The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter Chapter 136: I’m Sorry

Griffin~

Three days ago, I woke up gasping like I’d just clawed my way out of hell—because maybe I had.

My first blurry sight was a ceiling that shimred faintly, like moonlight filtering through water. My lungs burned, my throat scraped dry, and every part of felt heavy. I blinked hard, trying to focus, and then I saw her.

Natalie.

She stood over like so goddess descending from the stars—beautiful, radiant, with her hair glowing gold under the strange light. But there was also sothing hard in her eyes. Like she’d already made a hundred impossible choices and wasn’t ready to trust just yet.

Behind her stood a tall guy with fiery red hair—Fox, I’d later found out was his na. His eyes glead like molten gold, and the heat rolling off him made the air shimr. Next to him was Jacob. Mist. The damn Wolf Spirit himself, smirking like he knew sothing the rest of us didn’t.

I was lying in so kind of glass coffin, and all I could think was: Did I die?

And then Natalie said it.

"You were killed by Kalmia. A demon."

I thought she was joking. Maybe I hoped she was. But the seriousness in her tone, the way Fox averted his eyes and Jacob folded his arms across his chest—it all slamd into like a fast train.

I died.

I died!

I rembered arguing with Cassandra. Screaming at her for sabotaging everything I’d worked for. I rembered throwing her reckless actions in her face. I even rembered saying sothing stupid about her demon patron. Then...the next thing I knew, I was in pain. So much pain. Burning. Freezing. Choking.

And darkness.

The next thing I knew, Jacob was telling that Natalie kissed and brought back to life.

That fact alone... I still haven’t processed it.

She kissed .

Not because she loved , but because it was the only way to keep the darkness from swallowing whole. Because so scary god had tethered itself to my heart, and the only thing keeping alive... was her.

Yeah. That’ll ss with your head.

Now—three days later—I stood in the center of the moonlit courtyard behind the mansion-like place Natalie called ho. The night air was cool. The sky shimred with breathtaking constellations. I could hear owls, the rustle of trees, the gentle hum of nature... and her voice.

"You know, you could stop staring at like I’m a ticking ti bomb," Natalie said, her voice sarcastic as she plopped down on a bench near the moon pool.

I blinked. "I’m not staring."

She looked at with a single-arched brow. "Griffin, you’ve been trailing all day like a lost puppy. If you wag your tail one more ti, I might toss you a bone."

I winced. "Okay, that’s fair. But... can you bla ?"

Natalie let out a slow breath and leaned back, her legs crossed, arms resting casually on the bench behind her. "You almost beca a walking shadow puppet for a god that wants to end the world. I’d say a little tail-wagging’s justified."

"You’re really not that quiet, scared girl I rember," I said quietly.

She turned her head toward , the moonlight catching her eyes. "That girl died a long ti ago. This Natalie... she’s just learning how to live."

I sat beside her, the stone bench cool beneath . "You brought back. You didn’t have to. After everything I did... everything I said."

There was a pause. She didn’t look at when she answered. "You were a jerk. You humiliated . But you didn’t deserve to die."

"Still..." I trailed off, not sure what words could ever be enough. "Thank you."

Natalie finally turned her head toward , her eyes softer now. "You’re welco. But don’t get any ideas. This isn’t a fairy tale."

I nodded. "No fairy godmothers, no glass slippers. Got it."

"Actually," she grinned, "there was a glass coffin involved."

I couldn’t help it—I actually laughed. Not the forced kind you give when soone tells a bad joke and you’re trying to be polite. No, this one was real. Deep. The kind that tugged sothing loose in my chest.

Natalie’s grin widened, just a little. Barely there, but enough to knock the wind out of . For a mont, it felt like ti rewound, like I was back in that old dining hall again—Shocked, confused, and lastly, angry.

I should’ve accepted her then. Goddess, I should’ve done so many things differently.

"I’m sorry, Natalie," I said quietly, eyes locked on her face.

She didn’t look at . "You’ve already said that."

"I know," I replied, shaking my head. "But I really an it. Every word. I was a damn fool for rejecting you. I let pride and fear get in the way of the best thing that ever happened to ."

I rubbed the back of my neck and exhaled. "And after that? I tried everything—literally everything—to get close to you again. To fix what I broke. Even made a deal with Cassandra."

That caught her attention. Her gaze lifted slowly, darkening with every heartbeat.

"I just wanted a way in," I explained quickly. "Just long enough to say I was sorry. But... yeah. Nothing went as planned. At all."

Natalie crossed her arms, jaw tight. "Instead, you got yourself killed and dragged into so celestial death match with a crazy demon and the god of darkness. Great job, Roo."

"Yeah. Not exactly how I saw it going in my head."

She snorted under her breath. "You think?"

I shrugged, laughing at myself. "In my defense, there were a lot of moving parts."

"And only two brain cells."

Before I could fire back, a familiar voice slithered into the air like smoke. "You’ve always been stupid, Griffin. You couldn’t outsmart a drawer handle, even if you tried."

I groaned. "Jacob," I muttered, not bothering to turn around. "Do you have to materialize out of nowhere every ti I talk to her? You’ve been doing that ever since I got here."

He strolled up, arms casually folded, that trademark grin plastered across his annoyingly perfect face. "Yes. It’s a tradition at this point. Besides, soone has to supervise you."

"I’m not a toddler."

"Debatable," he said, flicking an invisible speck from his shoulder.

Natalie bit back a grin, the corner of her mouth twitching. "He’s been watching you like a hawk, you know."

"Not just ," Jacob added with a wink. "Tiger’s been tailing you like a bodyguard with trust issues. Fox saw you trip over a root earlier—and said it was the highlight of his morning. And Bubble? He almost gave you a surprise glitter makeover in your sleep."

I blinked. "Wait. What?"

Jacob’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "He said your aura needed ’a little zhuzh.’ Whatever that ans. So, don’t go getting any stupid ideas while you’re here."

I narrowed my eyes. "I hate this place."

Jacob clapped on the shoulder. "You’ll live. Probably."

Then he glanced over at Natalie and his expression shifted, ever so slightly. "Now, if you don’t mind, I have sothing urgent I need to discuss with my sister."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do I get a say in this?"

"Nope," they both replied in unison.

"Perfect," I muttered, forcing a smile. "Well then, I’ll be inside, Natalie."

She nodded once, the warmth in her eyes softening the blow of being so obviously dismissed.

As I turned and made my way toward the house, the cool breeze brushed against my skin, and I couldn’t help but glance back—just once—to see her and Jacob already deep in conversation.

Let them talk. I had people I needed to talk to too.

I stepped inside the house—Cole Lucky’s ridiculous, marble-floored, too-fancy-for-its-own-good mansion—and found a quiet spot near the massive window that overlooked the courtyard.

I closed my eyes, opened the mind link, and searched.

"Father? Grandfather? You there?"

There was a pause. Then, two distinct presences clicked into place in my mind.

"Griffin?" my father’s voice barked, equal parts surprise and fury. "Where the hell have you been?"