One Night

Chapter 198

Audrey & Edwin

Audrey’s POV

Edwin’s scent was both comforting and tormenting a tossed and turned in bed that night. The sheets felt too tight, the blanket too heavy, the ceiling too low,

No matter how hard I tried to sleep, it was useless. I was exhausted, but it didn’t matter. My mind wouldn’t shut off-it just kept replaying the past few days on loop.

My mother in a hospital bed.

Edwin packing my bag.

My mate’s face disappearing in the rearview mirror.

As the hours ticked by, moonlight streaming through the window and casting long shadows across the room, a plan began to form in my mind. I couldn’t stay here, hidden away like some dirty secret.

If Edwin wouldn’t handle his father, then I would do it myself. Even if it meant Edwin breaking up with me for real, I would rather that than give up my autonomy.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed, my bare feet silent on the cold wooden floor. I began to pack a bag, stuffing clothes and essentials into it haphazardly. I dressed warmly, pulling on layers to combat the winter chill outside.

Finally, with one last look around the room, I took a deep breath before slipping out.

I stepped into the dark living room, my heart pounding in my chest. The cottage was silent, save for the soft ticking of a clock somewhere in the darkness. Good; Peter was asleep.

Or so I thought.

I had almost made it to the front door when suddenly, the light in the living room. flicked on with a soft click. I whirled around, my breath catching in my throat.

Peter sat in the armchair, legs crossed widely and eyebrows raised, looking unsurprised to see me. “Going somewhere?”

For a moment, my mouth opened and closed uselessly-there was no doubt in my mind that I looked like a child who had decided on a whim to run away from home.

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Chapter 198

But finally, I found my confidence. I pulled my shoulders back and thrust my chin out. “I’m going home.” I declared. “I’m not staying here.”

Peter sighed, passing a hand over his weary face. “It’s late, Audrey. And it’s freezing outside. You can’t just walk out into the night.

“I don’t care,” I said firmly, gripping the strap of my bag tighter. “I’ll do whatever I have to, but I’m not staying here any longer. I can’t just sit here for Goddess-knows how long and wait for my knight in shining armor to fix everything for me.”

Again, I wanted to say, as I recalled all of the times before that Edwin-and Peter, once

had come to my rescue.

Peter’s expression softened, understanding flickering in his eyes. He stood up slowly, as if not to startle me. “I get it, you know. That guilty feeling. I felt that way once, too.”

I frowned, confused by his words. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, running a hand through his hair. Then, quietly, he said, “When Edwin used to take beatings for me.”

“What?”

His face was grave as he murmured, “When we were kids, whenever I would mess up, Edwin would take the blame. And our father… he’d beat him for it. I told Edwin he didn’t have to take it, that I could take the blame for the things I’d done. But every time, without fail, he let himself take the fall.”

He clenched his jaw, looking away. “Every d**n time,” he repeated.

Suddenly, the memory I had seen over winter break of a belt being used against Edwin came flooding in as Peter opened his mind to me. I hadn’t seen the full memory-that Peter had felt guilty about the chessboard and wanted to confess, but Edwin had taken the blame to protect his little brother.

“No, Pete,” Edwin had said. “It’s okay. I don’t mind if he hits me.”

“But Eddie-

“Just go, Pete. It’ll be okay. Cover your ears and don’t come out until I tell you to.”

I was thrust back to the present, my bag now at my feet, knees trembling. That… That changed everything.

“But… why?” I whispered, feeling tears p**ck at the backs of my eyes.

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Peter shrugged, his eyes distant. “That’s just who Edwin is. He’s always been the protector, the shield, even when we were kids, He couldn’t stand to see any of us hurt, especially me or Eliza.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them. My shield..

Peter crossed the room in long strides, pulling me into a tight hug. I buried my face in his chest, too overwhelmed to even feel angry anymore.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “Edwin will come back for you, I promise. Everything will be okay. He always has a plan, even if it means letting himself feel pain for others’ sakes. And when it comes to you….” He swallowed hard. “He’ll figure it out.

For you.”

The thought was comforting, despite everything-knowing that Edwin would come through on his word. That he would find a way to make it all work, and we would be happy in the end.

But as I stood there in Peter’s arms, something shifted inside of me.

“No.” I murmured, pulling back. “No.”

I couldn’t stand for this anymore. I couldn’t let my mate always take the fall for everyone else. I couldn’t let him take the fall for me.

“We have to help him,” I said, looking up at Peter. “You and me. We have to.”

Peter looked down at me, confusion and surprise and finally what looked like a hint of admiration flickering through his eyes.

“What do

you have in mind?” he whispered.

Audrey’s POV

The night was silent as Charles and I pulled up to Claudia’s house. The house was completely dark and empty, not a single light on-so different from its usual cheerful lighting.

A chill ran down my spine as I stepped out of the car, the cold night air biting at my

skin.

“Are you sure about this, Alpha?” Charles asked as he joined me, his breath visible in the frigid air.

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I nodded, my jaw set. “I’m certain Fiona is behind this. We just need to find out how”

We made our way to the back door, using the spare key Claudia had given me years ago. The lock clicked open, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet night. The house was dark and still, our footsteps echoing in the empty rooms.

We started in the kitchen, the scene of the alleged crime. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to catch any trace of silver in the air. The scents of the house mingled together-Claudia’s perfume, Audrey’s faint scent, the lingering aroma of recent meals, and underneath it all, a faint metallic t**g that made my nose twitch.

“There,” I muttered, moving toward the cooking area. “It’s faint, but it’s there.”

Charles joined me, his nose wrinkling with disgust as he caught the scent. “You’re right. It’s strongest near the stove.”

We searched the kitchen first, eventually picking up a trail of that horrid silver scent. We then followed the trail, which led us upstairs and straight to Fiona’s room.

“Just as I suspected,” I growled.

The door creaked as we pushed it open. I tensed, half-expecting Fiona to appear, but the room remained dark and empty.

Search everything.” I ordered, my voice low. “There has to be something here.”

We tore through the room, careful to put everything back as we found it. I rifled. through drawers and checked under the mattress, while Charles examined the closet.

Just as I was beginning to think we had hit a dead end, Charles called out from the closet.

“Alpha, I think I’ve found something.”

I hurried over to find him kneeling by the back wall of the closet. He had pushed aside a pile of shoeboxes, revealing a small panel that blended almost seamlessly with the wall.

“Nice work, Charles,” I said, crouching beside him.

Charles carefully pried open the panel, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside were various items: some expensive jewelry, a credit card, a bundle of hundred-dollar bills. Valuables.

But then, as Charles shoved those things aside, there was one item left in the little cubby: a small bag filled with a fine, silvery powder. The scent hit me immediately, making my nose burn and my eyes water.

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My hand shook slightly as Charles carefully removed the bag and handed it to me. The silver caught the moonlight spilling in through the window, and I nearly retched at the scent-this was not like silver jewelry, which could be diluted with other metals and worn safely, like Audrey’s locket.

No, this was pure, undiluted silver. A single pinch of this stuff in a werewolf’s food could kill. The scent alone was enough to make me want to pass out.

I clenched it tightly in my fist, fury coursing through my veins as I looked at my Beta.

“Looks like we have our proof,” I growled.