Chapter 23
The air was thick with grief and the stench of blood. Marissa stood beside her father’s still form, her heart shattered,
her mind clouded with grief. Her hands trembled, her nails biting into her palms ast she struggled to keep the fury boiling within her from spilling out. Her wolf clawed at her, howling in pain and rage. She could barely breathe, every breath. choked with reality she refused to accept: her father was gone. The one constant, her rock, was taken from her.
“Why?” she whispered, her voice breaking as she looked down at her father’s lifeless face. “Why him?”
The sound of footsteps broke through her haze of sorrow, and she turned to see Hunter and Caleb approaching, their faces etched with sorrow and guilt. They looked at her, their gazes filled with pity and regret. She could barely stand to look at
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“Marissa…” Hunter began, his voice low, gentle. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked back, a low, feral growl escaping her lips.
“Don’t,” she spat, her voice trembling with rage. “Don’t you dare.”
Hunter’s hand fell, his face tightening with pain. Caleb tried to step forward, but her glare stopped him in his tracks. She could feel her wolf rising, the anger, the fury swirling within her like a storm, desperate to lash out.
Caleb’s voice was soft, hesitant.
“Marissa, we… we’re so sorry. If we d known-”
“Known?” Marissa cut him off, her voice. a deadly whisper. She looked between the two of them, her gaze hard and accusing. “What were you doing while my father was being torn apart?”
The question hung in the air like a blade,
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sharp and cutting. Hunter shifted
uncomfortably, his jaw clenched as he met her gaze. “We… we didn’t know it was that bad. We were helping Ivy. She was in danger, Marissa. She needed us-”
“Ivy,” Marissa snarled, her voice filled with venom. “It’s always Ivy, isn’t it?”
Hunter’s face paled as he looked at her, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. Caleb reached for her hand, but she pulled away, her anger blazing, filling the space. between them like a physical force.
“While my father was fighting to protect this pack, to protect all of us, you two were busy saving her?” Her voice shook with the intensity of her fury, her eyes blazing as she glared at them. “He was dying, and you left him to save her?”
Hunter tried to speak, his voice laced with desperation. “Marissa, it’s not like that
“Then what is it like, Hunter?” she
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snapped, her voice cold and unforgiving.
“Tell me, what was it like leaving my father to die while you ran off to protect her?”
Hunter’s mouth opened and closed, but he had no answer. He looked away, unable to meet her gaze, and she felt the weight of his silence pressing down on her, stoking the flames of her rage.
At that moment, Ivy approached, her steps hesitant, her face twisted in what Marissa might have once thought was grief. But now, all she saw was manipulation, a veneer of innocence hiding her true nature. Ivy’s face crumpled as she reached out to Marissa, her hand trembling as she placed it on her shoulder.
“Marissa,” Ivy whispered, her voice thick with what Marissa was certain was forced sorrow. “I… I’m so sorry. I… I didn‘ t mean for any of this to happen.”
Marissa felt her wolf surge forward, a feral growl escaping her lips as she shrugged off
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Ivy‘ s touch. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed, her voice filled with barely controlled rage. She felt her nails lengthen, her wolf clawing at the surface, desperate to be free, to tear through anything and anyone that dared to come close.
“But… but I’m so sorry,” Ivy
stammered, her voice trembling as she took a step back, her wide eyes filled with tears. “If… if I had known-”
“Sorry?” Marissa‘ s voice was a dangerous whisper, filled with pure, unfiltered hatred. “Sorry doesn’t bring him back, Ivy. My father is dead. Dead, because of you.”
Ivy’s face crumpled, and she let out a soft, pitiful whimper. “Please, Marissa, I never wanted this. I… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.
“You didn’t mean it?” Marissa’s voice was filled with contempt as she took a step forward, her wolf pushing against the surface, her vision turning red with fury.
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“My father died protecting this pack, protecting everyone. And where were you? Hiding behind Hunter and Caleb, pretending to be helpless while he was dying.”
Ivy’s tears fell freely, her lips quivering as she looked to Hunter and Caleb for support. But they stood silent, unable to meet Marissa‘ s gaze, their own faces. shadowed with shame. The betrayal cut deeper than any wound, twisting like a knife in her heart.
“Marissa, please-” Ivy began, her voice pleading, but Marissa’s growl cut her off.
“Enough!” she shouted, her voice ringing through the air like a thunderclap. She felt the heat of her Lycan blood surging, her wolf’s fury filling every part of her. Her vision blurred, the anger, the pain, the betrayal merging into one overwhelming force.
Just as her rage threatened to consume her, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around
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her, pulling her close, grounding her. Idris. His touch was gentle but firm, his presence like a calming balm to the storm raging inside her. His arms wrapped around her, his warmth seeping into her, easing the fury that clawed at her chest.
“Marissa,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. “Look at me. Breathe.”
She closed her eyes, focusing on the steady beat of his heart against her cheek, the comforting weight of his embrace. His fingers traced gentle circles on her back, his voice a soft, steady anchor in the chaos.
of her mind.
“They’re not worth it,” he whispered, his voice filled with quiet conviction.
“Don’t let them take away your strength, your grace. Your father wouldn’t want this.”
Marissa’s breaths came in shallow gasps as she clung to Idris, her body trembling with the force of her suppressed rage. She felt her wolf calm, retreating into the
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depths of her mind as Idris‘ s words. washed over her, soothing the raw pain that threatened to consume her.
She lifted her gaze to meet his, her vision still blurred with tears, but her anger slowly receding, replaced by a deep, aching sorrow. “He’s gone, Idris. He‘ s…
gone.
Idris‘ s hand moved to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear as he looked at her, his eyes filled with unwavering love and strength. “I know, my love,” he murmured. “But you are his legacy. His strength lives on in you.”
She closed her eyes, letting his words settle over her like a warm blanket, a small comfort in the sea of her grief. She took a deep, shuddering breath, the pain still raw, but less suffocating with Idris beside her.
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