#Chapter 156 – The Ashes of his Life

Victor flies down the highway in silence, his knuckles white as he grips the steering wheel.

He can’t even engage with his emotions right now – he just feels so desperate and betrayed. So instead, he just drives. And drives.

The mile markers fly by before Victor even really realizes where he’s going. When he arrives, he supposes it’s as good a place as any.

The gates slowly part before the black hummer, the Beta guards at either side saluting him. He doesn’t respond, just drives slowly through his Beta camp.

Victor pulls into his spot by his little office cabin, not really knowing what else to do. When he turns off the car, he rests his head back onto his seat, staring up at the ceiling of the car.

What the f**k.

His emotions start to creep back in on him then, and he grits his teeth against them. But, realizing that he can’t avoid these thoughts forever, Victor exhales, hanging his head, and gives in.

God damnit, how could she have done this to him?

Evelyn. His Evelyn. This woman who he had trusted so completely, who had never, ever been anything but a help to him – even when he had been so horrible to her when he had found her and the boys again, she had always been fair.

She’d let him into her life, helped him, been so beautiful and funny and charming –

And so f*****g sexy, on the night of the Hunt, and every night they had spent together after, curled up in her soft sheets –

And all the while, she had been betraying him. Talking to him while he was at his most vulnerable, collecting his secrets like a little magpie, subtly influencing all of his choices.

God damnit.

Part of the problem was that he couldn’t remember which precise choices he had made according to that advice he’d gotten from his “therapist.” What had he done that was his idea? What had been hers?

Victor pulls the release handle on the door, climbing out and slamming the door shut behind him. Then, he walks around his office and sinks into the camping chair waiting for him there by the fire pit.

The maintenance Betas had set up a fire, stacked the wood in a neat cone over a pile of kindling. And he bet – yes. When Victor reaches into the pocket at the side of the chair, there’s a box of matches waiting to go.

the pit, and slowly the fire starts to burn. Victor’s glad of it, passively – it’s still cold out, though the snow has melted as the world turned its

knows it’s too early in the day for a fire, but he also doesn’t really care. He stares into the flames,

had always thought her so wise, so helpful, so clear-headed. Was it all just an act, or had Evelyn been using that position to truly help

Couldn’t parse it. How much of it, really,

– his separation from Amelia, the downfall of his

had been her nudging the pieces in the right direction, as

at that thought – wait. Who even

groans, slumping down in the chair and covering his face with his hand. In his focus on his extreme emotional betrayal,

his f*****g house? He knew, of course, that it was

would have that kind of access – both to his house to burn it and to his personal life? Who would have known that he was in therapy. Then, who would have been clever enough to put together the clues and figure out that

his chest as he realizes, suddenly, that he knows the answer to the question. That there’s only one person who

“Sir?”

but Victor still jumps in his chair at the sound of

direction of the word and the growl that

Victor snarls, glaring at Edgar, who stands

precisely, that you’re going through – but I

glares at him but doesn’t rise from his chair as

down?”

once, deciding, and then nods to the chairs folded up against the wall. Edgar takes one, unfolds

asks,

fully,” Edgar says quietly. “But I am aware that the house burned down

doing here, Edgar? You’re not one of my

I understand that my timing gives you pause, but I do swear to you – it’s completely by chance. I was here visiting some old friends,” he nods again to the barracks, “some Rogues, actually, whom I had encouraged to join your forces.

to do just that. He’s not really

that I think you’d

Victor says, watching his former Beta closely as he

surprised – obviously, he had thought it had passed Victor’s

told me that she’d say hello to you for me, the last time I

disadvantage,” he murmurs. “It would have been easier to deliver this information if

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