Chapter 48: What We Deserve
Thorne
I couldn’t even look at Kiel without my fists curling.
The rage that bloomed in my chest was suffocating. My teeth clenched so hard I thought I might snap my own jaw. Josie’s scream still rang in my ears—the way the windows had shuddered under the force of it, the way the earth itself had seemed to mourn with her. She had passed out from the pain, and we were standing there, helpless.
And it was his fault.
I turned on Kiel with fire in my veins. "This is all your fault."
His eyes widened. "What—?"
"She screamed like the world was ending!" I shouted. "And why? Because you thought this was a moment to be cute? You thought turning her trauma into some sing-song joke would make things easier?"
"I didn’t mean—" Kiel started, his voice cracking.
"You never mean to!" I cut him off, stepping closer. "But you always do. You keep putting her in situations she shouldn’t be in. You treat her like she’s supposed to understand our world, our ways, when she’s barely catching her breath."
"She’s our mate," Kiel bit out, though his voice was low now. "I just didn’t want her to feel like she was being left in the dark."
"She’s not ready to handle truths like that, you idiot," Varen growled from beside me. "And if you had even a shred of sense, you’d talk to us before doing something that affects all three of us."