Chapter 25
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The sun was sinking lower, casting an amber glow over the lands of the Moonlight Pack as I settled into the quiet comfort of my new home with my mother. I should have felt at ease here, but the air seemed charged with the weight of memories and unspoken grief.
Then, the silence was broken by the arrival of Kayden and Francis–two faces from my past that I’d hoped to never see again. They stood there, looking out of place and unnerved, with regret written so plainly across their faces that it was almost laughable. Regret. That one emotion they hadn’t bothered to feel when I needed them most.
Damon, my Alpha King, rested a steadying hand on my shoulder, anchoring me to the present, reminding me to keep my composure. I didn’t want to hear a single excuse, but still, I faced them.
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“Malinda,” Kayden started, voice
unsteady, eyes searching my face for any hint of forgiveness. “We… we needed to see you. Please, let us explain. Let us… make things right.
I held their gaze, my own eyes as cold and unforgiving as ice. “Explain?” I asked, my voice sharper than I’d intended.
“Explain what, exactly? How you stood by while my father died? How you chose Sharon over our pack?”
Kayden flinched, his shoulders sagging as if my words had struck him physically. But I didn’t relent. Not yet.
Francis, always the quieter of the two, took a shaky breath. “We… we’re sorry, Malinda,” he stammered, voice barely audible. “We should have been there for you. For your father…”
The anger I’d held back since that day rose to the surface, igniting every nerve.
“Should have?” I practically spat the words, barely able to contain the fury
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roiling within me. “He’s dead, Francis. Dead. Do you think ‘sorry‘ changes that?”
Kayden’s gaze fell to the ground, his hands balling into fists as he absorbed the full brunt of my words. I could see the shame and guilt pooling in his eyes, but it was too little, too late.
“I know, Malinda,” he whispered, voice barely audible. “But please… let us make it right.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, unbidden, harsh, filled with every shard of betrayal I’d tried to forget. I raised a trembling hand, and before I could stop myself, I slapped him. The sound cracked through the air, loud and final.
Kayden’s head snapped to the side, his expression frozen in shock as he touched his cheek where I’d struck him.
Francis‘ s face drained of color, but he
didn’t dare move.
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“Where were you?” I demanded, voice breaking as the memories crashed over me like a wave. “Where were you when my father was bleeding out, lying alone on that battlefield? Where were you when our pack needed you the most? Weren’t you too busy rushing to Sharon’s side?”
Francis‘ s gaze dropped to the ground, unable to meet mine. He had no answer,
none that I wanted to hear.
“I wanted to be there,” Kayden mumbled, his voice hoarse. “But… Sharon was in danger too.”
Sharon. Just hearing her name was enough to reopen the wounds I’d worked so hard to close. My eyes narrowed, a fresh wave of fury rising within me, hot and unrelenting.
“It’s always about Sharon with you two, isn’t it?” I snarled, taking a step closer, feeling my wolf rise to the surface, clawing for release. “She plays the helpless victim, and you two are there in a heartbeat, no matter the cost to everyone else.”
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Kayden closed his eyes, wincing as my words struck. But I wasn’t done. I’d kept these words bottled up for too long, held back my anger for the sake of keeping the peace, and now they were going to hear it all.
“Two of you two! And you couldn’t even split up to protect your own pack?” My voice was low, trembling with rage. “One of you could have protected her while the other fought for us. But you left us. You left my father to die alone!”
Francis tried to speak, but his voice cracked, and he choked on his words. He knew I was right. They both did. I could see the shame in the way his shoulders slumped, the pain etched into every line of his face. But knowing they regretted it didn’t ease my own pain. It only made it
worse.
My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I hadn’t been able to say.
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“I hate you both. I hate what you did, and I hate what you’ve become.”
Kayden’s face crumpled, a pained expression overtaking him. “Malinda… please. I’d do anything to fix this.”
Francis fell to his knees, head bowed, fists clenched in desperation. “We’re begging you, Malinda,” he whispered, voice thick with sorrow. “Please… forgive us.”
Kayden knelt beside him, mirroring his plea, his face streaked with tears. “I know we failed you. Failed him. But please… give us a chance to prove ourselves. I still… I still love you.”
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His words hung in the air, raw, desperate, filled with an emotion I’d once yearned to hear. But now, they meant nothing. I felt empty, hollow, as though everything they’d taken from me had left a void I’d
never be able to fill.
“You don’t get to say that,” I replied, my voice cold and unyielding. “You made
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your choice, both of you. You chose Sharon over our pack. You chose her over me… and over my father.” My words fell like stones, each one a weight on their shoulders that I knew they’d never be
able to lift.
Francis‘ s head fell further, his shoulders shaking as the weight of my words settled over him. He looked up, voice barely above a whisper. “Please… just give us a chance to prove ourselves.”
I shook my head slowly, letting the finality of my decision sink in. “No. I don’t want to see either of you again,” I said, my voice sharp, unyielding. “You‘ re nothing to me now.”
They stared at me, horror and regret etched on their faces, but I felt nothing but a fierce sense of relief as I turned my back on them. I could hear them calling out to me, begging, pleading, but their voices faded into the distance as I walked away.
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