Chapter 10

SELENE

I didn’t flinch. But inside of me, my stomach twisted. She’d come here to observe training. To understand her new pack. Not to be cornered by the Beta and her followers like prey.

“She’s delusional,” whispered another she-wolf who was standing across from us.

Before I could say anything, Mara slapped me and said, “How dare you want to compete with the beta?”

The others dragged me to my feet and grabbed my hair, pulling my head back, just as the doors opened.

The Alpha walked in.

His presence alone was scary, commanding and deadly.

“How dare you?” His voice dropped like a blade.

The girls froze.

I stayed on the floor, my hair tangled in Nina’s hand, my cheek still burning from the slap.

Then, like it had all been rehearsed, Evelyn’s voice cracked into a sob.

“She hit me!” she wailed, pointing at me. “She insulted me! She called me barren and said I was unfit to lead beside you! She said you will never love me”

My lips parted, too shocked to speak.

Zarek’s eyes narrowed, flicking from Evelyn to me.

“She would never say that,” he said coldly.

“She did!” Evelyn sobbed. “Ask anyone! Ask them! Or better still ask Nina, you trust her more than you trust me don’t you?”

I froze, my gaze flickering between all of them. Who is Nina to him? And who is Evelyn to him too?

Evelyn is his beta but could she be special?

Zarek asked the same question again and as if a switch had been flipped, the others nodded, one by one.

“Yes she said it.” One of the she-wolf’s said.

“I heard it too,” said one.

“She pushed her,” another added.

“She said a barren woman shouldn’t lead,” the last whispered.

Zarek cleared his throat.

And I stood slowly. My hands were shaking. My voice, however, was clear. “You all just lied. All of you are siding with her, you all know the real truth but you all choose to lie.”

Evelyn turned to me with wide eyes. “You really want to keep pretending you’re innocent? Now Zarek would know who you truly are”

“You slapped me. Dragged me by my hair. Your friend threatened to kill me. And now you’re twisting this to make yourself the victim?” My eyes locked on Evelyn. “You’re evil.”

“Enough! That’s enough!” Zarek’s shot back at us.

Then everywhere went silent.

He looked at every pack member in the hall. “Leave. Now!.”

They hesitated.

“I wouldn’t love to say that twice, Evelyn, lead everyone out and you follow.”

Evelyn hesitated for a while, she looked really angry because she didn’t expect Zarek would ask her to leave.

Then they all left. All of them.

Zarek stood still and then turned his gaze to me.

“Zarek, I didn’t say that,” Aria whispered.

Zarek didn’t speak.

“You can’t possibly believe I said that.”

His jaw clenched. “No. I don’t.”

I picked up my jewelry and then packed my hair but then Zarek stopped me, he held my hand up and stopped me from packing my hair.

“That tattoo.” He said firmly, he looked stunned.

“What the hell?” I said, pulling my hand away from his grip.

“How do you have that?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I sighed and then dropped my hair down. “That’s none of your business, do something about this or I leave your pack.”  I said and then walked out of the training hall. Zarek followed me but we didn’t speak.

We walked in silence until my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I stopped.

Zarek glanced over. “Why did you stop?” 

I didn’t answer him, I pulled out my phone, I tapped the screen and pressed play.

It was a video.

That video was captured by someone when Evelyn was bullying me.

It was clear and undeniable.

The video was enough to make Zarek furious at the beta.

I stared at the screen like it had just changed everything. Because it had, my identity has now been exposed.

Zarek leaned in to see, he grabbed the phone and watched it properly then he handed it back to me.

Without saying anything, he turned and started walking fast.

“Zarek?” 

He didn’t respond.

“Zarek,wait.” 

But he was already half way down the hall, he walked straight to my room.

“Wait, what does my room have to do with the video you just watched? What are you looking for?”

He didn’t answer then, he picked the small moon on the table, the one Evelyn gave me last night.

“What’s happening?” I asked my voice barely above a whisper.

He stepped forward. “You were humiliated, lied on. Set up. And every single wolf in that hall backed Evelyn. Even some of my warriors.” 

“I told you. So why are you holding the moon?” 

Without another word, he broke the moon and it shattered on the floor.

“Zarek.” I screamed, my hand covering my mouth.

“Luna, are you alright?” Brielle asked as she rushed into the room after hearing the sound.

Zarek stopped after smashing the moon and then he turned his gaze to Brielle who was standing at the entrance, she looked shocked.

“Brielle, take care of that.” 

That was all he said.

Just those five words before he stormed out.

Brielle didn’t even ask what happened, she just started picking the shattered glasses on the floor.

“What is going on?” I muttered to myself.

Back at the hallway, Zarek didn’t stop moving.

He didn’t greet the guards at the hallway entrance. He didn’t acknowledge the warriors posted near the western wing. All he wanted was to get to Evelyn.

She had to explain.

But just as he rounded the last corner toward her quarters, a lady stepped in front of him.

He saw his sister who had a blur of long dark curls and then she smiled at him.

“Hey, brother.”

It was Leila.

Zarek’s steps slowed for a while, not because he was surprised she was around but because she picked the worst possible moment to arrive at the pack.

“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered.