Chapter 101 Shattered Secrets.

    SERAPHINA

    The cold night air bit gently into my skin, but it couldn’t stop the strange tightness rising inside me listening to Grace. Now the sadness in her eyes when I had pulled her away from Ryker made sense. She was not frustrated because she could not flirt bwith /bhim, instead bshe /bwas sad because the man she loved did not react to her hugging Ryker. Now I could clearly feel her anger, the disappointment and helplessness. She was in pain. The pain from being ignored. The bpain /bof love.

    this point even my heart hurts to see the real Grace.

    “Can a man really be worth putting your reputation on the line?” I asked before I could stop myself and unknown to me four men had been listening to me without making it obvious.

    Grace pursed her lips without meeting my gaze as she replied softly. “Yes, I bhave /bchased after him in my bentire /byouth. “I’ve put ten years of my life into desiring him. I have beven /bsaved my virginity just for him. No matter what. I will wait for him until I grow old band /bdie,” while saying bthat /bshe never tore her eyes from the crowd of the Alphas, her eyes growing sadder. “I stopped caring about my image the moment I fell in love with bhim/bb./b”

    I was taken aback. Ten years?

    My eyebrows shot up. “You love him that much?”

    I froze. “Why him?”

    She stilled for a long time at my question and said. “He’s sexy, Powerful. Has the kind of presence that makes your legs shake when bhe /bbwalks /bbin /ba room. When he speaks, no one dares bto /bbchallenge /bhim. He doesn’t chase banyone/b, and still, everyone bwants /bhim. And I…” she exhaled shakilyb, /bb“/bbhave /bonly bever /bwanted bhim/b.”

    There was so much conviction in her voice, it bcaught /bme boff /bbguard/b. For some reason I started finding simrities in her words when she mentioned this man.

    But a new question bloomed in my chest.

    “Then why bhaven’t /byou just gone to him?” I basked /bsoftly. “If you love him so bmuch/b…why not confront him and confess bwhat /byou feel instead of ying these games?”

    “I already did,” bshe /bbit out.

    I blinked

    She wasn’t finished. “I confessed when I turned eighteenb. /bTold him everything. My feelings. My intentions. Everything.”

    My wolf bgot /bbinvolved /bin her story along with me bas /bwe asked, b“/bbWhat /bhappened?”

    She bgave /ba bitter smile. “He ignored me. bJust /bignored me.”“”

    My eyes widened slightly as she added. “He acted as if he bnever /bheard me. No reply. No rejection. No exnation. Like I was a child ying house.”

    The vulnerability in her voice was so startling, so bunlike /bbthe /bbfierce/b, flirty Grace the Academy bknew/b. For some reason bit /breminded bme /bof our of my friends that I lost when we were sixteen. She was bstrong/b, wonderful, and intelligent. But when it came to love she was emotionally weak. She chased after bchildhood /bblover /blike a shadow thenmitted bsuicide /bwhen he left her the moment he found his soulmate. She ended her life for a bman /bwho had not loved her. Now bI /bbsaw /bher in Grace.

    The memory of losing her twisted binside /band turned binto /bfrustration band /banger as I bchuckled /b

    Grace’s head whipped toward me, eyes shing. “What the hell is funny!

    Haised bmy /bhands, stillughing softly. “bSorry/b, it’s bjust/b…I bused /bto think you were the bkind /bof woman who had everything under control. Untouchable. Unbothered. Always got what you bwanted/b. Yet, here you are, admitting there’s something_or

    one who isn’t under byour /bbmand/b”

    Her re sharpened. “Who said he isn’t in any control?” Her tone was sharp, defensive.

    “Oh please,” I smirked. “It’s obvious. You can sit on a man’sp, leave hickeys, kiss whoever you want but you can’t beven /bgo

    11:57 bAM /bPp.

    Chapter 101 Shattered Secrets

    band /btalk to the one person you blove/b. That’s not control, Grace. That’s fear.”

    +8 Pearls

    “Fear?!” bshe /bbsnapped/b, stepping closer to me, her hand twitching like she wanted to p the truth out of the air. “I’m bnot /bscared of anything!”

    I met her storming gaze calmly. “You’re scared of being judged. Scared of what loving him says about you. Scared of how the world would react to bthe /breal you if they found out.”

    Her breath caughtb. /b

    For one suspended moment, she didn’t say a bword/bb. /bI could feel the shatter happening behind her eyes. That mask of seduction she wore like a crown crumbled, if only for a second.

    The forest around us was silent.

    Grace stared at me like she wanted to scream and cry ball /bat once. “What do you know about me?” she whispered, voice shaking. “You think you can make these randomments like you understand me. You know nothing.”

    I held her gazeb. /b“You’re right. I don’t know. That’s because you don’t let anyone know. You keep him in the shadows like a sin you’re you’re too proud to name.”

    She jerked back like I pped her.

    “I’m not scared to show him off. I am not hiding him,” she whispered, but her voice cracked.

    I smiled. “Is that so? Then why is it so hard to believe you? Or could it be that person doesn’t even exist band /bhe is only in your imagination.”

    A long silence passed between us. She didn’t banswer /bbefore she clenched her fists and growled at me, “My imagination? Then I have to check again, right?” having said that she suddenly took ba /bstep back and started to bwalk /btowards the Alphas.

    As I watched her determined steps, I held my breath. Finally I’d provoked her. Ten years of waiting bwas /btoo long for Grace. Even though I did not know her, I could feel her breaking down from inside because of that man. Now that she was finally going to him he would have to take responsibility for ying with her all this time. He had too…

    My thoughts grew slower when I saw her heading towards Roman band /bAsher. An unspoken panic rose in my chest and my heart bstarted /bbbeating /bquickly. I still remembered Asher bhad /bsaid that he bwas /bnot even friends with Grace so could she be bgoing /bto Ronan? bWas /bhe…the man she loved?

    My wolf grew still in bmy /bmind, my bbreathing /bslowed until she walked past them. I blinked, confused as next Finn came to my sight. Could she be….

    Before I could think the bman /bshe loved was Finnb, /bshe also walked past him band /bthe only person who came to my sight bwas/b…. Ryker.

    My muscles tightened in disbelief. bSo /bbit /breally bwas /bRyker.

    However, Grace passed Ryker btoo/bb! /b

    I bcocked /bbmy /bbrows, “If it’s not Ryker then who…” bconfused/b, I stared at her bback/b, bpletely /bpuzzled buntil /bbshe /bwalked between two people talking and faced the tall bAlpha /band pulled him into a kiss

    Everyone’s jaw dropped and my eyes widened in bhorror /b

    bShe /bLissed. Alphia Jude.

    bWhile /bstanding bpast /bthem some distance away.Alpha Gideon saw it.