The Tripartite Mate Bond Chapter 45: CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

“ARES' POV”

I threw up the food my mom had forced me to eat this morning, before getting cleaned up and dressed . My wolf who had never gone twelve hours without meat was very much having a religious fast right now.

I was wrecked, emotionally and physically. This was the most trying moment of my life and I hated it.

Axel came to my house so we could walk together but I knew he felt guilty as fuck and was about to start apologizing but I wouldn't let him. He had tried three times already.

I would allow him to carry that burden on his shoulders. He never meant to hurt Aisha, this was just an accident and we were going to convince that bitch or die trying.

“Your shirt is inside out, were you sleeping when you got dressed, brother?” I said to him, stopping him from going out, looking like a clown.

“Oh.” He squeaked.

Damn.

Aurora was indeed our light and we allowed her to get snatched from us.

I was supposed to go with her but decided to stay back and help, but secretly, I was trying to put some distance between us and now, we'll, I did get the distance I seeked but I wish I wasn't so stupid.

There's no scenario that I have not imagined in the last forty eight hours.

I always imagined I was mentally strong to handle anything; I was an Alpha with years of defending my pack, yet nothing has ever shook me this much.

I was on a teetering edge of a knife and the wrongest move was going to cost me, nay, the three of us, the most important part of our existence.

I didn't know how much I'd fallen for Aurora but two days of not smelling her delectable scent or seeing her auburn hair as she laughed over the smallest of things with childlike wonder made me realize I was a fool for believing I could deal with her absence in my life.

Dealing with the betrayal of my Beta female was a tricky situation as well. We couldn't kill her because it'll affect Christopher and he's more heartbroken than the rest of us. He will eventually have to reject her or be a part of whatever punishment we decide but for now, we have to play her game.

She wants Axel to pay for deciding Aisha's powers be locked until she learned control which led to her death but there was no way it was intentional.

She was terrified of the memory of her sister being replaced by Aurora and for that, she was acting like a mad woman.

I watched her as she sat across from us in the meeting room.

Me and my twin with Kane as well as my three top advisors and my Delta while she sat on the other side with her mother.

The betrayal burnt too close to home as she was obviously responsible for the attack that nearly wiped out our pack.

Everyone hated her now but she still had the upper hand, meaning we couldn't even punish her. So apart from the pain of not knowing where our mate was, we had to sit here and look at the face of the bitch responsible for her kidnap.

It was torture.

I cleared my throat and tried speaking but my wolf was proving more difficult with her sitting so smugly before us, like she hadn't kidnapped the most sweet person she has ever encountered.

“So, let me understand you clearly, Juno; you decided to wipe out this pack just so you could do what? Get revenge? Your sister gave consent for the ritual, didn't she?” Evan, my Delta started the meeting, seeing as the rest of us were struggling with restraining our wild side.

She looked guilty for a second before it disappeared and she smiled a cruel smile before responding.

“And to make it clear to you, Dumbo, if the world has to burn for my sister's death to be avenged, I will do it! You all stood by and watched him kill her with the help of that wicked wizard!” She breathed heavily, her nose flaring in anger.

I looked at Evan and he knew to suck it up. We are all going to pretend she was sent by the goddess herself until we get our mate back; then she'll see the side of me that made me the most feared Alpha in the Western Hemisphere.

I looked around the room, hoping someone else would join in imploring to her.

“Look, what happened is already in the past,” Elder Team, my father's best friend and my advisor began, but Juno was shaking her head. “You can't keep towing this path of revenge. I dare say your sister will be knowing you are moving on in life and creating great memories with your mate. Look how much you've hurt him! Is your wolf asleep or something?” He asked and she flinched.

“My wolf is well under control and no, my sister would have wanted me to hurt anyone who made her leave this world without ever experiencing happiness” she hissed.

“ That's confusing. Your sister was a very happy child and she did experience happiness, in fact I dare say she lived a happy life. What do you mean?” I asked her, my curiosity peaking out.

She looked at me like I was dirt on her shoe. I wished I could use my Alpha command on her so badly but she said she had given the men she worked with orders to kill her if she was forced to do anything.

Our hands were quite tied.

“So you didn't know?” She asked and looked each of us dead in the eyes.

“Know what woman? Spill whatever is on your mind so we can get to the part of your actual demands. This is getting repetitive” Kane spat out, irritated.

“Well, if you must know, she was bullied by almost everyone in school. Everyone accused her of being a defect and when she met Alpha Axel, he spent all his time trying to make her feel like she was lacking! She was supposed to be accepted no matter what but you wouldn't. You wanted to turn her into a trophy, a display to prove to everyone you were the stronger Alpha and when she couldn't meet up to your standards, you killed her!”