Chapter 156
156
Third Person’s POV
Riley hadn’t truly fallen asleep,
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She quietly slipped out from beneath the covers, her bare feet making no sound against the wooden floor. Crossing the dimly lit bedroom, she approached the window and drew the curtain open just enough to peer into the storm–lashed courtyard
below.
Outside, Kael Vale was pacing and shouting like a rogue wolf driven mad by grief and rage. His eyes burned gold beneath the rain, his face contorted with fury and desperation as he snarled up at the manor.
By his side. Theo stood in silence, rain dripping from his cloak, jaw set in frustration.
Riley’s expression remained utterly cold. Her gaze was like frost in the dead of winter–sharp, silent, merciless.
She knew exactly why Kael had come.
Not for her.
Never for her .
He was here for Scarlett–his precious adopted sister, the one who had spent the last five years feeding off Riley’s suffering. The one rotting in the dungeons now.
Looking at the fire blazing in Kael’s eyes, Riley could almost taste his panic. No doubt he feared Scarlett was suffering- Perhaps even… being punished.
The corner of her mouth curled upward–not with warmth, but with quiet mockery. It was a smile devoid of softness, like moonlight on a frozen lake: beautiful, distant, and utterly untouchable.
Kael Vale hadn’t see Riley, he still stood drenched at the wrought–iron gates, his expression twisted with fury. Every flash of lightning painted his features in stark relief– wild , desperate, unhinged. Rain streamed down his face, mingling with sweat and the blood from a shallow cut above his brow, where he’d punched the iron gate in rage.
The front doors of the estate groaned open. Lucien Duskgrave stepped into the storm.
Kain lashed at his broad shoulders, soaking through his black shirt , making it cling to his muscular frame . Water traced the ridges of his back , sliding down like rivers over carved stone. His silver–ringed irises glowed faintly under the lightning- calm, lethal.
Kael’s wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin . His Alpha aura surged in a burst of rage. “You bastard,” he snarled , voice cracking . “ Give Riley back to me. You don’t deserve to be anywhere near her
He charged like a mad bull, fury fueling every stride. His fist flew toward Lucien’s face
Lucien didn’t flinch . His arm shot up, blocking the blow with effortless precision. Rainwater rolled off his forearm, glinting over the taut lines of muscle and veins .
From the second–story window, Riley watched the clash , even though she couldn’t bear what they were saying, her knuckles white as she clutched the edge of the curtains . Her heart pounded as Kael lunged again–only for Lucien to twist his body with predatory grace, landing a punishing side kick that sent Kael sprawling across the muddy gravel .
“ You don’t deserve to call yourself her brother ,” Lucien said coldly.
Kael staggered to his feet, lips curled in a snarl . “And you do?” he spat. “You’re no better. You know her body can’t handle intimacy—she’s weak , she’s fragile –and yet you you still touched her.”
Ilącien’s gaze turned to ice, his presence crackling with dangerous stillness Rain slid over the hard angles of his face , making lus already chiseled features sharper. He looked like a storm incarnate–beautiful, merciless.
“She’s deal. Karl Her leg is shattered Her kidney’s gone” His voice was quiet, but it hit like thunder “And you dare talk to me about cruelty!”
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Karl froze
Lucien turned without another word, disappearing into the manor, leaving Kael rooted in place like he’d been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Kael’s lips parted, trembling. “Deaf..” he repeated hoarsely. “What did you say ?”
But Lucien was already gone.
ees gave out beneath him, his body collapsing into the mud. His hands trembled. “No… no, that’s not possible. She’s
Kael’s knees gave
not…
But the signs had been there–the way she never flinched at his shouts, the way she always watched lips, the absence of response even when he screamed her name .
The truth hit him like a tidal wave, dragging his pride and denial into the abyss. Rain pelted his face, but it couldn’t hide the tears that now streamed from his eyes.
He clawed his way upright, shoving off the helping hand of Theo. His eyes locked on the darkened window above–on the silhouette barely visible through the curtains.
“Riley,” he rasped: “I’m sorry. I didn’t know–1 didn’t see–I didn’t.. His voice cracked, broken beyond recognition.
“I’m so sorry!”
Lightning streaked overhead again as Kael dropped to his knees with a wet, sickening thud in the mud. The storm didn’t relent–it screamed with him, as if nature itself had turned its fury on his guilt.
Wind lashed his face. Rain mixed with blood as he lowered his head and slammed his forehead to the earth.
Again.
And again.
Thick red welts rose beneath his hairline. His vision blurred, but he didn’t stop.
“She can’t hear you,” Theo said quietly, shielding his eyes against the rain.
“She can see me!” Kael howled, voice fraying at the edges. “She can see what I’m doing, and that’s all I have left!”
Thunder swallowed the sound of his anguish.
On the second floor, Riley stood silently, her expression unreadable as she gazed down at the man who had once sworn to protect her. There was no triumph in her eyes. No pity. Just an icy stillness…and a wound that went far deeper than sound . could reach.
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