Profound Devotion

Chapter 38

August 10th
Monaia

"You what?" I hissed, scrambling up onto my unsteady legs and increasing the distance between us. "How could you do that?" My voice was increasing in volume along with my panic.

Why would he do something so brazen? The brother I thought I knew didn't believe in violence, let alone shameless murder.

"How could you—" I stumbled, so many questions swirling in my mind. How could he let me bring them here? How could he look them in the eye, knowing he was one of the reasons their family and everyone they loved was dead?

The man that sat in front of me wasn't the innocent boy I'd grown up with.

"I thought it was best for our pack. I mean, they're so close to us." He tried to reason, throwing his legs over the side of the bed as I pressed my back against the cement wall. "I didn't want what happened to those wolves to happen to us. You have to believe me; I never expected it to play out this way."

"Tell me, how did you see it going down then? Because from where I stand, there was no other outcome besides death of innocent people." My eyes narrowed, and my lips lifted into an infuriated snarl. "You lied to me, and I was too naïve to think you were doing what was best for all of us."

Atticus stood with his hands outreached, but I dodged him and stumbled to the foot of my bed. "Please, I regret it every day. You have to believe me."

I didn't know who he was, not right now, and the longer I stared at him with that revelation, the more I cursed myself for not seeing the signs sooner.

"I want you to leave." I spoke with finality, tearing my eyes away and refusing to meet his pleading stare.

"No, Naia. Please, I want to talk about this." He took multiple steps forward, stopping only when I shot him a furious glare.

"Fine. Let's talk about it." I sneered, using the bar across the end of the bed to help me remain standing. "Who else knows about this? Did you tell Raian? Or Cassius?"

The thought of the powerful male that had done everything in his power to protect me made my heart reach out to him. Here he was, forcing himself to find comfort in our land for his brother and for me, and it was my own family that had ripped everything away from him.

His face fell, and he darted his tongue over his dry lips. "Mom and Dad came up with the idea. Lance led the few warriors we have that are of use with Jackson the day of the attack."

"Unbelievable." I scoffed, this situation only getting worse. "I feel so stupid, parading both brothers around our village like we were the only ones that could protect them. Why couldn't you have just told me before?" One of my hands shot in the air, and I waved dramatically as the words fell from my mouth. "I wouldn't have worked so hard to get Cassius to trust us."

"He knows." My brother looked over my shoulder to the closed curtain, his eyes zoning out as if he were lost in thought.

"He...he does?" My stomach tightened into one big knot. "For how long?"

Atticus shrugged his shoulders and ran one of his hands down his face. "I came clean about everything the night after he saved you."

There was so much information fighting to take precedent in my mind, but I was too anxious to focus on any of them. I had only one worry, and that was whether or not Cass was still here.

"Did he leave?" My brother shook his head, and a weight lifted off my chest. "Where is he?"

He sucked in a labored breath and ran a hand through his light blond hair. "He's training with our warriors."