I instantly spit the food out the moment I suspect it might be tainted. I think I catch a glimpse of Selene glancing my way with a faint smirk before she turns her gaze elsewhere.
“Not enjoying the food, Aurelia?” she asks, her tone laced with mock politeness. I fold the napkin I used to spit into with deliberate care.
“It’s wonderful. I couldn’t ask for a better welcome meal after being away so long,” I reply, rolling my eyes subtly–careful not to let her catch it.
“Perfect. I was starting to think you’d cause another scene–since making drama seems to be your specialty,” she says. My hands clench under the table. I want nothing more than to smash my fist into her face and watch her gasp for breath–but I hold back. I fix my eyes on her, silently counting to ten as I slowly loosen my grip and let the fury drain from my fingers.
“I can’t believe she has the nerve to eat here,” I overhear a woman say–one of the pack members who had been close to Ma’am Nola. “After what happened to such a kind woman.”
I sit a little straighter. This is it. I’m finally about to hear the truth. But all I get is a cold, judgmental glance from her and the person she’s speaking to, before they resume eating like nothing happened.
I continue moving the food around on my plate, eyeing them as they finish their meal. The second they stand and begin clearing their dishes, I follow–like I’m being chased by flames.
I ignore the other glares aimed at me. Right now, I don’t care in the slightest.
“Hey,” I greet them with my brightest smile. They flinch, clearly not expecting me to appear behind them. “I heard you mention Nolie earlier… did she leave the pack for something important?” I ask, my voice as sweet and gentle as I can make it.
Nolie’s friend’s expression shifts abruptly–from stunned disbelief to seething fury. “Now you care?” she spits, her voice laced with such venom that I instinctively step back, startled and a little afraid.
“Theron searched the entire pack for you,” she goes on, her tone sharp. “He even fought his own beta! All because he was convinced your meddling friend had helped you flee.”
I shake my head, unwilling to accept it. Theron and Callum were inseparable; they were known to be two halves of a whole. Everyone joked that they shared one brain, they were so in sync. The idea of them fighting seems impossible.
I glance toward the seat where he had been just moments ago, but he’s no longer there.
“When he couldn’t get to her, he turned on my friend,” she says, wiping away tears cascading down her cheeks.
“You should’ve been there for that fight,” another woman chimes in, staring at me with eyes wide from the memory. “He’s still lying in the infirmary.”
I don’t respond to her. I’m at a loss for words, and all my attention remains fixed on Nolie’s friend.
“But Nolie–where is she?” I press urgently. She answers only with a shake of her head. Sweat starts to bead on my forehead. I keep telling myself that Theron couldn’t have done anything truly unforgivable. But after I learned what he did to Callum, doubt starts to creep in.
< Chapter 27
“He…” she stifles a sob, trying to remain composed. “He completely lost control. I’ve never seen him like that before. He dragged her through the pack by her hair.”
Her lips quiver as she speaks. “He demanded she tell him where you were. She kept insisting she didn’t know. We begged him to stop, but he threatened to replace her with any of us if we dared speak for her again.”
She pounds her chest, as though trying to ease the ache inside.
“For two days, he kept her locked away.” She lowers her head. “I tried sneaking her water, but the guards caught me.”
She shakes her head slowly. “Not long after that… he slit her throat. Accused her of treason.”
My entire body goes numb. I barely register the words that follow, though she keeps talking–blaming herself for showing up and provoking Theron into taking her life.
Meanwhile, I can’t feel anything. A loud ringing fills my ears, drowning out everything else.
My breathing becomes shallow and fast. This can’t be real. Theron couldn’t have done something so monstrous. I try to use every calming technique I’ve ever been taught, but nothing works.
A sharp, searing pain rips through my chest and radiates outward. I can’t catch my breath.
My legs buckle, unable to bear the weight of my collapsing body. I want to escape this moment. My vision dims, and my hand jerks backward violently, forcing a scream from my throat. This is it. I’m dying. Whatever I felt when Theron rejected me was nothing–child’s play compared to this agony.
The agony momentarily subsides, allowing me to inhale deeply. My wrists are twisted backward, and tears blur my vision. I lift my gaze toward the two women, who stare at me, clearly stunned.
“What’s wrong with me?” I sob, as the pain starts creeping back.
“I–I b–believe… you’re shifting,” the first woman stammers, her eyes stretched wider than I’ve ever seen. Both appear completely taken aback–and honestly, so do I.
