Chapter 6 – Luna or Liability?
996 Words
Maya’s POV
The wall c***k remains intact.On the floor, stone dust lies like gray snow.
Darius is standing across from me, his chest rising quickly, his silver eyes burning as if he were fighting something I can't see.
mine.
It was not audible to me.I sensed it inside my ribs, like a deep drum.
He clenches his jaw. "You'll remain in this room."
"No." We are both surprised by the word.
His eyes darted. "There is no choice in this."
I declare, "I am not a chair." Even though my hands are shaking, I continue to speak. "You cannot hide me like a box. Let them tell me directly if they are afraid of me.
Under his skin, his wolf moves. I see it in the way his shoulders tense.
"You have no idea what you're saying."
"I know that I will not sit here like a prisoner."
There is a period of silence. Then he walks over to the door.
"All right." The word falls heavily.
The pack hall is large and circular. Along the walls, tall bowls of fire burn. Groups of wolves stand whispering. Some give me a quick glance before quickly averting their eyes. Some look at me as if I were a puzzle they dislike.
The room falls silent as Darius enters. They bow.
Everyone lowers their heads.It feels like the air is getting smaller.He takes a position in the middle. I do the same.
A man comes forward. Tall. Wide. His chin has a scar. He has hard eyes.
He says, "She can't stay."No salutations. No mellow language.
Darius doesn't blink. "She will."
There are murmurs. Another voice adds, "She is human."
"Her whereabouts were exposed."
"She poses a risk." Every word strikes my chest like a pebble.
I swallow. The tall man gives me a look. “In two nights, there were three attacks. You believe that to be a coincidence?”
Before fear could stop me, I took a step forward.
"Do you believe I wanted this?" I say.
The space remains motionless.I don't speak loudly. It is not required to be.
"My house is gone. I have no idea who you are. I'm not sure what I am to him. Without glancing at Darius, I make a gesture. "However, I am aware that I did not choose to be pursued."
Some wolves change positions. Uncomfortable.
Someone murmurs, "You are weak."
I turn to listen to the voice. "Perhaps. However, I hurled a brick at a wolf twice my size. What do you call that?”, “I didn't bargain for all these.”
A couple of heads turn. The tall man narrows his eyes.
I went on, "I stood my ground." "I didn't run when some creatures that are supposed to be heard of in stories were trying to attack me.” “ I won't run away from danger if it follows me.”
I believe they can hear how hard my heart is pounding.
I declare, "I will not be your enemy." "But I won't be your embarrassment either."
Once more, silence descends. Then, from the rear, a tiny voice speaks.
"She helped the Alpha."
The young boy with the dark curls comes forward. Gold eyes shine brightly.
He says simply, "I felt it." He was in pain. Then he wasn't.
The room echoes with whispers. Beside me, Darius tenses up.
Slowly, the tall man turns to face him. "Is that correct?"
Darius has a stone face. He might not believe it.
He doesn't.
The hall echoes with a low growl. Not upset. Not serene.
Confused.
The boy tells the others, "You felt it too." "When she entered."
There are wolves that shift their weight. Slowly, one woman nods.
The tall man gives me a look in return. "How did you treat him?"
"Nothing," I mumble. "I simply cared."
In this large space, the word seems insignificant.
Then Darius moves forward.
Almost as if the earth is moving with him.
He says, "She stays."
He didn't shout.
No anger.
Only power.
He goes on, "You question me if you question her." His words weigh heavily.
The tall man does not look away. A long second goes by. He then bows.
Not very deep. But enough.
Others follow. Not all of them.
I see it. Some people remain optimistic. Some eyes remain icy.
Darius looks around the room. "I'm protecting her."
A pause. He adds softly, "Any harm to her is harm to your Alpha."
That's it. Now everyone lowers their heads. A decision has been made. It doesn't feel settled, though.
The ground seems to have just cracked beneath our feet.
I stand next to him later, when the hall is empty.
I whisper, "You didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did."
"I could have been sent away by you."
He clenches his jaw. "That isn't an option."
"Why?" I inquire.
He glances at me.
I caught a glimpse of it once more.
Fear.
Not of death.of loss. First, he averts his gaze.
"Because I won't fail twice," he says in a low voice.
A howl pierces the air outside before I can inquire what that means.
Not ours.
Not near.
But close enough.
Once more, the room becomes motionless.
Darius's eyes flashed silver as he turned toward the sound.
Someone murmurs, "That is not one of ours."
My spine gets cold.
Darius's hand moves just enough to brush mine.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
defensive.
The tall man says grimly, "We have a problem."
Darius looks toward the tunnel entrance and responds, "No."
"We have company ."
I see movement far above, close to the stone arch leading to the outer path.
A shadow where none ought to be.
Still.
observing.
And I see pale eyes staring back at us when the firelight flickers.
The shadow then disappears.
Lost. Not very far though. Under his skin, Darius's wolf emerges. Low.
Caution.
mine.
It doesn't sound protective this time.
It sounds like a war promise.
- Writer
