Page 81 of Hawke

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help your father, so that repayment falls to you, Gunnar,” his eyes softened for a brief moment.

I still did not want to believe him.

“In the words of our mate,”my wolf interrupted, “it is because you are a stubborn ass.”

“What did you do?” I growled. “Why did you follow, to watch me be rejected?”

Bram threw his head back and laughed. “Really? You think I get off on humiliation? Gunnar, please.” He licked his lips. “I waited to see if you could do what needed to be done.”

My thoughts were in a jumble with a thousand different possibilities running through my head. What the hell was he talking about? Ruby rejected me, chose another. The only action I could have taken was to end her and her mate in vengeance, but I was not trained for that. I was a protector, a guard. To kill a member of the royal family was treason. I would have been killed on the spot, thus ending my life even quicker.

I had too much self-preservation to kill her.

“And when you strutted out of that bedchamber with your head held high, your fur already beginning to fall from your skin, I knew it was my turn to take care of my rescuers’ son.”

Oh shit.

“After your soul was shattered, and you were escorted off the royal premises, I knew then it was my time to shine.” Bram closed the shades to the window next to the bar. Dust went flying into the air as streams of light reflected upon the dirt.

The room darkened further as the overhead lights flickered. The ominous tone of the room was palpable as his boots hit harshly against the dark, stained wood. If I didn’t have my wolf with me, I may have backed away, but I stood with both feet planted firmly on the ground.

I didn’t feel his anger directed toward me, but I felt the rising power of his magic filling the room. The ozone, the aromatic scent of nothingness, overpowered my nose while I watched his stature grow above my own.

“They had planned this!” Bram choked out a yell. “The royals already knew the princess was going to reject you. The king permitted it, relished it, planning for his daughter to marry a duke, instead of a guard.”

My wolf snarled at the betrayal. How could we have not realized the lies of a king? Was I too love struck at the time?

I was blind, too prideful of my accomplishments.

“After the elaborate flaunting of wealth after their mating ceremony, which was when I took my place, Gunnar. I did it for your father, for you.” He winked, but it wasn’t playful in the slightest. “And for the future.”

Bram rubbed his hands together, putting pressure on his palms. With his hands rolling together, he produced a sphere that was both translucent and blue with bright, electrical currents weaving through it.

Bram snapped his fingers and a close-up picture of Ruby’s sleeping face appeared in the orb. “Ruby, the youngest princess of King Shapen and Queen Rachel, was found dead in her lover’s arms by morning.” The sphere grew larger, backing away from Ruby’s body to show a blood bath. A hole was left in her chest, blood covering an elven-made, white silk dress.

“Both of their hearts were cut from their bodies,” Bram laughed maniacally. “The princess’s heart burned in the fire because of her lustful desires of the flesh. That fire still rages in the palace today in her former bed chamber. All while the selfish lover who married her for status was fed to pigeons on her balcony.”

Instead of feeling pain or sorrow, I felt a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer had to think of her, because she was dead, along with that male. I was free; I could live as if they never existed.

Because to me, and especially now with Delilah in my life, there were no emotions remaining for the life I left behind.

“Their bodies may be buried together, but their hearts are separated, permanently,” Bram said. “They will never find peace in the afterlife.” Bram’s eyes glowed red, his fists balled up in anger, until he released them. A satisfied smirk fell on his face.

I didn’t feel anger or sadness over the death of Ruby. There were many nights I thought about returning to the Elysian realm to finish them both. To tear that male apart while she watched, to watch the light leave her eyes as it had mine when she chose another.

To make her feel pain.

But this warlock had done it for me. He destroyed my greatest enemies. He avenged me so I did not have to. I didn’t know if I should be grateful he had or upset I couldn’t do it myself.

Bram was making his way toward me. His gait was slow, his hand falling while the sphere stayed in place hovering between us. As he came closer, the sphere faded, leaving the last picture as the eternal flames flickering in the fireplace.

His presence seemed to throw my wolf into a state of confusion between wanting to tear him apart and expressing gratitude.

Bram pulled a leather woven necklace from his cloak. It held a wolf’s fang in the middle. He grabbed my hand, squeezing it so my balled fist would relax, and placed it into my palm.

“To show further proof, This is your father’s.” The whooshing of blood filled my ears. “He gave it to me when he was a boy. Said it would make me feel better.” He chuckled.

I fiddled with the fang in my hand. It was indeed a wolf’s fang, but one much smaller than that of a shifter.

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