Chapter 18
Dante
“I don’t trust him.” I said, and everyone turned to look at me.
“What do you mean?” Celeste asked, and I looked at her, my eyes pleading.
“Elijah would never.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, sharp and jagged in the air. My chest burned, my jaw locked so tight it ached. Elijah wouldn’t do this. He couldn’t.
Celeste’s gaze pinned me in place, her voice steady but cold. “He did, Dante. He betrayed us all.
The room spun. My heart thudded against my ribs like it wanted to escape, my mind fighting to reject what she was saying. Elijah? My brother in arms, the man who’d fought beside me when the world was falling apart? It was absurd.
Vigo stepped forward, his voice low but pleading. “Celeste, please. Forgive us for doubting. We’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”
Liam’s voice cracked. “We should’ve trusted you. Please, give us a chance to fix this. Don’t shut us out.”
Celeste looked at us, and for a moment I thought she might relent. She had to be feeling the strain of our separation as much as we were. But then her eyes fell on me, and I felt the bottom drop out of my world.
“I can’t move forward without trust,” she said softly. “And Dante, you still trust Elijah more than you trust me.”
I opened my mouth, desperate to deny it, but the truth was already there in my hesitation. The loyalty, the years of brotherhood with Elijah… I couldn't just turn my back on him.
Pain tore through me as she turned away. “Go, Dante. Until you know where you stand, I can’t have you here.”
The rejection hit like a bucket of ice water. I’d felt her warmth, her acceptance, her love, and now it was ripped from me, leaving a hollow ache that made my knees weak. I swallowed hard, my pride splintering as I forced the words out. “I’ll figure this out. One way or another.”
Her voice was calm, final. “That’s fine. But I can’t accept you without trust.”
I staggered back, my pack’s eyes heavy on me, their pity burning worse than anger.
My heart screamed to fight, to fall on my knees and beg her to take me back.
But another part of me was at war. I felt the pull between the friend I’d once sworn to trust with my life, and the mate my soul demanded I protect.
It was an impossible choice, but Celeste had made it for me.
So I turned, each step away from her tearing something vital from me. And for the first time in years, I felt utterly lost.