Chapter 131 All In The Past
Chapter 131 All In The Past
ARDEN
Dominic and Lorelei turned to each other. I could see the silent exchange in their eyes, the unspoken question, “Do we tell her?” and the equally unspoken answer, “We have no choice.”
Dominic’s lips parted, but Lorelei beat him to it.
“Dominic is not my mate,” sho
My frown deepened. It was something I’d always felt in the way they acted, but hearing it out loud still jarred me. I always thought they simply lacked love for each other. It never hit me that they weren’t even bound in the way wolves were meant to be.
“My mate’s name is Patrick Elsher,” Lorelei continued.
The name hit me like a jolt. My breath caught in my throat.–
Patrick.
My dad?
“He was from the North,” Lorelei said wistfully. “He came to the West to volunteer when there was a famine. He was a farmer… a simple man. A volunteer.”
I didn’t need her to spell out the next part. My real parents had probably loved each other in a way Lorelei and Dominic couldn’t comprehend.
“My parents didn’t want that,” Lorelei went on. “They wanted me to be with Dominic. And it was the best decision I made,” she said, turning to him with a small, polite smile.
Dominic inclined his head, appearing triumphant. My stomach churned.
I already knew I didn’t like where this was going.
“The Breaking was happening,” Lorelei explained, “and I needed someone strong. Dominic provided that.”
I cut in before I could stop myself. “Where am I in this story?”
Dominic finally spoke. “When the Breaking bd, and the grand war began… Bethany Spirit led it.
She was the best warrior back then. Only a few knew she had just given birth.”
I stiffened.
“She was strong,” Dominic continued. “No one noticed her weakness. But in the long war, her e began to search for it. They wanted her to surrender and give up everything.”
nies
His eyes
s met mine, not with guilt, but with the faintest hint of justification. “They discovered Patrick was her weakness. So he came to our family for protection.”
“He did?” I whispered.
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Chapter 131 All In The Past
“Of course he did,” Lorelei said smoothly. “We were an influential family back then. He was desperate
“But,” she added, “we didn’t want that danger in our home. We had our own sons to think about. So instead…” She waved her hand vaguely, “We brought you in. Only you.”
I stared at her.
“Patrick was happy about it,” she added quickly. “He wanted you to be safe. He knew the other factions wouldn’t protect you the way we could.”
Her next words came casually, “But he was killed the next day.”
My throat burned, and I blinked rapidly to stop the sting in my eyes. My voice cracked when I asked, “And you didn’t give me back?”
Lorelei tilted her head, her expression Besides, we always wanted a daughter.”
oft but entirely lacking remorse. “You were better off with us.
Dominic added, “And Lorelei wasn’t fertile anymore. You were a blessing, Arden.”
A blessing. That was what they called it. Keeping me from the people who actually loved me.
I covered my face with both hands for a moment, trying to breathe past the tightness in my chest. My parents had struggled through war, famine, and the political hellscape of Fenra… and these two had treated me like a convenient replacement child.
Lorelei reached across the table, her voice dipping into that falsely sweet tone. “We gave you a good life, Arden. You owe us that much.”
I dropped my hands and stared at her. “Owe you?”
“Yes,” Dominic said firmly. “We kept you fed, clothed, and educated. We gave you a home. We treated you as our own. Surely you can find it in yourself to show some gratitude.”
“Exactly,” Lorelei chimed in, her words tumbling over his. “We’ve given so much, and now you’re in a position to give back. This is your chance to repay us.”
“Repay you?” My voice rose with each repetition. “For stealing me? For lying to me?”
Lorelei sighed like I was being unreasonable. “For raising you. You wouldn’t be where you are if it weren’t for us.”
“And if we hadn’t taken you in,” Dominic said, “you might not even be alive right now. You wouldn’t have had the opportunities we gave you.”
My nails dug into my palms. “You kept me from my mother.”
Lorelei’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t apologize. Instead, she leaned back and cros legs. “We did what was necessary. And now it’s time for you to do the same for your family.”
“You’re not my family,” I said, my voice shaking with fury.
Dominic’s brow furrowed. “We are your family, whether you like it or not. Lucian and Kieran are your blood. They’re your brothers. And they need you.”
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Chapter 131 All In The Past
I stared at them in disbelief. They still thought this conversation was about them.
Lorelei spread her hands. “We’ve all made sacrifices, Arden. We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t. But- family–real family–sticks together in the end.”
Something inside me snapped..
“Enough!” I exclaimed.
Both of them froze.
I didn’t lower my voice. I didn’t soften my glare. I let the silence after my words hang heavy between us, making them feel just a fraction of the weight I had carried for years.
I’ve heard enough.
From that story, all I knew was that they only ever cared about themselves. Not me. Not the others they’d stepped on to protect their own reputations. Just themselves and their precious sons. And now, after everything, they wanted to use me because I had power. Because they finally saw worth in me when I could give them something.
They tried to hold my gaze, but the guilt in their eyes was too shallow to mean anything.
“So,” Lorelei started off, “will you release your brothers now?”
The room went still. They gazed at me with wide eyes, hoping I’d give in, soften, play the role of the grateful girl who owed them something.
“My answer’s no,” I continued. “Your sons are old enough to face what they’ve done.”
With that. I stood.
Their expressions twisted, the guilt vanishing into outrage. “You told us you’d help!” Lorelei snapped.
“Yes! And now you’re backing out?” Dominic hissed, pointing a trembling finger at me.
“Selfish!” Lorelei spat. “We cared for you-
“You never cared for me,” I cut in.
But they didn’t stop.
“You’re ungrateful! Do you think you’d be standing here without us?”
“Is this the thanks we get?”
They kept talking over each other, voices piling into a messy storm.
The door opened. Cade stepped inside, his presence instantly calming me down. His gaze swept une scene.
“What’s happening here?” he asked.
They didn’t answer him directly. Instead, they whirled on him. “She’s going back on her word!” Dominic saway!” said. “We raised her, and now she’s throwing
Chapter 131 All In The Past
“She’s abandoning family,” Lorelei wailed dramatically.
Cade’s eyes went to me, silently asking if I wanted him to deal with this. I shook my head. This was mine to finish.
I took a step forward, forcing them to quiet down.
“You want the truth?” I said. “You are nothing to me now. Whatever ties we had ended a long time ago. And this-“I gestured between us “-this is your retribution. For every time you turned your back. For every time you put yourselves and your sons above anyone else. You made your choice back then. I’m making mine now.”
Their mouths opened, but I didn’t let them speak.
“I don’t want to see you again,” I said. “Ever.”
That silence was the kind I’d been waiting for.
Salvi appeared at the door with two security officers. “Take them out,” I told him.
They erupted again, shrieking, calling me heartless, swearing I’d regret this. Security moved in, guiding them toward the door, but they kept twisting back to throw more words at me.
When the door finally shut and their voices were gone, I’let out a slow, heavy breath.
It was done.
I had cut the last threads tying me to the past.
