Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 241

He pulls back just enough to look up at me, his face a mix of anguish and guilt. “She said she didn’t realize what she’d done. But it doesn’t matter, does it? Whether she knew or not, she let him in and still helped them. She betrayed Jacinta. She betrayed Max.” He trails off, his voice thick with emotion.

“You didn’t have a choice,” I tell him firmly, cupping his face in my hands. “Soren, look at me.”

His eyes meet mine, and I see the torment there, the self- loathing he’s trying so hard to hide.

“You did what you had to do to protect your staff, to protect your family,” I say, my voice steady. “She made her choices, Soren. Not you. This isn’t your fault.”

He shakes his head, his jaw clenching. “She helped raise Max. She was a part of this family, Aubrey. It still feels wrong, Jacinta loved her, Max loved her, everyone did. They all saw, all of them. Mary may never forgive me.”

I kneel in front of him, taking his hands in mine. “She’s gone because she made a terrible mistake, and she knew that, she just made sure you didn’t live with the consequences of killing her,” I say gently. “You’ve done everything possible to protect this kingdom, Soren. And sometimes that means making impossible choices. But you did the right thing.”

mine, slowly, he nods, but I can see the weight of it all still pressing down on

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pressing lips to his

wasn’t just for you, it was for everyone here.

now, that’s all I can give him. And I know

The Next Day

it’s anything but peaceful. It’s the kind of quiet that hums with tension, where

don’t blame him. He adored her, trusted her, and to find out she betrayed all of us–it shattered something inside him. He spent most of the morning locked in his room,

out. The two of them have been playing quietly in the garden under the watchful eyes of the guards. I stood by the window earlier, watching them. Max’s laughter is still missing, his usual sparkle dimmed. Even from this distance, I could see the heaviness in his little shoulders, the way his movements were slower, like he was just playing

to make everyone leave