Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Continuation.
Amica.
“Well, Stephan is my-“I try to explain.
“How do you expect her to know anything about courtesy? Isn’t he the one who received such adulterous slanders?” Alpha Deckard cuts me off. He storms out of the hall, grabbing a newspaper from Bria and shoving it into my trembling hands. I take a step back, feeling the weight of the accusation before I even look at the words.
“Look at it, dear Luna!” he seethes. I can feel the eyes of everyone on me, and the woman who had been with him inside the dining room steps out too.
With shaking fingers, I unfold the paper and my heart sinks as I read the headline. “Ex–Luna of the Ironclaw Pack Found Guilty of Adultery. Tears well up in my eyes, blurring the damning words that scream at me from the page.
This is what they think of me. This is how the world will see me a cheater, a traitor. Every muscle in my body tightens, and I struggle to keep myself together, knowing that this is only the beginning of my humiliation.
I was right about Dane… He will make it impossible for me to have a life outside of this.
“This is not tru-
“Alpha, please forgive the Luna. She doesn’t know the protocols, and that’s why–Stephan interjects, dropping his head. “We were childhood friends.”
You don’t have to explain anything to him.” For the first time since I’ve been here, I find my voice. I won’t let these false narratives dictate my life anymore, not even in this new pack. If allow it to continue, this slander will follow me for the rest of my days.
“Excuse me?” Alpha Deckard takes a step closer and I refuse to meet his eyes. I can hear the obsidian laced in his voice and I know his words are meant to intimidate me. How can I be with wolf who won’t even allow me to defend myself?
“Take the paper, take your accusations, and understand one thing. I will not live under the weight of your judgment or anyone else’s. I may be bound by a mark, but I will not be a prisoner to it!” I tremble.
“Stephan, give the Luna now and give her a tour of the pack house. I’ll take it from here.” Bria says, taking the papers from me. Stephan stands at the doorway, waiting for me to start moving. As I step past him, I can feel Deckard’s eyes searing into
me.
We walk in silence after I part from Deckard. I am unsure as I navigate the unfamiliar terrain. The pack house is imposing. foreign and lacks familiarity, yet despite the unease knotting in my stomach, being here is still a better option than being trapped with Dane.
Stephen stops in front of me after we are far away from Deckard
“What are you doing here?” I whisper. It feels surreal to stand in front of Stephan again but it aches me to see him at Deckard’s side as a gamma.
“What are you doing here?” Stephan replies, a playful smile lights up his features as he mirrors my question. His smile draws me in, reminding me of simpler times when life was less complicated.
V/A
Tho
10:01 Mon, Feb 17 B B
Chapter 6
I can’t help but smile back,
출시 43%
“As you said, I will be Lama sopu. Well, after the ceremony…and you, why are you working for a wolf like Deckard?” I ask
“He’s my Alpha, Amica. And he’s not as bad as you think.” Stephan replies, earnestness in his eyes.
I scoff at that. “Did you even see him back there?” My heart race just recalling the way Deckard’s presence felt like at foreboding beast,
“I know he can be intense, but there’s more to him than just that he insists and I scoff again.
“I heard your father took you to the Iron Claw Pack after the war broke out. We were too young to know this, but I was from the Emberhowl bloodline. Thousands died in the war. The Cold Pack wolves attacked every bloodline in the league, and we were gravely outnumbered. A few of us were on the run for a long time,” he continues, his eyes reflect sorrow.
“Until the Bloodbane Pack found us. They rescued me and my family from the war, and I was recruited to train and become a gamma in Bloodbane.”
I felt a sinking pit in my stomach as he speaks. I lost someone too. We all lost so much in that war, but hearing it from someone who lived it was a reminder of the devastation that followed.
Stephen pauses for a moment, glancing at the walls of the pack house. “The best part of it all was joining the Gamma Warriors. I got the chance to train, to fight back. And one day, I swear to you, the Cold Pack will be wiped out. Every last one of them. I will avenge the death of everyone we lost–including our mother.” He promises.
Hearing Stefan talk about him, about revenge and wiping out those responsible, makes my heart ache in a way I haven’t let myself feel in a long time. I don’t want to think about that day–seeing my mother’s lifeless body, lying there as if the world had stopped. Even now, it feels unreal, like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.
“I’m just… glad you’re alive.” I manage to say.
“Me too…” Stephan says and he goes silent for a short time.
“I’ve been on patrol for the last three weeks, but I managed to hear the rumors that the Alpha finally found a mate. I also heard about your past mate-”
“It’s not
t true. I never cheated on Dane!”
“I know my situation has spread like wildfire, and everyone seems to be saying everything except the truth. But I swear, the words they’re saying about me are false.”
He raises an eyebrow as he considers my words. “Fine. I’ll believe what you say, but if you want to last in this pack, you must follow the rules. Next time, you must not embrace me like that in front of the Alpha or anyone else. Do you realize what that could mean? Alpha Deckard might’ve taken it the wrong way.”
His tone is serious and he looks scared actually.
“I didn’t think about it like that. I just felt overwhelmed. I thought I could find some comfort in a familiar face, someone who knew me before all of this.” I admit.
“The dynamics in this pack are different, Deckard is… complicated. He’s not a man to be trifled with, especially when it comes to his mate. The Alpha has struggled to find a mate his whole life, and now he finally has one, only to see her embrace another marr right in front of him… That’s not a good look. You need to be cautious.”
Of course, someone like Deckard will struggle to get a mate his whole life.
2/13
10:01 Mon, Feb 17 BG.
Chapter 6
I take a deep breath, absorbing his words “Thank you for looking out for me, Stephan. I’ll be more careful. I don’t want to cause any trouble, especially not with Alpha Deckard”
“Come on. Instead of a pack house tour, why don’t we get out of the pack instead? Let’s grab a coffee and talk more. I mean… You are going to be in the pack house for a long time, you don’t have to know everything now. Plus, there are some questions I may need to answer, but in here, all the walls have “Stephan suggests.
“Okay,” I breathe. But when I turn to continue walking, I see Dane, walking over to me and in his hand, the certificate he promised Deckard he would bring to him.
A chill runs through my body but this time, it is not fear, it is E, and she is angry
What does he want? I can feel her claws digging in, ready to figh