Page 18

Vex opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off because I am not done.

“What do you call it when you leave a defenseless creature, naked and alone, in the middle of the trees? What do you call it when she is hurt from her fall, blind due to her journey, and far, far from anyone who can help her? What do you call it when the woman your soul has called to is crying and curled up at the base of a tree, waiting for an animal of the night to kill her because she cannot move? Her body is exhausted from trying to find help, and her feet are bleeding. You think you did not discard her? Fine, you did worse. You left her to die. And when she did not, you did not even have the decency to find her and explain yourself.”

My eyes turn red at some point while I am doing my best not to hiss at Vex. I try to return them to their normal color. I am more than angry enough on Simone’s behalf, but I know that showing that much emotion right now will only aggravate the situation even more.

I want Vex to answer for what he has done to Simone. I want to know what he possibly thinks is redeemable about him. Not because I want to prove that he is not. I want him to be redeemable. This is the male that my mate shares part of her soul with. More than anything, I would wish for him not to be the dishonorable male he seems to be.

“What’s he talking about?” Vex asks, his attention turning to Simone. His hands are flexed at his sides, the white returning to the edges of his eyes. “Simone, what’s he talking about?”

I bite my teeth down hard so I do not answer for Simone. She has already told the other male not to say her name, and now he wants her to relive one of the worst moments of her life. I am sure she can handle it on her own, just as she can handle everything on her own. It is why I keep myself in check and do not step in unless she looks like she is about to break. Of course, when I look down at her, she is staring at Vex with a blank stare as though she doesn’t know him from any other male she has never given a second glance.

“It’s exactly what he’s said,” Simone says. Her voice is devoid of emotion, something I am not used to, considering she is a woman of many, many emotions—usually multiple at once in vast quantities.

“No.” Vex’s face falls into a look of pure horror. I am happy to see this because it means he might not have known the harsh reality of his actions. The way he stumbles backward while shaking his head and muttering “no, no, no” does not inspire much confidence in his attempt to make up for how Simone was treated, though.

“I didn’t know,” Vex says as he looks back at Simone. Heartbreak fills his face, and his fingers press against the skin of his temples as though he is trying to hold it in place. “You have to believe me. I didn’t know.”

Simone shakes her head, not wanting to hear what he has to say. Honestly, I do not know how much I care for it either right now when emotions are all so high. Vex seems to catch on to Simone’s mood because he stands up straighter and gives her a stiff nod.

“I’d like to explain myself if you ever find it in you to offer me that.” He takes a deep breath and looks at me. “I’m glad she’s found you. She deserves to have a mate that makes her happy.”

“I had a mate that made me happy,” Simone snaps. Her voice is like the light from the storms coming down and striking both Vex and me. It hurts him to know she is talking about their mating as though it is over, and it makes me hurt because she is about to say something that will hurt me more than I wish for it to. It will not be a lie, though. “I don’t have a mate anymore. I don’t know if I ever want one again.”

“Simone,” Vex steps closer to the edge of the table, his fingers twitching like he wants to reach out for her.

“Don’t.” She stops him from saying anything else. She turns her eyes up to me, and this is the first time I look at her in a way she does not want. Not on purpose, in fact it is very much unwanted. I cannot help how my face softens when she looks at me or how her beauty makes my eyes brighten. “Can you stay and talk with them about your brothers? I think I want to go talk with my friends.”

“Of course.” I give her a soft smile and help her move her chair so she can leave. “You deserve much time to destress.”

Simone cocks one of her brows at me as though she thinks I will make a joke at a time like this. She is not wrong. It is something I do wish to do, but the opportunity has not presented itself, and I am not one to force humor.

“Do you have a home here?” Simone asks me.

It is Ralleth who answers. “We have cleared a home for him. I am sure your sisters will know which one. You may ask my Olivia if you need help.”

“Thank you,” Simone says as she gives us all one last look. Her jaw ticks when her eyes land on Vex, but when she looks up at me, I see the tension ease slightly. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Of course.” I smile at her. “Who else is to rub your scalp? You?” I snort at the thought. She is spoiled now because of my scalp-scratching abilities. I will keep her spoiled because it means I get to hold her when she is sleepy.

None of us say anything until Simone has left the great hall. Even then, I watch the doors with my hands on my hips for long moments while I try to figure out how to tell Vex that I very much would like to do what we were brought here to do before we get more into his mating with Simone. Thankfully, by the time I sit down, he is back in a chair, his face masked in neutrality.

“I’m determined to bring the other humans here,” Vex says to me, his human eyes looking dead inside. “Whatever your problems are with me when it comes to Simone, I promise you I can be objective when it comes to keeping the other women safe.”

I cross my arms over my chest and lean against my chair. I tilt my head in Ralleth’s direction. I trust my younger brother. He has run this tribe to be as prosperous as it could be since it has been cut off from many of the other tribes for many years. If my brother trusts this male, who I hope I can one day trust as well, then I will let myself trust him in this.

“Vex has been a good friend to me these days since he has been here.” Ralleth chooses his words as well as he knows how. Which is not very well at all. I love my brother, and I know he is one of the most honorable males ever to live. He is quick to speak sometimes, though. “He will help us, and he will be in this tribe as long as he wishes to be. Whatever issues you have with a shared female are between the two of you when we are not discussing the tribe and how to help it grow. Understood?”

“Understood,” Vex and I say at the same time.

I sit back in my chair and let Ralleth and Vex explain to me what they have been working on while I was busy in my tribe.I then tell them about the males Simone and I chose to bring. We divide out the work, we decide who will live where, and we decide who will be in charge of different aspects of growing our tribe.

The entire time, I am trying to decide how much I am willing to believe Vex when he says he did not know what happened to Simone. I try to focus on how I feel about him deep in my soul.

By the time we finish talking, and he proves to be honest in being able to focus on only what needs to be done and to remain objective, I feel even more like he needs a chance to redeem himself. Now, I need to figure out if he deserves it or if Simone will even care if he tries.

9

Vex