#Chapter 254: The Only Way

Agnes I paced back and forth across the small forest clearing, dead leaves crunching under my feet with each step. Seven fifty-eight. Just two more minutes until we would know if my father would actually show up, or if this whole thing was just another disappointment to add to the pile. Elijah was standing near the edge of the clearing, shoulders rigid and face set in a grimace. I knew, even without sensing his emotions through the mate bond, that he wasn’t happy with this. He’d made it very clear what he thought of this meeting, but he was here anyway. For me. Always for me. I glanced at his phone in his hand, the screen showing the feed from Thea’s room. Our daughter was fast asleep, curled up in bed, completely unaware of what was happening. Two guards were stationed outside her door, and we had installed the cameras just that afternoon. We had taken every possible precaution. The guards stationed around the perimeter of the forest thought we were just