Defiance

4.6

Chapter 46

E L Y S I A

I stared at the softness in Aldric's eyes. His hand held my face and I shut my eyes. All I could do was stare at how beautiful he was - how beautiful his cheekbones were or how full his lips were. He had given me the privilege to call him mine. I stared at the scars underneath his tattoos, ran my fingers down his face, pressed my thumb against his lip. If all of this - what I saw was an illusion - I was horrible. I had said so many terrible things to him in anger, hurt him in so many ways with my words.

Yet, he never said anything back. He never said anything cruel, not really. His threats were always empty. In every interaction we had, I had dismissed him, lashed out at him when all he wanted to do talk. I wrapped my arms with my mate.

"If - if everything I saw was a lie," I choked on the words. "I have been horrible to you -"

"You saved me at every chance you got," Aldric tells me.

"Yet I followed with a hundred cruel words," I cried, shaking my head.

"And it would have been all understandable," Aldric promised. "I understand you."

If only he'd understand he was everything to me. If this was truly a lie, if the visage of Freya and Aldric was a ruse, just an illusion, I would kill Freya on the spot. Looking at the way Aldric held me, the way he hugged me, it was impossible for it not to be true. I had been under a lie all this time...

Laric was repeating the same thing in my head.

Trust us, Elysia. I swear it to every part of my soul - every part that belongs to you. We have never been with Freya.

Trust me.

The past seventeen months of hating my mate had been a lie. I was certain he was lying to me. I was certain he had slept with her when he hadn't. I spent months crying, hating myself, wondering why I wasn't good enough even when I was his mate. Maybe it was my status - a homeless prostitute. Maybe it was just me - a witch who couldn't do magic. A dark-skinned witch who didn't look like her.

Yet, months of healing following the pain also taught me to be proud of myself. I had studied hard despite the pain. I had fought despite the world attacking me at every corner. I had become a High Healer in less than a year, despite all my fights and struggles. I had done that all by myself. I was a fighter and I was good at magic. It was my biggest strength and despite my weaknesses, I was always going to fight.

If it was an illusion, Freya had separated us. She had separated us when we could have worked together in this war. She had separated us when we could have protected each other, helped each other, survived together. She had separated me from my mate and I was going to ensure I would separate her from this goddamn life.

    "ALDRIC!" A voice suddenly called. At the door was Freya. She ran inside. "There's a problem! There - one of the healers - she found out -"

    Before she could finish, Aldric had moved at a speed I had never seen before. His hand was wrapped around her throat. In seconds, he lifted her and slammed her to the ground. Freya blinked, the fear in her eyes clear as day.

    "Did you show Elysia an illusion of us fucking?" He yelled. The anger in his voice was...unruly. Murderous even. He was certain it was Freya that had set an illusion for me. I couldn't imagine what Aldric must be going through - this was - this was his best friend. "You tried to separate me from -"

    "What - what are you talking about?" Freya croaked, shaking her head. She cried out in pain, her blue eyes were wide. This wasn't the time to talk, I wanted to hiss at Aldric. There could be no other explanation for what I saw. I saw Aldric and Freya fucking. Yet, seeing the pain in Aldric's eyes, hearing his words...maybe Aldric was telling the truth.