Chapter 72

His eyes were worried as he approached me, and more tears slipped down my face. I didn’t look at him. Candido sighed.

“I… understand you’re angry with me,” Candido said and grabbed a mitten. “But you came into the kitchen for a reason, right? You’re hungry? At least… let me feed you?”

I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want his help doing anything and that I didn’t need it. I wanted to throw words about fate and the future in his face, but my stomach growled with hunger, and I couldn’t trust myself with the task of eating.

I’d rather go back upstairs and curl up in bed with this guilt.

So, I nodded stiffly. If I left, I’d just be back in a few hours.

Candido wasted no time, pulling the brownies out of the oven and setting them aside. He crossed the kitchen to pull out food and warmed it up for me before setting it on the table.

He sat across the table from me as I lifted my silverware.

“Thanks.” I cut into the chicken on the plate and started to eat.

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, setting a glass of juice beside my plate.

He poured himself a glass of wine and remained there, watching me eat. It was a bit comforting to have something familiar right now, but the anger I still felt about the whole thing hadn’t subsided.

I couldn’t taste the food. I just felt it in my stomach, keeping it from rumbling.

“Could I…” Candido sighed. “Would you like me to hold you? I know it’s been a lot recently. I’m sure you’re not sleeping well. I could—”

“No.”

He shut his mouth as I finished.

Candido sighed again. “Hedy, I really am trying to do what is right. I promise.”

I took my plate to the sink and felt him come up behind me. I sidestepped his attempt to hug me. I wanted to turn into his arms, but I couldn’t. I heard his words at the back of my head and how serious he’d been about it, and I just couldn’t.

“Weren’t you the one who said that this was pointless?” I asked. “Chasing things you can’t have? How do you expect me to… move on if you do this?”

Candido dropped his gaze. “Are you saying I can’t even hug you anymore?”

“Are you saying that you should?” I asked. “Are you saying that you expect me to just… move on when nothing has changed? To just forget?”

My voice started to crack at the end. I’d been in his presence too long. I didn’t need to get emotional like this. I turned, cut a large brownie for myself, and poured a cup of milk.

“Thanks for the brownies.” I turned to leave and heard him following me.

“Hedy, I understand you’re upset, but never once have I not been honest with you. Never once have I not fulfilled that promise to you. I’m just trying to protect you.” Candido said. “I’ve seen what happens when people try to ignore the will of the Moon Goddess. It never ends well.”

I considered his words. He was older than me. Maybe he was right, but maybe I didn’t care, and I couldn’t make room in my mind to consider that I should listen to him.

“Then, protect me,” I said stiffly before turning back to him. “From a distance.”

“That’s…” Candido shook his head. “Couldn’t we just go back to the way we were?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you think it was ever anything different?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Did you think I just suddenly fell in love with you?” I asked. “Do you really think that all these years have meant nothing to me? You saved my life, Candido. This… isn’t just something that popped up out of nowhere.”

Candido’s jaw clenched but he dropped his gaze. I could see him warring with himself. I turned away. I couldn’t watch him struggle with this decision. It would just give me false hope and I couldn’t afford it.

“I can’t… go back to hiding it or even just pretending that it’s not there.” I said. “I can’t let you try and treat me the same as always because it’s never going to be what I want.”

“I understand that it’s hard,” he said. “But I… Hedy, I… I still want to be here for you. There’s been a lot. I know I have a lot of the blame in this situation, but I still have a responsibility to you.”

He came closer. I flinched at his touch but he didn’t withdraw his hand. He made me look up at him.

“At least for Claire’s funeral…” My eyes burned with tears as I thought about it. “Will you at least… let me be at your side? I get that we can’t… pick up as if nothing has happened. I have to change the way we interact, I understand, but I’m still your guardian… I’m still here for you. I still care about you.”

I met his gaze. The urge to throw myself into his arms was so strong my body trembled, I felt his presence so intensely, but I held back.

I had to. I couldn’t go back on my words, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to agree to just this small concession.

It would hurt, but I needed some form of comfort. I wouldn’t want anyone else at my side as I watched Claire be buried.

“Okay.”

His shoulders relaxed as he sighed and nodded.

“Get… some rest,” Candido said.

I turned away from him. “You too.”

The day of Claire’s funeral came faster than I imagined it would, but when I descended the stairs, Allen was in the foyer alone shouting at the police.

“What the hell do you mean she’s gone?” Allen yelled. “How the hell—You son of—”

“Allen,” Candido called, coming into the foyer. “Yelling won’t help.”

Allen turned sharply. His gaze fell on me. His eyes turned glossy and he hurried away. Colin looked between Candido and Allen before hurrying after his uncle.

“What’s going on?” Candido asked.

The officers looked down. “Our apologies, Your Majesty… we’ve been trying to figure out what might have happened. We asked the funeral home to work with us but…”

I came closer frowning at the two officers who looked nervous.

“Miss Claire’s body has gone missing.”

My eyes widened and immediately my mind jumped to Francium. Candido went still.

“For how long?”

“Since the day she was found,” he said. “She never… Her body never made it to the funeral home.”

“How the hell did you lose her body?” Candido growled. “What has been done about? Where have you looked? Are you certain—”

“What about Francium?” I asked.

Candido turned and looked at me. The officers looked at me nervously.

“What does Francium have to do with this?”

I swallowed. “Claire… and Francium were mates.”

His eyes widened and he turned back to the officers. “Where is Francium?”

“That’s… the other thing we came to speak about… the Alpha of the New Moon Pack had pronounced his son missing.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Detain him,” Candido said. “I want him on a video call within the hour. What have you heard from Red Moon?”

“Nothing,” one of them said. “They’ve been completely silent on the matter.”

I bet they were quiet for other reasons.

“Look into anything you can find out about Francium’s disappearance outside of his father’s knowledge.”

They nodded and left. Candido turned to me. He seemed hesitant before he lifted his chin and met my gaze.

“It would… mean a great deal to me to have you in on this call.”

My eyes widened. “Why?”

“You’re a contemporary of Francium’s,” he said evenly. “You might hear something that I don't.”

I nodded and followed Candido to his conference room. My heart lightened and fluttered. This was the first time he ever included me in pack business like this. I tried not to get my hopes up that he might be considering me more as a partner, but it was hard not to.

He pulled the chair out for me and ushered me into a seat as he pulled up his laptop.

Francium’s father appeared in the screen, scowling.

“Was sending the—”

“Your son is being implicated in the disappearance of one of my pack member’s bodies,” Candido said. “I don’t have time for niceties. Tell me everything you know about where Francium might be right now and when he went missing.”

He scowled. “If I’d known that, I wouldn’t have called the Interpack police. I simply got a call that he hadn’t returned to his dorm for the past few days.”

“What about his mother?”

The man froze, and I narrowed my eyes, leaning toward the screen. The guilt and fear were written all over his face.

Why would he be afraid?