Chapter 257

• He hauls Juan up to his feet with little effort, like he’s a sack of feathers. Juan’s body dirty and scraped up in its nakedness. He has blood all over his lower face, neck, and chest as his wound continues to ooze, I finally see the defeat on his face. The emptiness of his now brown eyes and the pale pallor of a body undergoing pain. His focus is downcast and pathetic, and I hate that it pains me in the chest and pushes my empathy out to the forefront. This man who started everything destroyed everything, and I feel sorry for him now.
• It’s pathetic, really.
• It makes me feel weak and stupid, and I cringe as the grating of movement around me draws my eyes to the silent onlookers. All have turned their faces and can no longer meet Juan’s eye either. That feeling in me is unanimous around me, and the hearts of many who once followed him loyally are conflicted and in pain. Lycans aren’t inherently bad or cruel. This was once someone they respected.