One Night

Chapter 201

Audrey

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The apartment was quiet. Far too quiet.

“Open up, Fiona!”

Edwin,thrust his shoulder into the door, the wood creaking under his weight as it swung open. Immediately, I was hit with the scent of Fiona’s perfume. But something was off.

“She’s not here,” I whispered, clutching the silver necklace around my throat. I couldn’t explain how or why, but I could just

sense it.

Peter and Edwin exchanged wary glances before stepping into the dimly lit apartment.

“Fiona?” Edwin called out.

“Alpha Edwin? Over here.” It wasn’t Fiona who answered us; it was a man. One of her guards.

We rounded the corner into the living room to find Fiona’s two guards-one male and one female-standing in the middle of the space, looking bewildered. Their eyes darted between us and the open window, where the sheer white curtains were billowing in the cool breeze..

“Where is she?” Edwin demanded. “She’s under arrest by decree of Crescent Pack.”

One of the guards, a burly man with a close-cropped haircut, rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “We… We don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Edwin growled. “It’s your job to watch her.”

The two guards glanced at each other. “She was here one minute, and then…” The male guard trailed off, gesturing helplessly at the open window.

With a huff, Edwin strode over to the window and leaned out to examine the fire escape. “She must have slipped out.” He whirled on the guards, fury flashing through his eyes. “What were you two dimwits doing while she was escaping?”

The other guard, a woman with steely gray eyes and black hair pulled into a neat bun, shook her head. “We were both in the room,” she insisted nervously. “Turned our backs for all of three seconds and then she was gone.”

Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Some guards you are.”

While Edwin and Peter argued with the guards, I moved to Fiona’s bedroom, my eyes scanning for any clues. Her phone lay on the nightstand, still plugged in. Nothing had been touched; no clothes sca**ed, no bags half-packed, the bed still neatly made. Wherever she had gone, she had no need for her things.

“She left everything behind,” I called over my shoulder.

Edwin appeared in the doorway, Peter and the two guards peeking over his shoulder. “Someone must have helped her,” he said, glancing at the mess. “There’s no way she would have taken the risk of running off on foot all by herself without even bringing her phone.”

I turned to the guards then. “Did you see where she went once she got down the fire escape?”

The female guard nodded, looking altogether sheepish by now. We… We saw a black car speeding away when we realized

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Chapter 201

she was gone. We didn’t see her get into it, but…”

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“D***it,” Edwin cursed, slamming his fist against the doorframe so hard that the wood groaned beneath his blow. The guards both jumped. “We have to go after that car. We can’t just let her run off-not after what she did to Claudia.”

I felt a pang in my chest at the mention of my mother, who was still lying unconscious in the hospital. Fiona had done this to her, and now she was gone with the wind. It wasn’t fair-wasn’t fair that she could slip away like this after what she had done. Especially not after Claudia had treated her with nothing but understanding and kindness after what she had done to

me.

Before I could say anything, Peter stepped forward. “I’ll go after her with the guards. We’ll track her down. Don’t worry.”

Edwin’s shoulders slumped slightly with relief. “Don’t come back until-”

“I know. Next time you see me, I’ll have the b**h in handcuffs.” Peter turned halfway to leave but then paused, looking Edwin and me up and down. A knowing smile played at the corners of his lips. “In the meantime, I think you two need to have a talk.”

With that, he turned and left, the guards trailing behind him.

As their footsteps faded down the hallway, I turned to Edwin. Peter was right; there was still so much left unsaid.

“We do need to talk,” I said softly.

Edwin’s face tightened, but he nodded. “Let’s go home. We’ll talk there.”

The ride back was silent. When we finally entered Edwin’s apartment, I felt like I could breathe again, but only slightly. The familiar scent of his home-our home-was comforting, but it couldn’t quite soothe the ache in my chest.

I sank onto the couch, Edwin taking a seat across from me in the armchair. For a moment, we just stared at each other in the dimly lit room, neither of us quite sure where to begin.

Finally, I took a deep breath and spoke. “Edwin, I need you to understand how painful it was for you to send me away like that. To not give me a choice.” My voice trembled slightly, and I bit my lower lip to quell it before continuing. “I know you want to protect me, but I deserve to have my own autonomy. It’s not fair that you broke your promise.”

Edwin’s shoulders slumped. “Audrey, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that.”

“But you did,” I said. “You made me feel like I was nothing more than a porcelain doll to be kept hidden away. Like I couldn’t make my own decisions or protect myself.”

My mate was silent for a few moments, processing, his gray eyes fixed on the floor between his feet.

“Look, I…” I swallowed hard. “I know you’re used to being the protector. Peter showed me the truth about your past. What you did for your siblings was incredibly brave and selfless, but….”

“But by trying to be your protector, I’ve just hurt you,” he murmured.

I nodded.

Edwin leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. I watched as he dragged a hand through his dark hair. “I guess I’ve never realized exactly what you’re capable of,” he said. “I mean, I always knew in a way, but tonight, when you did… that to my father, I finally saw just how strong you are with my own eyes.”

I cringed slightly at the reminder of Erik Brooks curled up in a fetal position on the floor, sweating and shaking, but shook it off. He deserved every bit of what he got, and I would never regret what I had done.

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Chapter 201

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“I’m so sorry that I didn’t have faith in you,” Edwin continued, his gray eyes finally lifting to meet mine. “And I really am sorry that I broke my promise.”

I looked away. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be treated as an equal, I whispered. “My whole life, when I thought I was human, I just wanted to be treated equally to werewolves. And now that I know I’m the Silver Star, I don’t want to be treated like some… some fragile treasure. I just want to be me. Audrey.”

Edwin nodded. “I promise you, things will change. I’m so sorry I put you through this. I let my fear cloud my judgment, and I ended up hurting the person I love most in this world.”

My breath caught in response to that. Edwin stood up and crossed the room, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his.

“Can you forgive me, Audrey? I swear to you, I will never make a decision like that without consulting you again. You are my equal in every way, and I want us to face everything together, side by side.”

It took some effort to force myself to look at him-mainly because I hated showing him how my eyes had misted over with tears. But when I finally met his gaze, I saw nothing but love and sincerity there.

Part of me wanted to throw my arms around him, to let the hurt fade away in his embrace. And I almost did. It would have been so easy to melt into him, and yet…

I couldn’t.

Edwin must have sensed my hesitation because he leaned in to kiss me, his lips moving toward mine. But before he could close the distance, I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.

“I need some time before…” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Edwin’s face fell. “How much time?”

I looked away again, biting my lower lip to keep it from trembling. The hurt, the fear, the betrayal-it all swirled together in a confusing mess of emotions. I wanted to forgive him, to move past this, but I knew it wouldn’t be that simple, because nothing ever is.

“I’m not sure.”