Transgression (Ménage)✔

⊰97⊱

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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 18

Dad is too broken...

...he can't help. Everything has been slipping away and what I revealed just hammered the final nail into the coffin.

Where is his mind?

With the anger Dante holds now after everything was brought to light, he'd left Castle Valentine, telling dad and I he's returning to his pack territory. I'm actually...thankful? Though dad is bound to Dante and then being separated for well over a week now is only causing him more emotional pain.

It's not fair...

...he lost Marc, he lost me, he lost mom...and now he's being hurt by the bond Dante and he is bound by.

I've never seen my dad like this.

He's a broken chess master that has been reduced to nothing...

The council has all but forsaken their ties, wanting to protect their own instead of coming together to stop a force that appears can't be contained. We're scattered and without the strength of a union...Mercury, Ciarán, all of them are going to pick us off one by one.

Lailoken has tried very hard to get others to see reason as to coming together and presenting a united front...

...nothing though.

Everyone is scared.

People are dying.

...Grandpa Keir did send word to Etain about everything that is happening, while we wait to find out if she'll aid with the Mercy Matrons. I don't know if we can count on anyone at this point...

Everything feels hopeless.

Lailoken is speaking with Aohan and Rochelle in the council meeting chamber...Taron and Rian are also standing in with them. It's coming down to the wire of who will fight anymore, or if the world is content with letting Mercury and Ciarán steamroll over them while they all go back into hiding.

Dad sits in the office mom once used. The door is slightly ajar as I push it open, walking a few feet into it. He leans his elbows against the wooden desk, his hands holding the sides of his head as he shakes his head.

"Dad?" My voice is soft and he slowly lifts his gaze to meet with mine. His features continue to shatter my heart, feeling his pain as I once had with Ridge...

...but it's an entirely different level.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I...I..." dad is a broken record on repeat and it's not his fault. He had to choose to believe in his mates as I am with mine...though he should have used his better judgment, I feel like his mind isn't entirely his own...

...because his eyes avert for a moment before he murmurs, "-shroud...-soul..."

There are tears in my eyes, my voice wavering as I tell him, "I love you..." and I'm going to do whatever it takes to stop Mercury and Ciarán...

"...love-" dad's words are morphed, feeling a deep regret for the way I'd treated him because he's been through heartache similar to mine. He was never broken physically like I was, but I won't watch him continue to fall into this...darkness.

Lailoken...

...the darkness.

I understand what he wanted to do for me...

There are few options I see working and like I'd seen with the past memories of dad's parents. Whoever Tresor has spoken to, they'd made a deal and a debt was repaid.