Tasting Darkness

Chapter 17 

Darius POV 

Lycus was in a terrible mood when I came up to the room. Pushing the door open, Lycus was yelling at Kalen, which was rare; he tried to never raise his voice around Kalen. We all knew how fragile he was. We had all had to pull him back from the brink at some point, yet walking in, I had no doubt that Aleera was the reason.

“What’s going on?” I asked, opening the door and shrugging off my Jacket. I tossed it over the back of the chair by the fire. Turning around, they were both glaring at each other, yet neither answered.

“This has something to do with Aleera?”.

“Who else, she needs to go,” Lycus snaps at me, finally turning away from Kalen.

“What is this about? What did she do?” If she has disturbed the peace, she will be back in the cells.

“She did nothing; Lycus is the problem,” Kalen says before storming toward the door to leave.

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“Out,”

and he stopped with his hand on

Darius. We are mates. You don’t get to control all of

safety, I do. You leave this room before I know what is going on. I will have her placed back in the cells, now sit your ass down,” I growl at him. Kalen’s knuckles turn white on the door handle, where he gripped it before he slammed the door. I

he goes and lays on our custom-made bed. Finding a bed that fits four men was impossible, so we made one. Lycus watches him and moves to the couch by the fireplace. Despite his anger, Kalen’s behavior was as expected, and I could feel a hum

stare off blankly when he is depressed, clinging to

he dropped Aleera’s dinner off to her. He glances at Kalen, and I shrug, and he rolls his eyes before climbing on the bed and sitting next to him. Kalen rolled instantly, placing his head in Tobias’s lap. Tobias leans back against the headboard and brushes his fingers through Kalen’s hair and, I

guilt flashes through the bond. Both Tobias and I look at Lycus, knowing it is coming from him. Kalen was our weak spot in more ways than one, and we hated upsetting him. His mind was fragile. One minute he was fine and overly excited and bouncing around. The next, he refused to get out of bed, would harm himself, or try and kill himself. I lost track over the last six years of the number of times he wanted to end it, the number

times. The last time was the worst. We actually thought we lost him for good. 1 2 minutes he was dead for. For 12 minutes, he hung from the rafters unmoving. I had all the cameras pulled down that week. When I checked the footage, it sickened me. I couldn’t unsee it. Kalen on that damn tablet wondering why she never opened his message, staring at the screen when he tossed it aside. He

around his neck until he jumped off the

feeling sick. Kalen was dead before he walked into the castle, and Lycus found him hanging from the second floor. He cut him down and performed CPR

place recently, and then she called on us. Kalen had never been happier until

the bed beside him before tucking his arm

and I couldn’t believe I was stupid enough to take it from him, blinded by my anger

bed and sighed. “Come here,” I tell him, but he doesn’t budge, just

I

at Lycus

also yelled at

the wrong thing,” I