Chapter 0258

“You deceitful creature!”

“So this was your game? Lure me into your pathetic little group?”

“Get lost, you filthy Lycan.”

“That’s what confuses me.” Brianna grips the bars, staring him down. “You were involved with a Lycan too. Sophia was a Lycan. Your actual fated mate. Did you call her filthy? If I recall correctly, she was turned, just like me!”

He remains silent.

“Exactly!” Brianna mutters. “Athena’s double convinced you we’re tainted because we’re not purebloods.”

“Shut your mouth, you impure wretch!” Julian snarls.

His bones begin to crack.

We watch him transform into his Wolf.

He paces the cramped cell, inching closer to the bars. Brianna pulls her hands away just as he swipes at them.

She laughs, mirroring his pacing.

She moves back and forth outside his cell, matching his rhythm perfectly.

It infuriates my brother. He always hated being mimicked. Some things never change.

“She’s poisoned your mind, Julian.” I say from the chair. “She made promises she can’t keep. Women like her only care about themselves.”

I was running out of options. This wasn’t going as planned.

‘He’s destroying Aspen.’ Midnight whispers, her voice filled with pain. ‘He’s forcing the shift to crush Aspen’s will.’

‘What? Is that even possible?’

‘It’s his last connection to us. If Aspen breaks, it’s over.’

“Julian, please explain why?” I try to hide my sorrow, but my expression betrays me. I feel like I’m losing him all over again.

The Wolf paces relentlessly.

Every few seconds, he slams against the bars, hoping they’ll give way.

He shifts back to human form, tying his shirt around his waist. His ribs are visible. His collarbone protrudes sharply. His skin looks stretched too tight. I’m certain his spine would be clearly visible if he turned. He’s painfully thin. Even Brianna steps back, realizing how ill he appears.

The tailored suit had hidden it well.

“Is she starving you?” I ask, shocked. Julian always had a huge appetite, just like me.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I love her. You’ll all pay for holding me captive.”

Brianna turns to me. Her brows furrow. “I think she’s been holding him hostage.”

“That can’t be. He marked her.”

“Maybe that’s when things changed.” She signals for us to leave the dungeon.

“The first night I went there, he was outside the house. He questioned why I was there. Claimed Seraphina wasn’t home, but her car was there. The other night, he was watching from a window. She had to call him to help with me because he wouldn’t come out. Even then, he seemed unsure what to do.”

She frowns. “For someone who leads wars, he sure struggled to restrain me.” Her mind works faster than mine, piecing things together.

“What?”

“Isabella, humans lose their minds for various reasons. Trust me, I’ve seen it with my father and everyone he encountered. Rogues do the same.”

“He’s not a Rogue!” I mutter.

“Not him. Her. She called him degrading names, and he obeyed her every command.”

“That doesn’t sound like him.”

“You saw what I saw. He hasn’t eaten properly in weeks. When she arrived here, Julian was in the car. Honestly, he looked terrified. He didn’t want to be here.”

“That doesn’t explain why he’s being so hostile now.” I mutter.

“Doesn’t it? What if he knows she’s listening?” She shakes her head. “There was a moment before… before my mate arrived, where I thought Julian might let me go. He removed the knives she used to pin me to the chair. He sent her away to shower.”

“Slow torture. We’ve seen Athena do it.”

“He didn’t hurt me again, Isabella. He’s called me many names, but ‘filthy’ is new.”

“He’s angry. He can be cruel when he’s angry. As his sister, I apologize.”

She dismisses my apology. “I think he might be trapped and in way over his head.”