Chapter 7
I was just trying to get through the day, tucked away in the packhouse‘ s common area, attempting to focus on some maps. I’d been asked to review. It was routine
work, usually enough to keep me
grounded, but today my thoughts were slipping. My mind kept circling back to the upcoming Mateship Ceremony, the stranger who would soon become my mate, and the friendships I’d left behind, some fading, some fractured beyond repair.
The quiet buzz of conversation outside barely registered until I caught a familiar voice–a voice so sweet it made my wolf
bristle.
“It’s just… she looked at me with so much anger,” Sharon‘ s voice trembled. through the thin walls, her tone wrapped in faux vulnerability. “I don‘ t know what I
did wrong.
وو
My stomach twisted. Sharon, really? I’d
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declined her offer to go out for coffee earlier, and now she was spinning some sob story about me? Unbelievable. My grip on the edge of the table tightened as her words continued to flow.
Kayden’s voice came next, low and coaxing. “Hey, Sharon, it’s okay. Malinda’s just… going through something. It’s not about you.”
“No, it is my fault,” Sharon whispered, layering her words with just enough guilt to hook anyone listening. “Maybe she’s upset because… well, I’m just a weak, abandoned omega. Maybe I remind her of… something she hates.”
My wolf growled inside me, my instincts. sharpening with a visceral rage. I could practically see her expression in my mind: those wide, innocent eyes, her delicate fingers nervously clasped together, her head bowed as if in silent prayer. A helpless, pure little lamb. As if she wasn’t the one spinning lies.
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My patience snapped. I pushed back my chair, striding into the hallway with steady, purposeful steps. There she was, flanked by Kayden and Francis, who both stood close to her, casting protective glances her way. Her eyes darted up, widening as she took in
my presence.
“Sharon.” My voice cut through the air, calm but edged with steel. “If you’ve got something to say about me, say it to my face. Don’t make up stories behind my back.”
Sharon’s gaze dropped to the floor, her lips quivering, like a child caught in the middle of a prank. “I… I didn’t mean to make you upset, Malinda,” she stammered, voice barely a whisper.
Kayden stepped forward, his brow furrowed, his expression unreadable.
“Malinda, come on. This isn’t necessary. Sharon didn’t do anything.”
I kept my tone controlled, even though my wolf was pacing restlessly within me,
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itching to tear through Sharon’s pathetic. act. “I’m not accusing her, Kayden. I’m just asking her to be honest.”
Sharon winced as if I’d struck her. Her fingers reached up, trembling as she pressed them to her lips. “I… I got scared, Malinda. You glared at me earlier, and I was only trying to be friendly.” Her eyes shone with a fake shimmer of tears, and she gave a pitiful sniff.
Francis laid a hand on her shoulder, his expression hardening as he turned to me.
“Is it really necessary to make her feel like this, Malinda? Sharon‘ s been nothing but kind to you.”
A harsh, humorless laugh almost escaped me. Kind? Sharon’s version of kindness
was manipulating everyone, playing the weak, innocent omega to perfection, securing their sympathy with every well- timed sigh and tear.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, my gaze sweeping over them with a mixture of
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disbelief and disgust.
Kayden’s voice dropped to a low growl.
“Malinda, you‘ re being unfair. Sharon‘ s done nothing to deserve this.”
I met his gaze, frustration clawing its way up my chest, hot and bitter. “And what exactly have I done, Kayden?” I
demanded. “Since when did standing up for myself become a crime?”
He hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing his face as he glanced back at Sharon, who shrank into herself, casting her gaze downward. “You‘ ve just… you‘ ve been distant,” he finally said, his tone gentler than I expected.
Sharon jumped in, her voice a fragile whisper. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? Ever since I joined the pack, I feel like there’s been this… tension between us. I don’t want to be the cause of any rift. If my presence bothers you, Malinda, I‘ ll… I‘ ll leave. I don’t want to be a burden.”
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She sniffled again, letting a single tear roll down her cheek. My wolf‘ s anger roared. to life, and I fought to keep my expression neutral. Sharon was laying it on thick, making herself out to be the victim as if I’d personally orchestrated every hardship in her life.
“No one’s asking you to leave,” Francis murmured, his voice soft as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a reassuring smile on his face. “You belong here, Sharon. We won’t let anyone make you feel otherwise.”
A flash of something cold and hard settled in my chest. They‘ d always been there for her, quick to jump to her defense, quick to look away from the truth in front of them. Sharon cast a pleading glance in my direction, her voice breathy and hopeful.
“I just want things to be better between us, Malinda. I want us to be… friends.”
The word left her lips, hanging in the air like a twisted joke. Friends? Sharon, who
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had wormed her way into their affections, twisted truths to paint me as the villain, and yet had the audacity to stand here and talk about friendship?
“Friends?” I arched an eyebrow, folding my arms as I regarded her with a humorless smirk. “Funny, Sharon. I don’t recall friends manipulating everyone around them.”
Sharon gasped, her face crumbling in what looked like genuine shock. She pressed her hand to her chest, her wide eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I would never do that,” she cried, her voice trembling. “I… I don‘ t understand why you think so badly of me, Malinda.”
Kayden’s gaze hardened, his expression growing cold as he took a step closer to me, shielding Sharon with his body. “Enough, Malinda. She doesn’t deserve this,” he said, his voice a low, controlled warning.
My jaw clenched, anger boiling under my skin, twisting with hurt and frustration. I
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opened my mouth to respond, but the words died on my tongue. Every
accusation, every thought, every instinct to defend myself felt pointless. I could see it in their eyes–they’d already made up their minds. Sharon‘ s innocent, me the aggressor. They couldn’t see past the lies she spun around them like a spider weaving a delicate web.
I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to calm down, to hold back the storm raging within. “Believe what you want,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “But don’t expect me to play along.”
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Chapter 8
