Chapter 138: Chapter 138 Weight of Guilt
Julian’s POV
I remained motionless beside the freshly covered grave, staring at the dark earth that now concealed my father’s casket. The finality of it hit me like a physical blow.
He was truly gone.
The funeral had passed in fragments of bowed heads and hushed words of sympathy, faces filled with pity. As Alpha, I needed to project strength for my pack. I had to remain unbroken while they watched, but beneath the surface, I was nothing more than a devastated son and a shattered mate.
My gaze shifted to my mother, a woman who had never shown weakness. She had always been fierce, an unshakeable force beside my father, the perfect Luna. Today, she appeared fragile as porcelain, her shoulders curved inward, her eyes swollen and fixed on the place where my father now rested.
I moved closer, extending my hand toward her. All I wanted was to hold her, to let us share this unbearable anguish together.
"Mom," I whispered, my voice breaking despite my efforts.
She recoiled as though I had slapped her. When she finally looked at me, the fury blazing in her tear-filled eyes froze me completely. This wasn’t the hollow grief I had anticipated. This was concentrated rage, and it was directed entirely at me.
"Keep your hands away from me, Julian," she snarled. Though spoken softly, her words struck me with devastating force.
"Mom, please. We have to—"
"Have to what? Comfort each other? I am grieving!" she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I am grieving for my mate. The man who raised you and cherished me for decades. And you," she practically spat, "you welcomed the killer who destroyed him into our home. You marked her, gave her children, then built her a palace in our territory so she could tear our lives apart."
Each word sliced through me like broken glass.
"Seraphina never—" I began, but the defense crumbled before I could finish it. She had done it. She had confessed everything.
"She murdered him, Julian. She killed him for revenge that began before you drew your first breath. You were aware of her past, you recognized the danger she posed, and you allowed your foolish infatuation to cloud your judgment." She pressed trembling fists against her heart. "Your father is dead because of what you chose, Julian. You permitted her to remain here knowing exactly what she was."
She turned and walked away, leaving me alone with the weight of her condemnation.
Her accusations destroyed me because somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered that she spoke the truth. I had dismissed every warning sign, every hint that came with loving the daughter of the man who died by my father’s command. Now my father was gone, and I had cleared the way for his murderer.
I couldn’t remain here any longer. I couldn’t endure the suffocating sympathy of the pack, the way their eyes followed me knowing that my mate, their Luna, was imprisoned in the dungeons beneath our feet.
When I reached home, Theo rushed toward me the moment I stepped inside, his small face creased with worry.
"Daddy, where did Mommy go?" he asked, tugging at my pants. His innocent question felt like a blade piercing my chest.
My heart broke again, completely.
What could I possibly tell him? That his mother was locked in a freezing cell for murdering his grandfather? Theo couldn’t survive without her. She had been his anchor, his security.
"She’s handling some important things right now, buddy," I managed, lifting him into my arms and pressing my face against his neck, breathing in that pure scent of childhood.
"But she’s never home anymore," he persisted, his voice trembling with anxiety. "Did I make her angry?"
"Never angry with you," I murmured, tears burning my eyes. I glanced at Penelope, who gave me an apologetic shake of her head, understanding the impossibility of the situation.
I stayed with the children for an hour, attempting to play with them, trying to smile, but everything around me carried memories of the woman who had helped create this life. The woman who had promised to love me and support me, who had confessed to destroying the person I valued above all others.
After they fell asleep, I made my way to the master bedroom—our sanctuary.
The door closed behind me with a soft click, sealing me into a prison of remembrance.
Her fragrance lingered everywhere.
It saturated the bedding, the pillows, the clothing she had left on the chair. It was so vivid and alive, such a cruel contrast to the death she had delivered.
I collapsed onto the bed and seized her pillow, crushing it against my face, desperate to capture some trace of her even as my mind screamed that I was embracing a killer’s memory.
How could I ever forgive this?
My father had been my world. He had taught me to hunt, to lead, to live with honor. He was my hero. She had stolen him from me in the most vicious way imaginable.
Nothing would ever return my father to me.
I pounded my fist into the mattress repeatedly, fury and confusion boiling over until I was weeping into the silk sheets. Why, Seraphina? Why did you destroy what we had? Why did you demolish the beautiful future we were creating? Why did you leave our children without their mother?
She had ruined everything, and now our children would suffer the consequences.
My wolf, quiet and withdrawn since her confession, finally stirred in my consciousness.
She couldn’t have done this, my wolf rumbled, low and determined. Seraphina would never harm our family. Something isn’t right.
She confessed, I shot back internally. She told us everything. There’s no escaping what she said.
A cold knot formed in my stomach. Truthfully, I understood her desire for vengeance. My father had been responsible for her father’s death.
But her father had been a monster. His death was necessary. He was a merciless killer who endangered all werewolves. My father was honorable. Just. He didn’t deserve to die like prey simply for maintaining order.
So what happens now? my wolf asked, its grief unmistakable.
I sank back against the headboard, feeling completely empty. I closed my eyes and confronted the harsh reality of my situation.
Today I stood before the pack as their Alpha and swore to every person in this territory that whoever killed our former Alpha would face justice.
But the killer was imprisoned in my dungeon. And she was my mate.
