All Chapters of Echoes of Hate: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

ARIA. The television bathed the room in a sterile glow, every headline slicing across the screen like a blade. None of us spoke. None of us needed to. We sat in silence, watching Oliver Rothchild’s kingdom burn to ash.The Rothchilds had tried to smother the story, the way they smothered everything that threatened to stain their pristine name. Money, favors, and threats had always been their weapons. But not this time. Gambit’s file had been a kill shot, and she had pulled the trigger by putting it in the right hands.There was absolutely no silencing the truth tonight.I remembered the way that disgust had burned through me when she shared her findings with us. Now, the world was seeing just how deep his corruption ran. How much he’d been allowed to damage the lives of others.But the charities—that had been his masterpiece. He paraded himself as a philanthropist, smiling beneath chandeliers, shaking hands in tuxedos, holding infants for the cameras. And all the while, his “charitabl

ARIA.I wasn’t certain why the thought of being along tonight pressed so heavily on me, only that it did. Perhaps it was because Serenity’s pain had crawled through me when I healed her, the echo of it still clinging to my ribs, raw and unsettled. I felt phantom aches of it underneath my skin, and I didn’t want to face it alone right now.I wanted warmth. I wanted the steady thrum of his heartbeat beside me. Dane had become an anchor to me, a tether that I wasn’t certain of how to navigate. I didn’t want to admit how well I slept in his arms, how the restless twisting in my chest eased as his scent surrounded me.The mate-bond made his presence feel essential. Still, part of me whispered warnings. I still carried some of those scars on my heart. That voice told me that I should move carefully and guard myself. But the other part of me—louder, needier—didn’t care for caution. It craved the sparks that danced whenever our skin touched. It ached for the way his scent wrapped around me. A

ARIA.I knocked on Serenity’s door and waited. I could hear the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat on the other side. Beneath that was the faint but unmistakable scent of fear. It was enough to make me ache for her.I didn’t knock again. I didn’t press or rush her. Rogues lived in constant fight-or-flight, and patience was the only language they trusted. Who knew how long Serenity had been wandering alone? The scars on her arms, the half-healed wounds marking her skin like maps of survival, told me it had been too long. She’d no doubt faced more in her sixteen years of life than many people would in their entire lifetime.The door creaked open, just a fraction at first. A pale face peeked through. Something eased in her shoulders when her eyes locked onto mine. The tension didn’t vanish, not completely, but it softened, just as her eyes did when they flicked to the small figure beside me.My sister gave Serenity her signature megawatt smile, the kind that was too innocent for this harsh w

DENVER.I had kept my head down for the past couple of years because it was the only thing that could save my family. Silence and obedience had become my armor, a cage I willingly stepped into if it meant shielding the ones I loved.An Alpha heir had been my designation once upon a time, destined for power, groomed for it since the day I could walk. But destiny had a way of unraveling with a single moment. For me, it happened on the night of my eighteenth birthday.That was the night I met my mate.Carmen Garcia.I had always admired her from afar, even before the bond snapped into place. She carried herself with a quiet strength that didn’t need to roar to be heard. Her smile lit up rooms she never intended to brighten, her kindness softened edges no one else could reach. She was breathtaking. Beyond gorgeous with a heart so pure it made me wonder how someone like her existed in a world ruled by rank and cruelty.And she was mine. The Goddess had chosen her for me.I didn’t care that

ARIA.I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Piper interacting with Mom. The sight tugged at my heart in a way I hadn’t quite expected.It was still a bit of an adjustment. After all, I had raised her. She was more than my sister. She was my pup. My responsibility. My heart. But at the same time, she was Mom’s pup too. Piper deserved every ounce of love and affection that came her way. Seeing the two of them together felt right, even if it reminded me of all the years we’d lost.I tried not to dwell on that part too long. I couldn’t imagine the strength it had taken for Mom to remain in the shadows, sacrificing every instinct to protect and nurture us, just so that we wouldn’t be put in danger. That kind of pain had to be unbearable. Yet here we were now, together again. I was thankful for that more than I could put into words.‘I’ve come across some information regarding Denver’s past,’ Gambit mindlinked, her tone steady but laced with something heavier beneath. ‘I’d like to share it