Her Face

[Knight’s POV]

I keep my gaze fixed on Tatiana as she processes what I’ve just told her. Of course, I didn’t hope for her to immediately let her guard down, not after everything she suffered because of me, but I hoped that maybe this would be the first step to fixing our relationship.

“What…” she says slowly. “Did you just say?”

Her eyes, which are wide, are still filled with disbelief and distrust. It was becoming increasingly clear that we had a long way to go.

“I fucked up,” I respond. “All those years, I kept you at arms length out of fear of pulling you into pack politics.”

“You,” she hisses, her eyes narrowing. “You turned a blind eye to all the abuse I endured for that reason."

Her voice drips with venom, and I feel my heart shatter over just how much she went through because of my poor choice.

“If I had shown any sort of interest, my stepmother..."

“I get it,” she sighs, composing herself once more. “But that doesn’t mean that I forgive you.”

Wincing, I bit back my initial res