28 Chapter 28 Burden of Silence
“Did you need to discuss something?” he asked, his voice gentler now, intimate in the privacy of his office. 7
“Penelope,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that cut through her next protest. “I don’t give a damn about your mate. And let this serve as fair warning to everyone in this pack who thinks they can continue disrespecting me. You will treat me with dignity from now on, and you will stop trying to humiliate me at every turn.”
Julian’s concerned glances pierced through my facade. His dark eyes, usually so commanding, held nothing but gentle worry now.
Let it go, I told myself repeatedly. But the words felt hollow, meaningless against the growing anxiety clawing at my insides.
Their cruel words had always found their mark, cutting deep into wounds that never fully healed. But I’d never given them the satisfaction of seeing me break. I wouldn’t start now. That pride was one of the main reasons I wanted to escape this place, to deny them the pleasure of feeling superior to me.
“You seem tense,” he murmured, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine despite my turmoil. “What’s bothering you?”
After the tension dissolved and the crowd dispersed, I followed him to his office, the heavy door closing behind us with a soft click. The air hung thick with unspoken words, with secrets I still carried like poison in my veins. I couldn’t bring myself to speak, waiting for him to break the silence first.
Part of me had expected his anger to cool, for him to reconsider Nolan’s banishment once his temper settled. But his resolve appeared unshakeable, his decision final.
He turned from his desk, those dark eyes finding mine with familiar intensity.
I didn’t need supernatural senses to know Julian had arrived. His presence filled the space before he even spoke, commanding and absolute. But what still caught me off guard was his unwavering support, the way he defended me without question or hesitation.
Being wolfless didn’t make me blind or stupid. I made it my business to understand every dynamic in this pack, every relationship and alliance. And I’d always noticed how little Nolan valued Penelope, how he treated her like an inconvenience rather than a
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partner. Yet here she stood, defending him with every ounce of her being.
Seraphina’s POV
I paced the small space like a caged animal, my thoughts spinning out of control. This had to end. If Roxanne was lying, if she was manipulating the situation, Julian deserved to know. He could handle whatever consequences came from their past actions.
Penelope had to be delusional if she couldn’t see Nolan’s obvious infatuation with Roxanne. The fierce protectiveness he showed her, the way he watched her every move, spoke louder than any declaration. He’d never shown me half that concern, even as his supposed mate.
“How dare you do that to him?”
“Alpha, please,” Penelope stammered, immediately submitting with her head bowed low. “I was only trying to”
Each time he asked, I fed him the same lie, my voice barely steady. “Nothing’s wrong. Just tired.” But my body betrayed every word. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, my pulse hammered against my throat, and every small sound made me jump like a startled deer.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” I replied, my voice carrying more steel than I felt inside. “So why don’t you spell out exactly what you think I did? Then maybe I can tell you whether there’s any truth to it.”
Roxanne’s silence puzzled me more than anything. She had won whatever twisted game she was playing, yet she sat quietly in the backseat, offering no explanation to Julian. No gloating, no victory speech. That silence made everything infinitely worse, transforming her secret into a stone lodged deep in my throat.
The Fang House doors felt heavier than usual as I pushed through them, my destination clear. I needed to reach Julian’s office, needed to confess everything before the secret poisoned what we were building together. But before I could take more than a few steps down the hallway, a sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
The drive home stretched endlessly before us, every passing minute adding weight to the secret crushing my chest. I never considered myself dishonest, but sitting beside Julian now, I felt like the worst kind of deceiver. Initially, I convinced myself this burden belonged to Roxanne, not me. But when she chose silence back at the coffee shop, when she let me carry this alone, it became mine to bear.
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Decision made, I left the house again, heading toward the Fang House where Julian conducted his Alpha duties. The evening air did nothing to cool the fever burning under my skin.
“And if I discover that anyone has disrespected her again,” a powerful voice rumbled from behind me, sending electricity dancing across my skin, “they will face the same punishment Nolan received.”
My gaze swept across the crowd that had gathered, drawn by the confrontation like moths to flame. Their faces showed a mixture of shock and uncertainty. I knew my words would travel far beyond this group, carried by their supernatural hearing to every corner of pack territory.
“No excuses,” Julian cut her off, his tone brooking no argument. “I’m sorry you’re in this position, Penelope. You’re welcome to remain in this pack if you choose. But your mate will never set foot on our territory again.”
The moment we reached the house, I bolted from the car, muttering something about exhaustion before fleeing to my room. The door lock clicked behind me with finality, but it couldn’t shut out the guilt eating me alive.
My spine straightened instinctively. I’d endured their accusations and blame my entire life, shouldering responsibility for things beyond my control. Not tonight.
Penelope stood before me, Nolan’s mate, her face twisted with rage. Of all the pack members who despised me, she ranked among the worst. Her hatred made perfect sense considering her mate’s obvious feelings for me, feelings I never encouraged or wanted.
Walking through the pack territory, I felt the familiar weight of hostile stares. Those cold, calculating looks had been my constant companion for years as an outsider. For a brief time recently, they had softened, giving me hope that acceptance might be possible. But tonight, the ugly glares returned with vengeance, reminding me exactly where I stood in their hierarchy.
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