Chapter 28
The car ride felt like an endless tunnel, each mile deepening the knot in my
stomach.
don’t usually see myself as a liar, but today, I was. A big one. At first, I tried to tell myself it wasn’t even my secret to tell. It belonged to Alice. But then, when the moment came, and Alice stayed silent, I chose to stay silent too.
She must have been lying because she didn’t say a word to Astor, not even as we drove away. I expected her to claim victory because she won, but she didn’t. And that made everything so much worse, because now, the secret felt like mine. It felt heavy, a stone lodged in my throat.
Forget it. I remind myself.
But I can’t do it.
Astor kept glancing at me, his eyes soft.
“Are you okay?” He’d ask, his voice a low rumble. And every time, I’d lie straight to his face.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I’d murmur, trying to sound normal. But inside, I was a bundle of nerves. My hands trembled, my heart beat too fast. I couldn’t help how jumpy I was. Every shadow, every sound, made me flinch.
As soon as we pulled up to the house, I practically leaped out. I mumbled something about being tired and practically ran to my room, locking the door
behind me.
I paced, my mind racing.
Okay, this is it. I decided. I need to tell him. If Alice were lying, then Astor
would know what to do.
I mean, this is practically a consequence of their actions.
I left the house again, needing to find high. He’d dropped me off, but then headed to the Pack House, probably for Alpha business.
On my way. I passed other pack members. Their eyes, sharp and cold, followed me it was the “stinking eye,” a look I knew all too well from years of being on outsider. For the past few days those looks had actually stopped. I’d even started to hope things were changing. But now, they were back. Ugly and clear. I guess things were back to normal.
I pushed open the heavy door of the Pack House, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. My only goal was Astor’s office. I needed to talk to him, to confess, to get this burden off my chest. But before I could even take two steps towards the hallway, a sharp voice stopped me.
“How could you do something like that to him?”
It was Kristen. Chase’s mate.
My relationship with anyone in this pack was bad, but with Kristen, it was worse. How could she like me when her mate, Chase, clearly hated me? I wanted to pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about. After all, I wasn’t responsible for whatever happened to Chase. But I didn’t. I’d been blamed for other people’s actions my whole life.
My shoulders sagged slightly, already bracing myself for her angry words, ready for her to blame me for whatever stupid thing her mate had done.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, my voice sharper than I intended. “So why don’t you explain what I supposedly did? Then maybe I
can tell you if it’s true.”
Their cruel words had always cut me deep, but I’d never let them see it. And I never would. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing their words had an effect on me. That’s one of the main reasons I wanted out of this
place so they couldn’t feel superior to me.
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Kristen trek s step closer, her wes bag. You made the Algoa barken F
INDE
Now we have nowhere to go, because of your
She had to be completely out of her mind. How could she not see that Chene was practically in love with Alice? I was saying it for sure, but I save for he protected Alice, a fierce protectiveness be had never shown me nnt eran as
his mate
Just because I didn’t
a wolf and wasn’t truly welcomed in this pack
didn’t mean I was stupid. I made it my business to know everything that went on here. And one thing I’d always noticed was how little Chase cared for Kristen and how he treated her like trash. Yet, here was Kristen, defending
him with every fiber of her being.
“Kristen,” I said, my voice low but firm, cutting off her next word. “I don’t care about your mate. And let this be a warning to everyone in this pack who thinks it’s a good idea to mess with me. You will treat me with respect from now on, and you will stop making a fool out of me.”
My gaze swept across the growing crowd that had gathered, their faces a mix of curiosity and fear. My words weren’t just for those standing right there. Wolves had sharp hearing. I knew many more would hear my warning.
“And if I hear that anyone disrespects her again,” a deep, powerful voice rumbled from behind me, “they will suffer the same fate that Chase has
endured.”
I didn’t need a wolf to feel his presence. I’d known Astor was there even before he spoke. But one thing I still couldn’t get used to was him standing up for me. And he was doing it again.
“Alpha, please-” Kristen stammered, turning to him, her head bowed in
submission.
“No ‘buts‘,” Astor interrupted, his voice like steel. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Kristen. You can choose to stay here, in this pack. But your mate will
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never det form hele again.
That half expected him to change his rend about Chase once he cooled down that he was truly sumprising me the days. His resolve was unshakable
After that tense conversation, I followed him to his office, the heavy door elosma behind us with a soft click. The air was thick with unspoken words, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. Not until he spoke first.
He turned from his desk, his dark eyes meeting mine.
“Did you need something?” He asked, his voice softer now.
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