—- Cain. My mate. Or at least, the one fate had paired me with. The one who should have stood by me. “What did you do to Eris?” he demanded, skipping any pretense of concern. “She’s in the healer’s hall. You poisoned her?” “It was an allergic reaction,” I said simply. “Don’t lie to me. You’ve always been jealous. How could you hurt your own blood like that?” His words were fire, burning through any remaining illusion I had. “Yes. I hurt her. I’ll apologize when she recovers.
Are we done?” He fell silent for a second, stunned by my calm. We’d argued about Eris before-dozens of times. He used to flirt with her under the pretense of concern. Ordered her favorite foods during our dinners. Ignored my needs, my wants. “She’s your sister,” he always said, like that made —- everything acceptable. To my family, I was always the overreacting one. The unstable one. When Eris went to the Alpha training, I felt peace for the first time. Even Vespa had been calmer.
Now, the storm had returned. “If anything happens to Eris again,” Cain warned, his voice cold, “there will be no mating ceremony.” Then the line went dead. I pictured him rushing into the healer’s den, brushing hair from Eris’s face, playing the hero to the girl he truly wanted. My claws threatened to unsheathe. Instead, I smirked, hung up, and called my mentor back in the outpost . Later that night, the front door creaked open. Mother and Father returned, exhaustion painted across their faces.
Dax followed, his head low. My duffel sat by the door. —- I was ready to leave. From upstairs, I heard them speaking in hushed tones- until the silence cracked open with betrayal. “If only Cain’s family had better standing,” Mother sighed. “He’s so good to Eris…” “Eris likes him,” Father added. “Had I known, I never would’ve paired him with Vera.” “Still,” Mother continued, “Cain and Vera are more suited. Let Eris chase her dreams.
He can still take care of her, even as Vera’s mate.” The words sank like stones in my gut. Even now, they planned to keep Eris close to my mate. To my mate. I descended the stairs, my presence sudden, cutting off their whispers. Mother flinched as she saw me. “Vera… you-You’re still here?” Tsaid nothing. Just grabbed my bag and walked into the night-into the —- cold air and the arms of the moon. Vespa stirred again. We were never one of them, Vera. But we are not alone.
I tilted my face skyward, letting the night wind carry my scent far from that house. From the pack that never truly saw me. From the mate who never chose me. Let them keep their false bonds. I would forge my own.
