Suddenly Fated (Wolves of Riverton #1)

23. Esyn

23. Esyn

The Sunset pack dissolved into chaos without an Alpha, and their scramble to fill the void kept them clear of Riverton. Without Blackwell, there would be no war. After all that we’d been through, the quiet and calm seemed out of place. We all sat together facing the back garden. Ari and I took up a bench, Jamie and Avelin moved gently back and forth, side by side on the back porch swing. None of us spoke, lost in our own thoughts. Avelin had barely said two words since we’d returned to the manor. She spent time in her room, not even coming out for meals. Jamie made sure that someone took her food on a tray. Today was the first time that she’d agreed to talk to us, and we’d all come outside to enjoy the unseasonably nice weather. The end of winter approached. She absentmindedly stroked the long white scar on her chest, left there by her father’s knife. She’d have a lifelong reminder of the hell that we’d been through.

“I didn’t want to do it.” She began in a quiet voice, and I had to strain to hear her.

“It started before the Gala when you two met. He wanted me to poison Alpha William, to take him out so that when Ari became Alpha, he could manipulate him through me. Father said he wanted revenge. He never told me why. He actually came to the Gala that night. He skulked around in the shadows, but then he grabbed me and pulled me into a hallway.”

“Oh, my goddess!” I interrupted. “That’s why he looked familiar when I first saw him at the meeting! I saw you. I’d been walking around the whole area, just snapping candid photos of the guests as they went about their partying. I saw the two of you standing off to yourselves. He had his hand on your arm in a vice grip. I started to take your picture but changed my mind since you looked so worried. I thought he might be telling you that there was a party issue, so I didn’t give it another second of thought.”

“Why would you? You didn’t know us then. But after that night, he knew you. His target changed, but his plans didn’t. I put the Wolvesbeard in your tea, Esyn. He gave me a ring that has a little hinged compartment on it so I put the powder in there and dumped it into your cup when you weren’t looking. He told me that if I didn’t, he’d kill Jamie. He meant it.” She looked up then, anguish in her eyes. I know that Jamie isn’t my fated mate, Esyn. But I felt so unhappy for so many years. I loved living here with Ari, and experiencing comfort and kindness for the first time. But to finally find real love after never experiencing that in your whole existence, only to have it snatched away cruelly? I couldn’t endure that. I’d do anything for Jamie, including dying for him, but I can’t live without him. When the poison didn’t work, he planned the car accident. All I had to do was let one of his men into the house. That time, he showed me pictures of Jamie and I, asleep in Jamie’s bed, taken from right inside the room. I don’t even know how he managed to do that. He said if I didn’t succeed that time he’d take out Jamie and Ari, too.” Tears began to drip down her cheeks.

“Then, Alpha William died. My father is the one that gave Elise the poison, the same poison that he gave me. I thought after that, maybe he could be reasoned with. I spent all that time writing a prepared speech for him, but really all I could think about was what I would say afterward, privately, to get him to call off this whole thing, since he’d gotten the revenge he said he wanted with William’s death, and since Ari and I were no longer together. It didn’t work. I tried so hard. I’m so, so very sorry to you all. I love you, you’re my family. And I was too weak to protect you.” Jamie had tears in his eyes as well. He turned and drew Avelin into his embrace. She remained stiff and awkward.

“Avelin, don’t say that. You were strong, so strong. You tried hard to do the right thing, to protect all of us when your father tortured you with threats. I’m incredibly pissed that you didn’t tell me and let me help you.” He frowned. “But I completely understand why you thought you couldn’t. I love you, Av. I love you so much.”

“I do too, Avelin. You’re like the sister that I never had. I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t feel betrayed. But like Jamie said, I completely understand why you did it, especially if the love you feel for Jamie is even half of what I feel for Ari. I forgive you.”

I stood up, leaned over and hugged both Avelin and Jamie. Avelin melted into both of us. The baby kicked just then, and they both felt it. Avelin gasped.

“The baby forgives you, too,” I told her. She laughed softly.

As one, we shifted our gaze to Ari. He sat with his arms crossed, looking out over the garden. His jaw pulsed with tension. He’d taken Av’s actions harder than any of us, I think. I could feel his warring emotions.

“Avelin,” he began, still not looking our way. “I want to forgive you, I really do. But I’m having a hard time letting go of this hurt. The sensible part of me totally gets it. I agree with Jamie and Esyn: I completely understand your motivation. I’d do anything to protect my wife. Absolutely anything. But the one thing I can’t get over is that for months, you knew that your father plotted to kill mine. You knew that he wanted to kill Esyn. You knew he threatened Jamie and myself. But you never once thought to tell me, tell us? I could have done something. We may have been able to prevent this whole thing from ever happening.”

“Ari, I don’t think that’s true,” I said. “Both your mother and Blackwell were psychopaths. Corrupted by a need for power and playing off of one another's mental issues. What could you have done?” Ari turned to look into my eyes as he considered my point. He finally nodded, his face solemn.

“Alpha William always said that he’d do anything he could to prevent war,” Avelin said. “He didn’t want to sacrifice the lives of any of his people for any reason. I knew if I told you, you’d have no choice but to declare war on my father. And then, potentially hundreds or thousands of lives would be on my head.”

Finally Ari faced us. “No, Av. Not on your head. On his and on hers. Everything that happened here is the fault of my mother and your father. This world is so much better off without them both.” He stood then and pulled Avelin up off the swing. He gave her a long hug, swaying her back and forth.

“I forgive you, Avelin.” Avelin’s eyes closed and she took a deep, cleansing breath as she hugged him back.

“Ok, ok. That’s enough now. Take your hands off of my woman,” Jamie joked. Finally she stepped back.

“I feel like I’ve just had the weight of the entire world lifted off of my shoulders. You all have no idea. And I promise, I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me, and winning back your trust.”

“I hate to bring it up, but there is one other thing I’d like us all to remember about that day. Even with everything happening at that time, it stuck with me and I think it’s important.” Jamie looked at us all very seriously.

“What? What’s that?” Ari asked him.

“Avelin said ‘fucking son of a bitch’. Only time I’ve heard her curse in our entire lives.”

Avelin blushed scarlet and punched Jamie on the arm as we all belly laughed.