The Dissimulated Offense

“I think this will do.” Miya buried the shovel in the ground and shook off the dirt in her hands. When I remained silent beside her, she crouched down and tapped my arm. “Are you alright?”

“I am,” I answered without looking at her, withdrawing my hands from flattening the soil. “I don’t think doing what’s right is what I need to do, Miya. I want to do what’s smart.”

“I understand your reason,” Miya said, pertaining to the plan I told her to end my dilemma. “And forgive me for lashing out. I just feared losing you since your mate suddenly wanted to claim you back now. We used to jest about that before, and now it’s happening. It’s your choice to accept or reject him and not mine.”

Dusting off the dirt in my hand, I turned to face Miya. “You’re a good friend, Miya, you know that. You are the only person who urges me to train and improve. If not for you, I wouldn't be here in front of you, in these very woods, and just locked in my room instead. But you have to trust me, okay? You and M