The taxi pulled into the gas station parking lot and parked beneath the dim halo of a flickering overhead light. Though the sun was blaring down on me, I still got out. The day's silence surrounded me, but my phone shattered it with a constant stream of vibrations. It wouldn’t stop buzzing in my pocket, like it was screaming at me to face what I already knew was spiraling out of control.Dozens of messages lit up the screen—Matthias demanding answers, his texts sharp and furious, like knives meant to wound. Then Nerissa’s name popped up. Her messages were colder, shorter, but still filled with that same venom that always managed to coil around my throat and squeeze.She was perfectly fine admitting it to me on text that I deserve to be dragged across the floor for cheating when she knows I didn’t cheat. What is in that photo is me getting into a cab, looking like hell, and Cassiel holding the door open. I stared at the screen for a long time before finally typing one reply to Matthi
Some days, it feels like the world is determined to break you in half.Today was one of those days. Because yes, I cannot catch a break. My stress, my health, and having this baby are proving to be hell for me. I finally stepped out of the house after what felt like an eternity. Being kept inside—like some fragile thing behind glass—was beginning to drive me mad. I wanted a moment away from Matthias and Nerissa. But I’ve spent too much time indoors. I think even Cassiel was worried about me. I couldn’t breathe in that house. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t think without hearing the echo of Matthias’s voice or feeling the phantom weight of his hands around my throat.I wore a black turtleneck to cover the bruise still blooming across my neck, a haunting reminder of just how far things had gone. The fabric felt suffocating, but not as suffocating as the stares I knew I’d get if I let it show.I was supposed to see Cassiel today. I knew from the second I turned on my phone and saw his missed
Showing up with Nerissa was a mistake—I can admit that now. I acted out of anger, plain and simple. She said she wanted to come, and I let her. Meanwhile, Aurielle had locked herself in her room for three days, refusing food, refusing to speak. According to the staff, she hadn’t made a sound since the night she called me a wife beater.That word… it hit harder than I expected. She said it to wound me, and it worked. Aurielle always knew how to twist things, how to cast herself as the victim and paint everyone else as villains in her melodrama. Still, I shouldn’t have retaliated by parading someone else in front of the entire pack before the ink on our divorce was even dry. That was shortsighted. It looked bad—really bad. The judgment was thick in the air, and no one was more obvious than Alpha Aldric.The man had everything—respect, position, the approval of the entire council—and he still had the nerve to look down on me like I was some reckless pup. Worse, I swear he looked pleased.
It’s been three days since i last heard from Aurielle and I’ve tried not to worry. The luna ceremony for Alpha Federic Benelle’s marriage to Diandra Benelle came around. I texted aurielle on that day to confirm if she would be attending. She didn’t have to attend with me. She could come with her husband, as a luna does but the silence is bothering me. Did i do something wrong? Was i out of line for asking her to accompany me?I dressed for the event, deciding that i would apologize to her in person once i see her. I don’t know why i keep having to show up to these events. Okay, i do know. But i didn’t think it would be part of the job when i was invited to be a council member. I wonder if i should have rejected the offer. But it came with status, and they would have continued to invite me. The council members seem to adore me. I’m not a pleasant person but I’m also not rude. I’m just very lucky. And slightly talented. I checked my attire on more time, then went out of my room. My
I could have spent the night at the hotel, but it already seemed like the best plan for me. But I got a knock on my room door, and it was from the cleaning lady here to tell me that the receptionist downstairs told her to pass me a message. It was from Matthias, at like nine pm. /Come home, now./That was all, but I could smell his pheromones through that single piece of paper. It made me feel funny. Like worried, funny because I could sense how angry he was. So I got my things and checked out early. I took a cab home, sighing all the way because I was relaxed and getting more than enough sleep. I’d spoken to Cassiel on the phone twice. He called again to check in on me. And surprisingly, he understood when I told him I was at a hotel to get away from my problems. Knowing about my pregnancy and the divorce, he was more than understanding. Telling me to chill in a bath and pretend my problems didn’t exist. I like him. He’s so caring. But now I’m driving back to them. Dear goddess
Trying to reach aurielle was difficult, and it felt like i was wasting my time. With our divorce on the way, she’s gotten bolder to the point where she thinks she can just leave the house and not tell me where she is. I called my mother’s hospital, doctor Sharpee said aurielle did show up but she left an hour before i called. I wondered where she might have gone and the doctor said something about telling aurielle to reduce her stress levels. So i called hotels, resturants, thank fuck the third hotel i called is where she’s staying. After rudely talking to me on the phone, she had the audacity to tell the hotel not to pass any phone calls through. Which is bullshit.My parents arrived first, then nerissa’s parents and surprisingly, my grandmother was wheeled in by two of her nurses. I felt my stomach drop from the tension as everyone garthered in the living room waiting for the dinner to be ready. It’s insane how strained the air around here is. Nerissa is seated with her parents,