Chapter 72

Friendships mended.

(Anna)

After Fraction had finished outlining how the challenge is going to go to work to our benefit I escaped

the office. There is only so long a girl can face her own doom before it becomes too much, I left

everything Jefferson gave me behind. I’m not worried about anything happening to them. Fraction

didn’t have to give me all he has so there is no reason for him to now take it away. I’ve taken solace in

the only place no one really comes, the basement is cold and dank but it’s got the work out mats so at

least there is somewhere comfy to chill for a bit.

Laying back on the work out mat I consider going to see Thomas but the basement door opening stops

that thought. I watch as spotty legging clad legs descend the stairs and Eliza comes into view, she’s

wearing a sports bra and carrying a water bottle so she has obviously come down here looking for a

workout or more likely an escape.

“You can use the clearing for training.” I say from my spot on the mat. as soon as she finishes her

descent.

“Can’t. Patrick is there.” She walks over to the single treadmill in the corner of the room and starts it up.

I want to ask her if they are still fighting, if they have even talked about things but I don’t know how. She

was so easy to speak to just a few days ago and now I feel like there is this glass wall between us and

it’s stopping any communication from happening. Instead of striking up a conversation I pick my iPhone

up and use the power button to turn it on, after a few seconds I’m greeted with a picture of Thomas. I

smile at the cheeky little grin smiling back at me. I guess Fraction has set the phone up for me.

because I highly doubt new phones come with pictures of my son in them. Within about two minutes I

regret turning the blasted thing on,

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Friendships mended.

I’ve never had a phone before, I’ve never needed one and right now I’m cursing up a storm in my head

because it won’t stop dinging at me.

“Either answer the messages or turn it on silent, it’s really annoying,” Eliza says without missing a

stride on the treadmill.

“I don’t know how.” I tell her honestly, staring at the device in my hand.

“Pass it here,” she says, stopping the treadmill and coming over to me. Handing her the phone she

looks at it for a few seconds and then spins. it around and holds it up in front of my face. With a little

sound of approval she presses some stuff and the dreadful dinging stops.” “You have missed training

with Patrick, see it’s here in the schedule. That’s why it was going all nuts.” She shows me the phone

and there it is, a little training schedule and according to that I should have been in the clearing while I

was with Jefferson.

“No point in training anymore.” I say, taking the phone back from her and sliding it in my pocket.

“Why? You still have the challenge coming up, right?” Eliza asks me, taking a seat on the mat. I shrug

my shoulders and sit next to her.

“Yes and no, Fraction wants me to concede the fight. It’s the new plan apparently. It’s all about keeping

me alive or something.” I tell her while picking at my fingers.

“Concede? How will that even work…Faye will want your blood. Anna.” Eliza voices the thoughts that

have been rolling around my own head.

“Apparently if I concede the fight, I can then ask to be allowed to leave the Pack. If we fight and Faye

kills me well…that’s that. And if I fight and I lose, she can demand I be banished.” I tell her while

continuing to pick at my fingers.

Triendships mended.

“And a banished wolf can’t ever come back, da mn it. I didn’t think of that.” Eliza says she sounds

annoyed that the thought didn’t occur to her. “Wild thought…what if you fight her and win?”

“Everyone is pretty convinced it’s not possible. It hasn’t even been mentioned as an option,” I tell her.

“What does Winter say? She will know better than any of them.” I nod at her knowing what she’s talking

about. Wolves have this internal knowledge of if they can beat someone in a fight, it doesn’t stop them

from trying though.

“She says Faye’s wolf is much stronger than us. She’s had her wolf much longer than me too.” I tell her

honestly, I jump as Eliza moves to her feet much quicker than I could ever hope to move. Sometimes

she really does appear every part of the warrior she once was. She starts. pacing back and forth along

the basement floor.

“I’m so sorry Anna. I should have been honest from the get go, I was going to but when I saw you in the

bedroom I just couldn’t do it. Maybe if I had, this wouldn’t have blindsided you so much.” She stops.

and looks at me but when I don’t interrupt she keeps going, “I was battling with my loyalty to my Alpha

and my best friend. I didn’t even consider Patrick in it all and now I’ve messed up big time. He hasn’t

spoken to me since that day in the clearing, he slept on the sofa the last few nights.” She plops herself

back on the mat having run out of steam, “I thought I was doing the right thing and instead I’ve messed

up so many things. I’m so sorry,” I pull her into me and comfort her while she cries herself out.

I can feel the pain and worry racing from her, it’s like a waterfall of emotions that ju emotions that just

keeps falling. Eliza is a very strong woman and wolf but as a warrior of course she would consider her

Alpha and her

loyalty to him before anything else. It was basically built into her from when she started training.

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III

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“I don’t blame you, I was mad at you, but I don’t blame you.” I tell her truthfully, “I don’t agree with what

you did but I get why you did it.”

“You do?” I nod at her, “so we can stop fighting now right? Fighting with you and Patrick is exhausting.”

It’s not until she mentions being exhausted that I notice the slight bags forming under her eyes.

“You’re not sleeping?” I ask her.

“Without Patrick there, the dreams come in. He keeps them away somehow, I haven’t had one in so

long but the last few nights…” She just shakes her head at me, I continue to hold her against me as

she

cries.

‘Where are you?’ I ask Patrick over our Pack link.

‘In your kitchen…everything ok?’ He asks me quickly, I don’t answer him, instead I untangle myself

from Eliza and quickly run up the stairs. I open the door so quickly that Fraction, James and Patrick all

turn to me and look at me wide eyed.

“Go downstairs and fix it,” I tell Patrick the second I’m in the kitchen, he just looks at me confused.

“Eliza is down there tearing herself apart. If I can forgive her, you can.” Fraction goes to move towards

the door but I shake my head at him, “not you, Patrick go now.

“Anna, it’s not that easy…” He starts and this instantly makes me angry.

“Not easy? It’s easy. You go down there and you tell her how loved she is and you hold her. What’s not

easy is, what me and Fraction are going through yet he still manages to hold me while I sleep. She’s

not sleeping Patrick, she’s having the dreams again.” I watch his eyes dart to the door.

“I don’t think…” I just point my finger at him and he instantly stops. speaking, his eyes going wide.

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“Am I still your Luna?” He just nods his head, “good. Then I’m telling you, she has done nothing wrong.

All she has done is show loyalty to her Alpha and even that didn’t come easy to her. Now go down

there and fix it.” He seems to consider my words for a minute before he’s out of the chair and running

down to the basement.

“You ok. little wolf?” It’s not until Fraction is in front of me that I realise I’m shaking.

“I guess Eliza got to me a little, I should go and say sorry.” I instantly regret how I spoke to Patrick.

“No you don’t, come and sit down.” He guides me to the chair next to James. “you did a good thing.

little wolf.” He k*sses the top of my head before placing a sandwich in front of me.

We eat in silence. I don’t know about them but my ears are intently listening to the basement. I can’t

hear any shouting which can only be a good thing, by the time I have finished my sandwich the

basement door. is opening. Looking around I watch Patrick carrying a very upset Eliza out and into the

kitchen, he just nods at me before leaving the kitchen. and heading up the stairs. Seems I managed to

fix one last thing before I leave. I smile to myself as I look over at Fraction and see the pride beaming

off him.

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