I DIDN'T PUSH HER

CHAPTER 4: I DIDN'T PUSH HER

ZARA:

I stood at the corner, watching Rider type furiously on his phone. Then the memories of our days together flooded my head. Three years ago, I was just an Omega from a small pack, a girl with parents who had no ranks and even less money. Rider had been my hero then. We met during the full moon festival and when he found out I was his mate, he’d picked me up, paid for my college, and treated me like I was the only thing that mattered in his world. I was his princess, his everything.

Then, six months ago, Serena walked into the picture. She showed up with a sob story about a divorce from an "abusive marriage," and Rider fell over himself to accommodate her. Being the daughter of a powerful Alpha, she fit his world way better than I did. He claimed Robert, Zara's brother, died several years ago trying to save him from the Rogues. “I owe her, Zara,” he always told me. I’d heard that line so many times it sounded like a broken record.

I sighed, then took another step toward the door, Serena, playing the part of the fragile victim perfectly, lunged forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Zara, please! Don't leave him because of me!" she wailed again, her voice cracking with fake desperation. "I'm so sorry! If I’m the problem, I’ll go!"

I felt a surge of pure, unfiltered irritation at her act. Who was she fooling? I just jerked my arm back to get away from her touch. The moment my skin left hers, something calculative flashed across her face, and she went down like she’d been hit by a truck.

THUD.

She hit the floor hard, instantly clutching her ankle and screaming like she was losing a limb. "Zara! I know you're angry, but you didn't have to push me that hard! You knew my ankle was already sprained!"

Rider quickly put the phone in his pocket and was at her side in a heartbeat. He didn't even look at me; his eyes were glued to her, his face twisted in panic. "Serena! Are you okay? What happened?"

Serena was sobbing now, real, hot tears streaming down her face. "It hurts so bad, Rider! I was only trying to stop her… I didn't want her to leave in anger!"

Rider stood up slowly, his shadow stretching long and menacing across the floor. He lifted his gaze to mine, and the look in his eyes was pure ice. It wasn't the look of the man who used to kill to protect me. It was the look of a stranger.

"How can you be so mean, Zara?" he roared. "There’s a limit to these tantrums! Serena was rushing to the temple to witness our bonding ceremony when she had her ankle sprained. You didn't even appreciate it. Now she's begging you not to leave your home and you pushed her? How heartless can you be?"

"I didn't push her, Rider!" I yelled back, my voice shaking with fury. "She grabbed me! I just pulled my arm away! She’s faking it!"

Rider gestured to the floor, where Serena was rocking back and forth. "Then explain this! Why is she on the floor? Why is she in pain? You think she’s putting on an act?"

Serena let out a pathetic whimper. "Why would I push myself down? I already have a sprained ankle, Zara. Why would I want to hurt myself more?"

"To get his attention!" I snapped, gesturing at Rider. "You’ve been doing it for six months!"

"Enough!" Rider’s voice sounded like a whip crack. He stepped toward me, his Alpha aura pressing down on me so hard I could barely breathe. "Apologize to her. Right now. Or I’m having the guards throw you in the dungeon."

My blood went cold. The dungeon. It wasn't just a prison; it was a black, windowless hole beneath the pack house that smelled like damp earth and rot. I’d had a phobia of the dark since I was a kid, and Rider knew that. He used to sit outside my bedroom door for hours just to make sure I felt safe. And now? Now he was using my greatest fear as a weapon against me, just to make his little friend feel better.

I looked at him, searching his face for even a hint of the guy who’d broken a guy's leg in college just for calling me a "worthless mutt." But that guy was gone.

"Rider, please," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I’m innocent. I swear on my wolf, I didn't push her."

He didn't blink. He just stared at me, cold and indifferent. I glanced over at Serena. She was looking up at me, and for a split second, the tears vanished. A small, twisted, triumphant smile pulled at the corner of her lips. She had won.

"Five seconds, Zara," Rider counted down, his hand hovering over his belt where his comms device was clipped. "Four. Three."

My heart was hammering against my ribs like a frantic animal. If I went to the dungeon, I wouldn't come out the same. I knew it. The darkness would swallow me whole. But if I apologized, I was admitting to something I didn't do—I was bowing down to the woman who was trying to steal my life.

"Two."

I looked at the door. It was right there. Freedom was five feet away. But the guards would be here in seconds, and I’d never make it out of the house.

"One."

I felt my legs give out. I hated myself for it, but I didn't want to die in that hole. I sank to my knees, my skirt pooling around me on the floor. I kept my head down, staring at the polished wood, my hair shielding my face so they couldn't see the hate burning in my eyes.

"I’m sorry, Serena," I said, my voice thick with poison.

The room went deathly silent.

"What was that?" Rider asked, his voice low, testing me.

I looked up, my eyes dry, my expression hard as stone. "I said I’m sorry, Serena. I’m sorry you’re such a pathetic liar, and I’m sorry I ever thought you were worth the air you breathe."

Serena flinched, and Rider took a step forward, his hand clenching into a fist. "That’s not an apology, Zara."

"It’s the only one you’re getting," I replied, standing back up, my legs shaking but my spine straight. "If you want me to grovel, you’re going to have to do it yourself. Throw me in the dungeon and see who will brew your herbal tea every night.."