Goodbye My Alpha (Taya and Griffon)

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Chapter 239

Audrey

Erik and Stella stood in the doorway like ghosts that never should have returned to this plane of existence.

Stella’s expression was as frosty as ever, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her icy gaze. Her lips were pressed into a tight, unmoving line, and her hands, clasped primly in front of her, were the only sign of restraint.

I knew she remained silent not out of choice but because of Edwin’s Alpha command that had muted her since the charity gala.

Still, her silence felt more ominous than any words she could have spoken.

Erik, in contrast, looked.. Empty. Hollowed out. As if some essential part of him had been scraped away since we had last seen him.

His skin had taken on a pallor, and his eyes-those same eyes that had once burned with cruelty and cold calculation- darted nervously between Edwin and me, unable to settle for more than a second.

Fear. Regret. Shame.

Those were not the emotions I felt, but rather the emotions that Erik Brooks’ gaunt face conveyed.

Edwin stiffened beside me. Eliza, who’d previously been banging on the bathroom door and asking Peter why he was running away from her, suddenly materialized at my other side.

“What are they doing here?” she hissed, not even pretending to be glad to see her parents.

Erik’s voice was tight, strained, as he spoke. “Edwin. Audrey. May I have a word?” He glanced at Eliza, then the others, and even Stella, before adding, “Alone?”

I felt Edwin’s unease rip through the mate bond like fire.

I met my mate’s eyes, giving him a small, uncertain nod. “It’s your call,” I told him through the Mindlink.

Edwin stood still, his face betraying little. I could feel his uncertainty, his emotions warring between vile hatred for his parents and curiosity as to what his father had to say.

Eventually, it seemed that curiosity won out.

After a long moment, he gave a single, slow nod. “I’ll give you two minutes to say whatever it is you have to say.”

With that, we followed Erik out of the room, leaving the others. As we left, I could see Eliza advancing on Stella, her lip curled in a hateful sneer. Whatever Eliza said to Stella in those moments, I closed my ears to it, giving them privacy

we were in the corridor, Erik turned to face us. He looked smaller now. He’d lost weight,

His hand twitched

was trying to gather the strength for whatever he was

said, folding

seemed to flinch

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me but not meeting my eyes “when you showed me your memories-your death, the void-it… it

caught off guard. That was not what I expected.

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It opened my eyes. To everything. To my actions. To all the horrible choices I made. And the weight of them-the weight of those regrets-they’re crushing me.

need to apologize. For everything. For the way I treated you. For the beatings, the cruelty…

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that, as if even the constant beeping of the hospital machines

through the bond, I could feel everything-his shock, the anger that still simmered just beneath the

tiny and brittle as it was,

decision,” I reminded him gently through our link. “Whatever you decide,

to drag on forever in that empty corridor as Edwin pondered his father’s-and

said nothing for what felt like an eternity. His gaze was fixed on some invisible point just beyond his father’s shoulder, his breathing slow, deliberate. In through his nose, out through his mouth. Calming

Then…

“No.”

the single word had struck him, his eyes widening in disbelief.

harder. “Your apology… It’s too little, too late. Do you have any idea what you put me through? What you put all of us through? You do realize that what happened with Axel today may never have happened if

opened his mouth to respond,

all the pain and suffering and pitting us against one another, and expect me to forgive you just because you’re scared of what comes after death.” His voice cracked slightly, and a bitter laugh slipped from his lips. “Fear doesn’t absolve

color drained from Erik’s

right to call me that a long time ago. And I’m under no obligation to forgive

glanced at me for a brief

silent, my face a mask of calm. But inside, I was utterly more relieved

when my adoptive parents had come slinking back in search of so-called ‘forgiveness’ in the form of monetary benefits. This was no

give a shit if

neck. Trying to make himself feel better so

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forgiveness, Edwin was under no obligation to give it to him. Abusers didn’t hold some kind of special ‘right’ to forgiveness. Even if he had apologized a thousand times over, Edwin didn’t have to say

understand,” Erik finally whispered, his voice barely audible.