Chapter 14
“I’m so bored,” Fay whined as she sat down at the breakfast table.
Over the last two weeks, she tried her best to remain indoors and avoid strenuous activities so she could recover faster. But the days alone, as well as the constant repetition of watering the plants and reading books, was starting to get to her.
Even though Fay didn’t have a wolf, she still was one. She wanted to do more than just laze around doing nothing. She wanted to exercise, to run through the forests so she could push herself to her limits.
“Why are you so wound up?” Elias asked as he turned to face her. “You can do whatever you want, so there’s no reason for you to be unhappy.”
“Can I resume my training? Can I see my father?” she asked with a dare in her eyes.
Elias smirked as he held her gaze. “How are you feeling?”
“It’s been two weeks since I’ve been discharged from hospital. If I haven’t recovered by now, I never will,” she said smugly.
Elias patted the chair next to him, which caused Fay’s shoulders to sag in defeat. Since they kissed, she’d been trying to keep her distance because she was unsure of how he felt about it. And since he didn’t try to make any moves, she assumed he did it in the heat of the moment but realized his mistake.
The thought was mildly irritating, so Fay decided to just forget about the entire encounter. But now that he wanted her to come closer, those feelings started to resurface.
“I don t bite,” Elias offered as he tapped the chair once more. “Why are you suddenly so suspicious of me?”
“Because I don’t know what your intentions are,” Fay countered, but she got up nonetheless.
Fay moved to the other side of the table so she could take a seat next to him. As she did, he grabbed onto the arm of the chair and pulled it closer, leaving just a few inches between them.
“All I’m trying to do is keep you happy,” Elias said, as he pointed at her shirt. “The wounds look good, so I don’t see a problem with you returning to your training. Just take it easy, okay?”
“My father?” Fay asked hesitantly. “Can I go see him?”
Elias let out a heavy sigh before grasping her hands. He looked down at them as he traced little circles over her wrist, which let Fay know that he was having a serious internal struggle.
It wasn’t unusual for him to act like that, but Fay understood why it happened. She would’ve acted the same way if she looked at the situation from his perspective. But Fay wished he would just listen to her, that he would understand her side of the story.
“I… I don’t know how to handle this, Fay,” he said honestly. “I know he’s your father, but what he did is unforgivable. He put you at risk. You can’t expect me to allow that to happen again.”
“Listen to me, Elias. My father had a reason for doing what he did, and it was not meant to go the way it did. He would never do anything that would put me in harm’s way.” She tightened her grip on him. “Please believe me in this. I wouldn’t lie to you about something that serious.”
“So tell me the reason.” He finally looked up at her. “Maybe I’ll understand if I know why he did it.”
“I can’t…” Their eyes met, and she hoped he could see the vulnerability in hers. “All I can tell you is that he gave me those pills to protect me from your pack.”
Elias dropped her hands as he got up. He didn’t need to run his fingers through his hair or to pace along the table for Fay to
know that he was furious. But it made her feel even worse about keeping this secret from him.
“Why don’t any of you want to tell me what’s going on here?” At that moment, he sounded so broken, and to Fay it was a punch in the gut. “I hate that you’re keeping stuff like this from me. With our b- our situation, I thought you’d be more open to trusting me.
“I do trust you.” Fay said, but she looked down in an attempt to hide her reddening face. “I’m just trying to protect my family. For you to banish me is one thing, but I won’t be able to live with myself if they’re forced to turn rogue.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Elias snapped, slapping his palm down on the marble counter. “I’d never banish you! It doesn’t matter what you or your parents do, you’re part of this family. That’s never going to change.”
“You might take that back once you find out that…” Fay mumbled, but luckily she stopped herself before it was too late. “Words are cheap. It’s the actions that count and so far everyone has acted the same.”
Elias sank down in his chair once more but he looked so defeated. The sight crushed Fay. All she wanted was to make him feel better, to bring back that smile she’d grown to love and to hear his joyful laugh.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, as she reached out to touch him. “But you just need to trust me with this, because I really don’t want to lose this.”
“Fine, I promise not to get involved in your business anymore.” He placed his hand on hers, giving it a light squeeze. “You can see your father, but I want you to keep living here.”
“Why’s that?” Fay asked playfully.
