Chapter 87: Stand in society

Andrew’s jaw tightened, and his eyes shifted to a deep red the moment he heard Ilias’s voice.

He had warned his brother to stay away from Caroline, yet Ilias had ignored his warning and appeared in the hall anyway.

"You have every right to blame me," Caroline said, clasping her hands together nervously. She kept her head lowered, unable to bring herself to meet Emmett’s eyes. "I will do everything I can to get you justice. I swear... I won’t be at peace until I uncover the truth and bring the real culprit to justice."

"I don’t blame you," Emmett replied.

His answer left everyone in the hall stunned.

Caroline slowly lifted her head and looked at him, uncertain whether she had heard him correctly.

She had prepared herself for his anger and was ready to accept his hatred, believing she deserved it for involving him in her affairs. His unexpected response left her unable to speak for a moment.

"None of us knew this would happen," Emmett continued, his voice heavy with grief. "And I failed to save my family. Perhaps this is how I was meant to be punished."

"Don’t say that," Caroline said immediately, stepping toward him. She couldn’t bear to hear him blame himself when he had already lost so much.

"Then whom do you blame?" Andrew asked, his suspicion evident.

"It’s clear from the looks everyone gives me that they expect me to blame Caroline," Emmett said. "But I believe this was meant to happen, no matter how much I wish it hadn’t. And what good would come from blaming one another? It won’t bring my father and sister back." He paused, his eyes reddening as he struggled to contain his grief. "All I want is for the real culprit to be punished. A life for a life."

"I promise you that will happen," Andrew assured him. "Whoever is responsible will pay for what they’ve done. Their punishment will be so severe that generations to come will remember it."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will await justice," Emmett said, bowing his head slightly.

"Please get some rest in the guest room. Edmund will show you the way," Andrew instructed, turning toward the house butler.

"Thank you," Emmett replied.

Before leaving, he glanced at Caroline and noticed her wiping away her tears. Despite everything he had endured, he still seemed concerned about the guilt she was carrying.

"It wasn’t your fault, Caroline, so please don’t cry," he told her gently.

Caroline looked at him, her lips trembling as she struggled to hold back tears. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

Emmett offered her a faint nod before bowing to Andrew and following Warren out of the hall.

"He has a big heart," Ilias remarked, watching the direction Emmett had gone.

Andrew shot his brother a cold glare before turning his attention back to Caroline. "He doesn’t blame you, so you need to stop blaming yourself and get some rest."

"Hmm," Caroline murmured, though she seemed more occupied with her thoughts than with his words.

"Go upstairs and rest," Andrew instructed.

"I don’t want to." She shook her head, her expression growing serious. "We need to check the vehicle that might have followed Emmett that day.

Jeremy, please help me with that. We also need to find out how many people travelled on the same flight as Emmett that day."

"I’ll look into it," Jeremy replied without hesitation. He took out his phone and left the hall to begin making the necessary inquiries.

Andrew watched him leave before turning back to his wife. "It will take time to gather all that information. Until then, you’re going to rest. Don’t push yourself too hard, Caroline. The doctor specifically told you to avoid stress, and you haven’t exactly been following that advice."

His tone was firm, but the concern in his eyes made it clear that he was worried about her health.

When Caroline didn’t budge from her place, he scooped her in his arms, startling her. Her eyes fixed on his cheek as he carried her upstairs to the room.

Lowering her onto the bed, he rested one knee on the rug while the other stayed in the air.

"You need to get some sleep," Andrew told her. "A rested mind will help you think more clearly."

He held both her hands in his and gently traced circles over the backs of her palms, trying to soothe her. He could feel how tense she was, and he wanted her to stop tormenting herself with thoughts she couldn’t resolve at that moment.

"I won’t be able to fall asleep. There’s too much going through my mind," Caroline admitted. "I can’t rest unless—"

She stopped abruptly when Andrew pressed a finger gently against her lips.

"Now, you need to be quiet," he said, looking into her eyes. "Will worrying yourself sick solve any of your problems?"

"No," Caroline answered quietly.

"Exactly. That’s why you’re going to sleep." Andrew helped her lie down and pulled the duvet over her. He sat beside her, gently stroking her hair as he tried to ease the tension in her body.

"Andrew, have you forgiven me for what I said this morning?" Caroline asked anxiously. "I swear I never meant to hurt you."

Andrew continued caressing her hair before answering. "You weren’t entirely wrong, Caroline. If I hadn’t heard your voice that night, I wouldn’t have known you were there, and I might never have come to save you. So, yes, it was the fated bond that brought us together."

He paused, looking down at her.

"But you misunderstood me when you thought I also treat the other wolves like other alphas. I believe every wolf has potential, regardless of their rank or status. I don’t judge someone by where they stand in society, and I don’t believe their rank determines their worth."

His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"I understand that you don’t know much about me yet," he continued. "You’ve seen how I deal with my enemies and how I react when someone threatens the people I care about. But there’s more to me than that, and you’ll understand it with time."