. It’s a good thing because it’ll cause further uproar if anyone discovered the bloody clothes. Onyx took over and used his expert sense of smell to track down our mate. Kiya’s saccharine scent went in one direction before sharply shifting into a different direction, as if she’s running.

Occasionally, her scent faded near caves or ponds. Kiya didn’t want to be found, but I couldn’t give up. Onyx couldn’t give up on our mate because he couldn’t stop howling in sorrow and panic whenever we reached a dead end.

We searched for almost two hours until we caught a lucky break. Determined, Onyx pushed and followed the trail of honeyed strawberries and vanilla. The path led us to the far eastern, denser part of Zircon Moon near the cliffs. I breathed a sigh of relief when I caught sight of Kiya sitting with her knees to her chest, but panic came after once I recognized the place.

It’s the cliff where she killed herself five years ago.

Her faint sniffles echoed in the air as she faced the distant trees below. For a moment, I worry if Kiya might jump again. Unhurriedly, I took a couple of steps towards her, crushing pebbles beneath my feet to make my presence known.

She doesn’t respond.

I sat near the rocky edge, keeping some distance between us. Startling her was the last thing I wanted. Her body trembled with every exhale, and her coughing broke my heart. Kiya’s eyes are puffy and scarlet red from her crying, violently snapping my heartstrings. Goddess, I wanted to hug her so badly, but I knew I couldn’t until she permitted me.

“The human body replaces its cells every seven to ten years. Did you know that?” Kiya asked softly. “I learned that in my Developmental Psychology class last year. Your body becomes new–untouched and unbleraished.”

“But, that’s external. It’s been five years since he last raped me, which means my body is still tainted by him, no matter how much fat and muscle I gain. What about internally? How does my body heal, but it still remembers every disgusting thing he did?”

I remain silent, shifting uncomfortably. It’s taking so much willpower to not go back and snap Tristan’s neck.

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“Every time he raped me; I’d scream a little louder. Werewolf hearing is sensitive, right? I thought if I screamed loud enough, someone would hear and stop him. Even as he held my head to the mattress, I still03:15 screamed. But I guess that’s naivete for you. After a while, I stopped screaming for help–I just screamed for him to stop hurting me.”

Kiya’s tears fell again, and she wiped them away furiously. I continued to listen. “He’d hurt me, biweekly. Then, weekly. Finally, it became every couple of days. I memorized the pattern and weight of his footsteps, so I know when he’d come. This went on for three years.”

“When was the last time?” I whispered, feeling my tears flow down my face. Kiya hesitated for a bit, but answered after a sigh.

“Two days before your Alpha ceremony. I bled little from that encounter, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

We sat quietly for what seemed like a very long time. Nature went about her business–birds complained in the trees, bugs made their song, the river flowed below us, and more. But we were still as statues. Neither of us made a move to break the silence.

But minutes later, Kiya broke it with gut–wrenching, raw, and powerful sobs.

“Why didn’t anyone help me?” She cried heavily. “Why didn’t anyone stop him? I had blood on my legs! I had bites and scratches all over my collarbone! I was limping, and he was so proud of that! He’d drag me back to the dungeons, and you all watched and did nothing!”

“Nothing!”

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