Chapter 243
Chapter 244
+25 Points
Helen had returned from the pack house earlier, only to meet Brad waiting for her. He had complained about how she kept him waiting, and she had apologized.
She didn’t really care about his feelings at this point, but she needed him to believe she was still foolish enough to trust him, so she had led him into the house, and they had a good
time.
Helen’s thoughts kept spiralling. Comfort could be deceptive…
She lay against the pillows, her robe loosely draped around her, appearing relaxed. Brad was beside her, propped on one elbow, his presence familiar enough to seem harmless. But she still couldn’t fully relax around him like before. Everything felt off.
That was what unsettled her.
She had learned long ago that the most dangerous things were never loud.
“Brad,” Helen said quietly.
He hummed in response, fingers absently tracing the edge of the sheet. “You sound like you’re about to start a serious conversation. I hope you’re not.”
“I am, ” she said.
He turned fully toward her now, wearing that easy expression she had once found reassuring. “What’s on your mind? Talk to me.”
Helen didn’t answer immediately. She let the silence linger, watching him the watched everyone when she needed the truth more than comfort.
“The attack, ” she said at last.
way she
His body stiffened–just slightly. If she hadn’t been looking for it, she might have missed it. Or maybe she was overthinking everything now that she saw him differently.
“I already told you, ” Brad replied calmly. “I don’t know anything about it. That I’m a Shadow Fang doesn’t make me a criminal. You know that, right?”
“I know what you said,” Helen replied. “I’m asking again, because I just need to be satisfied with your response.”
That earned her a small sigh. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as though mildly inconvenienced. “Helen, why would I lie to you? Do you really not trust me at all? What
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(Charter 244
reason do I have to lie abonn this?”
She shifted closer, resting her arm against his chese “People le when the truth costs them something.”
He turned his head to look at her then. “You think I had something to gain from theo
“I think,” Helen said carefully, “that whoever orchestrated it knew far too much
Brad frowned, as if genuinely confused. “You mean criminals knowing where you live? That happens all the time, Helen.”
“Not like that,” she replied. “They weren’t guessing. They were certain”
He shrugged lightly. “You’re under a lot of stress. Anyone would start connecting dots that aren’t there.”
Helen smiled faintly. “Stress sharpens me. It doesn’t dull me at all.”
Brad studied her for a moment, then shifted tactics, his voice softening. “I hate seeing you like this–suspicious of everyone. It can’t be healthy. That’s the problem with you Blood Crescents… always looking for threats where there’s none.”
The concern sounded real.
That was another problem.
She lifted her gaze to him. “Did you notice anything unusual before that day?”
“No,” he answered smoothly. “Nothing out of the ordinary. If I heard anything that would endanger you and your family, I would have told you.”
Helen watched his face as he spoke. No hesitation, no stumble.
Too clean… She wanted to believe him.
Then, casually, as though the thought had just occurred to him, Brad asked, “Where were you last night, by the way? ”
The question slid into the conversation like a blade hidden in silk.
Helen didn’t flinch.
“A friend’s birthday,” she replied evenly. “I stayed over. It got late. I texted you, remember?”
He glanced away briefly, processing. Measuring. “Right, I remember you texted me.”
He laughed a little. “I must have skimmed it.”
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