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Sitara POV
Zach promised he’d be there. He kissed my forehead, sealing it with what should‘ ve been reassurance, and turned to leave.
“Zach, I’ll wait for you,” I said softly, my voice laced with a fragile hope.
He glanced back at me with a faint smile.
“I promise, Sitara.”
When the chamber door shut behind him, I stood still, staring at the torn pieces of letters on the floor. Torn things… they can. never truly be pieced back together, no matter how much you try.
Later, when I entered the pack hall, my heart sank like a stone. The decorations mirrored exactly what Hazel had once mentioned–a motif she loved. Anger simmered beneath my skin.
Hazel appeared, her hazel eyes brimming
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Sitara POV
Zach promised he’d be there. He kissed my forehead, sealing it with what should‘ ve been reassurance, and turned to leave.
“Zach, I’ll wait for you,” I said softly, my voice laced with a fragile hope.
He glanced back at me with a faint smile.
“I promise, Sitara.”
When the chamber door shut behind him, I stood still, staring at the torn pieces of letters on the floor. Torn things… they can never truly be pieced back together, no matter how much you try.
Later, when I entered the pack hall, my heart sank like a stone. The decorations
mirrored exactly what Hazel had once mentioned–a motif she loved. Anger
simmered beneath my skin.
Hazel appeared, her hazel eyes brimming
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with triumph as she sauntered toward me.
“Sitara,” she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Alpha Zach asked me to handle the decorations. Everyone worked so hard for this. I hope you like it.”
My wolf growled low in my mind, begging to be unleashed. She wanted nothing more than to tear into the smug, conniving werewolf before me.
My gare shifted to her ears, and there it was a familiar earring dangling from her left lobe. My earring. The one I lost, a gift from my mother. Did Zach… give it to her?
Rage surged through me, but I forced a smile, baring my teeth. “A second–hand setup for a second–hand person suits you perfectly,”
Her expression twisted, her mask slipping. She glared at me with venom. “I am not second–hand! You think Zach loves you? He’s only keeping you around out of pity. He loves me now. You‘ re nothing but an
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afterthought.
Her grated laughter clawed at my nerves, but I refused to let her words land. Instead, I returned her glare with a calm, cutting
smile.
“Don’t worry. You can have him. You‘ re right–you two deserve each other. Congratulations on being the perfect match… cheater and homewrecker,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
That struck a nerve. Her eyes burned with fury, and before I could react, she lunged for me, hand raised to slap me. I caught her wrist mid–air, gripping it tight. My wolf‘ s strength pulsed through me.
“You have no right,” I growled, releasing her wrist with a shove. I could sense Zach approaching.
Hazel grabbed an apple knife from the
nearby table, and to my shock, she turned the blade on herself. She stabbed her side just as Zach entered the hall.
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My eyes widened in horror, and I lunged to stop her, but it was too late. She fell to the ground, clutching her side, crying out in pain.
“Zach!” she wailed, her voice broken and trembling.
Zach stormed toward us, his blue eyes blazing with fury. Before I could explain, his hand struck me hard across the face. The slap echoed through the room, leaving my cheek stinging.
“How could you, Sitara?” he roared. “How could you try to hurt Hazel?”
“Zach, I didn‘ t–she’s the one who-”
“Enough of your lies!” His voice was laced with disgust. “I saw you! How could you stoop so low? You hurt Hazel after everything she’s done for you. You‘ re jealous, spiteful, and cruel!”
He knelt beside Hazel, cradling her in his arms like she was the most fragile,
precious thing in the world. My chest
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tightened painfully as I watched him. His next words crushed me.
“You deserve to be punished for this, Sitara. Ten lashes–for harming Hazel.”
The warriors approached me. I held my head high, refusing to cower. Tears stung my eyes, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.
“I’ll go willingly,” I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest.
In the courtyard, I knelt on the cold ground as the lashes began. The sharp crack of the whip tore through the silence, but I didn’t cry out. My wolf and I bore the pain together, staring straight ahead at Zach. He stood with his arms crossed, watching with unreadable expression.
After the tenth lash, he stepped forward. His tone was cold, detached. “Let this be a lesson, Sitara. Harm Hazel again, and I won’t be so lenient. Your jealousy has destroyed whatever bond we had.”
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I met his gaze, my voice trembling but firm. “For the last time, Zach, I didn’t
harm her. But I see now that after ten
years, you never truly knew me–or trusted me.”
“Enough of your lies!” he snapped.
“Hazel pleaded for mercy on your behalf. Be grateful your punishment wasn‘ worse.”
When he turned and walked away, leaving me kneeling in the courtyard for hours, the pack members whispered among themselves, some pitying me, others turning away.
Under the light of the full moon, tears slipped silently down my cheeks.
“Moon Goddess,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I rejected him as my mate. Please… let our paths never cross again.”
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