Chapter 8
I watched them from a distance, my gaze cold, yet a storm of emotions whirled beneath the surface. Kayden and Francis–they thought I didn’t notice their worried glances, their whispers about my change in demeanor. But I saw everything. After all, how could I ignore the two people who had once meant the world to me?
Their loyalty to Sharon had left a scar so deep it nearly felt like a brand, a constant reminder of how blind they’d been to my own struggles. They chose her–over and over- defending her, comforting her, even while I withered in silence. If they couldn’t see past her façade, past the charade she put on so perfectly, then maybe they didn’t deserve to
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know who I truly was anymore.
As I moved through the packhouse halls, I drifted like a ghost, invisible and unnoticed. I no longer paused when Kayden called my name in the mornings. The friendly greetings I used to exchange with Francis? Gone. Each interaction was reduced to clipped, polite exchanges that felt foreign on my tongue, forced and hollow. I saw the way they looked at me, confused, maybe even hurt, but I remained guarded, my wolf silent and watchful within me.
“Malinda!” Kayden‘ s voice reached me one morning, just as I was about to leave the hall.
I stopped, but not out of the kindness I once felt toward him. Instead, it was a habit, something ingrained. Slowly. I turned, fixing
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him with a look that held only mild interest,
as if he were no more significant than a passing thought.
“Yes?”
Kayden‘ s expression softened, and he took a hesitant step toward me. His eyes searched mine, almost as if he were looking for a trace of the girl I used to be. “Are you going somewhere?”
A flicker of irritation burned within me, but I kept my face cool, expressionless. “You don‘ t have to know.” I paused, watching his eyes flicker with something akin to hurt. “Why don’t you go dote on Sharon?”
He blinked, and I could see the pain flash across his face. “I just… I just want to know. Can’t you tell me?”
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A bitter smile curled at the corners of my lips.
“Do I have to report everything to you now?” My tone was calm, almost eerily so, lacking the raw emotion it once held. “Just leave me be, like you have been these past few weeks.”
Kayden‘ s face twisted in confusion, his brows knitting together. “Malinda, it’s not like we abandoned you. We just thought… we thought Sharon needed more support.”
“Support,” I echoed, my voice laced with mockery. “Yes, I can see just how much support she’s needed.”
I let the silence stretch between us, watching him struggle for words that never came. It was almost satisfying, seeing him grasp for an excuse, for any reason to defend his
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Just then, Francis approached, his confident stride faltering when he noticed the tension in the air. He looked between Kayden and me, suspicion flickering in his eyes. “What‘ s going on?” He asked, his tone sharper than usual. “Malinda, why are you shutting us out?”
I looked at them both, feeling a strange detachment as if they were strangers instead of the two people I had once trusted with everything. Funny how time and betrayal could twist even the strongest bonds into something brittle, something fragile. The connection between us felt like smoke now, barely there, ready to disappear with the faintest breeze.
“Do you have nothing left to say?” I asked,
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my
voice steady, almost curious.
Francis frowned, his lips thinning. “You
don‘ t have to be like this, Malinda. Sharon never wanted to come between us.
33
A humorless laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “No, of course not. She just wanted you both to herself, didn’t she? And from what I can see, she got exactly what she wanted.”
“Malinda, stop it,” Francis snapped, frustration seeping into his voice. “You‘ re being unfair.”
Unfair? The accusation stung, but I wouldn’t let him see it. I met his gaze, my eyes hard. “God, I’m the one being unfair now?” I shook my head, a dry laugh escaping me. The absurdity of it all nearly made me laugh in
their faces.
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Later that evening, I wandered out into the woods that bordered our pack‘ s land, craving the solitude only the forest could offer. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting eerie shadows on the ground, yet I found comfort in the quiet, in the absence of judgmental stares and whispered conversations.
My feet carried me to a small clearing we used to visit as children. Kayden, Francis, and I had come here countless times, laughing and making promises we believed would last forever. I could still picture us sprawled across the forest floor, our laughter ringing out into the night. But now, it was just me, standing alone among the trees, surrounded
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only by memories and silence.
A sharp ache filled my chest, and for the first time, I allowed myself to feel it–to truly feel the pain beneath the anger. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I closed my eyes, letting the emotions wash over me like waves crashing onto a shore.
A sudden snap of a twig behind me shattered the silence, and I turned sharply. Kayden stood there, his face shadowed in the dim light, watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
“Are you following me now?” I asked, my tone cold and unbothered.
“I came to find you,” he replied, his voice a mix of frustration and something softer–a trace of the boy I had once called my best friend. “Why did you come out here alone?”
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friend. “Why did you come out here alone?”
“Because I wanted to be alone,” I answered bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest. “Is that not allowed?”
He let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he took a step closer. “Are you still acting this way because we favored Sharon a few times? Jealous, are you? Then why don’t you choose between us already?”
Ah, so there it was–his real agenda, right on the surface.
I raised an eyebrow, letting out a low, bitter chuckle. “Oh, I’m not even a bit jealous, Kayden. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Then why are you acting like this?” he demanded, his voice laced with irritation.
“Acting like what?” I shot back, my tone
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cold and unyielding. “I’m acting just fine, Kayden.”
For a moment, he seemed at a loss, as though he didn’t recognize the person standing before him. It was almost satisfying, seeing him grapple with the reality of what he‘ d helped create. When he realized I wouldn’t give him the reaction he wanted, he scoffed, his face twisting in frustration before he turned on his heel and stormed away.
