Semua Bab Shattered by three, claimed by none: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Sage's POVI watched as Kael walked to his father's side. He did not cover his nose. He simply crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed like he had done this a hundred times before.I moved closer, pulling Milo with me. The smell was worse near the bed, but I forced myself to breathe through my mouth and focus on the man in front of me.His eyes opened slowly, as if the effort of lifting his eyelids cost him something he could not afford to lose. The former Alpha King. The man who had cast my family as enemies, who had declared us traitors, who had stripped us of everything as if my father's betrayal was my fault and my mother's fault. As if any of us had chosen to be related to a man who sold pack secrets.His gaze found Kael first. Even in his sick state, the recognition was immediate."You are back," the old man said. His voice was thin and reedy, nothing like the booming command I remembered from years ago. "That means you have gotten the cure. You brought it back, right?"

Sage's POVLater, I sent word to Vex through a servant that I needed access to his research. He responded within the hour, sending directions to his private home on the eastern edge of the territory. Not his family's estate, but his own place. Milo came with me. Besides, I did not like leaving her alone in a place where Mara could find her.The walk to Vex's home took twenty minutes. The building was modern and unassuming from the outside, all clean lines and dark glass. A servant met us at the door and led us inside."The master is in his laboratory," the servant said, her voice soft and professional. "However, children are not permitted in that wing of the house. Too many hazards. Chemicals, sharp instruments, delicate equipment. It is for their safety."I understood. I did not like it, but I understood.Milo tugged on my sleeve. "I will be fine, Aunt Sage. I can wait with the servant."I looked down at her, and my worry must have shown on my face because she gave me a small, reass

Sage's POVI looked at Vex's expression, and something in my chest shifted. He was not lying. I could see it in his eyes. The logical part of my brain, the part that had kept me alive for seven years, told me that he was telling the truth.What if he did not know that the shock collar was flawed? What if someone else had tampered with it, someone who wanted me dead?But who would want me dead? I had been a nobody. A disgraced servant girl with no family, no power, no future. The only people who had any reason to want me gone were the three men who had claimed me and then abandoned me.But would he have tried to kill me? I did not know. And it was too late to find out. The damage was done. The trauma had already carved itself into my bones, and no amount of explanation or justification would ever erase it.I pushed the thoughts aside. I was not here to solve the mysteries of my past. I was here to find the source of the virus and protect my daughter."The active ingredient is called No

Cass's POVI am the most stupid person on earth. That thought has been running through my head on a loop for days now, way before Sage slapped me in the garden. I deserved it. I deserved worse than that. I deserved her hatred, her scorn, her complete indifference. What I do not deserve is her forgiveness, and yet I find myself wanting it more than I have ever wanted anything in my entire life.I am walking toward Vex's home right now. He sent a message earlier saying that we would soon be planning to head out for more investigation about the virus. Sage had apparently identified the active ingredient and its source. That should be my main focus. The virus is killing thousands of people. Finding the source should be the only thing on my mind.But it is not.All I want is Sage's forgiveness. I know I do not deserve it. I know I may never get it. But the need sits in my chest like a stone, heavy and unyielding, and I cannot seem to dislodge it no matter how hard I try.What I did seven y

Sage's POV The journey was quiet after the confrontation. I had given Milo my tablet and a pair of earphones before we started driving, loading it with games and videos to keep her occupied. She had been absorbed in the screen for hours, her small fingers tapping and swiping, her face illuminated by the soft glow. She had not heard a single word of what passed between Kael and me, and for that, I was grateful. Kael and I did not speak to each other again throughout the six-hour journey. Not one word. He stared out his window, and I stared at the road ahead, the silence was loud. The two vehicles stopped for breaks twice, just long enough to stretch our legs and use the facilities, and both times Kael walked in the opposite direction from me. I did the same. We moved around each other like two strangers. I followed Vex's vehicle through winding roads and narrow passes, the landscape growing more rugged with every mile. The trees thinned out, replaced by rocky terrain and steep cliffs