Chapter 88
Eighty-Nine: Natalie
Natalie''s P.O.V.
My hands were warm as I woke. I hadsted until after Joselin had cleaned up all the equipment and
blood. I had only then allowed myself to fall asleep in my chair while waiting for Killian and Charlie to
gain consciousness.
It had been hard to hide the tears that silently fell down my cheeks as the weight of the day crushed
me. But I would never truly know if the guards or any of the council had seen me crying as I fell asleep.
Sparks erupted along my skin, and I blinked to clear the blurriness from my vision as I came to. Killian
was sitting before me on his knees. The pendant around his neck fell against my shin as he held my
hands, pressing his face to them.
’rm so sorry, my love. I am so sorry." His lips pushed against my fingers, and I took a deep breath as I
felt a drop of water hit my thigh.
I wanted to turn my hand to cup his face, but I felt frozen. He hadn''t been himself, but that didn''t mean
his words hadn''t ripped a hole in my heart. He continued to whisper an apology as he kneeled before
me, and I nced up, worried that he may be displeased with others seeing him cry. 1
But there wasn''t a single eye on us. Everyone in the room, the guards, the healers, the council, my
mother, and even Charlie and Damien, had dropped to their knees with their heads down in submission
as my mate, their king, begged for forgiveness. 1
"Killian," I whispered, my hands moving in his hold as I leaned forward and cupped his cheek.
His wide hazel eyes looked up at me with water lining the lid, and I felt my chest tighten at the sight.
"It wasn''t me, my love. What I said... it wasn''t me. It wasn''t true. I am so sorry." He whispered, and I
could feel his torment in our mate bond. His hands were shaking as they tightened their hold on me,
and he turned his head to kiss my palm. "I''m so sorry."
The pack link was filled with emotions, and it felt like the entire pack was mourning with him as he
pleaded for forgiveness. I swallowed hard, closed my eyes, and pressed my forehead to his.
"You''re back," I whispered joyfully, knowing that no matter how hard things would get between us and
how many enemies rose against us, we were still a team.
"Tell me that I haven''t lost you." He pleaded, and I knew the man that I loved was, indeed, back.
’You''re back!" I cried again as I pressed my lips to his andced my fingers through his hair. Killian
my hips, and he pulled himself closer to me as he got to his feet and took me with him.
I was so lost in him that the clearing of a throat made me jump. We parted, but I kept my eyes on him
as I memorized his face. The cold and cruel lines from the day before were gone, and his eyes had
lightened. He was my mate again, and I looked forward to the day I could kill the bitch responsible for
tampering with his mind.
"Will all due respect. Your kind may be able to go days without sleep, but mine can''t. Since the meeting
of themanders was canceled yesterday, it would be great if we could do it now so I can go to bed."
Joselin''s tired voice matched the darkness under her eyes, and I cringed with guilt that I had been
sleeping while she had been working and watching over Killian and Charlie.
I felt guilty that I ever had any doubt. While Joselin was socially awkward and very blunt, she had
proven herself time and time again to be a good friend.
"That sounds fair." Killian agreed, nodding as his eyes turned ck momentarily, but he never turned
away from me. "We will meet now. It is time to end this."
The room cleared as everyone made their way to the conference room. I stayed back with Killian,
enjoying the feeling of his arms around me as I cuddled my cheek against his chest.
"Natalie, I need to know that you are okay. What I said yesterday, none of it was true. It wasn''t even
me. It felt like someone was in my head telling me what to say, and I couldn''t stop it." His hand ran over
the back of my head soothingly, and I sniffled as a tear ran free down my cheek.
"I know," I whispered before opening my eyes when I felt someone approaching.
Charlie looked exhausted but somehow still morous. "Natalie."
Her soft voice sounded hesitant as she approached us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of
Killian''s scent again before pulling away and facing my sister-inw. "I am d you are okay."
Damien stood behind her in a protective stance as if waiting for an attack. But he still dipped his head
in a respectful greeting toward me when I nced his way.
"I know we talked about how I treat others and present myself. I promise that I am working on being
better. Yesterday I was angry about my mother being missing. It wasn''t at you, but it became
consuming as soon as I felt it. If I had been in my right mind, I wouldn''t have ever dreamed of attacking
you." She chewed on the inside of her lip, sucking only one side in further than the other as she waited
for my response.
I knew the chance of it being the darkness was possible, but just like what Killian had said to me, I
would always wonder if it was true.
"Apologize." Killian ordered in a low growl, his handnding on my hips behind me.
"I''m sorry, Natalie," Charlie said, meeting my eyes before ncing over my shoulder to her brother.
Whatever she saw must have shaken her because she looked down immediately, and Damien stepped
forward to guide her away from us.
"Themanders are here," Killian said softly. "Do you want to attend the meeting or go get some
sleep?"
The idea of being away from him right now was not appealing in the least. Between wanting to keep an
eye on him and wanting to avoid facing the shadow men three times within forty-eight hours, I would be
following him anywhere.
"Let''s go," I said, wiping my face and taking a deep breath before standing up straight and doing my
best to mentally prepare myself for the stressful conversation we were about to have.
Killian smiled down at me with pride, and I grabbed his hand,cing our fingers together.
The conference room was packed and loud as all of themanders, most of whom I had never had
the chance to meet, were discussing the situation. They had broken into groups of two or three, and
each one was talking loudly to be heard over the others as they all stood around arge map.
The room fell silent as we entered, and those who were sitting rose to their feet as they all bowed their
head in greeting.
"I''ll get right to it," Killian said as he pulled out the seat to his left and waited for me to sit. The rest of
the room followed suit as he took his ce at the head of the table. ’The time to attack hase. We
have their location and will end this once and for all."
I admired the way he led his people with a strength that motivated them. Eachmander gave their
input, and he listened and responded, gathering all of the data before making a decision. The council
sat quietly at the end of the table with my mother, all discussing different approaches based on each
proposed n. I leaned back in my chair as I was filled with confidence.
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The past two weeks had been a lot of fighting, bickering, and attempted murder. But seeing everyone
working together as one team let me know we were far more prepared than I had anticipated.
"So, it''s settled then. Make sure everyone is prepared. We will head out in two days." Killian announced
as he rose from his seat. I looked around the room at the determination on each face and nodded in
agreement.
Two days.
By asking them to be prepared, I knew he was ordering everyone to have their affairs in order... just in
case.
A lot could happen in two days, and then the real fun would begin.