Chapter 6

• TERESA
• I couldn't entirely leave even after I was sent out because I could feel the pain of my mates.
• Did they think I could just walk away from him like he meant nothing to me?
• I bit my tongue the moment the words slipped out but they were already out loud in the air.
• Even though I was still in deep confusion, everything was going smoothly but in a flash, it turned into a raging chaos.
• Right now, I was standing by the damn door even after my brief conversation with Keller.
• I was still hiding in the shadows like I was some uninvited person because I knew I should have left after Bennett shifted back.
• I knew I was pushing my luck.
• But the bond! My God, the bond kept tugging at me, clawing at my chest like it didn’t care that I was supposed to move on.
• My mate was hurting and that meant I was hurting too.
• Everything was quiet for a moment and I quickly held my breath.
• Inside the war room, Old Alpha Brock’s voice snapped through the silence like a whip. His voice was cold, commanding and ruthless as always.
• “No one speaks of this and I mean it! Not to anyone or your families. Not even your gods. If word of this spreads, we lose every negotiation we have built. Every ounce of fear, respect, and power would be gone. Is that what you want?” he thundered and a few guards shifted uncomfortably.
• I couldn’t see them, but I heard the armor clink. I imagined them standing in a tight circle with their jaws clenched and their eyes down, afraid to say anything.
• “Swear it,” the Alpha growled and there was silence.
• “I said…swear it.”
• Then the room echoed with low voices which sounded forced. They answered one by one, filling the room with their responses.
• “I swear,” some said.
• “I swear,” another voice said.
• “I swear my loyalty to the pack and this secret.”
• “I swear…”
• It came in over and over and Alpha Brock cleared his throat.
• “Break your vow,” Brock said, “and you will join the wolves buried in the east border. You will be just another name scratched off a stone no one visits.”
• I flinched at the sound of his voice and goosebumps appeared all over me.
• So it was that serious.
• I knew this pack was cruel. I knew Brock ruled with his teeth and not wisdom but even I didn’t expect this kind of fear to rot the air.
• I wanted to scream at the top of my voice and also to run in there and shout at all of them that secrets like this always found their way out.
• Always!!
• But instead, I stayed frozen and didn't do anything.
• One hand pressed against the cool wall, the other over my chest, trying to calm the ache pulling tight in my ribs.
• “And start the search,” Brock added. “I want Lynch found alive before sunrise.”
• I began to hear heavy footsteps against the floor. Doors began to open and chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
• They were done.
• And I…well, I finally moved.
• My legs were not working right. Every step back to my room felt heavier than the last as I dragged it down the floor.
• I didn’t know what time it was. I didn’t care to know as my hands still trembled from everything that happened.
• Bennett’s shift, the immediate violence and the betrayal in his eyes when he realized what he had done.
• I collapsed into my bed and stared at the ceiling like it was supposed to give me answers.
• It didn’t! It left me alone with my thoughts.
• I didn’t sleep nor did I shed a year or scream.
• I just lay there, motionless. Drowning in thoughts I didn’t ask for.
• Was he even okay? Was he still bleeding? Was he thinking of me?
• Holy heavens! Why did I even care?
• It was probably close to an hour when the door flung open without warning.
• I didn't hear a knock on the door. What I got was the sound of heels slapping against marble.
• It was my mother, Milanda.
• She stood in the doorway like she owned the building and a long dark cloak spilled from her shoulders, and her eyes were as sharp as knives.
• I sat up slowly.
• “What are you doing here?” I asked and she tilted her head.
• “Not even a hello for your dear mother? Is that how things are now?” She asked and I narrowed my eyes.
• “What do you want?” I demanded but she didn’t answer right away.
• She closed the door, clicked the lock, and walked in like she came on an inspection.
• Her gaze skimmed the walls, the torn robe on the floor, the bloodstains still drying on my arms.
• Funny enough, she didn’t even blink.
• “Interesting night,” she finally said and I stood up quickly.
• “You knew what happened?”
• “Of course I did. I always know.”
• “And you are not going to ask if I’m okay?” I blurted out.
• “You are still breathing,” she said. “That’s good enough for me. What else do I need to know?”
• I clenched my fists by my sides and shook my head. I wouldn't allow her to make me angry.
• “Why are you really here?” I demanded again and her lips curled into a fake and dangerous smile.
• “I came to tell you the smart thing to do,” she responded and my face squeezed in.
• “Which is?”
• “Run!”
• “Excuse me?” I blurted out.
• “You heard me. Leave this pack tonight. Leave while everyone is distracted. While they are all too busy cleaning up this mess to notice one little omega slipping away.”
• “I’m not leaving!” I yelled, maintaining my stance.
• She rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic.
• “This is your chance, Teresa. You saw what that boy became. He will do it again. Next time, maybe he won’t stop. And when that happens, guess whose head they will roll first?”
• “He’s not a monster,” I snapped, correcting her thoughts about him.
• “Oh, sweet girl,” she said, stepping closer, “they never are… until they are.”
• I turned away from her, trying to breathe.
• “He is my mate.”
• “Exactly. That is why I am telling you all these. That bond will ruin you. Don’t be stupid. ”
• “No! You will ruin me if I keep listening to you.”
• She laughed at me and it tugged at my heart because her laughter was sharp, bitter and almost cruel.
• “You are still so naive. I see that you have still not gotten an atom of sense!” she said, cursing under her breath.
• “And you are still so heartless!” I fired back. I was not going to allow her to come in here and bully me.
• Her smile vanished because she was not expecting that from me.
• “You think I’m cold because I don’t cry over broken men? No, Teresa. I’m cold because I have survived this world longer than you have. And I have seen girls like you who are weak, loyal and in love get eaten alive.”
• “I’m not weak,” I corrected her.
• “Who said so? You are! You are already bleeding for him.”
• “I would bleed again if I had to.”
• The air shifted and for a second, her eyes flashed with something I didn’t recognize.
• Regret? No! It wasn't! .
• “Foolish girl,” she muttered, and then she lunged fast at me.
• Her claws came out mid-swing, but I ducked just in time. She slammed into the wall instead.
• I stumbled back and my breath caught in my throat. She turned to look at me, panting heavily with fury dancing in her eyes.
• “Don’t make me hurt you,” she warned me.
• “You already did,” I said, voice low. “Your whole life has been hurting me.”
• She growled angrily like a mad animal who got triggered but then, the door creaked open.
• It was Keller.
• He stepped into the room like he knew exactly what he was walking into. There was no expression on his face. Just that damn unreadable face!
• Milanda froze immediately she saw him and she scratched her neck.
• “Keller,” she said, straightening her cloak. “What a… surprise.”
• He said nothing to her and she smiled again, but this time, her smile was hollow now and it was a little too forced.
• “I was just leaving.”
• Keller stepped aside and opened the door wider.
• Just like that, she left without leaving me with any insults or threats.
• When the door shut again, Keller didn’t move. He didn’t even look at me.
• “Are you okay?” I asked and he didn’t answer.
• So I sat back down, back to the wall with my knees pulled to my chest.
• He turned, finally and his eyes flicked to mine.
• Then, he walked out without telling me goodbye or that he will check on me later.
• “What did I do now?” I asked, drowning in confusion.