chapter 8 : The Truth
230 Words
I found him at the border alone.
Darius.
He wasn’t patrolling. He was just staring into the trees, bleeding from a cut on his arm he hadn’t bothered to heal.
“Mira is 18,” I said.
He didn’t turn. “I know.”
“She likes you.”
“I know that too.”
My wolf went quiet.
“Then why are you here?” I asked.
“Because you’re 20,” he said. “And you hate me. And you’re still the only scent I can smell.”
He finally looked at me. His eyes were red.
“I rejected you because the elders said an Omega Luna would make me weak. They said my father was killed because he loved an Omega.” His voice broke. “So I listened. I chose Selena. She was a Beta. Strong. Safe.”
“Safe got her killed,” I said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, bitter. “Rogues didn’t care she was a Beta. They killed her anyway.”
He stepped closer. “Rae, I was a coward. I thought I was protecting the pack. I was protecting myself.”
I wanted to walk away.
My feet didn’t move.
“The truth is,” he whispered, “I’ve regretted it every single day since.”
The wind moved between us.
And for the first time, I didn’t look away.
- Writer
