h4Chapter 109: Eira’s Real Confession From The Past/h4

    Romans’ POV

    After leaving Caston’s, Rafe and I headed to the office. I had work to catch up on since Kael was absent, while Rafe had to continue the investigation concerning Eira.

    I spent the entire day in the office, yet my mind refused to focus. Every thought kept circling back to what I had learned. I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes, trying to make sense of it all.

    How was I going to tell Kael that his girlfriend—the woman he believed to be the mother of his child—might have been involved with our enemy? I wasn’t even sure if I should feel relief or grief if the child Sophia had lost wasn’t his.

    By evening, Rafe returned to the office, slumping onto the couch with a heavy sigh.

    "Got everything?" I asked.

    He nodded, fidgeting with the small device in his hand, his expression dark. It was clear he wasn’t pleased with what he had discovered.

    "What is it?" I pressed.

    "Not sure," he admitted, "I might need to dig deeper."

    I stood, stretching. "Office hours are over, and so is my work. Let’s head to the hospital."

    Rafe rose quickly, matching my urgency. Today was Eira’s procedure, and Kael was the only one apanying her. We needed to be there, to make sure she was alright.

    "Any idea where Lucian and Jason are?" I asked.

    Rafe pulled out his phone and dialed Jason’s number. "Where are you?"

    "Missing me already?" came the teasing reply, but it was Lucian who answered.

    "I called Jason, but clearly you miss me more. Speak up," Rafe shot back. "If you’re satisfied to hear my beautiful voice, at least tell me where you are."

    "We just got home," Lucian said, "freshening up before heading to the hospital."

    "Want to look your best in front of her?" Rafe countered. "I’m sure she would prefer to be blind than see you anymore."

    "She’s been operated on, and we can’t carry dirt into her room," Lucian replied coldly. "You’d better clean up as well. Who knows what bitch you hunted for blood. Leave the filth outside." And with that, he hung up.

    Rafe and I exchanged a nce. "I’ve been in the office all day, but you..."

    Rafe frowned. "We need to use the lounge."

    We returned to my office and entered the lounge attached to it, apact space with a drawing room, a side open kitchen, and a bedroom. Even Kael’s office had a lounge like this, though his was much bigger and far fancier.

    The lounge always had everything we needed.

    Rafe dumped his clothes into theundry basket. "Get me some clothes and step into the bathroom."

    I handed him a fresh set of clothes, then caught my reflection in the mirror. "After meeting so many people today, I should probably bathe as well."

    I tossed my clothes into theundry basket and stepped into the bathroom, where Rafe was already under the shower. It wasn’t anything new for us to bathe together or see each other naked. Back in the forest, by river streams, this had been routine.

    Rafe moved aside to make space, and we both stood under the warm cascade.

    Soon we were ready, fresh and clean. Rafe ran his fingers through his dark, half-dried, shoulder-length hair, setting it into ce.

    "I never thought you’d be the considerate type toward her," I teased, catching his reflection in the mirror. "I thought you hated her."

    "Didn’t we all?" he replied casually, meeting my gaze in the mirror.

    "But you hated her even before that incident," I pressed, smirking. "imed you couldn’t stand her scent. What changed?"

    "If that’s what you believe," he said, stepping aside so I could see myself in the mirror, "hurry up. You’re not a groom getting ready for a wedding."

    There wasn’t much difference in our outfits. He wore a long-sleeved olive green T-shirt and ck pants; I wore a dark brown shirt and lighter pants. Yet he dared call me a groom.

    "Just a while ago, one groom was standing here in my ce," I muttered, ncing at him.

    "This is how I usually get ready," he said.

    "So do I," I shot back, adjusting my shirt.

    With our yful bickering over, we left the office together. By the time we reached the hospital parking lot, Lucian and Jason had just arrived. Both were fresh and ready, looking just asposed as we were.

    "More of the grooms," Rafemented, watching Lucian and Jason step out of the car.

    I chuckled. "And I’m sure the bride wants none of us. She’d probably kick us all out and file for divorce before the wedding even starts."

    "That’s for pathetic humans to do," Rafe said, smirking. "We just mark the one we want."

    "This one doesn’t want us anymore," I said casually, though the truth stung.

    "What are you two rambling about?" Lucian asked, his voiceced with suspicion.

    "Rafe was saying you look totally fuckable, all fresh and hot," I replied, giving him a teasing nce.

    Lucian raised an eyebrow and shot Rafe a look. Rafe frowned. "Want to believe him, or n to visit her first?"

    Thement snapped us all back to reality. We headed to the elevator in silence.

    "How is she?" Lucian asked finally.

    "Kael said she’s fine, and that bitch Sophia went through the procedure too," I exined.

    The mention of Sophia drew only a collective hum. Her name seemed to prick everyone’s nerves.

    "What did you get from Kaizan?" Lucian pressed.

    "It was Sophia, not Eira," I rified. "Eira didn’t betray our pack."

