Chapter 49: Chapter 48

Chapter 48 – The Concern

+109 Bonu

05:41

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.“–George Bernard Shaw

Kiya

“You sure know how to stir up a big ol‘ pot of chaos, don’t you?” Galen slumped next to me on the couch in the common room, passing me my dinner plate. At the center of the sea of tomato sauce was a big, steamy piece of cheesy lasagna that I happily dug into, ignoring the pointed inquiry.

Word spreads like a virus around here. The display from training today didn’t go unobserved. By mid- afternoon, the entire pack was buzzing about the “returned slave“. Many grew silent when I passed by them, or swiftly moving out of my path in fear. I haven’t seen Neron or Raina since I pushed her to the ground, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.

It felt good to give my sister a taste of what she did to me.

“The wolves gossip more than they train,” Jacqueline mumbled in disdain, crossing her feet on top of the wooden table. “You can’t believe the shit I’ve been hearing all over. These mutts don’t know when to keep their snouts out of business that isn’t theirs.”

“It must be a shock to them,” Abigail added, resting her head on her mate’s shoulder. “I’d be talking too if someone from my home suddenly returned from the dead.”

“It’s funny.” Sapphire snickered, munching on her piece of the pasta. “To see alleged strong wolves so spooked. I wonder how long it would take for them to beg for her forgiveness.”

‘They aren’t getting any,” I spoke up, shoving a piece of lasagna into my mouth. “I’m not here to rekindle relationships.”

“Yeah, but…” Galen sat back, resting his back on the pillows of the couch. “What are you going to do about Neron? Alphas don’t let their true mates go without a fight.”

“He rejected me, remember? There is no bond between us, so he is free to mark whoever else he wants.” Preferably Odessa. Speaking of which, I noticed she doesn’t have a mate mark on her neck. Neither did Neron. Why haven’t they fully mated yet? Had this pack been Lunaless for five years now?

This pack was in more disarray than I thought.

Before we could get another word out, Darien stomped past us. From his side view, he looks furious. His normally neat dark hair is disheveled, his nose was flaring with every inhale, and the entirety of his eyes were pitch black. The rest of us looked at each other in silence before dropping our plates on the table and running after our friend.

“Darien!”

“Darien, bro, wait up!”

“Darien, stop!”

Darien threw the front doors open, his fury striking cracks into the wood. None of us could catch him because he uncaringly stripped down nude, shifted into a fully grown pitch–black wolf, and raced into the woodlands

Chapter 49 – The Concem

+10: Bonu

deep into the shadows. Our fears rolled into each other through our mind–link, unanimously speculating what made our friend take off in a fit of fury.

05:31

“Something is very wrong.” Galen murmured. “Dari never acts like this. I’ve never seen him so upset.” He starts to remove his clothes. “I’m going after him.”

“No.” Jackie pressed her palm against Galen’s chest. “He needs some time to cool down. He’ll come back to us when he is calm.”

“He’s in his wolf form on territory he doesn’t fucking know!” Galen bellowed, shocking all of us. Galen cares deeply for his best friend and was always the first to come to his defense if something goes wrong. I understand why he felt this way. I felt the pull to do the same.

“What if he gets hurt? What if there is a fucking rogue out there and attacks him?” Galen implored.

“Galen, we must trust that Darien will make it back on his own,” Abigail mused, her hand on his shoulder. “He is a Delta and an extraordinarily strong one at that. If anything happens, he knows how to get himself out. Sirius will guide him back to us.”

Sirius is Darien’s wolf, intelligent and cunning. As much as I agree with Abi, I still wonder what set him off. What in this world could have turned that calm and collected man into a disheveled mess?

Galen begrudgingly fixed his clothes and walked towards the common room, along with the rest of us to finish our dinner. We had to keep our optimism alive that our friend would be okay. I made a mental note to talk to Darien once things cool down. By the time we finished, we headed towards the kitchen to set our dishes away.

I noticed two Omegas fishing the piling dishes along with Lead Omega Cassandra wiping down the island. She gave a curt nod to my friends who set their dishes down on the counter, but I lingered at the doorway. Cassandra’s pale green eyes found mine, her movements faltering.

“Aren’t you going to set your dishes away?” Sapphire asked me.

“I just want to know if I’m allowed in the kitchen.” My glower pierced Cassandra’s orbs, chilling her core. My friends trailed out of the kitchen, leaving me by myself at the entranceway. “Am I?”

She stammered, gripping her white rag in a useless attempt for relief. I could smell the fear rolling into her repugnant scent of mint. Her eyes trembled, casting themselves away from mine. “Y–Yes. Of course, you are.”

Rolling my eyes, I walked in. I knew I could have just walked in and got my shit over with, but I wanted to see how Cassandra would react. A deep part of me longed to see the monster that loved to strike me with a metal spoon, mock my voice, and tease me for eating out of the garbage. The nickname of raccoon still gives me nightmares whenever I enter a kitchen, even back at home.

Cassandra had effectively left her mark on my essence, springing up when I grow hungry or if I so much as think about walking into a kitchen. Some days were so bad that I’d stop eating for weeks. Her presence in my mind weakened over the years, now a squeaky voice in the depths of the gloom. I toss my plate and fork into the pool of soapy water, ignoring the splashes of water that landed on Samantha and the other Omega, Alice.

“H–How is the food?” Her gritty voice inquired. “I hope it was to your liking.”

“I had better,” I open the fridge and rummage for a water bottle. Cassandra’s cooking would never compare to Cleo’s. In her food, I could taste the love and care she puts into it. Cooking for so many wolves is not a simple

Chapter 48 – The Concern

+10

Bonu

task, but she does the work effortlessly along with her Omegas I’ve gotten to know over the years. Many of them have found their mates or have a baby on the way.

05:34

“I apologize,” Cassandra murmured, bowing her head. “If you could tell me where I need to improve, I’ll make it up to you next time.”

I didn’t answer. I felt sick. I half expected that any moment now, that woman would whip out her spoon and smack me on the back of the head. Instead, she was kind. I didn’t have time for the onslaught of repentance from people who don’t deserve my forgiveness. Alice and Samantha grew silent, tensing up at our interaction, their bated breaths expecting something to happen.

Nevertheless, they’re left with disappointment. Unscrewing the cap, I chugged my water down, already on my way out the door before Cassandra blurted, “I’m sorry!”

I stopped in my tracks, screwing my bottle cap on.

“I’m sorry for treating you the way I did years ago! Please find it in your heart to forgive me, Halima.”

Anger rolled out of my pores yet again. No shortage in sight. I huffed, rolling my eyes. “Save it for someone who cares.” I left them alone in the kitchen, ignoring the echoes of her pathetic sobs. They had their chance. I would’ve forgiven her if things went differently. But whether these people changed, they still hurt me. They had a choice to hurt or help, and it was clear what they decided. Fuck them.

As I walked towards my room, I noticed Odessa heading to the fourth floor toward Neron’s room. We made eye contact, our brown eyes staring deep into one another. However, there was a strange glint in hers. A glint that spoke of nastiness and victory. Her lips curled up into a leer, flipping her hair before disappearing from my sight.

O–kay?

I

Shrugging my shoulders, I head to my room, locking the door behind me. I was exhausted from today’s events and the new training routine for the fighter wolves starts tomorrow at 7 AM. I quickly changed into my pastel purple tank top and matching shorts, opening the window to allow some air in before hopping under the

Covers.

Before I knew it, I drifted into a deep sleep.