Page 86 of Unforgivable

Thjis

We all feel heartsore. It's so fucking awful to watch your female breakdown but not be able to hold her while she falls apart.

"Why would that little fuck think he could come out here?" Rhet fumes.

Ezra cringes at the look of pure fury on my big brother's face. "I thought it might be Liam," he tells us quietly. "He... I told Inuit to poke for an answer. I'm sorry. I didn't think he would come here."

"Fuck. Didn't we tell you it wasn't him? No male could watch his truemate get raped, rejection or not. He sure as hell couldn't participate and do nothing," I growl out. Sometimes I think Ezra is an idiot.

He shrugs helplessly. "Who would reject Lyri? A fucking sociopath. Who's to say a male like that couldn't do that to her?"

"C'mon. It's done. He came. He's not Lyri's mate. It's almost worse that he's Penny's mate, but let's face it. We have no fucking clue, here," Rhet snaps. "We need to press her for an answer."

"Why is she afraid of telling us?" I muse. I rack my brain, trying to think of the possibilities. I want her to tell us in her own time. I know how painful it is to be rejected. I feel the pressure of not knowing who did this to Lyri. How do we protect her if we don't know who he is? "It's not Liam and probably not any other male that was there at her Shaming."

"Let's write a list," Ezra suggests. "All the unmated males her age who didn't participate."

"It won't help," Rhet says in a low voice. "Brian Taylor and Yule Brenn had truemates, and they were there that night."

"Bitches," I grunt.

Both my brothers nod in agreement. Those females were livid about the Shaming. Their males violated Lyri, and those females decided to blame the victim. Bitches is putting it mildly.

"Fucking cunt whores," I amend. Better.

"So, Liam is Penny's mate," Rhet says.

I look at him. He looks conflicted. I know this male. He has made his decision. Hell, I think he probably made that decision at Lyri's Shaming when he tore through a couple of males to be the first to plunge himself into what he later drunkenly described as "her sweet, perfect pussy, my pretty female." Lyri may be the only one in this relationship who doesn't realize that Rhet decided that he's keeping her forever, whatever it takes.

What do you do to the males who hurt your female? It's a no-brainer. Liam had better watch his back. Rhet is hunting.

"Penny may reject him," Ezra points out.

I snort to cover up the wince, "I say kill the fucker now before Penny shifts and can recognize that her male is a piece of ripe shit. She'll never know."

Ezra rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. I get it. There's no way of knowing if she'll shift and feel the mating bond but never find her mate, or if she'll shift and realize she's MateLess. There's no way of knowing that, and he can testify that it's truly awful to shift MateLess. Of course, I can tell you how terrible it is to be fated to a fucked-up wolf. There are no winners here.

We all pace for a while, glancing every so often at Luna Gloria's cottage. No sign of our female, yet. Everything is quiet. We've kept our distance, giving her space, but we always knew where she was. I think we'll always know where she is.

Ezra sighs, "Lyri will feel guilty if we kill Penny's mate."

"She'll get over it," I offer. "He may have been lying, anyway."

Ezra glares at me. "Then you explain it to her, fucker. Hold her while she cries because her best friend from puphood fucking raped her, and then we slaughtered him!"

I feel the red rage pour over me. I have Ezra by the throat a second later, "you said she remembers, Ez, but do you really think she remembers everything? Do you think she remembers as her 'friend' shoved his cock into her while murmuring how sexy and gorgeous she is? Do you think she remembers how he looked at her? That wasn't hatred on his face, jackass. Do you think she knows that when I tore him away from her, he spat ather and called her a good-for-nothing whore? He told her she got what she deserves for being such an ice princess and never giving it up before!" I let go of my brother, screaming incoherently for a second. My fist hits a tree, sending seedlings from the branches above showering down on us. I welcome the pain. It lets me focus.

"Her fucking friend said that! He told everyone in that clearing that night that Lyri never slept around! He was in love with her, probably still is. How," I turn back to them, "how did we not remember him saying that? She was so innocent. Daan must have been her first."

"I was her first," Rhet rasps out hoarsely. Guilt presses his shoulders down, slumped, and shaking in remorse. He hadn't wanted to hurt Lyri. He's not a rapist, but the circumstances required one of us to claim her first. He's the leader, so it fell on his shoulders. Poor fucker couldn't even look at himself in the mirror for weeks after that night.

I eye him doubtfully. All I need is for my alpha to lose what's left of his mind. Even Ezra is watching him in concern.

"That night is all that matters. Daan is nothing. He isn't anything important to her, not anymore." His eyes start to glow with an inner, fierce light. "I am more alpha than that pissant. I'll let her climb me for rank any day."

"Ah," Ezra points out, rubbing his throat, "that's not helpful. You just called her a rankwhore."

"Whoever the motherfucker who rejected her is," Rhet points at Ezra, "Lyri wanted to shove a high-rank male lover in his face. I'll be that male. Fuck this pack and Jax. Who orders a Shaming in this day and age but a conceited jackass?"

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