Chapter 4: Bella's POV

Bella POV

After Rick is gone, I pause to look around. The guest room is something I've never experienced. It's huge, with a high ceiling and an ornate chandelier hanging from it that sends a golden, warm light throughout the room. The walls are a soft cream and gold, and the furniture is sophisticated, with carvings and rich fabrics. A four-post bed draped in white, gauzy curtains dominates the space, and a plush carpet covers the hardwood floor. A comfortable sitting area by the window looks out over the forest, the view as lovely as a work of art.

I've never been anywhere so lovely. It feels almost as though it's a dream, one into which I don't quite fit.

My mind is interrupted by the entrance of Lily into the room. She has a tray of food in her hand, but her face is unfriendly. She is hostile as she places the tray of food on a table beside the bed.

"Why are you in our pack?" she asks harshly and accusingly.

Her question surprises me. I step back involuntarily, not knowing what to say.

"I—I wasn't trying to intrude," I stammer. "I was just."

"You shouldn't be here," she cuts in, her eyes narrowing. "Alpha Rick doesn't bring uninvited people into our territory for nothing."

Her words cut, but I'm too tired to protest. I look down instead and mutter, "I'll leave as soon as I can."

Lily huffs, turning on her heel and leaving the room without another word. The door clicks shut behind her, leaving me alone again in the beautiful yet intimidating space.

When I am finally alone in the room, the silence is heavy, bearing down on me like a weight. My eyes wander to the elegant decor, the great bed, the shining chandelier, and the flowing curtains that frame the window. It's lovely here, but I cannot suppress the ache in my chest.

My mind drifts back to my former pack. The memories come flooding in, stinging and bitter. I don't believe they rejected me. My own pack, my family, and my mate rejected me when I needed them most.

The faces of the people I thought I could trust flash before my mind, their smiles false, their words stinging. I believed Cole loved me. But when the accusations began, nobody defended me. They just stood by and allowed me to be banished, scared, and alone.

Tears tickle at the edges of my eyes, but I force them away. I will not cry. Not here. Not now.

My fingers touch the pale welts on my arm, the continued reminder of my fight to free myself. They wouldn't even hear me out, wouldn't let me tell my side of it.

Why? The question rings in my mind, without answer.

My former pack, the Blood Stone Pack, the pack I had grown up in, where I'd found my place in the world, had turned its back on me. The crushing weight of their betrayal was a knife in my chest, cold and sharp, every time I let myself think about it. The rejection cut me loose from Cole, and although that connection was no longer, the agony of being accused of something I didn't do was a thousand times worse.

They believed I had cheated on him. Me. The very thought was preposterous, but their words cut like silver on skin. My head reeled back through the day everything fell apart, the bitter taunts, the icy glances, and how Cole had looked at me, his warm, loving eyes now full of anger and revulsion.

I gripped my chest, attempting to stifle the pain that threatened to engulf me. The shame seared deep, a reminder of how swiftly love could become hate. I had loved Cole, and I'd believed he'd known me better than anyone. How could he have thought such a foul lie?

I shake my head, pushing the memories aside with an effort. It isn't time to think of the past now. I am safe now, at least safer than I have ever been before. But the agony of betrayal still stings, a hurt that no distance seems to mend.

Taking a deep breath, I recline on the bed, gazing at the complex designs of the ceiling. I have no idea what my future is, but one thing is for sure: I'll never trust so easily again.

The loud knock at the door snapped me out of my reverie. I was startled and blinked rapidly, quickly brushing away the rogue tear that had slipped through. The ache remained, but I pushed it aside as I moved towards the room.

When I pushed open the door, Lily was waiting, her face a mask. "Dinner is ready," she told me curtly, her voice allowing no refusal. I just nodded, forcing the lump down my throat.