Keegan had already left. The worst part was that he left without her. Rae looked around at the empty camp with despair. She didn't know what to think anymore. How could he have left her? How could he have done such a thing after all that they had been through? It made no sense for him to leave her after all that was said and done. She believed that he left her not because he didn't what anything to do with her but because he didn't want her involved in the fighting. So he lied to her about the date so she wouldn't know when he'd leave. She wouldn't be able to follow him. She should've guessed that that was what he meant the previous night. It was all crystal clear now. She couldn't remember ever feeling so down. She didn't know what to do. Most importantly, she knew she had to act. She felt that she had to do something or it would all be lost. She was upset at him, tremendously so. What he did was unforgivable. How could he leave her after everything they went through together? Ho
Rae ran until she felt her heart beating in her mouth. The only thing that would stop her would be if it detached from her chest somehow and fell to the ground. She would stomp on it accidentally as she ran and drop to the floor when it was completely crushed. Like a sack of potatoes. It was a morbid and nonsensical thought but it was how far she was willing to go to reach Keegan. She wasn't totally sure why she was so adamant about reaching him. She didn't know if it was for support anymore or to show him that she was perfectly capable of going to him and ensuring whatever war he was waging on StonePaw. It was stubbornness, the purest kind. How dare he decide for her? She made her own decisions. If he had consulted her and explained, maybe she would have opted to stay behind, but he decided for her and that was out of the question. It was unacceptable. She would show him what she was capable of even if it killed her. There were no footsteps behind her but she refused to relax. He c
Where would Rae begin to describe what she had seen?Chaos wasn't a big enough word to describe the mess before her eyes. The scene made her knees weaken considerably and if it weren't for the male, she would have crumbled to the ground. He held her upright and too stared at the mess in wonder. "What's this?" he asked, most likely to himself. "What has he done?"Keegan. She suddenly thought about him and the urge to find him was stronger than anything else. Where could he be in such a mess? There was fire everywhere. The flames danced near the entrance of the enormous house. There were wolves lying dead on the ground. She tried not to look too closely as she neared the house. "What are you doing?" the male asked her. He sounded distracted. "I have to find Keegan.""He isn't here." There was sense in his words. There was nobody walking around. The only wolves alive were them as far as she could tell. But she kept looking because she had to know that he wasn't lying dead on the grou
StonePaw was just as she remembered it. The interior of the house hadn’t been changed a bit. She was unintentionally reminded of the time when she first visited the prestigious pack house. Her first thought was the the decor was tasteful. Everything about it was stylish, from the color combinations to the furniture. She was only sixteen then, so she was easily impressed. As she grew older, she began seeing the flaws with a more keen eye. She told herself that when she became Luna, she would make the necessary changes. She fantasized about having the most stylish pack house in their region. Everyone would talk about it. She would be admired for her work and Negan would be proud of her. It was a childish dream. Decor didn't matter. Nothing did apart from the influence that she would have on her pack and the impression she would make. Besides, where would she find the material to redecorate the pack house? They were hard to find, perhaps even harder than finding food and clothing and ot
Negan called for her again. Rae was beginning to pray for the monotony of the camp again. The uncertainty of living under his roof was going to kill her from the inside out. She looked up at the guard who came to fetch her with distaste. What she wanted was to keep on sleeping until the end of her days. She didn’t want to confront what was happening. Being blamed for Kara’s death was not what she thought would happen when she was captured. How would she even have done such a thing? Kara was clearly attacked by someone in wolf form and Rae couldn’t shift. It wouldn’t take much to prove that. But she knew that she had very little chance of convincing him of her innocence. If he wanted her dead for her ‘crimes’, he’d have her dead. Who would challenge him?Who would save her?She still wasn’t sure if the brief encounter with Keegan in the woods was real or imagined. It would be discouraging if it wasn’t real. Deep down, she was counting on him to waltz in and save her. Negan was feral.
So Negan knew that Keegan was behind the attack. Rae could only stare at him with her eyes wide. She thought that he didn't have any clue about that. It confused her even more because it didn't explain why he was accusing her of Kara's death. Did he know she was with Keegan this entire time? Was that why?Negan drummed his fingers against the tabletop. He did so absentmindedly. Rae watched him do it with a tense body. Her mind was racing. She didn't know what the right move was. Tell him about Keegan? She couldn't do that. It didn't matter what he said. It wasn’t much of a choice that he was giving her. He had changed overnight. He wasn’t even the grieving man she saw beside Kara’s grave. In his eyes, she saw all his hatred. He was thirsty for revenge. “Still not talking, are you?” he said, tilting his head. Looking at his face, she wondered what the hell she ever saw in him. “I didn’t do it,” she finally said. “I didn’t kill Kara.”“That’s not what I asked you,” he saids sharply
Two days had passed. When Rae arrived at StonePaw, she couldn't see herself staying long-term. She didn't know how things would work out but she knew for sure that she would soon leave and be able to reunite with Keegan, that was if she ever found him. She didn't expect to be locked in the bedroom at the end of the hall for two days. The thought never crossed her mind. They weren't starving her, at least. That was the one positive thing. She was given meals thrice a day, as normal. She didn't have much appetite but starving herself wasn't a solution. So she ate the food she was given and drank the water. The wait was torturous, though. Nobody spoke to her. She wasn't informed of anything. Did Negan intend to keep her until Keegan showed up? Did he really believe that she had the answer to all his questions? Even if her life depended on it, she wouldn't be able to tell him where he was. She had no idea. She didn't even know where she would find him when she was released. Or should sh
"What do you want from me?" Rae asked. "What could you possibly want? Why do you want me to stay here?"Negan continued staring at her. He didn't explain himself for a good few seconds. She was beginning to wonder if he had dissociated from his body somehow. His silence was concerning. He then said, "I need someone to help me rule this pack while I busy myself looking for my mate's murderer."Rae scoffed and stepped back. She was genuinely afraid. "You aren't suggesting that we—.""Mate?" he finished for her. "No, I'm not. I'm not interested in mating with you. I don't believe that I will ever find another mate in this life. I can't bring myself to love another. Kara was everything to me. A sort of me has died with her."She gulped. "So what are you suggesting? Speak plainly.""I want you to be the unofficial Luna. I want you to help me keep this place in order. I am not blind to my flaws. I know I'm falling apart. I'm losing it. I need someone whom I can give orders to, a female I ca