I can stomach hearing that she’s found another wolf. Knowing that she could find another human would be bad enough, but a wolf?
I feel sick.
But I still want to know how she’s doing, as much as Daria can tell me. “How is she?”
Daria’s expression turns penchant. “For someone who acted indifferent and cruel to his fated mate in court, you’re now certainly singing a different tune.”
And in her eyes, I see it. She knows. She knows that Brianna is my true fated mate. I sigh and rake a hand through my hair. “I didn’t fool you, huh?”
“You did. Until I felt your mind when I healed you in that courtroom. That’s when I saw it.”
I abruptly lean forward, my cuffs rattling, but Daria doesn’t flinch. “She can’t know, Daria. You can’t tell her. If she knows, Brianna will never make a life for herself. She’ll come back to me, and I can’t do that to her. I can’t chain her to a man imprisoned. That’s not fair to her.”
Daria’s turquoise eyes dim. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
I nod curtly. It’s all I can manage.
“Okay.”
A moment passes, and I ask hesitantly, “Have you seen her?”
“Once. And to answer your earlier question, from what I’ve heard she’s doing okay and is adjusting. She’s even waitressing now in Crescent Crossing, and she’s apparently really good at it.”
“I bet she is.” I work my jaw and against my better judgment can’t stop my next question. “Is she seeing anyone?” My stomach tightens. Fucking hell, when did I become such a masochist? I hold my breath as I wait for her answer.
But Daria only shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
The anxiety that’s built up inside me at just the thought of Brianna with someone else deflates. “Right. It’s probably best not to know.” I drop my head, but I now know what my new obsession will be.
If Brianna’s with another wolf.
As if sensing my downward spiral, Daria leans forward, her turquoise eyes bright again. “Anyway, the reason I’m here, Collin, isn’t to fill you in on Brianna. It’s to see if I can help you.”
I frown and look back up at her. “Help me?”
She nods emphatically. “Not only did I see how you feel about Brianna when I healed your cut, but I also learned that you’re not a rogue anymore. I felt it in your mind.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I did that healing very intentionally. On the first day of your trial, Brianna came to me and explained that you’d changed, but I needed to know if it was true, which is why I jumped at the chance to heal you in court. I needed to dip my light into you to confirm it, so in a way, it was fortuitous that you banged your head.”
My jaw drops. “So you really believe that I’m not a rogue?”
“I do.”
I shake my head. “Well, thanks, Daria. It’s nice to know not everyone believes I’m evil, but I don’t know how that helps me. My beast still committed the crimes they accused me of. I’m not off the hook for that even though I’m no longer a rogue.”
“No, that’s true, but you are the first rogue to ever return from insanity, the very first in history if you want to know the truth. I even had the gargoyle scholars look into it. The history books confirm that it hasn’t happened before, and since you’re the first rogue to return from insanity that also means the courts have never seen a case like yours. That magistrate may have convinced the queen justice that you’re still a rogue given how you told all of those women you were their fated mate, but I think she may listen to me if I talk to her. And if I can convince her that you’re truly no longer a rogue and no longer bear a threat to the community, your sentencing may change.”
For a moment, I sit in stunned silence. “Do you really think that’s possible?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know, but I know the queen justice who presided over your case—I healed her husband once. She’s a fair woman. She may consider it.”
I want to believe there’s hope for me, but I’m also a realist. “Daria, even if she believes I’ve changed, it doesn’t stop what I did. I still have to pay for my crimes.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t change what you did, but as you’re probably aware, the courts have become more interested in reform versus punishment. If we can