CHAPTER 14
Landon drove all the way back to the pack house and parked the car in the garage.
We both got out, and he turned to look at me just as I wiped a tear from my eye.
He gazed at me strangely, but I simply walked past him and into the house.
I went up to my room, closed the door, and propped a chair under the handle. Then, I walked into the bathroom and stepped straight into the shower.
I washed my hair and removed my makeup.
After getting out, I changed into my usual shirt and track pants, then put on my dressing
gown.
Noticing that the fire was low, I realized I was running out of wood, which wouldn’t last me
through the night.
I didn’t want to venture out, knowing that they were probably back by now, but I also didn’t
want to freeze. So, I grabbed two baskets and walked down the stairs.
I reached the hallway at the bottom of the stairs and heard shouting ahead of me. Instead of
going outside to gather firewood, I decided to venture deeper into the house.
As I walked further, I could hear Landon, Kai, and Hayden arguing loudly in one of the rooms.
“I knew it! This whole thing was a lie. You were just using her!” Hayden yelled.
“Landon wanted to know if she was spying on us. Why did you have to get involved? And why
did you bring that slut of a sister of yours?” Kai shouted back.
“Because I didn’t f*****g trust you! I knew you would pull some sort of stupid stunt tonight!”
Hayden yelled.
“Can both of you just stop? I asked Kai to keep an eye on her because I don’t trust Arabella,”
Landon shouted back.
“Why don’t you trust her? Is it because of Vincent? I think she agreed to this marriage to get away from him. You should have seen how she was around him at the wedding–she looked happy and relieved when he left!” Hayden argued.
“I didn’t see that,” Landon said. “That’s because you’ve barely looked at her since she arrived,” Hayden replied. “Landon, I did this for you. Do you want me to continue?” Kai asked.
“I need to know if she’s keeping anything from me.” Landon insisted.
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“You two are the biggest f*****g idiots, do you know that?” Hayden asked.
8 Points >
“Hayden, we’ve been best friends for years. Don’t make me regret it. So watch what you say to me.” Landon growled at him.
“I honestly don’t think she’s working for Vincent,” Hayden insisted.
I slowly walked down the hallway and stopped at the doorway where they were all arguing. It only took a couple of seconds for Landon to notice me standing there.
Hayden and Kai turned around to see me. Hayden instantly looked sorrowful, while Kai appeared as if he had been caught in the act. He didn’t look sorry or guilty at all.
I decided not to say anything to them. I walked a little further into the room and then turned my back to them.
I removed my dressing gown and hung it over the back of the chair next to me. Then, I grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled it up.
I managed to keep the side of my shirt down so they couldn’t see my breasts, but I pulled it up to the top of my back to let them see the scars that covered my skin–especially the fresh wound still healing on top of the old scars.
Once I put my shirt back down, I grabbed my dressing gown and slipped it on before turning around to face them.
They were all staring at me, literally speechless, their expressions a mix of confusion and
disbelief.
“I’m not spying on you for Vincent. I wouldn’t help that prick hurt anyone else. I’m not doing anything for him; I just needed to get away. But if you want to end this marriage, just give me enough warning. I’d rather go rogue than go back to his pack.” I said before turning around and walking out of the room.
I walked straight outside, set the baskets down next to the woodpile, and made my way along the cliff until I reached the stairs.
I descended the stairs until I reached the beach, where I stood for a long time, contemplating my next move. I had already explored the jetty, so I decided to head the other way this time.
As I walked along the beach, I came to a curve where I had to navigate around the cliff to continue. Once I reached the other side of the curved section, I stopped in shock.
The boulder my mother used to sit on while waiting for her father was right in front of me. I looked around to confirm that it was indeed the same area, and everything appeared
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< CHAPTER 14
+3 Points >
unchanged. The curve of the beach where my mother had warned me not to go, and the large
house I could see from that corner–it was Landon’s packhouse.
I walked closer and gazed out at the water, but, of course, I didn’t see anything there. I climbed
on top of the boulder and sat with my knees drawn up in front of me, looking out at the dark
ocean, illuminated by the moonlight.
It was a surreal scene, but I could hardly focus on that at the moment. Sitting here made me
feel very connected to my mother, knowing how much she loved this place. This was the very
beach that used to bring her so much joy.
I didn’t know how she managed to sneak onto a beach that belonged to another pack, but
somehow she did. I laid down on my side on a boulder, that was large enough to fit a couple of
people, but I felt tears starting to run down my face.
Just when I thought things might be alright here, and I was making friends–when a guy was
actually interested in me–it all turned out to be a lie. How could they do this to me?
I knew that Landon didn’t trust me, but for him to go as far as asking his head warrior to date
me to try and gather information was a new low. That was a real betrayal.
I didn’t feel any better here than I did at Vincent’s pack. I was a means to an end. I tried to
control my emotions, but I could feel Meadow starting to stir in my mind. I reached into my
pocket to grab a pill to calm her down, but that’s when I realized I didn’t have any left.
I always kept some in my dressing gown, just in case I wasn’t near my bathroom, but they
weren’t here now. I felt Meadow getting angrier, and a burning sensation started to rise in my
chest.
I
I clutched my chest as the pain grew worse the longer it lasted. I couldn’t hold back any
longer; I let out a scream and pulled my shirt away from my chest to see what was happening.
Strange bruises were starting to appear on my skin, and I had no idea where they came from.
They scared me.
It took a while for the pain to finally subside, and I lay on the boulder staring out at the water, sweating despite the dropping temperature. I felt numb and didn’t notice the cold at all. I just lay there until, eventually, I dozed off.
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