Marisol, utterly lost and confused, looked from Cedric to Caleb, trying to make sense of his cryptic words. A hint of annoyance flashed across Caleb's face, but he sighed and followed with a single nod.
Then slowly, Caleb and Sophia rose to their feet, their expressions contrite as they started to move to her side of the table. Marisol felt all the alarm bells in her head go off, the situation confusing and disconcerting in every sense of the word.
"Wait!" She protested, pushing further into her seat to put some distance between them, "What's going on? Did something happen?" Marisol rushed out as they both stopped right in front of her. She turned to Cedric for help, or some sort of explanation, but the man continued to ignore her, his eyes now fixed on his brother and his mate.
"We're truly sorry, Marisol." Caleb started, his tone earnest. "We never meant to cause you any harm, and we didn't think our plans through. I'm sorry for everything you've been through since the moment you arrived here. I apologize for tricking you with something as important as a mating bond, trapping you here, and for every injustice you've experienced."
Marisol narrowed her eyes, the words sinking in. Oh. Are they apologizing? She thought, her nerves relaxing. She wasn't sure what she thought initially. First, she'd thought she'd been led into some kind of ambush, and then, looking at their solemn expressions, another thought that something bad had happened to either her family or her pack crossed her mind. But definitely not this.
"I'm sorry. I let fear and jealousy cloud my judgment," Sophia confessed next in a mutter, "And then I took it too far. I failed to realize and understand the extent of the situation, and we let our emotions cloud our judgment."
"Our actions were misguided, and we deeply regret any pain we may have caused." Caleb finished animatedly, and Marisol found that she could only blink dumbly, perplexed by what had just happened. What game was Cedric playing, and where did she fit into his plans?
"Uhmm... Okay?" She finally drawled, feeling flustered. "Where's all this coming from?"
Caleb exchanged looks with Sophia and Cedric, who had remained silent through their apologies. His expression was stoic and unreadable as he watched the exchange unfold. This time, Sophia cleared her throat before speaking.
"We...... we've taken time to consider our actions and the impact they may have caused."
"Yeah. The other day, when you argued with-"
Cedric did not let Caleb finish, his voice low and commanding as he interrupted, "Thank you for your apologies," he said, his tone carrying a note of finality. "But there are more pressing matters to attend to."
With that, he rose from his seat, his gaze lingering on Marisol for a moment before he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Marisol to ponder the implications of his words and what had just happened.
She was still staring in the doorway when she noticed that Sophia was suddenly standing next to her.
"I'm really sorry," Sophia said, breaking down into sobs. "That wasn't me. I can not recognize who I have become."
Marisol swallowed as her emotions began to hit the surface. "Okay." She croaked out with a sense of urgency, and before Sophia could utter another word, she pushed up from her chair and dashed out after Cedric.
"Cedric, stop!" Marisol called out, running after Cedric, who was idly walking back to the hidden castle, getting nothing in reply or even in the way of acknowledgment.
She ran until she bumped into him, hearing as he sucked in a sharp breath before turning around ever so slowly.
"Yes, Marisol?" He asked in a tired drawl, and Marisol fought back a confused splutter, blinking.
"What do you mean 'Yes, Marisol?'! What was that about? What are you doing?"
He looked away, then sighed "So many questions. Which one do I answer?"
Marisol rolled her eyes impatiently. If Cedric was trying to get on her last nerves, he was doing an impeccable job, "You know exactly what I want to know, Cedric," she fired back, tone firm, "What happened in there?"
Cedric raised a brow at her, then simply shrugged, "I'm keeping to my end of the bargain. I know not everyone can say the same. And now, I'm going back to my chambers."
Marisol frowned, "Are you really going to keep using that against me? Plus, do you actually believe that forcing them to apologize is going to cut it?"
Cedric stepped closer, his expression not giving away anything as he said, "I'm aware that it won't. But it's a start in the right direction, isn't it? I'll get them to do something that will satisfy you sooner or later. Don't worry, your pretty little head about that."
Marisol groaned, wondering if the man had completely lost his communication skills from spending such a long time in solitude. "You're not getting it. You don't just force people to do things they clearly don't want to."
Cedric dons a thoughtful look at that before he shrugs again, "No, actually I can. And I made it clear that the only person I have no intention of forcing into anything is you, so now that you're done with your little questioning session, may I leave? I've got a curse to break, and with the rumors spreading around the park, I know that Guinevere will not sit idle for too long."
Without waiting for a reply, he simply turned around and continued on his way.
Marisol watched him go, her shoulders drooping in exhaustion. She wasn't sure what to make of his last comment, and that only worked to frustrate Marisol even more.
"Now that you've been outed to the pack, keep in mind that you're not safe anymore," Cedric spoke up again, now a few steps ahead, his voice bringing Marisol's attention back to him. "Don't loiter around the pack alone. I would prefer you remained in my sight at all times, or atleast indoors. But, I have no right to take away your freedom, so all I can do is warn you. Be alert and make sure you're with someone at all times."
With that, he finally walked away and out of sight.
Marisol stood rooted in her spot as she processed his words before finally starting the walk back to her room, her mind a whirlwind of questions and uncertainties. She's unsure of how to feel about the sudden change in Cedric's behavior.