Chapter 8
She knew her shift in demeanor hadn‘ t gone unnoticed–Hunter and Caleb‘ s furtive glances and whispered concerns had only grown. But the memories of their quiet betrayal, their constant defense of Ivy, and their obliviousness to her pain had built an insurmountable wall between them. If they couldn’t see her true self, then why show it at all?
In the hallways of the packhouse, Marissa moved like a ghost. She no longer paused to listen to Hunter’s morning greetings or offered Caleb a knowing smile. Conversations became clipped, polite exchanges that felt foreign in her tongue. She saw them watching her, their brows drawn, yet she remained closed off, her wolf guarded and silent within her.
“Marissa,” Hunter‘ s voice called from behind as she strode down the hall one morning.
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She stopped, not out of kindness but from an ingrained courtesy that was already fading. Turning, she looked at him with an expression that held nothing but mild interest.
“Yes?”
Hunter’s face softened as he took a step toward her, eyes searching hers. “You going somewhere?”
A flicker of irritation sparked within her, but she extinguished it before it could rise to her face. She met his gaze coolly, her eyes steady and unyielding. “You don’t have to know. Why don’t you dote on Ivy?”
He blinked, hurt flashing briefly across his face. “But I want to know. Tell me.‘
“Are you kidding me?” She allowed herself a small, bitter smile. “Do I have to report everything to you?” Her voice remained calm, devoid of the raw emotion it once held. “You know what, just leave
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Chapter 8
me be like what you‘ re doing these days.”
Hunter‘ s face twisted with confusion.
“You‘ re acting like we abandoned you. We just… we thought Ivy needed support.”
“Support,” she repeated with a scoff. “Yes, I can see how much she needed you… Very well.” She let the silence stretch, watching him struggle to find a response, but none came.
Caleb approached, his usual confidence faltering as he glanced between them.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. “Marissa, why are you shutting us out?”
Marissa let her gaze drift over the both of them, feeling as though they were
strangers. How strange it was, she thought, that she had once depended on them, once believed they’d be by her side forever. That bond felt as thin as smoke now, scattered by even the faintest breeze.
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Chapter 8
“Do you have nothing left to say?” She asked evenly.
Caleb frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. “You don’t have to be this way, Marissa. Ivy never wanted to come.
between us.
A mirthless laugh slipped from her lips. “No, she just wanted you both, didn’t she? And it looks like she got what she wanted.”
“Marissa, stop this,” Caleb snapped, his tone sharp. “You‘ re being unfair.”
She cut him off with a withering look.
“God, I am the one being unfair now?” She shook her head, finding their words funny. It was ridiculous, but at the same time she could see why they were doing all that, even involving Ivy in the process. She was not stupid.
Later that evening, Marissa wandered out into the woods that bordered the pack‘ s
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land, craving the quiet solitude that only the forest could provide.
She found herself near a small clearing.
where she’d once come with Hunter and
Caleb as children, back when they’d been inseparable, when each of them had been the other’s safety and joy. She could still picture the three of them, laughing, sprawled across the forest floor, making silly promises that felt eternal. But now, it was just her, standing alone among the
rees, listening to the wind and the faint rustle of leaves.
For the first time, Marissa allowed herself to feel the ache beneath the anger. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, and closed her eyes, letting the emotions flow through her, then away.
A snap of a twig behind her made her turn. Hunter stood there, his face shadowed in the dim light. He looked at her as if he were seeing a stranger, and in many ways, he was.
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Damn it, why is he here?
“Are you following me now?” she asked, her voice unbothered, cool as ice.
“I came to find you,” he replied, his tone a mixture of frustration and something softer, a lingering trace of the boy she had once called her best friend. “Why did you come out here alone?”
“Because I wanted to be alone,” she replied bluntly. “Is that not allowed?”
He let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped closer. “Are you still acting up because we favored Ivy a few times? Jealous, are you? Then why don’t you choose between us already?”
And finally, their real agenda was showing on the surface.
She held his gaze, feeling a pang of satisfaction at his words. “Oh! I’m not even a bit jealous, don‘ t worry.
“Then why are you acting like this?” He
Chapter 8
asked, insinuating something. Somehow,
reading between the lines made her
chuckle.
“Acting what? I am acting just fine, Hunter,” she replied simply, her tone unyielding.
Upon realizing that she had no intention of giving in to whatever they were planning, Hunter scoffed and marched away.
