Alpha’s Rue: His Shunned Luna (Athena Enchanted) novel Chapter 363

KINGSTON

When almost everyone leaves the room, Aeliana breaks down, crying and trying to convince me she’s okay.

She is. I believed she was fine, I thought I handled everything with Brandon, and I thought I was being enough for her until I heard she was thinking about hurting herself.

“I’m not crazy,” Aeliana sobs, clinging to my shirt. “Why are they trying to lock me up?”

“Calm down, Siren. No one is against you, we’re all just trying to help you.”

“You believe them, don’t you?” Her eyes widen. “You think I’m crazy.”

I shake my head, wiping her tears away. “You’re not crazy.”

She blinks, her lip quivering. “So why should I be locked up?”

“You hurt yourself, Aeliana.” I swallow, the words making my stomach turn. There’s nothing I love more than Aeliana, and with all that she has been through, I want her to be okay. Her life is something that I can’t gamble with. “Baby, I can’t—”

“It was one time,” she swallows. “Just once, I promise I won’t do it again.”

“One time.” I echo, my eyes searching hers. A few minutes ago she had claimed not to have done it, but now it’s once? The possibilities of how badly she could have hurt herself make my head spin, I can’t take it. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her. “You know how much I love you, right?” I coo, petting her head.

She nods, blinking away her tears. “Yes.”

“I want what’s best for you.”

Her tears begin to fall more heavily now, “No.”

“I would never forgive myself if I came home one day, and you’d fallen apart because I wasn’t here, I can’t lose you, Aeliana.”

She gasps, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “Kingston no.”

“I’m sorry, Siren.” I suck in a breath, my gaze straying. I can’t look her in the eye anymore. “I have to protect you, even if it’s yourself that I’m protecting you from.”

“I don’t want to do this,” she sobs, falling into me. “I don’t...please don’t make me do this.”

“It’s just for a little while,” I swallow, the lie pushing the lump in my throat closer. “Just—” I trail off, not knowing what to say to her anymore. My eyes find Rowan, standing guard by the door. “Rowan, get—”

“Kingston please,” Aeliana cups my face, forcing me to see the tears in her eyes. Rowan moves, he doesn't wait for me to say anything more. He goes to fetch Doctor Eleanor and the other healers. “I’ll get better, I’ll get better with you. I don’t want to...” Her eyes widen when she senses people behind us. I can feel the panic in her touch, her hands tremble, her eyes softening in a way that makes me want to hide her away from the world, but it’s not just the world I need to protect her from, it's her.

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