Chapter 258

Grace

I needed the nap, probably more than Cecil did. We got dressed and headed downstairs to the main hall and I could not believe how much it had been changed from earlier. It looked like a formal ballroom now, but no one was wearing anything fancy except for Charles.

I was thankful. I settled Cecil at a table with her friends and went to the buffet table to fill our plates. Then, I felt him come up behind me. I turned and looked at Devin. His eyes were a bit bloodshot. He looked pale and a little tired, but that arrogance and entitlement was still just as strong.

"Grace," he began, his voice a low murmur, "we need to talk."

The audacity of this man after everything that had transpired sent a surge of anger coursing through me.

"You mean you should talk to Amy about seeing your newborns," I said. "You've said everything you've had to say to me."

"Don't do this," he pleaded, his eyes flickering towards Cecil, who was now engrossed in a conversation with her new friends. "Think about the children. They need their father. Who's going to teach Richard to be a man other than me?"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "I wouldn't trust you to teach Richard anything." I set my jaw. "And they have a father--Charles." He sneered. "He will actually be there for them, unlike you."

His expression hardened. "They need their real father," he insisted, his voice tinged with a dangerous edge.

"And what about your children with Amy, Devin?" I shot back, unable to resist the dig. "Two helpless newborns who actually need you right now. Here you are, worrying about regaining control of children you abandoned ages ago? An ex-wife you cheated on for years? Amy and the twins need you. Richard and Cecil are well taken care of."

He flinched at the mention of his children, but he didn't look ashamed. he looked desperate.

"Well taken care of," he scoffed. "By the man who raised me, hm? Couldn't keep a hold of me so you go after my father?"

"Charles has been nothing but caring and supportive," I hissed. "When you and your greed would have had us out on the streets."

"Don't blame me for not being fit to be alpha," Devin said. "And don't get comfortable with dear old Dad because he already has a mate and he's never going to leave her."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How long are you going to continue to waste my time?"

He gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching in frustration. "This isn't over, Grace," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "When you die…" He cut himself off, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "And it'll be soon, won't it? All that gray? You'll be kicking the bucket in a year tops from all the stress…" my stomach jolted with fear. "It ages you something fierce. Don't you forget, the moment you're gone, the children become my responsibility, and if dear old Dad is going to get so attached to them, he'll have to pay the price... not to mention what they stand to inherit from you."

My breath hitched and he leaned close. "After all, that fag of a brother of yours isn't exactly next in line, now is he?"

I glared at him. To have him weaponize my ticking clock when he was part of the reason I'd come to be this way filled me with a cold fury.

"You should be worried about your own mortality, Devin," I retorted, my voice regaining its strength. "Not mine. You have two helpless newborns to provide for, no reputation to salvage, and the rest of your trial to face. I hear the clans employ the death penalty."

"You're delusional if you think your pussy is good enough to make my dad kill me."

"Oh, I don't need or want you dead," I said. "I want you to suffer. I want you to work every day for the rest of your life and die in debt, and I want to watch." He glared at me, the anger in his eyes a potent cocktail of frustration and fear. "I want you to see the twins grow up and hate you if they know who you are, to see Cecil and Richard forget you ever existed."

Before he could retort, a high-pitched squeal pierced the air. Cecil had launched herself from her seat and came running towards us, her arms outstretched.

"Daddy! Daddy!" she shrieked, oblivious to the tension that hung heavy between us.

Devin sneered and tried to draw away, but Cecil threw her arms around his legs. His eyes darted back to me, and he smirked.

"I missed you, Daddy. When are you coming home?"

He grinned. "Depends, Cecil... On your mother."

I glared at him. The son of a bitch.

"What do you mean?" He kneeled down.

"Your mother doesn't want me to come home. Don't you think that's mean?"

"... is it because you're not as nice to her as Uncle Charles?"

My lips twitched. The bitter taste in my mouth vanished as I caught Charles' eye across the room.

He cocked an eyebrow and I shook my head.

"No, it's just that your mother doesn't want me around."

"Mommy will forgive you if you apologize." She looked at me. "Right, Mommy?"

My lips twitched. "I'd certainly consider it."

I finished filling the plates and offered her my hand. "You'll come to sit with us, won't you, Daddy? Amy and her babies are sitting with us!"

"I'll see," Devin said.

No. He meant no, and I didn't look back as I led her back to the table. I got her settled, and Devin never came over.

Soon, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the castle grounds through the windows as the birthday festivities started to wind down to something like a ball. Laughter and music filled the air, a stark contrast to the cold dread that coiled in the pit of my stomach.

Devin had left me shaken. His audacity, his veiled threats, was a sickening reminder of the monster I had once been married to, but it wasn't as if he was wrong.

Devin could just as soon take the kids and hold them hostage if I died and no one was around. I shook my head, trying to clear my head. Then, a commotion erupted near the doors. It was sort of out of sight, but hard to miss since I was near the door.

Guards were restraining Devin, a look of fury contorted on his face. He strained against an invisible barrier, clawing at the air with a desperation that sent chills down my spine. The guards looked bored.

"Thatboy..." Charles materialized beside me, his brow furrowed in anger. "Give him an opportunity to do right and he refuses."

"Seems Devin decided to try and take a walk," I drawled. "Idiot."

"Unfortunately for him, the castle grounds are warded. Nasty surprise, isn't it?"

I chuckled. "It's perfect."

Charles motioned toward the guards. They grabbed Devin and marched him toward us. Devin was flushed and angry looking. Cecil hadn't seemed to notice at all, which was good since the dancefloor was about to answer.

Moments later, a thoroughly disheveled Devin was deposited before us. His face was flushed with exertion and frustration, his eyes burning with a mixture of hatred and fear.

"It's time to open the dancefloor, son," Charles said kindly and started to fix his clothing. "... you try that again and I'll compel you."

He went pale at the soft threat. Charles turned and called out to Cecil.

"You want to open the dance floor with your dad?"

Cecil skipped towards him, a wide grin plastered on her face. She grabbed Devin's hand.

"Come on! Come on, Daddy! Dance with me!" she chirped, tugging him towards the dance floor.

Devin's face contorted in a grimace, his entire posture radiating discomfort. He looked like a cornered animal and the bastard deserved it. Cecil would probably step on his feet a billion times. I wished she was a little bigger so it would hurt. As the music swelled, Charles placed a hand on my shoulder, his gaze meeting mine.

"This is for Cecil," he murmured, his voice low and apologetic. "Every other dance is mine when she no longer wants him there."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

I didn't like it, but Cecil deserved a semblance of normalcy on her birthday. And for a fleeting moment, Devin played the part of the doting father, his movements were stiff and awkward as he spun Cecil around the dance floor. She looked happy, and that was all I could ask for.

I didn't know if Cecil would ever look back, remember this and see it for what it really was, and I hoped not.

Watching them, a wave of relief washed over me. The burden of Devin, the constant fear of his manipulations, was finally lifting.