Chapter 9

Freyas pov

The sound of my name in that voice stopped everything.

When I turned and saw Beth, my chest squeezed so hard it hurt. She looked the exact same and entirely different, older, of course, but her eyes… they were still Beth’s. Wide, and glistening with tears before we even said anything.

I stared at her as my heart broke. Seeing my best friend again… it was heart wrenching. Not after what I had done to her. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her as my eyes welled up.

“Freya,” she muttered and stepped to me as I sighed and wiped the tears from my face. Oh I can’t believe this. You’re really here. I thought—gods, I thought I’d never see you again.”

A shaky laugh broke out of me, half-choked. “I can’t believe it either.”

We fell into an embrace as she held me so long before separating to look into my eyes.

“I can’t believe this. One day you were here and then… gone. No call, no message… nothing. I thought that I somehow fucked up. That maybe I was the problem,” She bit her lip hard and shook her head again as more tears spilled onto the floor between us. “I should’ve done something,” she choked out. “I should’ve searched for you myself. You were my best friend.”

Her guilt hit me, harder than her words. I blinked back my own tears. “Beth, no. It wasn’t you. It was me. I should have told you when k was leaving but at the time I just wanted to go.”

She doesn’t let go of my hands. “You should’ve told me.”

"I know," I whispered. "And I'm sorry. So sorry."

People stared at us weirdly but walked away as I didn’t mind them. She was important to me.

Finally she sniffed and gave me this searching look. “Tell me. What happened to you?”

I didn’t know what to tell her but told her pieces. Just enough to curb her thoughts.

Her hands never left mine as she listened. She nodded her head, tears streaming down her face as if each hurt that I revealed hurt her too.

And then I said the next bit so softly, almost like I was actually scared of the words. “I have a daughter.”

Beth’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t gasp or push or ask the question that I started to dread before it even came. She just squeezed my hand harder. “A daughter,” she said, her voice cracking but still warm. “That’s… that’s wonderful, Freya.”

“She’s five now,” I whispered. A smile pulled at my lips even with the tears. “Her name is Zara. She’s everything. The only reason I made it.”

She nodded and smiled. “Oh my you have been through so much I can’t even believe it. I hate that I wasn’t there for it all. I hate it.”

“You can’t have been.” My voice shook. “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t hold on to it, Beth.”

She wiped her face, laughing through a sob. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

I told her about little things with Zara, her laugh, her stubborn streak. Beth never once asked about the father. Not once. And I loved her more for that.

For a moment, it felt safe. Like maybe I could breathe again.

But then I heard voices cutting across our bonding time.

“Well, well, look who crawled back.”

I stiffened. Beth’s hands tightened on mine. We turned together and there they were. A little older now but still the same cruel smirks. These were the girls who had laughed the loudest five years ago when I was humiliated, when everything fell apart.

My stomach twisted instantly.

“Oh I had no idea you would show your face here. I guess the shame didn’t last forever. It took want? Five years or four?”

They laughed among themselves.

“Don’t.” Beth’s face hardened, her voice a warning.

“Oh relax, Beth,” another one said, rolling her eyes. “We’re just saying hi to an old friend.” She looked at me; it was a look as sharp as any blade. “Or should I say the packs biggest embarrassment.”

“Stop it,” Beth snapped, moving forward like a shield. “She doesn’t owe you shit.”

The first girl smirked. “Still defending her, huh? I should know. You like being with people like you. Omegas stick together I guess.”

Beth’s eyes blazed. “Enough.”

The girls laughed again, their voices like shards of glass. And I just stood there, trembling, everything in me going hard and cold until the music pressing in on us seemed to fade away along with the laughter and the dancing, so that all I could hear were their muffled words echoing against my eardrums.

And then one of them sneered softly, “Once a slut, always a slut.”

Beth’s hand shot out. I froze completely, too surprised to do anything.

Beth’s hand moved faster than I would have guessed she could. She pushed the girl, not so much as to knock her over, but enough that she took a step back and her eyes flew open wide. The scattering laughter cut off.

“Repeat it and I’ll make you eat the sand beneath my feet. I dare you. I fucking dare you.”

The girls looked at me and then Beth before one of them spat to my shoes.

“Let’s go.” their leader said. “Something stinks here and it’s not even dung season yet.”

With that, they walked away as I stood there hurt and broken.

Even after all this time I was still broken. How could I go through this day?

“Sorry?” I panted to Beth.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “What are you apologizing for?”

“For making trouble,” I said, my voice breaking. “I didn’t want you to… I shouldn’t have let you get involved, again.”

“Freya. You’re my friend. You don’t get to apo…”

“I have to go,” I turned and left as I ran through the crowd.

“Freya!” She called. “Freya!”

But I didn’t wait.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me as I went into the house, climbed the stairs and rushed to my room.

I opened the door and entered as I closed it behind me with a click.

I pressed my palm against the door and sagged against it, sucking in a breath. It rushed right back out of me again at the silence.

I turned toward the bed to see Zara was lying on her side, her little fists balled up under her mouth. She was still sleeping.

As much as I wanted to climb into bed with her I couldn’t.

I slid down the door until I hit the floor, knees to my chest.

The sob hit me later.

After all this time, I was still weak and still pushed around like nothing.

“Oh by the moon,” I cried, letting the light from the moon hit me through the open window.