“Because I’m still worried about you and I’ve made your safety my top priority. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked, matching her tone,
Fay got up as if to walk away, but instead she leaned in next to his ear. She was quiet for a moment as she let her hot breath feather over his skin.
“No, I like hanging out with you,” she whispered, earning a groan.
Fay smiled and walked away before things could go any further. The training was starting in an hour anyway, and she didn’t want to miss any more than she already had. When Fay arrived, Sabel immediately ran up to embrace her.
“It’s so good to have you back,” Sabel said in her usual enthusiastic tone. “How’s Prince Charming treating you?”
“He’s forbidding me from moving back home,” Fay giggled. “And I have to admit that I’m quite happy with that. He gives me so much more freedom than my parents do.”
Sabel quirked a brow. “I think there’s a little more to it than that.”
Fay didn’t answer, but she did wink at her friend. With a laugh, the girls got up again so they could start their training.
Fay was overjoyed about being back in the swing of things, but as she dodged one of Sabel’s attacks, she realized something. Cassidy was no longer the center of attention. It actually looked like she wasn’t welcomed by every group she tried to join.
It was rather odd, especially since her lackeys were also pushing her away.
“What happened to Barbie?” Fay asked, pointing a thumb in Cassidy’s direction.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot that you didn’t know about that,” Sabel said eagerly. “While you were in hospital, Ms. Arrogance over there went to a gathering of our allied packs. Can you guess what happened?”
“I don’t know… Someone stole her clothes, and she was forced to walk around naked?” Fay mused.
“It was so much worse!” Sabel burst out laughing. “She found her mate!”
Fay’s stomach knotted at those words. She felt so bad for that poor guy, whoever he was. No one should be forced into the living hell Cassidy was bound to bring down upon her mate.
But there was something else, too. It was a feeling, a longing, deep within Fay’s soul. It was like a deep, empty pit that drew her in, that made her feel like she was missing something or someone.
Elias… His name just popped into her mind as if it were summoned and didn’t want to leave.
“Picture this,” Sabel said, as she grabbed Fay’s wrist, pulling her to the ground. “A man with gorgeous golden locks and denim blue eyes staring at you as if you’re the only woman on the planet.”
Fay leaned back on her elbows, but the only man she could picture was Elias.
“He dances with you, tells you how badly he wants to claim you, and leads you to a bedroom. Then bam!” Sabel slapped her hands together, startling everyone around them. “He drags you out so he can reject you in front of everyone!”
Fay’s jaw literally dropped. “That’s terrible! Who would do such a thing?”
“Jonathan Keys, Beta of the Silverstalkers pack.” Sabel shook her head. “When he found out that she gave her virginity to another, he totally lost it. But it got worse when a little birdy told him about what happened to you.”
“M–me?” Fay pointed at herself, unable to comprehend her involvement.
Sabel nodded. She didn’t know this guy, had never heard of him before, yet she was seemingly to blame for him dumping his mate. How on earth did that happen?
“He found out that she nearly ripped you apart. He wasn’t happy about it at all.” Sabel shrugged. “Jonathan called her a horrible person before storming off and that was it. Suddenly she became an outcast. She was dropped by everyone including her bootlickers.”
Fay looked over at Cassidy. The girl looked utterly defeated, a feeling Fay knew all too well. She had been in that position, she’d walked that path, she knew how terrible it was.
The whole situation with Cassidy was starting to get to Fay. At first she just tried to ignore it, which was rather easy since she just had to remind herself of what Cassidy had done to her, but it wasn’t working anymore.
She was actually starting to feel bad for Cassidy, and not just in the ‘ah, poor girl‘ kind of way. What Fay felt was a deep- rooted sympathy for a person who lost everything she was used to because of a few silly mistakes.
“Useless slut,” Fay heard someone, calling as she was about to turn the corner that led to the girls‘ locker room.
She gasped in horror before she picked up her pace, but the sight that greeted her was not what she expected. Cassidy’s old lackeys were pushing her around as tears streamed down her face.
“You couldn’t keep a good man if you were paid to!” Melody spat.
“What on earth is wrong with you people?” Fay chastised as she ran up to them. “Do you alway have to be so cruel?”
The pack members just stared at Fay, their shock clearly visible on each of their faces.
“She doesn’t deserve this! No one does!” Fay put herself in the firing range to protect the girl she once saw as an enemy, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
