Ascended (War of the Covens 3)

He exhaled slowly and took a step back. “You’re grieving. And you’re angry. Confused. You need time.”

“I do need time,” she agreed with her dead eyes. “But I don’t need you.”

And with that, she brushed past him, ignoring his shocked countenance, and continued on through the hotel in search of Lucien, determined her heart wasn’t breaking.

After all … she didn’t have a heart left to break.

“Lucien.” Rose sighed, gazing up at him from the sofa in the bedroom suite he’d chosen for himself. “Talk to me.”

He didn’t want to talk to anybody. He was afraid of the damage he would do, afraid he would take the frustration over Caia’s departure out on one of the pack. He had managed to shake off Ryder—who was pelting him with questions—and retreat to his room. Then Rose had shown up. She didn’t deserve his attitude.

“I appreciate your concern, Rose, but—”

“But why don’t you stick your damn nose in someone else’s business.”

They turned to see Jaeden striding into the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Lucien frowned as she glared at Rose.

“Jaeden,” he warned.

She sneered and he flinched at the disrespect. Jae had never dared to look or speak to him in any manner but that which she owed her Alpha. “Don’t,” she bit out and then turned back on Rose. “Get out.”

Rose’s mouth fell open momentarily before she remembered herself. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

“Jaeden, don’t speak to Rose like that.”

“Don’t speak to Rose like that?” She guffawed and sliced him another disdainful look. “Pity you can’t show the kind of concern you reserve for your ex-girlfriend for your actual mate. Or has Caia already been forgotten and I’m interrupting the reawakening of a beautiful relationship here?”

Her remark stung, and Lucien felt a sense of shame. Not about Rose. There was nothing going on with Rose. He loved Caia. Which was exactly why he felt sick to his stomach for kicking her out of the pack. His plan had backfired.

“Rose, can you give us a minute?” He nodded to the door.

By the tensing of her shoulders, he knew Rose was annoyed at being dismissed, but if he didn’t have this out with Jaeden now, they would be at each other’s throats for days … weeks, even.

When Rose was gone, Lucien turned his full attention to Jaeden, reminding himself she was going through an unimaginably difficult time and to be patient with her. “If you’ve come to shout at me about Caia, you can stop. I already feel as bad as I’m going to feel.”

Jae curled her lip. “I somehow doubt that. I mean, you have Rose hanging out with you already.”

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Jaeden, Rose is none of your business.”

She smirked derisively. “Is that why you kicked Caia out? To be with Rose?”

“For goddess’ sake, Jaeden, no!” he yelled, dropping into a seat, glaring at her the whole time. “I love Caia.”

“Oh yeah, sure, I really got that, you know … when you humiliated her and kicked her out of the only family she’s ever known.”

Sharp streaks of guilt spiked him all over. “Don’t. Do you think I wanted to? But this pack has been through enough, and Caia is going to do something unforgivable. We need out of this, and Reuben has promised us safety.”

A tense silence fell between them before she finally nodded and lowered herself into the seat across from him. Her eyes were limpid pools, and he saw a reflection of his own guilt in them. “And what about Caia’s safety?”

“You think I don’t care?” he hissed. “You think I just threw her out of here like it was nothing? She is my mate, Jaeden. It goes against everything I am to throw her to the proverbial wolves like that … but she’s made this insane decision and her reasons are not good enough for me to back her up.”

He couldn’t understand. He needed to understand. He needed to run.

“I don’t think her decision is insane.”

Lucien shook his head. “Jaeden, we’re not going to kill innocent people to further our means. I don’t know why Caia feels she has to do it. There’s no good reason—”

“Oh, for the love of the gods, Lucien!” Jaeden snapped out of her seat. “This is Caia! She always has a good reason!”

What did she want from him? What did she want him to say? That what Caia was doing was okay? Because it wasn’t. It would never sit right with him.

“Jaeden, I don’t want to argue. In fact, I want to go for a run. So you can stay here bitching at the wall or you can come with me.”

She screwed up her face at him like a child and took a moment. Finally, she exhaled with a huff, “Fine. I’ll come running with you. But I want you to know that I think she’s doing the right thing.”