Chapter 39

"So you've now accepted it?" He walked away from her, suddenly needing the space. He wanted to sniff the air and see if her scent had been altered by his, but his weakness from yesterday's attack was a great setback and made his wolf weak. "Your fate with that monstrous blood-sucking Ki---"

"I don't have a choice." She said quietly. She wouldn't want to call their daughter's attention to this. The fact that she wouldn't be able to give her a proper goodbye because she was scared to risk the state of her child's health still hurt. Besides that, they both hated for Mira to see anything go wrong in their little family.

She had to be protected from all of that and she was theirs to protect.

"This is the only way to save my family, I have accepted it."

"We shouldn't give up---"

"I will not risk us again." She frowned, her voice determined.

But he wasn't going to give up that easily.

He needed to do something to make her see reason, to make her see what she would be missing if she let them go so easily.

Something quick! Something effective!

"Please, just promise you'll come home with me. I'll find another way; come up with a better plan."

"I will not be stupid again."

His eyes glowed red as his desperation increased.

"What about our daughter? What do you want her to think when she grows up and realizes that her mother left her to be with the very bloodsuckers that killed us in thousands."

"George." She whispered almost silently to stop him, but he wasn't anywhere near done.

Every word out of his mouth was full of vile with the very intent to hurt her as she was hurting him with her refusal; every word was to bend her to his will one more time.

"That she had given up easily, picked to stick with the vile monsters over her own family."

"Don't you dare!" Her eyes snapped to Mira, then back at him. Though once again, she spoke quietly, her voice was a heavy, gritted whisper. "Don't you dare play that game with me. I'm not one of those prisoners that you interrogate in the Capital's prison."

His face fell with realization. "I'm sorry, I just---"

"I'm doing this for us, for our daughter, for you, and for me." She moved towards him, holding his face between the palms of her hands again. Ah, she would really miss him. "Yes, I'll be the sacrifice. So, please go."

"Don't give up on us." The tears that welled in his eyes rolled down his cheek. His hand held onto her hands in a desperate plea. "Please."

"There is no hope." She wiped away his tears with her thumb, shaking her head in subtle refusal.

"We can still--"

"No George, not again."

This woman that he loved had been a part of his life since forever. He couldn't just let the mother of his child go, he couldn't allow her to accept the life of a sacrificial lamb, allowing her to wake up each day to the faces that she had nightmares about.

He needed to reassure her that there was still hope of them getting out of this. He didn't know how, but he was certain he would eventually find a way, despite his wolf's continuous scratching in the back of his mind, to 'finally let a wolf that wasn't theirs go'.

He leaned forward to kiss her, but she moved away, turning him down over and over again. Her rejections were starting to make him feel on edge and desperate, making him apply more pressure to his grip, holding her while he begged, pushing her face against hers forcefully.

"I will never be the same without you!" His claws were starting to dig into her hands, his eyes red from his wolf.

"George, stop! You're hurting me!"

"Please!"

His voice sounded more like a growl, his wolf taking more control, doing what he loved doing to her most.

Hurting her.

"No!"

She snapped and pushed him. A force that threw him right across the room. Just some distance away from where Mira had been playing.

With wolf speed, she got her daughter to a far corner of the room, then locked the door with the key that was dangling out of the keyhole.

Just in case George had lost complete control to his wolf, she had to ensure he wouldn't be able to get out of the room in that state, nor would anyone be able to easily burst in.

If the King was to come here and see him attacking her, he might kill George. She couldn't let that happen, she had to protect him. She had to be the punching bag till he was alright again. She was oddly strong now, maybe she would be able to hold him down before he would cause any huge damage.

Whether he was his wolf, or he was him, their daughter was safe, as usual.

Right now.

She was the only one in danger.

So, she stood at the other corner of the room, away from her daughter.

"George?" she called out in a whisper, watching him stand back to his feet, trying to see if he was himself or his wolf.

He groaned, holding his head. He saw Mira at the corner and his heart raced.

Where was she?

What had he done to his wife this time?

"George?"

His gaze darted to her immediately and he squinted his eyes, blinking to clear his blurry sight.

"Zezi," he said with relief, rushing to her with an unstable movement, till he was right in front of her.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" His eyes raked over her, she looked very unharmed.

Before, after episodes like this, she usually had some scratches to show for it.

Being a Beta, above her rank, his painful marks usually took a while to heal. But she had no scratches, which thankfully meant he didn't hurt her this time.

"You did." She blinked, her eyes misting with tears. "And you'll do it again."

His heart dropped.

That-- that was -- no.

He shook his head, sucking in a breath as he leaned against the wall, next to her, tired of himself, of always doing this to her.

"I'm sorry." He ran his hand through his hair, holding a handful firmly. "I'm being mean. I hurt you all the time. Every time."

They heard their daughter sniffling, and they looked at her and walked over to her, but she flinched when Zezi tried to carry her, running to her Father's arms instead.

"Mi...Mira?"

"You are so scary. You are fighting with Daddy like Daddy is always fighting with you."

"It's not Mummy's fault." He sat, brushing her hair with his hand.

"I'm sorry." It hurt to see that her daughter was running from her. "I won't do that again."

Her hands went around her husband, who was still holding Mira in his arms. As Mira sobbed, George cried silently, too, for his own reasons, while Zezi tried to enjoy this last moment with them.

A final goodbye.

What Zezi wasn't telling her family was that the minute they got out of here safely, and she ensured that they were long gone, her heart would cease to beat, torn apart by the silver knife she would dig right into it.

This would be the last time they would ever see her alive.