6.

“What the fuck, Amii. Did you bathe in the rogue’s blood to show your victory or what?” Ruelle exclaimed when I crossed the border mark and met her and Dad waiting for me.

“Haha,” I laughed sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. “Where is Lucas?” I asked, my eyes scanning the little crowd searching for the boy.

“Over there with his mother” Ruelle pointed at the same time my eyes found them. A smile bloomed on my face when I saw Casia with Lucas in her arms in a tight hug and tears streaming down her face.

“Thanks be to the goddess” I muttered “I’m so glad we were able to complete our first real task. I always had little doubts that Elris simulations wouldn’t help in the real world, but I was wrong. It was as though I was in Sparta the entire time”

“But did you have to be so bloody? I knew you were a bloody fighter in simulation, but you carried the same energy to the real world” She eyed me with disgust, repeating Rune’s words from earlier.

“To hell with you,” I told her with a light chuckle and another roll of my eyes.

“Did you get hurt?” My dad asked as he pulled me closer, not minding the blood on my body and started scanning for any injuries.

“I’m fine, Dad. It’s all the rogues’ blood. None of mine” I replied and moved away from him so I wouldn’t get blood all over him.

“Amira” Someone called, and I turned to see Casia with a smile behind me. “Thank you so much. Luc told me that you were the one who got him. I would never be able to thank you enough” she whispered while gripping my hand with tears in her eyes.

“Casia” I wanted to hug her, but I couldn’t “You have nothing to be thankful for. I was just doing my duty. Let’s thank the goddess for keeping Luc safe and getting him back here to you”

I felt a strange surge of emotion and my eyes immediately found Soren’s rigid form. He seemed to be in a strong argument with his father and I could tell he was getting riled up.

“Soren” I called out to him through our link “Please, calm down. Not here”

I listened closely and just like I had suspected, it was about me. We’ve had this argument more times than I could count about him always arguing with his dad to defend me.

I watched him storm off with Rune and Koa. I wanted to follow him, but someone held my hand, stopping me from doing so.

“Amira, wait. I need to talk to you” My dad said.

I wanted to warn him again not to defend me in front of the alpha. It was causing a strain on their relationship, and I hated that I was the cause of it all. If he continued to defend me against the alpha, it would only make him hate me more.

“Let’s go,” I told my dad, deciding that I could talk to Soren later.

“Soren!!!” the voice I’ve come to hate with every fibre of my being yelled and I turned to see Ivannah, my stepsister run up to Soren and wrap her arms around him in a tight hug.

I felt my heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I watched them hug. My hand clenched into fists, and I could feel myself close to tears, so I pulled Ruelle’s hand and hurried away from the scene.

This was the reality I could never escape from. The reality that I wished was not true. The reason why Soren could never be mine no matter how desperate I was for it to happen.

Soren was engaged to my stepsister, Ivannah. They were going to get married as soon as he was made to be Alpha after his 18^th birthday.

I kept my eyes on the floor, trying as hard as I could to make sure I didn’t let any teardrop. Nobody could know about the feelings I felt and how close to death I felt every time I saw them together.

Ruelle pulled me to a stop, but I didn’t want to, so I attempted to keep on walking, but she stopped me again.

“Amii, I think you should tell him,” She said and I looked at her with confusion.

“Tell who what?” I asked. I searched around for my dad, but he was nowhere to be found. He must have gone home first.

“I know you have feelings for Soren” She confessed, and I looked at her with a mix of shock and horror. No one was supposed to know.

An awkward laughter escaped me as I stumbled a few steps back “What are you saying? Have you gone mad? I don’t have feelings for Soren. We are just friends”

Ruelle shook her head and took a step closer to me. “It’s useless to deny it. I am also your best friend, Amii and I have eyes. You are head over heels for that boy”

“I’m not” I denied weakly as the tears I had been trying to stop started to fall slowly.

“Tell Soren how you feel. I know he will accept them. I can almost swear that he feels the same way too, the way he gets crazy about matters involving you is more than just best friend feelings. I don’t want you to keep punishing yourself like this” she pressed.

“Are you crazy? Soren is going to get married to Ivannah who is my sister in case you’ve forgotten” I spat.

“Your stepsister who treats you like trash? No, Amii. I haven’t forgotten what a terrible person Ivannah is and I am certain Soren doesn’t want to marry her as well. He is just doing it because that’s what his father wants”

“I don’t know where you got the idea from that I love Soren, but I don’t so get whatever fantasy or story you’ve come up with out of your head because it’s never going to happen” I spat.

“Amii, stop being afraid and trust me for once. Did you forget that I will be the next seer? I’m never wrong about my instincts”

“Well until you get Inara’s power and become the official seer, all it’s going to be are instincts and not predictions” I snapped and walked away.

I knew I hurt Ruelle with my words, but my mind was too emotional to think clearly as I hurried past Soren and Ivannah without sparing them a glance and ran like a coward towards my home.

I was going to be satisfied with being by his side as a beta.