The Pack's Daughter (Aysel and Magnus) novel Chapter 351

Chapter 351

Riley’s POV

Finished

“Thanks,” I said, my voice barely audible, husky from fatigue and something heavier I didn’t care to name.

I mimicked his motion, placing the cigarette between my lips, though I’d never smoked a day in my life. It wasn’t about nicotine. It was about pretending I wasn’t on the verge of falling apart.

The sound of a lighter broke the stillness. Then his hand appeared-lean, strong fingers and a flickering flame illuminating the shadows of the stairwell.

I hesitated, then leaned down, lighting the cigarette from his

The first drag hit my lungs like fire.

I coughed violently, doubling over, the taste of nicotine and ash clawing down my throat. I spat the smoke out quickly, blinking away tears.

He arched a brow. “You don’t smoke.”

I shook my head, trying to steady my breath. “Just figured I’d try it… seemed fitting.”

He didn’t reply. Just leaned back against the wall and stared into the silence like he belonged to it.

I sank down onto the stairs, the concrete cold beneath me. The cigarette trembled between my fingers as I forced myself to take another drag-shallower this time.

Didn’t help.

Didn’t ease the ache in my chest or the weight in my bones.

It was the kind of silence that didn’t need words. The kind that swallowed sound, leaving behind only questions no one wanted to answer.

He smoked in silence too. When he finished, he crushed the butt beneath his heel and rose.

Step by step, he ascended the stairs, boots echoing like a war drum.

And just before he reached the exit, he turned back.

He looked at me-really looked. At the hunched shoulders. The gaunt face. The spark at my fingertips that barely passed for fire anymore.

Then he walked away.

And I sat there for a long time.

Eventually, I stood. My body felt like stone. I just wanted to lie down. To not feel anything anymore.

But when I opened the door to my hospital room, any hope of rest was obliterated.

He was there.

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13:13 Mon, Dec 29

Chapter 351

Finished

Maddox.

Sitting by the window, sunlight casting a halo around him like some divine lie. His tailored clothes. His clean-cut face. That soft, familiar scent that used to bring comfort.

Now it made my stomach twist.

He stood the second he saw me. “Riley-”

I stepped aside, letting him reach out, and then brushed past his hand like it meant nothing.

His hand hovered in the air for a beat, then curled into a fist. “Where did you go?”

I climbed into the bed and turned my back to him.

He tried again. “Do you want fruit? I can peel you an apple.”

My laugh was humorless. “The honorable Judge Maddox is a busy man. If you’re here, it’s not to peel fruit. Just get to the point.”

That hit him. I didn’t care.

He sighed. “Did you push Scarlett down the stairs?”

Of course.

I should’ve known.

Not a word in five years. Not a visit during my sentencing. But now that Scarlett had a scratch on her porcelain skin, suddenly he had time for me.

I looked at him, voice cold. “Yes. I did it.”

He reeled slightly. “You’re not even going to deny it?”

“No. Why should I? You’re not here for the truth. You never were.” I gave him a flat, bitter smile. “So what’s next? Another sentence? Five years? Ten? Just tell me how long this time, and I’ll pack my bags.”

He stared at me, stunned silent. “Riley… you are my mate and I’d never want to hurt you.”

I nearly laughed.

But it wasn’t funny.

“You’ve already done worse,” I said softly. “You stood on the witness stand and let them cage me like a beast. You called me dangerous. You rejected me as your mate. And now you want to talk about what you would never do’?”

His jaw clenched. “I came to check on you.”

I turned my back. “I don’t need your concern.”

His voice cracked. “What do you want from me, Riley? You think I haven’t suffered too? I’ve been trying to

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13:13 Mon, Dec 29

Chapter 351

OG

Finished

reach you ever since you were released, but you won’t even look at me. What do you want me to do?!”

I finally looked at him, eyes like ice. “I want you to understand what it means to be falsely accused. To be betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect you.”

He froze.

I didn’t stop. “You talk about pain like you invented it. But I lived it, Maddox. Every minute of those five years. And you want me to move on? Let it go? Just because it’s convenient for you?”

His eyes were red. “Scarlett saved my life. She paid for my education. I owed her-”

“No.” My voice was steel. “You repaid that debt by sentencing the wrong person. Don’t tell me about honor. You weaponized the law to break me.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

I stood. “If you’re not here to put me back in chains, then get out. If you are-well, I’m not afraid of prison anymore.”

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he whispered.

“But you already have.”

He stepped forward. “Please, Riley-”

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