Page 69 of Whispers of Wisteria

He’d proven helpful during moments of physical sickness. And it hadn’t been all that bad when I was talking to him in that tent in the woods. He’d been supportive since my period started—less moody than before.

“Fine,” I agreed.

Titus’s commands just kept on coming. “Don’t tell Julian right now.”

“Um…” I’d grabbed his shirt, not missing how his breath slightly hitched at the order. “Why?”

“Let’s just say that you’renotgoing to convince Julian it’s a good idea.” Titus’s reply was almost hesitant. “Damen and I will tell him when it’s time.”

“But…” I wasn’t sure about this, but I didn’t want to have a similar fight with Julian. “Will it be okay?”

“We’ll have Miles nearby to help,” Titus replied. “But Julian still has some issues to work through—it has nothing to do with you. I want to keep this small, but Bryce should also be there.”

Oh, come on! I stepped away from the dragon. After Bryce’s recent actions, I didn’t want to be around him at all right now. “Why?”

“Two reasons,” Titus began, squaring his shoulders. “Believe it or not, besides Julian and me, he’s beenthe mostoutspoken about why youshouldn’tgo. When he finds out…” Titus frowned, pausing, before stating, “We cannot talk to him like Julian. He’s not one of us. The only way he’ll shut up is either by me killing him or if you include him. Besides, he might as well come. He’s there every day anyway.”

I swallowed. Bryce had been there already?

“Secondly, you need to get used to doing things together. He’s your Er Bashou, which means he’s supposed to support you—and not only as a brother. If you exclude him, it will damage your relationship.”

I growled under my breath, and Titus’s eyebrows rose almost comically.

“He forced me to go to the hospital!” My chest was tight with betrayal. “He promised!”

Titus took a long breath and looked out the window behind his desk. “Do youwantme to kill him?”

“What?” I took a step back as horror washed over me. Why would he think I’d go to such extremes? “No!”

“Are you angry at him?”

“Ye…” I opened my mouth to answer, but my reply trailed off. I clenched my fist and stared at the beige floor. “No.”

Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t angry, although I couldn’t explain why. I had every right to feel that way.

But my stomach hurt, and my chest felt tight. Tears began to prickle behind my eyelids.

I wasn’t angry. I’d been betrayed.

“He was wrong.” How could I ever trust him again?

“Not in that situation. I was angry at first too, until I heard the details. You’d fainted on multiple occasions. He did what he thought was best,” Titus argued. “And remember that he’s still learning, just like you are. Try to look at it from his perspective.”

“That’s not fair!” The words exploded from me in a rush. Why should I have to be the bigger person? “He should pay!”

“Pay,how?” Titus looked back at me, and my protests died on my tongue at the look on his face. His features were taut and tight, and something unsettling moved in his eyes. “If you’re not going to kill him, then you need to either learn to work with him or strip him from his position. Because you can’t have an Er Bashou you refuse to collaborate with.”

“But—” My voice broke, but he didn’t let me finish.

“Damen is furious with Finn for keeping you away, but as you can see, he’s still around,” Titus continued. “Miles and Julian are dealing with their Officers too. But do you want to knowwhynone of them has been replaced? Because, in the end, they trust in the bigger picture.”

My hand was still raised in protest, but now I couldn’t think of anything.

Then he said the words that stabbed a dagger through my heart: “If you want to prove that you’re ready for this, you can start by acting like a leader.”

“But…”

“Bryce did what he thought was best, even though it might not have been the wisest approach.” Titus waved his hand in the air. “No one is arguing that. But you still need to make a decision: will you work through this with him, or let him go?Because it’s your responsibility to solve conflicts, not let them fester.”