Page 38 of A Crown of Fates

“How is killing their ruler the best choice?” Asher demands then glares at Theo. “You could’ve come to us. We would’ve intervened once we knew.”

Theo shakes his head. “No, I couldn’t. Orix has had me under his thumb, using my mother’s wellbeing against me. Even if I took a risk and tried to outsmart him, he’s in my head. He has the power to break me and has done so more than once.”

Isla and Asher share a look that doesn’t bode well. Though, it’s my sister who speaks next. “So, let me make sure we understand all of this since we’re only now getting this information. Your pack was murdered. You were hellbent on vengeance, which Orix was eager to offer you. By accepting his help, you somehow tied yourself to him, which led to him being able to compel your actions and eventually bring you back here to kill King Airik for his supposed treachery, allowing you to takethe crown. A destiny that was not yours to claim, but you took anyway because this god has been threatening the life of your mother, who now resides in the afterlife.”

That has Asher’s head tilting to the side. I’m surprised she didn’t already share with him what I revealed earlier while he was talking to Theo, but before he can get a word in, Isla continues.

“Now, because of the true bond you share with Estee, you’ve found the strength to think for yourself and are trying to make things right. Not only for you, but my sister, the pack, and the future of this kingdom. Is that the sum of this entire mess?”

Theo’s grip on my hand grows tighter as he nods. “Yes.”

Now, it’s Isla and Asher’s turn to have a silent conversation, but I’m not nearly as patient in waiting to know what it is they’re thinking.

“What is it?” I demand, staring at my sister.

“His mother isn’t in any danger,” Isla answers. “She never was.”

Theo releases his hold on me finally and stands up. “What do you mean?”

“Did Estee tell you that our own mother had originally chosen not to be reborn after we were cursed to Earth?” she asks, and he shakes his head brusquely. “Well, she did, and she was living peacefully in the afterlife, but now, she’s been returned to us as a favor. The memory of her time there is fuzzy, but a few times she’s said things that don’t make sense, and last week was one of them.”

I grip the arms of my chair, my claws threatening to extend. “Is Mom okay?”

Isla nods and smiles brightly. “She’s just as she was when you left, I promise. We have no fear of losing her, but I’ve noticed a pattern. When she wakes up, she’s very groggy for a short time, and I believe she’s dreaming so vividly that she’s not actuallygetting the rest she’s used to. I asked Dad to document anything she mentions, in case there was something to worry about.”

That doesn’t sound normal, but if my sister isn’t worried, I’m going to try not to be either.

“So, what did she say that relates to what Theo shared?” I’m still not sure how this is helpful.

Asher answers me this time. “She told your father that she was reliving the moment she was brought back to us. Aurora didn’t go get her. She somehow summoned Florence’s energy, pulling your mother back to a body that we’re beginning to suspect isn’t actually her own.”

Theo reaches for me, and I appreciate his support, but right now, I don’t think this is about me and I’m not sure I like where this is going. “I didn’t think the goddess actually got her hands dirty and decided to dig up our mother, reviving her corpse. So, what are the two of you getting at here?”

Isla looks more at Theo than she does me as she starts to answer. “Based on the things Mom has revealed, we’ve learned that gods don’t walk among the spirits within the afterlife. At least not living ones. So unless this Orix god has the power of creation, like Bruess and his twins Ocules and Aurora do, or he’s been lying and is actually Asiris, the ruler over the spirits, then he shouldn’t be able to summon her spirit once she’s settled into the afterlife.”

Theo’s grip on my hand loosens as the truth of that revelation seems to hit him. His mother—his reason for everything—has been safe all along. His face hardens with disbelief, then anger along with the crushing guilt of years lost to Orix’s lies.

“I’ve done so many things,” Theo whispers, his voice cracking. “And all for nothing.”

My heart aches for him as I reach for my mate again, hating that he’s going to live with this. “You didn’t know, Theo. This isn’t your fault.”

He jerks away from me and shoves the chair back into the wall as he storms toward the door. “Don’t lie to me, Estee.Imade the choice each time I took a life, and I am most definitely to blame.”

And just like that, he’s gone, leaving behind only the whispers of his pain and the haunting echoes of a god’s manipulation.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THEO

The moment the door slams behind me, the world collapses into a haze of fury. My breaths are quick and shallow, each one a battle for control as the boiling rage festers inside me. For three years, I’ve been Orix’s puppet, dancing to his twisted tune, all for a lie.

Every life I took, every moment I spent drowning in guilt and shame—all of it for nothing. I was fooled. Worse than that, I let myself be fooled.

My fist slams into the unyielding stone of the castle wall. The impact reverberates through my bones, but it’s not enough to calm the storm inside me. Pain blooms in my knuckles, but it doesn’t compare to the agony of betrayal consuming me. I want to tear the world apart, rip it to shreds, scream until there’s nothing left of this wrath.

“Gods!” I roar into the empty hallway, desperate for release. But the rage only grows. No answers come, no clarity. Just my own ire—boiling, seething, swallowing me whole.

I rush into the nearest room and throw open a window. I don’t even know where I am, but I need to get out. To escape the suffocating essence of this castle, where there seem to be reminders of my failures at every turn. The air calls to me, andbefore I can second-guess my actions, I leap out the window, the three-story plunge nothing compared to the drop my soul has already taken.

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