Chapter 159\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tristan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The void where I should have been able to feel Athena through our mate bond suddenly felt like it was consuming me from the inside out. It was like having\u00a0<\/p>\n
a gaping hole in my chest where my heart should be, and the emptiness was driving me insane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t breathe. Couldn\u2019t think. Couldn\u2019t do anything except feel the crushing weight of my own failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTristan, Orion said carefully, taking a step toward me. \u201cWe need to stay calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calm? How could I stay calm when my mate was missing and the man who had tortured her for two years might still be alive? How could I stay calm when my own beta had potentially lied to me about killing the bastard?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt my bones beginning to shift, my human form struggling to contain the rage and terror coursing through my system. My wolf was howling for blood. demanding that I find our mate and destroy anyone who had dared to touch her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTristan, don\u2019t,\u201d Orion said sharply. \u201cWe\u2019re in a human building. You can\u2019t shift here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But his words were like trying to stop a hurricane with a paper bag. The transformation was already beginning, my muscles expanding, my senses sharpening\u00a0<\/p>\n
to an almost painful degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek moved quickly, positioning himself between me and the apartment\u2019s thin walls. \u201cIf you shift here, the humans will hear everything. The government will come looking for answers. Do you want to expose our entire species because you can\u2019t control yourself?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words cut through the haze of rage just enough for me to clamp down on the shift, forcing my bones to stop changing, my muscles to stop expanding. But the effort left me shaking with barely contained fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMax lied to me,\u201d I said, my voice coming out as a growl. \u201cMy own beta betrayed me. He let that monster live, and now Athena is gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound ever could. Max had been my right\u2013hand man for years. I had trusted him with everything \u2013 pack security, sensitive missions, my life. And he had looked me in the eye and told me Daxon was dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018We don\u2019t know for sure that he betrayed you,\u201d Orion said, though his tone suggested he was having his own doubts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Don\u2019t we?\u2018 I laughed bitterly. \u201cHe told me he saw Daxon die. He told me he disposed of the body personally. If Daxon is alive, then Max lied about\u00a0<\/p>\n
everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek pulled out his phone, his expression grim. \u201cI\u2019m calling my contacts. We can have every security camera between here and the city limits checked within the hour. If someone took Athena in a vehicle, we\u2019ll find out which direction they went.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded gratefully, but my mind was already moving to darker places. If Max had betrayed me, on? Was he working with Daxon all along?\u00a0<\/p>\n
what else had he lied about? How long had this been going\u00a0<\/p>\n
The questions were eating me alive, but there was only one way to get answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to find Max,\u201d I said, my voice deadly calm. \u201cRight now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTristan, think about this, Orion cautioned. \u201cIf you confront him in front of the pack, it\u2019s going to cause chaos. You can\u2019t just accuse your beta of treason without proof.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/31\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 159\u00a0<\/p>\n
The proof is that my mate is missing and Daxon is supposed to be dead,\u201d I snarled. That\u2019s all the proof I need.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But even as I said it, part of me was screaming that this was my fault. I should have insisted on seeing Daxon\u2019s body myself. I should have made sure he was really dead instead of trusting someone else to handle it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 had failed to protect Athena again, just like I had failed to protect her years ago. Just like I had failed to protect Jess and our unborn child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The self\u2013blame was almost as crushing as the rage. How many times was I going to let the people I loved get hurt because of my failures?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Where would Max be at this hour?\u201d Derek asked, effectively cutting through my spiral of self pity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPack meeting,\u201d Orion answered. \u201cSunday night strategy sessions. They\u2019ll all be at the compound.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d I shook my head, remembering. \u201cHe\u2019s with Seraphine. He was the one that had called me and said she\u2019d tried to commit suicide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They both looked at me, and I could see the same realization dawning on their faces that was crawling up my spine like ice water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that a lie?\u201d Orion asked quietly, mirroring my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I saw Seraphine,\u201d I said, more to myself than to them. \u201cShe was admitted to the hospital. There\u2019s no way they\u2019d both lie about that. What about the hospital and all that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did they plan everything? The thought made my stomach turn over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the reason I left at the first place. Did they do that to draw me out?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be sure first,\u201d Orion said, his voice taking on that careful tone people use around explosives. \u201cHe might have gone out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I brought out my phone with hands that were still shaking and dialed Max\u2019s number. After the third ring, he picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlpha. His voice sounded normal. Concerned. Like the beta I\u2019d trusted for year\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to maintain my breathing. He couldn\u2019t suspect anything. \u201cYou haven\u2019t sent the details I asked you to send, I said, putting my phone on speaker so\u00a0<\/p>\n
the others could hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m still trying to figure out his last movements, but he was at Athena\u2019s place like an hour ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised a brow and looked at Derek, who pointed at himself and shook his head violently, mouthing the word \u2018that\u2019s a lie so Max wouldn\u2019t become\u00a0<\/p>\n
suspicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Alright. I\u2019ll get to the bottom of all this. Where are you now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Pack meeting. Seraphine was already asleep, so I decided to lead the meeting since you wouldn\u2019t be around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If it had been before, I would have been proud of him. Taking the initiative to cover for me when I wasn\u2019t available, I would have praised him. But right now,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had nothing close to pride in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Good. You\u2019re a good beta, and I\u2019ll reward you,\u201d I said, ending the call before turning toward Orion and Derek,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe he\u2019s lying now? He said Derek was here an hour ago and left.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:22 Sat, Jan 10 G MR.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 159 Chapter 159\u00a0 Tristan POV\u00a0 The void where I should have been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}