THE SILVER LINING CHAPTER 2

The air in the corridor was stifling as Krishna ran, her bare feet pounding against the cold stone floor. Her vision swam with tears, the image of Miyal and Perfera seared into her mind like a brand. Every moment they had shared, every vow they had made, now felt like ashes slipping through her trembling fingers. Her heart, which had always been for him, felt crushed under the weight of betrayal. She was not going to let this end like that, though. And turning around on a hard breath, taking just a second to wipe her eyes, she began to pace; fury tore at her, its fiery burn a rush of agony through her to do just this-draw out every answer they knew from them. The time was well overdue if Miyal was nothing more than who she now is. She needs to see for herself.

The door to his chambers towered before her, slightly ajar as it had been before. She pushed it open with trembling hands and stepped inside.

Miyal and Perfera were still there. Miyal stood now, his back to the door, his broad shoulders tense. Perfera, ever the serpent, perched gracefully on the edge of the bed, her red hair tumbling over her shoulder as she smiled at Krishna with feigned innocence.

"So, you've come back," Perfera said, her voice a sickly sweet melody. "I didn't think you'd have the courage."

"Leave us," Krishna spat, her voice trembling but firm. Her eyes held Miyal's. "You and I need to talk. Alone."

Perfera stood up slowly, walking purposefully toward Miyal. "Are you sure, Alpha?" she cooed, placing a hand on his arm. "She's beside herself. I don't want her to. snap."

Miyal's eyes shifted, but he nodded. "Leave us," he said harshly, his voice ice-cold.

Perfera cast Krishna one final smirk before stepping out of the room, leaving a poison-like feeling behind.

"How could you?" Krishna whispered between trembling breaths, her voice cracking with anguish.

"After everything we have faced and all that I have endured for you, how can you do this?"

Miyal turned toward her, his amber eyes dark with something she couldn't define anger, guilt, and something colder. "You've done enough, Krishna. You've brought this pack to its knees."

Her breath caught, her chest heaving. "You can't think that. You know I've been trying to save us. You know."

"I know," he interrupted, his voice rising, "that every time I look at the faces of my people, I see their pain, their suffering, and I know it started with you."

She took a step back, his words hitting her like a slap. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" He stepped closer to her, his height casting a shadow over her. "Tell me, Krishna, how many more have to die before you acknowledge it? How many more graves have to be dug because of your accursed magic?"

She stumbled in her attempt to defend herself. "Miyal, I have done all of this for this pack! For you! I've given you my life, my magic, my love—

“Your magic is the problem!” he roared, slamming his fist against the wall beside her. The sound echoed through the room, and Krishna flinched. “Your love? That’s just another tool you’ve used to manipulate me.”

 His words broke Krishna's heart, and the man she had loved for so long became unrecognizable. Tears were streaming down her face as she reached for him.“Miyal, please—”

His muscles thrust her away as he flung her palm off of him. "Stay away from me," he snapped. "You trusted me too. You declared love for me, and have poisoned me right along with this pack."

The malice she heard in those words was overpowering. Pain shot through every part of her as, clutching her chest, she shot back, stumbling backward. "Miyal… do this thing."

"What am I supposed to do? Face the truth?" He laughed harshly, his amber eyes flashing with anger. "The truth is, I should have seen this coming. You're a witch, Krishna. You were never meant to be Luna. You were meant to destroy us."

Her knees gave, and she went down to the floor, where her tears mingled with the cold stone. "You are wrong," she said, her voice trembling. "You are wrong, Miyal."

But he did not ease.

He loomed over her, his face carved in anger and disgust. "If I am wrong, prove it," he said. "Stop the plague. Bring back the dead. Undo the nightmares that haunt my pack. Can you do that, Krishna? Can you fix what you've broken?" He could see the crack in her heart even as she looked up at him, breaking all over again. "I can't," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Not alone." 

"Then you are useless to me," he spat.

The words stabbed into her heart, and she wheezed, reaching out to clutch her chest as if it could hold in the shattered pieces. "Miyal…"

He turned away from her, and barked "Enough, Krishna! I do not want to hear any more excuses."

The door swung open and in came Perfera, that black cloud of hers rolling in ahead of her. She walked back over to Miyal's side, her hand smoothing over his arm as if by right.

"She's still denying it, isn't she?" said Perfera in that voice dripping with mock pity. "Poor thing. She just doesn't know when to let go."

Krishna forced herself to stand, her legs trembling beneath her. “You…” she hissed, her gaze locking onto Perfera. “You’ve done this. You’ve twisted him against me.”

Perfera smirked. “You give me too much credit, Luna. Miyal has simply opened his eyes.”

Miyal said nothing, his silence cutting deeper than his words. He turned to Perfera, his hand brushing hers in a gesture that felt like the final nail in Krishna’s coffin.

“Get out,” he said coldly, his gaze fixed on Krishna. “You’re not welcome here anymore, Krishna!”

Her vision blurred with tears as she staggered toward the door. “You’ll regret this, Miyal,” she whispered, her voice broken. “When the truth comes out, you’ll regret every word, every action.”

But he didn’t respond. He turned away from her, his focus now fully on Perfera.