Chapter 402: Final Act

Astrid's POV

I studied Andros's face as he spoke, searching for even the faintest trace of deceit, but there was none.

His expression was raw, stripped bare of his usual indifference, and in its place was something achingly human.

Beneath the steady timbre of his voice, I caught a faint sadness-not just for Rowena, but for Killian, too. It made my chest tighten.

I turned to Killian and felt my heart break at the sight of him. His golden eyes, usually so fierce and commanding, burned with a storm of emotions that threatened to drown him-anger, sorrow, regret.

He stood frozen, like a man facing the wreckage of his entire world.

"Then why didn't she?" Killian's voice, sharp and brittle, sliced through the heavy air.

His fists trembled, clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles were white. "If she regretted everything so much, why didn't she just say something? Why didn't she stop?"

Andros let out a quiet sigh, leaning his head back against the damp stone wall. "Because she couldn't," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of the truth.

"The rogues wouldn't let her. They were using her as a spy, forcing her to betray you-to betray the Pack. And if she refused..." He hesitated, the words catching in his throat. "Someone else would have paid the price."

and falling

use her?" he asked, his voice rising with each word. "She let them destroy everything?" His voice cracked, the

played the villain because she thought it was the only way to protect you to protect all of us. Every move she made, everything she did, was for us. For

are you saying?" Killian whispered, his voice barely audible now, his shoulders slumping under the weight of

locking onto Killian. "She planned all of this," he said, his words slow and

was going to die. And she decided that when she did, she'd take the Rogue

physical blow. Killian staggered back a step, his breath catching as he ran

trembled, and his golden eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "She planned

heavy with the weight

continued. "She was harsh, cold, and distant because she thought it would hurt less when she

his chin pressing against his chest as he released

my mother," he said, his voice breaking. "She raised me. She took care of me. How could she... how could she

sharply, the tension in the room growing thicker. "She thought it was

you. And she didn't tell you, didn't let you see her regret, because she thought... she thought it was a

turned away from Andros, pressing a hand to his face. His broad

trembling. "To die without

had done terrible things,

didn't expect forgiveness.

of her mistakes. She thought that...maybe, if you hated her, it

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