Chapter 97

The next morning, everyone gathered in the drawing room. Kael had finally emerged from his room, fresh and dressed, but the exhaustion in his eyes told he hadn’t slept at all.
Glancing at Lucian and Jason, I could tell they, too, had not slept a wink.
Jason and Lucian busied themselves preparing breakfast, Rafe opened packs of blood to start his day, and I was instructing the workers to finish the leftover work in the side house as quickly as possible.
Still, being here together—with Eira included—felt infinitely better than being separated from my brothers in the side house.
Eira remained in her usual spot with her pets, the corner by the window that she had claimed as her own.
We had breakfast together, though Eira didn’t join us at the dining table. She preferred the floor, in her quiet corner, and I knew well enough if I told her no food unless she joins at the table, she would have chosen to starve herself.
I carried her meal to her, along with portions for her pets. Her pets. That’s right—I had promised them to her if she allowed me to mark her, and now they were hers completely.
In that small corner, the three of them ate together like a family, utterly indifferent to the rest of us in the house. Eira fed Vixen by hand once in a while while eating herself, a small, tender scene that made the rest of us pause briefly, even if only unconsciously.
Once the meal was finished, Kael settled onto the sofa and addressed us. “I will work from home. All meetings will be through video calls,” he said, turning to me. “You go to the office and handle some work in my absence.”
I nodded. Kael needed to remain close to Eira, and it had been a while since I had set foot in the office. One of us had to maintain a presence there to prevent any unrest among the employees.
Kael glanced at Lucian and Jason, who had already briefed him on yesterday’s events.
“We are going to continue our search for that bitch’s bastard mate and their child,” Lucian declared, his gaze brushing past Eira, who acted as if she heared nothing at all.
“I’m going with them as well,” Rafe announced, his tone sharp. “I’ve had enough of guarding the house—and the bitch—yesterday. I’m out.”
Kael hummed as Rafe was also an expert with the investigation.
From the look of it, even Kael was eager to get out and track them down, to find that bastard—her mate.
Looking at him, I could tell, all he had in mind was to kill her mate. Though calm and quiet, it wasn’t impossible to see through him sometimes.
Kael turned his gaze to me. “Before you head to the office, let’s go over the current progress of the project. As you were absent from the previous meetings.”
I hummed and settled onto the sofa as Kael connected the laptop to the TV screen, projecting the files onto the large display so we could review them comfortably.
The drawing room soon filled with the hum of discussion, our voices deep in business talk. Meanwhile, Rafe, Jason, and Lucian were getting ready to head out, checking their gear and weapons.
After a while, Kael said, “There’s a pendrive with some other important project files. Get it.” Google seaʀᴄh.net
I stood, retrieved the pendrive from the center table, and plugged it into the laptop.
Just as I settled back, we heard. “We’re leaving.”
Lucian’s said and we two turned to look at him to say goodbye.
“Jason,” Lucian gestured him to leave, and Rafe stepped out of the room as well. “Let’s go
But then, a sudden, desperate voice shattered the moment.
“Ah…please…don’t…please…don’t hurt me
The pained begging echoed through the drawing room, freezing us in place. Instinctively, all eyes darted to the TV screen.
My heart slammed to a halt.
It was young Eira, six years ago, trapped in a prison cell. Naked, shivering, huddled in the corner like a broken animal. Around her, the prison men loomed, faces twisted with cruelty.
“Hold her legs…bend her over the table…today, I’m going to take her from behind…so tight…better than I her pussy
No please stop please
Her cries were raw, piercing. They dragged her toward the rickety table bolted to the wall, hands forcing her to the surface, spreading her limbs, holding her down while laughter and vile orders rang around her.
You can use her mouth. If she bites, tear her teeth out. When I’m done, it’s your turn
All of you. Let’s fill all her holes at a time like last night…This whore is unbreakable, unlike the ones you must have fucked before
Her screams filled the cell, sharp and broken, echoing long after the men’s laughter died down. Every plea was met with a cruel smirk, every flinch with a shove.
All of us stood paralyzed, the room spinning. The horror of her suffering crushed any ability to breathe, to think, to move.
“Miao.”
The soft hiss of Vixen’s voice ripped us back from the nightmare and we turned in horror to look at the woman standing behind a few steps away.
Eira.
Her gaze was fixed on the TV screen as the cruel scene continued to play. There was no change in her expression, no flicker of emotion. Her eyes were cold and distant, as if she were not watching herself but a stranger she did not know.
Kael acted quickly, yanking the pendrive from his laptop to stop it from playing.
My throat dry, I opened my mouth to call out to her, but before I could, she glanced down at the cat in her arms, caressed it lightly, and walked away as if it was just a random movie she was watching and it was over now.
Wordlessly, we watched her leave, Fluffy trailing behind her. This time, she exited the house through the side door and settled on the lawn outside, her pets obediently at her side.
How could she remain so quiet? No reaction at all. Was she not hurt to see herself getting abused?
I glanced at the others, and they were mirrors of my own feelings, just as stunned, their gazes locked on Eira.
“Who put it here?” Kael finally demanded, his eyes narrowing at the pendrive in his hand. He gripped it so tightly his knuckles whitened, as if he could crush it with sheer force.
Lucian and Jason exchanged a look before turning to Rafe. “That day we handed it over to you,” they said.
“It was in my jacket,” Rafe admitted casually. “Before sending it for laundry, I just pulled it out and kept it here.”
“How careless can you be?” I said angrily, my blood boiling.
Rafe shrugged, utterly unconcerned and walked away towards the exit of the home as he said, “I have always been.”
This bastard!