CHAPTER 32: WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE?

Roman’s POV

"Tarantula bites," Liam informed me as I stared at the wounds. "They’re all over her body."

My fists clenched. We all knew how terrified she was of spiders, and yet...

No wonder she had lost her mind. No wonder she was terrified of even the air around her.

My gaze shifted to her bandaged toes, and I understood what that meant.

I knew all too well how brutal Jason’s torture methods could be. For someone as fragile as her, it must have broken her completely. Her spirit... shattered.

I exhaled slowly through my mouth, trying to calm the tight, suffocating pressure in my chest. It felt like I couldn’t breathe. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back.

"Roman, you can chill. She’s fine," I heard Lucian say casually.

"Don’t fall for her pity act like in the past," Jason added.

These two assholes were beyond redemption. I didn’t look at them, didn’t respond. I acted as if I hadn’t heard a damn thing.

Wordlessly, I released her hand from the cuff and gently held her wrist. It was hurt, bleeding, so delicate—just a thin layer of skin stretched over bone. A little pressure and it would snap.

"Let me treat it," Liam said softly.

I moved aside to give him room but didn’t leave her side. I couldn’t.

Liam carefully cleaned the wound, applied ointment, and wrapped it with fresh gauze.

"Let me treat yours as well," he said, eyeing the bite mark on my arm.

"No need," I replied, grabbing a piece of cotton from his kit and pressing it against my own wound to stop the bleeding. Compared to hers, mine was nothing.

Liam didn’t insist. I looked at him and asked, "What do we do about her now?"

He looked troubled, deeply so. "Her physical wounds can be taken care of," he said, "but her psychological state... I can’t say anything for certain yet. I’ll speak with a psychologist friend and start her treatment. She’s been through a lot. I fear something far worse may have happened. Her wounds... they’re still not healing."

I looked at him, the words barely leaving my throat. "Do you mean her healing ability... her wolf..."

He gave a silent nod. "But we have to wait to be certain. Maybe, with proper care, the worst can still be avoided—if it’s not already too late."

A sigh escaped me as I turned my gaze back to her. There were faint traces of blood around her lips and chin—my blood. I picked up the cotton and gently wiped it away.

"It’s time we have a serious conversation about her," Liam said, his voice heavy as he glanced at the others. "All of you."

None of us took his request lightly. The weight in his tone was too real to ignore.

The other four headed to the drawing room. I stayed a moment longer, covering Eira carefully with the sheet. I didn’t cuff her wrist again. She as not an animal.

In the drawing room, we all took our places on the grand circular sofa, while Liam settled into the armchair across from us.

"What do you want to talk about?" Kael asked. "If it’s about her current condition and treatment, I’ll leave that to you."

Liam didn’t respond immediately. His eyes swept across us all, calm but stern. Then, he dropped the bombshell.

"I’ve decided to hand her over to the Werewolf Council."

"What?" the other four exclaimed in unison. I was equally shocked but I stayed silent.

I didn’t want her gone. I didn’t want to lose her. But seeing her like that... broken, bleeding, barely clinging to her soul—I didn’t have the will to keep her in this hell anymore. Not when I knew I couldn’t stop the psychos I lived with.

"Yes," Liam replied firmly. "Abusing a pureblood she-wolf like this is a serious crime, one all of you have already committed. Our entire pack could face retribution from the Werewolf Council because of what you’ve done. I won’t let that happen. And more than that, I won’t let you keep tormenting her."

"We bought her," Lucian snapped, rage flickering in his eyes. "That bitch belongs to us. We can do whatever we want with her."

"Yes, you did buy her," Liam said, unflinching. "But under the strict laws of the Werewolf Council, you’re not allowed to torture her like this. I let her stay with you despite knowing how much you all hated her. I thought maybe... just maybe, her presence would turn you back from becoming monsters. That she’d make up for the losses you suffered because of her. You were getting a pureblood she-wolf—your Luna, someone who could rebuild what was broken. But I was wrong. I should’ve known better than to trust any of you."

"We won’t allow it," Jason growled. "We’re not done getting information out of her yet."

Liam let out a low chuckle, then fixed Jason with a cold, silent stare.

"Who are you trying to deceive? Us... or yourself, Jason?" he asked, his voice calm but cutting. "Tell me, do you even believe what you’re saying?"

"I know damn well what I’m saying," Jason replied arrogantly.

"A so-called expert like you," Liam continued, "who knows exactly how to manipulate the emotions of your targets and strike where it hurts most—couldn’t even tell if she was lying or not? Or are you just hellbent on torturing her just to ease your own pain, your own guilt that how you failed to protect your sister?"

Jason’s glare was pure fire. "Bullshit!"

"Then let me lay it out for all of you," Liam added, "Back then, she was a minor. A young, innocent girl who could be manipulated easily. She was used by our enemies. Can’t you see that she’s a victim herself? Do you seriously believe any enemy would trust a fifteen-year-old with vital secrets? Are you really that blind?"

"She still gathered information on our pack back then..." Jason began.

"Who told you that?" Liam cut in sharply. "What proof do you have? Do you even have any?"

"She admitted it last night. Said she did it because she loved Keiren," Jason shot back.

Liam’s jaw clenched. "After enduring torture from you, anyone would be ready to die. And she already wanted to die long before that. That was her chance."

Jason didn’t reply. His silence screamed louder than words, but it was clear he still didn’t believe her.

"No proper trial was conducted back then," Liam went on. "Our entire pack was in chaos, no one had time. You simply labeled her a traitor and threw her into prison for life. Did any of you even try to gather proof?"

What Liam was asking, everythng started to make sense to me. Since the moment I have visited the prison she was locked in, I was asking the same questions to myself. Now Liam raised it, maybe it was the time for us to find out the truth.