Chapter 81
1560words
"Can I borrow my sister for a moment, please?" Axel asks when he meets us on the dance floor, and both Jean and I look at him with raised brows,
"I believe a banquet is for dancing," I say, turning to him,
"I believe that's one of the things done during a dance, "he says nodding,
"then allow us to do just that, Axel," Jean said with a charming smile, and Axel smiled back genuinely,
"I'm sorry I have to tear you both just now, but this will only take a couple of minutes, and then she is all yours."
I looked at my brother with a frown and turned to Jean, " A moment with my brother, please? He sometimes seems to forget that I have a life of my own to live."
Jean simply smiled, brought the back of my hand to his lips, and kissed it, "I'll see you in a few then." he said and turned to Axel, "you can have your sister now." then he turned away,
"Axel, there's no easy way to say this, but you are slowly and thoroughly becoming quite obnoxious."
"yes, yes. I always seem to be that way when I'm headstrong on something, but I need to show you something, and I need to show it to you right away," he said seriously, and something in his eyes told me that was not the right time for any of our sibling squabbles
"fine," I said, sighing deeply.
I let him take my hand and he led me to the tech room,
"why here?" I said looking around as we entered the room,
"Because if I were to say the words with just my mouth, chances are, you would not believe me, but should you see it for yourself," he said and turned on the monitor, clicked some keys, and gestured for me to come closer,
"is that-"
"your beloved, Paris? Yes it is, and I suppose you know exactly who that is beside him, do you not?"
I watched on the monitor as Paris jumped into the water to save Kate who had fallen into the water, watched as he brought her out, and held her close as though he was trying to offer her warmth and love, and I suddenly could not breathe.
"This can't be." I said, bringing my hand to my throat and watching some more, as he carried her off the ground and walked off with her in his arms, "he promised." I said and had to sit down because the room was beginning to spin,
"he promised, sure. But a leopard never changes its spot, sister. Alpha Paris Is nothing but a lying scumbag."
A lying scumbag was too mild, too kind a phrase, but then, to seek more vicious words was to consider the magnitude of yet another betrayal and I didn't have the heart capacity for it,
"how long ago did you record that video?" I asked, trying to pace my breathing,
"nearly ten minutes, why?"
"then he must still be in the area," I said and started walking toward the door,
"what are you going to do?" Axel asked, and I heard the concern in his voice and turned to him truthfully,
"I don't know just yet. I need to see him first." I said and felt my lower lip wobble. He got up and tried to reach for me, but I shook my head sadly,
"If you hold me, if I let you hold me, then I won't find the strength to do what I need to do." but he came closer, and wrapped his arms around me regardless,
"let me help you, my sister."
"after." I sighed, and let myself be held, if only for a moment, if only for a moment, "but let me do this." I said, and then pulled away.
He nodded once, and I left the room, to find the one man who had the power to make or break me.
I found them as they got close to Paris's car. She was still in his arms and seemed to be having the time of her life where she was. I considered just letting them be, watching them go, and turning away with my broken heart, but there was no way to do that. My heart was too broken to let him be happy that way. Not after all the hopes I had let build within me,
"Paris?" I said before I could think so much about it. He froze, I saw that much and watched as he slowly turned to face me,
"What is the meaning of this?" I said, broken by the hitch I heard in my voice,
"I…why are you here?"
"Is that the question?" looking from him to the woman he held in his arms that simply googling at me, "Why are you here? Or better still why are you here with her ?"
"I know this looks bad, but I was invited to this banquet by the Alpha prince, along with other Alphas. "
"and Kate?"
"Why, I'm his mate!" she said happily from her place in his arms, "what other reason could he possibly need?"
my chest rose and fell and I felt a shiver run down my spine as anger pumped red through my veins,
"you have not answered me." I said to a stupefied Paris, "Why is she here, Paris? With every promise you made, with every lie you told, with every lie you dared to make me believe, how could you have brought her here?"
"What lies? My love, what is she talking about?" Kate asked, placing an arm on his chest.
It was funny really. Even in the midst of my broken heart, he was still holding on to her like it was the most sensible thing ever.
"Paris?!" I screamed, demanding an answer, fighting the tears that threatened to bubble up,
"I brought her with me," he said dejectedly, and the heart that was barely trying to pump completely broke for the umpteenth time, because of this man,
"that's all her I need to know," I said, and began to turn away,
"I swear to you that I can explain."
"in what way?" I asked weakly, "Explain to me why she is here. You brought her, and as she said, she is your mate. She is entitled."
"I can explain why we like this."
"it doesn't matter to me." I lied. It mattered to me. It hurt to see him cradle her like she was the most precious thing to him. But what could I possibly do about it?
She was his mate, not me. And God knew I felt incredibly stupid in different languages that truly existed,
"she's drunk and fell in a pool. I brought her here, Em. I'm responsible for taking her back home safely."
"Oh." I said raising both my arms, "I'm not against that. I can never be against you being responsible for your mate, Paris. What I am against, is the stupid lies that you told. What I am against, is the way you boldly tried to re-enter my life and manipulate things to favor you in the way that you did. That Is what I'm against, Paris. And I'll never forgive you. You're nothing but a pathetic liar!"
"Ember." he said weakly, and I pressed my lips together, "Am I supposed to just leave her to fend for herself when she's like this, she fell into the pool for crying out loud!"
"Because you brought her here in the first place! You went behind every stupid promise you made to me and brought her here. This is mockery, do you not See it?"
"I promise you it isn’t what it looks like."
"It's everything that it looks like." I said and took a step back, "incredibly stupid of me, was it not? To think that I could actually trust you this time around."
Paris's POV
"Ember? Ember! " I called out to her as she walked away, but she didn't bother to give me a listening ear. I believe I had really done it this time.
"why are you calling her?" Kate drawled, and I looked down at her.
Why was I still holding on to her? I asked myself.
"get down, Kate," I said and began settling her on her feet.
"Oh, but, I'm not the reason you're suddenly in a bad mood," she said with a pot and I shook my head,
"you are, however, the reason she won't even look at me," I said and felt some pain building in my chest.
"Why do you even care?" Kate whined,
"what are you saying?"
"it's obvious, is it not? That she simply just wants you to leave me and chase after her. She's manipulating you, and here you are, rising to her bait so easily."
I looked over to Ember helplessly, before turning to Kate, running a hand through my hair in frustration,
"go home, Kate. " I said stiffly and started turning away from her,
"but why? Where are you going?"
"just go home!" I yelled and started chasing after Ember. But as I did, it registered, that Kate was wrong. Ember wasn't trying to get me to chase her.
If anything, I was pretty sure she desperately needed me to leave alone.
