My Fated Mate Can Have Her Chapter 35: Complicit

Kael

"Oh, co off it." I glowered down at her, my voice coming out quiet. Too quiet. "You nearly killed her. Just because she’s weak?"

Astrid’s eyes flashed. "Are we really going to discuss this again? I didn’t nearly—" She stopped herself, jaw clenching. "Don’t act so obtuse. She disrespected . A Luna. In front of witnesses. She needed to learn—"

"Learn?" I took a step closer. "What you did wasn’t teaching, Astrid. It was torture. You tried to wreck her and you caused so much pain I could sense it miles away! She lost consciousness. For days!"

"She challenged my authority! And of course, guess where she got that audacity from?!"

"I understand dealing with wolves challenging your authority. That is fine!" I yelled, spreading out my hand in a wide swing. "Challenged authority or not, you know what you did. You went too far. You always go too far!"

My control was fraying now, heat building behind my eyes again. "And why would you, unprovoked, call her sothing she is not?! You know I do not keep any Ogas as servants!"

Astrid’s mouth opened, then closed. Blood still stained her lips, making her look almost feral.

"But that’s not really what this is about, is it?" I continued, my voice dropping back to that dangerous quiet. "This is about your disdain for weaker wolves. Especially ogas. You have always been like this since we were children."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You are cruel. Always unnecessarily cruel to weak wolves. You would find reasons to diminish them. Punish them. And you still haven’t changed."

Astrid threw her head back and started laughing. With a final sigh, she pushed herself off the bed, swaying slightly but staying upright through sheer will. The bleeding had stopped, and the area around her nose and mouth had crusted over with dried blood.

For a mont, she just stood there, breathing hard. Then sothing shifted in her expression and the cold fury in her eyes mirrored mine.

"I am cruel?" She chuckled and jabbed a finger in my chest. "You think you are any different?" Another jab ca. "Such a thing never bothered you in the slightest." Another. "Now all of a sudden you have a heart?" And another.

I glared at her, unable to say a word.

Her eyes bore into mine with a sharp intensity that paired well with the sharp jab of her nail against my skin.

Her finger dug deeper.

"Don’t think you’re any different," she hissed, "when you have always conveniently looked the other way."

"Astrid—"

"Why, you just said it yourself monts ago. ’You know I do not keep any Ogas as servants’."

I stilled as she mockingly mimicked my words back to .

She scoffed. "I see right through you, you hypocrite. You are just as complicit." Each word was deliberate. Cutting. And all I could do was stand and stare.

I had said that...

She continued. "We are two sides of the sa coin. Ogas have NEVER even existed to you. Never! Even the ones you would et out on the trips and hunts with father, you would disregard them. Every ti I disciplined a weaker wolf. Every ti I enforced hierarchy. Every ti I reminded ogas of their place. Where were you?!" Her lips curled into sothing bitter. "Looking away. Ignoring their pain even when it was right in front of you. Letting do all the dirty work while you maintained your pristine reputation as the fair Supre Alpha."

The truth in her words stung more than I wanted to admit.

"Astrid." I gripped her wrist, and my hand hung there, unable to will myself to take her finger off my chest.

Her nail had broken into my skin, drawing blood.

Or did I think I deserved the pain?

"You are turning twenty-nine soon. Been Supre Alpha for the past decade, have you ever once in your life even considered there might be Ogas within your Capital?"

I clenched my jaw, harder. My hand quivered.

I did not take my eyes off hers.

She still continued, her words cutting like knives. "Hell, I am very sure you never even thought once to ’consider’ their kind. And now you suddenly care? Because one of them is your mate? A mate you chose? Now all of a sudden you think you are better? If it were another oga, you would have done and said NOTHING!"

I forced myself not to look away even as sha crawled through my chest. "You’re right," I spat out.

’No...’

’Why am I ashad? I shouldn’t—’

"I know what I’m doing, Astrid." My tone shifted, becoming more asured. I drew her hand away from my chest. "You should leave... Now." I walked away from her, saring away the trickling blood on my chest.

Now wasn’t even the ti to let her know what Violet was.

’Is that really what you’re concerned about.’

I continued. "When you’re fully recovered. When you’re thinking clearly, I will explain the reason behind my decision properly."

Her footsteps were loud, sharp, and stiff, her usual grace completely absent. When she reached the door, she paused, her back to .

"We will talk later." Her voice was flat as she spoke. "You are not the brother I know. He would never do sothing so foolish."

"You need so rest—"

"What I need," she said, finally turning to look at with eyes that still glowed faintly, "is for my brother to co to his senses. I should even find out what sort of hold she has on you and—"

"Don’t," I warned. "Do not go anywhere near her. Don’t even try it! Am I clear?"

Her expression hardened into sothing cold and distant.

"Crystal clear," she said, her voice flat.

I thought she might say sothing else. Argue. Apologize. Anything.

But she just yanked the door open and walked through it, closing it gently with a final click that sohow felt worse than her having slamd it shut.

I stood there in the silence of my room, staring at that closed door, and clutching my bloodied chest.

’You are just as complicit.’

I felt worse than I had ever felt in a long ti.