Chapter 84: Pursuit of revenge

Caroline gripped the edge of his sleeve, reluctant to let Andrew disrespect his elder brother on her behalf. However, before she could say anything, Ilias spoke again.

"Your wife has brought another problem into our lives," he said, straightening his clothes. "I was merely trying to make her understand the consequences of her actions."

"Who gave you the right to do that?" Andrew shot back. "Caroline is far more sensible than you give her credit for. If you aren’t willing to help her, then stay out of her affairs instead of making her feel worse."

Andrew pointed toward the door, his expression hardening.

"Now, leave my house. Don’t come here again until I ask you to."

Caroline tugged at his sleeve more firmly when he turned his head toward her. She didn’t want the disagreement between the brothers to escalate further, especially when Ilias was still a member of Andrew’s family.

"Don’t defend him," Andrew told her, his voice softening slightly as he met her gaze. "All my siblings are alike. They enjoy looking down on us and questioning the people I choose to stand beside."

Ilias watched Caroline, then shifted his attention to Andrew.

"Did I really do that, Caroline?" he asked, leaving the question for her to answer. His tone suggested that he wanted her to judge whether his words and actions had crossed a line.

"You won’t answer him," Andrew said. "I know whatever you will answer, he will find a flaw in that."

Ilias pushed the official scroll into Andrew’s hands and walked out of the living room.

"Why did you teleport? And you can’t fight with them because of me," Caroline replied. "Also, did you forgive me? I didn’t mean to hurt you."

"I am still upset," Andrew stated. "But that is not of prime concern at this moment. Jeremy, is Emmett here?"

He turned around to look at his gamma.

"Emmett is on his way here, Your Highness," Jeremy replied. "I’ll wait outside for him."

Now that everyone else had left, Andrew and Caroline were alone. He turned toward her again, noticing the guilt that still lingered in her expression.

"It wasn’t your fault," he assured her. "I know what you’re thinking. You believe that if you hadn’t asked Emmett to stand as your witness, his family would still be safe."

His jaw tightened as he recalled what had happened. "Tell me what Ilias said to you. I’ll break his mouth for daring to speak to you that way."

Caroline immediately looked at him, concern replacing the guilt in her eyes. "I don’t want you to fight with your brother because of me," she clarified. "Whatever happened, I don’t want things to become worse between you two."

"That’s for me to decide." Andrew stepped closer and gently but firmly held her chin, guiding her face toward his. He lowered himself slightly so that their eyes were level, leaving her no choice but to meet his gaze.

"No one gets to speak to you like that," he said, his voice low and unwavering. "I won’t tolerate it, Caroline. I don’t care who they are."

She searched his face, seeing the fierce love in his eyes. He loved her so intensely that she sometimes wondered whether he would hesitate to turn against anyone who hurt her—even his own family.

She didn’t doubt his love, but the thought of becoming the reason for a conflict between him and his loved ones frightened her.

"How can you love me so much?" she whispered, searching his eyes for an answer.

"Aren’t mates supposed to protect each other?" Andrew asked, his expression softening slightly. "Besides, we took vows, too. They weren’t empty words."

He finally released Caroline’s chin and straightened, though his attention remained fixed on her face.

"Ilias must have asked you to leave me, didn’t he?" he continued. "This is the first time something like this has happened, especially when it involves the entire royal family."

Caroline stared at him, startled by how accurately he had guessed what his brother had said to her. However, she kept her thoughts to herself, unwilling to confirm his suspicion.

"There’s something else I find intriguing about this whole affair," Andrew continued. "When Jeremy told me everything over the phone, I began to suspect that this might have something to do with me. And the first person who came to mind was Jessica."

Caroline frowned, trying to understand his reasoning. "Why would Jessica do something like this? And is she really powerful enough to influence a situation like this? Helping Victor, then hurting... no, murdering Emmett’s family."

"She couldn’t marry Alarick, and that may be one reason she’d want to cause trouble," Andrew explained. "As for her influence, the Alphas in the capital belong to the most powerful families in the country. You have no idea what they’re capable of when they decide to use their influence."

He paused, his expression turning serious.

"However, these are only suspicions. I can’t openly accuse Jessica without evidence, no matter how convinced I might be that she’s involved. I’ll need to find proof before I can take action against her."

"Emmett’s family had nothing to do with any of this," Caroline said, her voice trembling. "He trusted me and agreed to help me. I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to forgive me."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly lowered her gaze, unable to bear the thought of facing Emmett after everything that had happened.

Andrew placed a hand at the back of Caroline’s head and gently drew her against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her close as she clutched his shirt tightly in her fists. He could feel the tension in her body, as though she were struggling to contain the pain that had been building inside her.

"It hurts," Caroline whispered, her voice heavy with regret. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her face against his chest. "In my pursuit of revenge, I’ve destroyed an entire family."