Father Gianna enters the king's office with his friends and parents. Jackson is lying on the floor, his pain unabated, surrounded by empty bottles and hopeless to lose consciousness.
—My King, the pack needs you. The whole kingdom does. They are attacking several packs. Your people need you. —Says Gianna's father. It hit him hard too, this time gave him space to reflect and see that she wasn’t the problem. It was always him and his blindness to pain and loss.
Jackson starts throwing everything. His friends try to hold him back without success. His father tries to calm him, but it is his mother who succeeds.
Jackson remains silent for a long time. Then, he finally tells them what he discovered. He confesses everything he did to the young woman, recounting every word he heard and everything the waters showed him.
Father Gianna can't believe it. He has to sit down so as not to fall. He thinks and can't comprehend it until everything falls into place and he begins to realize it all. How introverted Gianna was, the constant sadness on her face, the bruises sometimes visible on her skin, her tears at night.
Mariano realized the hell his daughter went through just for being born. That was the only bad thing she did. Gianna's only sin was not dying instead of her mother. Mariano cried and denied, he was devastated. Now, he was the one who wanted to die.
Mariano felt the weight of the world on his head. He felt the truth hit him, guilt invaded him, and he even imagined his beloved Giannella looking at him with sadness and tears upon knowing what he had done. She gave her life for her little girl, and he dedicated himself to making the little baby pay for it.
—Gianna… my daughter… Baby, forgive me — her father pronounced, words addressed to no one because she was gone, and he was sure she was dead.
The king and queen looked at their son and began to tell him that they had warned him not to repay harm with vengeance and to give himself the chance to get to know her. Even though they didn't order him around, even if they tried, he would have done it anyway.
They also doubted her, but asked him not to, and yet they did. Everyone blamed each other, but the blame was on everyone. Jackson calmed down, cleared his head, and then went looking for Mariana. It took many men to contain the fury of Orestes and Jackson.
Mariana just cried, apologized, and justified herself by saying it was for love. He didn’t marry her, and it was for the best. Now, he was just dumping her in front of her family and friends, yelling at her about the trash she was. She finally yelled back that it wasn't her fault that he was a gullible idiot and that he discriminated based on rank.
He loathed her, but he made the mistake of sleeping with her without protection, and that had consequences. If the woman was pregnant by him, the woman who caused him so much pain was carrying his heir, and he was obliged to marry her. He wasn’t just anyone, he was a king, and it was his duty.
The wedding was as simple as possible and almost behind closed doors. There was no big ceremony, just a brief moment with the pack, and that was it. Their marriage is a living hell. He took her to the witch who told him the truth, and the pup was his, there was no doubt. This bound him to her at least until the child was born into the marriage and not judged a bastard.
Every day Jackson went to the cliff, and that moment replayed again and again. The ring he wore was the one he chose with Gianna. He also wore the slave bracelet with the declaration of love that reminded him of what an idiot he was. His wolf was unwell; the pain and loss had him at a disadvantage, which is why the pack was in such bad shape.
It took Orestes months to regain control, although the attacks continued, and Jackson was not the same as before. Losing Gianna cost him part of his soul; he was empty. She was his everything, and he hurt her to the point of killing her.
The kingdom was threatened by that clan of different creatures united; soon, it would be their turn, and there were rumors that there were more of them every time.
Gianna's grandparents were empty shells. Not even their youngest grandson eased the pain of losing their little girl. The guilt, the what-ifs, and the thought of what they didn't do was their daily torture. They could have done so many things, like leave with her, and they didn't have the courage. Now, all they had left was regret.
Before Gianna's mother went into labor, she entrusted her to them, and they failed her. Their little light was gone. They allowed her to pay. That little torch of pure energy and joy was no more. Every time they saw a dragon, they remembered her and how much those creatures fascinated her. Gianna's grandparents comforted themselves by thinking that the dragon they saw flying by carried her spirit and that she is now soaring happily in the heavens.
The kingdom was a disaster, and worse were the lives of those who hurt Gianna. Gianna's younger brother missed her very much, as did her grandparents.
He was disappointed in his mother and sister. Father Gianna separated from Lucrecia. He couldn’t continue with her after finding out everything.
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