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A tear fell down Lilliana’s cheek, and she reached out for Cade. “It is me.”

Another growl left Davix’s mouth, and he shoved Cade away from his sister. “Where the fuck is he? Don’t bullshit me.”

“Pavel just left,” I said from the stairs.

Everyone turned toward me, even Cade.

My entire body ached by just me looking in Davix’s direction, but I … I wanted to be close to him. I wanted him to love me, to choose me, to take back that rejection. I knew that he wouldn’t, that he couldn’t, but a dying girl could wish, couldn’t she?

“Where did he go?” Davix asked, looking from me to Cade. He snatched Cade by the neck again, and it was the first time I had ever seen Cade look scared, terrified, of Davix. “Where the fuck did he go?!”

“I don’t know!” Cade shouted back, attempting to shove him away again.

But Davix’s claws were sinking into Cade’s neck. “You fucking bitch, where is he?!”

“Stop!” I screamed, throwing my arms up. “Can you both please fucking stop?!”

“You’re going to want to hear what⁠—”

“No!” I shouted. “I don’t want to hear anything that you have to say! You broke my fucking heart, and you think you can march into my house and demand to speak to me, demand for my brother?! You’re fucking crazy, Davix. Crazy!”

“Ember …” he said softly, and for a moment, I wanted to let him speak.

But I refused. I wasn’t going to let that alphahole ruin any more of my life.

My life had gotten so much worse when I met him.

“This is my life! I can do whatever the fuck I want to do. You don’t own me. You don’t want me. You don’t care about me. So, I stop it! Stop being alphas and listen to me. I’m dying. I’m fucking dying, and all you can do is fight with each other. I’m sick of it.”

“Your brother—” Davix started again.

“I don’t want to hear it!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Tears spilled down my cheeks. I gripped the railing as hard as I could, feeling a disgusting warmth grow in the pit of my stomach. I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to hear it.”

When I went to turn around, to return to my room, Davix released Cade and stepped toward the stairs. “Why didn’t you tell me that you have been sick all this time?” he asked, the anger suddenly gone from his voice and replaced with pain.

I paused and slowly looked over my shoulder at Hazel, then at Cade. They were the only two people who knew how long I had been sick. Was that why he had come back? No, that couldn’t be. Or else … what would he want Pavel for?

“I don’t have to tell you anything, Davix. We’re not mates.”

If I wasn’t crying myself, I would’ve sworn that I had seen tears in his eyes, but that was my stupid brain playing stupid tricks on me. Davix didn’t care about me, and he never did. He had rejected me, and I … I had to accept that.

“How could you hide this from me?” he asked. “I fucking love you, and you⁠—”

“You what?” I asked, my pain replaced with anger. “You what?! Don’t throw that around like it means something to you when we both know it doesn’t. Do you remember the vile shit you said to me just a couple of hours ago? You don’t give a fuck about me, Davix. You never did, and you never will.”

Before he could guilt-trip me into forgiving him, I stormed up the stairs, followed Daisy into the bedroom, scooped up a limping Pumpkin in my arms, then slammed the door shut again. I locked it and shoved my dresser in front of it.

Davix was never supposed to find out about me being sick. The last thing I had wanted was for him to treat me differently, except … that was exactly what he was doing. He was trying to take it all back, but he didn’t get to.

He had said what he said, and he’d meant it.

I didn’t care what was on his mind now. I didn’t care why the fuck he was here.

All I wanted was to live my last few weeks in peace.

Chapter Seventy-Four

Cade