Chapter 127

"What? Don't be utterly ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous in the slightest."

She used the word "ridiculous" provocatively, fully aware that it would elicit a smile from him—he always found her profanity amusing. She didn't quite understand why it amused him, but she welcomed it. She pressed on because she needed to make her perspective heard, and quickly.

"I assure you I am not being foolish. My father is a manipulative psychopath; he is the one who bears the blame, not you. You accepted a role of great honor and executed your duties to the best of your abilities. It was your father who failed you, failed your team, failed our pack, and most disparagingly, failed me."

"I recognized it was wrong. Deep down, a part of me always knew that."

She couldn't deny the truth of his statement; she firmly believed that one always recognizes when they are doing something profoundly wrong. Yet