Chapter 10
905 Words
Tamara
North didn't say anything to anyone. He just stepped back into the shadows of the trees and, with a sickening crunch of bone and muscle, shifted back into his human form.
He stood there, chest bare and muscles glistening with sweat, his eyes glowing with an anger so intense.
He didn't grab a towel or reach for clothes. He just stormed toward me, his face twisted in pure rage.
"Why the hell didn't you shift, Tamara?" he roared, his voice echoing off the trees. "I told you to be on patrol, not to play the hero! You are weak, you are slow, and you barely managed to keep your own neck intact!"
I stood up, my legs shaking, my shoulder throbbing where the rogue had pinned me down. "I saved him," I whispered, my voice trembling. "He was going to die."
North ignored me, stepping into my space until I had to tilt my head back just to look at him. "You think that makes you a warrior? You are pathetic. You can't even protect yourself, so how the hell are you meant to protect the pack? If I hadn't arrived, you would be rotting in the dirt right now!"
Every word he spat out felt like a physical blow. He didn't care that I was hurt. He didn't care that I had used my brain when my strength wasn't enough. He only saw my inadequacy, my failure to be the perfect, powerful Luna he wanted.
"You're not a Luna," he spat, his eyes cold and devoid of any warmth. "You're a liability."
I felt my heart breaking all over again. I had spent weeks breaking my body for him, trying to be the woman he could respect, and all he saw was a burden.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked the view of his face. Earth stepped in front of me, her body tense, her eyes flashing with a defiance I had never seen her use against her brother.
"That is enough, North!" she shouted. "She saved a warrior! She used her head, something you should be teaching her to do instead of just screaming at her for not having the raw strength you demand!"
North froze, his jaw clenching so tightly. He looked at Earth, then back at me—his gaze filled with burning irritation . He didn't offer an apology. He didn't even look regretful.
He let out a deep angry growl that echoed through the forest , shifted back into his black wolf, and bolted into the deep forest, leaving us alone in the cold silence.
As soon as he vanished, the wall I had been building around my heart crumbled. The tears I had been fighting to hold back for days finally spilled over.
"Tamara—" Earth started, reaching out, but I couldn't handle the sympathy. I couldn't handle being here anymore. I turned my back on her and started running. I ran until my lungs burned, until I stumbled back into the pack house, and until I reached the small, lonely room that felt like a prison.
I slammed the door and locked it, sliding down against the wood until I hit the floor. The tears came in waves, silent and bitter.
I cried for my own weakness, for the way North looked at me as if I were a piece of trash. I cried for the sharp, hot pain in my shoulder where the rogue’s claws had dug into my skin.
I cried because he didn't care that I had saved a life. He didn't care that I was hurt. He only cared that I hadn't been strong enough to do it his way.
I felt so incredibly foolish. I had come here expecting a mate who would protect me, and instead, I had found a king who wanted a weapon, not a partner.
The regret was so bad it felt like I was drowning. My shoulder was throbbing, a deep ache that matched the hollowness in my chest.
I wanted my mom. I wanted the smell of our kitchen, the sound of her voice telling me everything would be okay, the feeling of not having to fight for my life every single second of the day.
I realized then that I had been trying to act like a soldier, but I was just a girl who was tired of being hunted.
I pushed myself up, my movements sluggish and heavy. I walked over to the corner of the room where my pink suitcase sat. I hadn't had a reason to open the other compartment since I arrived. I hadn't had a reason to look at my old life because I was trying so hard to force myself into this one.
I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out my phone. I stared at the screen, my hands shaking so hard I almost dropped it. The battery was low, but it flickered to life.
I sat back down on the cold floor, pulled my knees to my chest, and pressed the contact for my mother.
I didn't care if it was late. I didn't care if anyone heard me. I just needed to hear someone who didn't want me to change.
The phone rang once. Twice. My breath hitched in my throat, a sob threatening to choke me as the connection clicked open.
"Hey, Mom," I whispered, the words breaking as I finally let it all go.
- Writer
