POV: Rae
Rae stood still as the people around her spoke quietly, and she felt crushed by how everyone was looking at her, She heard what they said, and their words cut through the air like sharp knives,
"That's Rae…"
"She said no to Alpha Kade…"
"She chose his sister instead,"
Their words echoed loudly in her head, louder than any war cries she had ever heard, Her muscles tightened, and she made fists with her hands, but she didn't move, She wouldn't let them see that she was breaking down,
She tried to look ahead and not pay attention to them, but she couldn't ignore the critical looks from everyone, The shame they wanted her to feel was like a bitter poison in the air, Every time someone whispered, Rae felt it deeply, like she had done something wrong to the whole group,
Then she heard it again,
"She's the one who did it,"
"She went against the Alpha,"
"She chose a girl… his own sister,"
It took all her strength not to shout, She didn't regret picking Nyra, not at all, but the stares, the judgment, the feeling of being betrayed by people she used to fight with—it hurt, Much more than she thought it would,
Just when she couldn't take it anymore, Rae felt someone gently take her hand—strong, warm, and confident,
Nyra,
Her touch calmed her down, Rae turned slightly to look at her, seeing Nyra's soft but intense red eyes, Nyra didn't say anything, but she squeezed her hand tighter, and just like that, the crowd seemed to move aside,
The whispers still stung, but Rae walked forward with Nyra beside her,
She wasn't by herself,
They walked together past the pack members, past their faces filled with shame and quiet disapproval, Nyra didn't even react, Her presence, even without using her power, made the crowd naturally step back and make a path for them, Rae stood up straighter with every step,
They went to Jake's house—Rae's adopted father—where she thought things would be safe and familiar, She hoped being with him would bring her some peace and maybe even understanding,
But when she walked in, it was the opposite,
Jake was standing there, arms crossed, his face hard to read, Rae hadn't seen him this angry since she was a wild teenager sneaking into battle training without permission,
He didn't wait,
"Do you know what you've done?" he asked, his voice quiet and tense,
"I made a decision," Rae answered calmly, still holding Nyra's hand, "A decision that the Moon Goddess agreed with,"
Jake's jaw tightened, "You've split the pack in two, Kade is losing control, The elders are getting ready to rebel, You gave them a reason to,"
Rae's throat felt tight, "So I should have stayed silent? Bonded with someone I don't love? Lived a lie just to make the council happy?"
Jake said nothing, His quietness showed more sadness than talking could have, Rae's heart hurt, but she didn't give in, Not now,
Nyra stayed quiet next to her, watching with a look that Rae now knew meant she was holding back, Rae knew Nyra wanted to speak, maybe stand up for her—but she stayed quiet to be respectful,
Jake breathed out hard, touching his nose, "Go to your room, We will talk later,"
"No," Rae stated, "Tell me what you want to say, right now,"
He then looked at Nyra, "And you… this secret… this ability you kept hidden, Did you ever think about how it would affect Rae?"
Nyra moved slightly, showing pain,
"Enough," Rae said sharply, "This is not only about me, It is about what is real, About a group that punishes love and hides power because they are afraid, Nyra has not done anything wrong,"
Jake's eyes got a little softer, but only for a moment, "You don't get what you are doing,"
"I get enough," Rae answered back, "I know I would rather be disliked for saying what's true than liked for living a lie,"
Jake didn't say anything, He just turned away,
That was when Rae realized, Any safety she had here would not last long,
She went outside into the cold night, her body filled with anger and sadness, The lights from the pack house shone behind her, but she couldn't stay there, Not tonight,
She wanted to be alone, Time to think, To calm down,
"Rae…" Nyra spoke from behind her,
"I just need a minute," Rae said quietly, walking down the small path that went into the woods,
The trees seemed to say something different, something that felt almost good, She walked until the noise of the pack went away and she could see the stars above, The sound of her breathing got slower, She was finally by herself,
Or so she believed,
The forest was quiet… but not really,
Rae sat down on a rock covered in green stuff, feeling the weight of her argument with Jake and still hearing the hushed voices of the group, The gentle wind moved through the leaves, feeling cool on her face, She was finally by herself,
Or that's what she thought,
A small branch broke behind her,
Her gut reaction took over, Rae quickly turned around, reaching for the knife on her leg—but she stopped when she saw the man coming out from the trees,
Edwin,
Her real father,
The one she hadn't seen since what happened at the fake leader's base, The one who said things that she still couldn't fully understand, Her heart sank,
"What are you doing here?" she questioned sharply, moving back a step,
"I'm here," he answered smoothly, "because I knew you'd leave the group's house tonight, Just like your mother used to do, Being angry always made her go to the trees,"
"Don't talk about her," Rae's voice shook with a dangerous tone, "You don't get to talk about her,"
Edwin lifted his hands like he was giving up, "Okay, that's fair, I just came to talk, Rae, That's all,"
"I'm not interested,"
"But you should be," His smile didn't reach his eyes, "I know things about you—about your family, your future, You can't ignore that, not now,"
Rae tightened her hands into fists, "What future? The one where I'm your tool to destroy the Shadow Pack?"
His face became serious, "You don't understand the whole situation, I'm trying to fix things—"
"By hurting people and forcing them into your plans?"
"Some things have to be done,"
She laughed with anger, "You sound just like the council,"
"I'm worse," he admitted, "Because I don't pretend to be good,"
He moved closer, and Rae quickly reached for her knife again,
Edwin stopped, "You still react so quickly, I wonder what would happen if your wolf really woke up… if you accepted who you are,"
"I already have," she said, "I'm Rae, Fighter, Partner to Nyra, That's all I need to be,"
"But not all you were meant to be," he whispered,
"I don't care,"
That was the last thing Rae said to him as a warning, She turned to walk away, but the quick sound of something flying toward her ear made her bend down,
A small arrow,
It hit her in the shoulder, sharp and quick, She tried to take it out, but her arms and legs started to shake, She turned back to Edwin, her eyes wide as she realized what was happening,
"You… poisoned me…"
He came closer as her knees gave out,
"This is the only way," he said quietly, "You won't listen, Rae, But if you do what I need… I'll make sure you survive,"
Her sight became blurry, Her body felt like it was underwater—heavy, slow, falling,
"Why…" she struggled to say, "why now?"
"It's your time to go back," he quietly said, bending down by her still body, "and do what you must,"
Her head fell to the side on the leaves, She was having trouble breathing, and her mind was unclear,
"Tomorrow, you're going back to where they all live," he said quietly, "You're going to act like everything is okay, You'll try to learn what they're hiding, And when you get the chance… you'll destroy them completely,"
Rae's brain wanted to fight back, but her body wouldn't listen, Everything was going around and around, Her heart slowed down, A quiet noise, like Nyra talking far away, was trying to get her attention…
But she couldn't talk, Couldn't even move,
Edwin got up and cleaned off his knees, "Sleep now, my child, When you wake up… the fight will start,"