    Lucian and Jason’s expressions darkened. Lucian went quiet, like a shadow retreating into himself. Probably regretting his past choices with Eira.

    "Jason?" I prompted.

    He came back to himself, grim. "That doesn’t change the fact she killed our sister."

    We all fell silent. It was a bitter truth, one none of us could ignore.

    "Don’t be so quick to judge yet," Rafe said, and the elevator doors slid open.

    "What do you mean?" Jason asked.

    "You’ll see when we discuss it with Kael," Rafe replied, already stepping ahead.

    "Which room?" Lucian asked.

    I signalled for them to follow Rafe. His senses were unmatched; even amidst the hospital’s strong sterile smell, he could track her scent. Our kin senses were strong, but not like Rafe’s. Following him was enough.

    "And what did you two get?" I asked Lucian and Jason. "Anything useful."

    Frowns appeared on their faces, "But nothing to be relieved about."

    "What do you mean?" I asked.

    But by the time we reached the VIP suite. Rafe knocked on the door before knocking on it and entered the room as if it was our home.

    -----

    strongKael’s POV/strong

    The entire day, we had been in the same room, yet not once had she spared me a nce. It was as if we were together, yet an unending distancey between us.

    Liam had ordered that she be kept under observation for twenty-four hours, which meant this tense standoff wouldst until the next day.

    My brothers had arrived at the hospital, and I was eager to hear their findings, to uncover the truth.

    I signaled them to stay quiet; she was sleeping. They all turned to her, and I could see the worry etched into their faces.

    "She is alright," I said firmly.

    "It would have been better to let that bitch die than put Eira through this pain," Roman muttered.

    I agreed—Sophia deserved nothing but death—but Eira had to endure this ordeal for a reason. We couldn’t fail her.

    Jason’s gaze met mine. "She’s allergic to anaesthesia, then..."

    He had known her medical history; back when he was a medical student, he had treated her for injuries before.

    "Had to do it without," I replied, watching as his expression darkened.

    He understood exactly what kind of pain she must have endured. For now, at least, it was a relief that we were all on the same page when it came to caring for her.

    "Let’s talk in the other room," I said, gesturing toward the side room of the suite. A ss partition separated it from Eira’s room, allowing us to watch her while discussing our matters.

    As we settled in, I turned to Roman, but he shook his head. "First, let’s hear what Rafe found."

    I looked at Rafe. "Go ahead."

    Rafe pulled out my tablet, attached the device, and yed the video. It was a recording of Eira’s confession to the police officer.

    "...I am telling the truth," her crying voice broke through, small and trembling, her face streaked with tears. "...There was a huge ck wolf, trying to attack Alice... I shot him, but... it hurt Alice... I don’t know how to use a gun... I didn’t mean to kill her... I was trying to protect her..."

    "There was no ck wolf," the man barked, his anger sharp. "Do you take us for fools? You even killed your other friend..."

    "That ck wolf attacked Sophia... she screamed in fear... I wanted to protect her, but... the bullet hit her... not the wolf..."

    m!

    A sharp p against the table made her flinch. "Still lying, huh?" The officer leaned closer, his voice cold and hard. He yed the video on the tablet, forcing her to watch. "Watch carefully. Do you see any wolf here? Did the camera miss it? Are you going to im it was some ghost wolf, or a magical one that escaped the lens, just to avoid being caught?"

    Her eyes widened as she watched, realizing there was no wolf in the footage. For a moment, panic flickered across her face. "That wolf disappeared... I don’t know where he went... but he was trying to kill my friends... Alice called for help... I went because she needed me... someone was trying to kill her..."

    "Help? Really?" the man sneered. "Then tell me, where did you get that gun? Since when do minors carry firearms? Do you always run around armed when a friend’s in trouble, without telling the elders in your family?"

    She recoiled, startled by the barrage of questions. "That... it was so sudden... Sophia..."

    "Yes, you killed her too," the man cut in sharply. "Their families must be preparing to bury their bodies by now."

    "No... tell me they are not dead..." she begged, her voice trembling. "Alice... she can’t die... please tell me..."

    "She died on the operating table because you shot her, right in the heart, with a silver bullet," he said, his tone low and dangerous. "And you im you were helping her?"

    Her body shook as she sobbed uncontrobly. The sound of her grief filled the room. "Alice... I am sorry... Alice..." her cries grew louder and more desperate.

    "Stop acting," the man snapped, his voice cutting through her sobs. "Your tears won’t work on me, nor will your fake story. There’s no way out now. Just admit it. You killed her. You are a murderer. You killed your own friends... admit it."

    "...Yes, I shot her..." she admitted finally, her voice breaking under the weight of guilt and sorrow, tears streaming freely down her face.

    We had all seen the rest of the video that day, a confession recorded six years ago when the police officer had firste to us in the hospital. The earlier parts had been omitted, only the confession shown to save time.

    But the question lingered in my mind: the ck wolf she had mentioned—there was no trace of it in the footage. The video had not been tampered with, and yet she had clearly seen something.

    Then what had she really seen?