Pariah

RORY

“You are crazy if you think you’re stepping one ~foot~ out of this packhouse ever again.”

Everett’s words drop like a bomb in the middle of our bedroom.

“Excuse me?” I say to him in an incredulous tone.

“You heard me,” he says. “You’re not going anywhere. It’s too dangerous.”

“So what? You expect me to live here like some kind of prisoner?” I say. “You managed to leave that part out of your vows.

“And also the part about how you were going to give me the silent treatment every time I fail to do exactly as you say.”

“I’m not giving you the silent treatment,” he says. “I just—

“I have a lot going on right now, Aurora.”

“Well, I’m supposed to be your partner. I want to help you,” I say. “But if you’re going to shut me out completely, then I’m not just going to wait around.”

Everett’s face looks like it’s burning hot with rage. But he’s not the only angry one…

I haven’t seen this irrational, controlling side of him since I first arrived at the pack. I thought we had moved past this stage of our relationship.

But here we are again…right back where we started.

~It’s just not fair.~

“I’m going to school, Everett,” I say, turning to leave.

“I can’t believe you’re disrespecting my word again,” he says. “After what happened the last time…”

“I respect you more than anyone in the world, Everett,” I say. “The ~real~ you. Not this raging, possessive version of you.”

I open the door and walk into the hall.

“Goodbye, Everett.”

I half-expect him to grab hold of me, pull me into our bedroom, and force me to stay.

But he doesn’t. He lets me go.

EVERETT

I stand still, listening as Aurora’s footsteps disappear down the hall.

My heart is pounding and my hands are clenched tight into fists.

Apparently there is nothing I can do to stop her from going. But that doesn’t mean that I trust her to be safe out there.

With a frustrated sigh, I close my eyes and mindlink Ace.

~“Hey, man,”~ I say. ~“Drop whatever you’re doing today. You’re on luna patrol until further notice. Go to the school and keep your eye on her all day.” ~

~“You got it, Alpha,”~ he says.

~“And whatever you do, don’t let her know that you’re watching,”~ I say.

Based on our argument this morning, I’m certain that she wouldn’t take too kindly to having her every move tracked. But until things have settled, that’s just how it has to be.

~“Copy that,”~ Ace says. ~“And don’t forget that you have a council meeting in thirty minutes. They’re all starting to gather in the conference room.”~

~“Tell them I’ll be there in a few,”~ I say. And with that, I quickly get myself ready for the day and head downstairs.

I take a deep breath when I reach the door of the conference room. I need to make sure that I seem calm, composed, and confident in front of the council.

But after my little confrontation with Aurora, I’m feeling anything but.

Finally, when my heart rate is steady, I push open the door and walk inside. Everyone has already taken their seats and are talking amongst themselves, waiting for me.

“Hello,” I say gruffly, quieting them down.

I’m not in the mood to open up a whole discussion, so I just get right to the point.

“Obviously, we’re in an unprecedented situation,” I say. “There has been an attack on the pack and I have made it my sole mission to figure out who is responsible for it.”

I look around the room, my expression steadfast.

“I have already instructed General Gerard to increase security on all of our borders and to give me daily briefings on any unusual activity from outside pack walls,” I continue.

“How are you so sure that the threat is coming from ~outside~ the pack?” a familiar, dreaded voice calls out to me.

I look and see Amber, sitting uncomfortably on the edge of her chair.

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

She looks timid, like she’s unsure if she should continue speaking.

“Explain yourself, Amber,” I tell her.

“You’ve made it very clear to me that you don’t take kindly to criticism of the luna,” she says. “But I feel it is my duty to tell you a little theory that has been circulating through the pack.”

“What’s that?” I say, my tone harsh and bitter.

“Luna Aurora used to belong to Nickolas and Victoria’s pack. She must have had some kind of relationship with them,” she says. “There is speculation that she was involved in the plot to help them escape.”

There are murmurs from the council as they all consider Amber’s accusation. But how could they entertain something so fucking ridiculous, after what Nickolas and Victoria did to her?!

“SILENCE,” I say after a moment, my voice echoing through the room. “Amber, I warned you that there would be consequences if I heard you say one more word against my luna.”

“Don’t blame the messenger,” she says. “Besides, it’s interesting that you’re so quick to defend her right now, Alpha.

“Because it wouldn’t take an idiot to see that you’ve been avoiding her ever since that explosion went off.”

I grit my teeth.

What I would give to launch this vile woman through the window across from me right now…

But I can do something else that will hurt her fragile ego even more.

“I already gave you one warning, Amber,” I say to her. “Now you’re off the council.”

“What? But—you can’t—” Amber stammers.

“I am the alpha,” I say. “I can do whatever the fuck I want. Council meeting adjourned.”

With that, I turn and walk out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me.

I feel a moment of triumph, knowing that Amber will never be involved in pack business again.

But as I make my way through the hallway toward my office, that brief moment of victory is clouded over by a horrifying truth:

All I want is for the pack to embrace Aurora as their luna. But I am setting the worst possible example by making her feel like a goddess-damned pariah.

~How can I expect them to let her in when I’ve totally shut her out?~

If I want everyone else to accept her, then I need to repair our relationship as quickly as possible so that we can appear as a united front once again.

RORY

The whole long journey to school, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that someone is watching me. But every time I whip my head around, there is no one there.

It must just be Everett’s paranoia getting to me.

To distract myself, I try to plow through some homework assignments on the bus ride.

I don’t manage to get through all of them, so as soon as I arrive on campus, I make a beeline for the library. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to cram in thirty more minutes of studying before first period.

But as I’m walking, I suddenly feel a pair of hands grab me from behind, pulling me into the girls’ bathroom.

“What the—?”

I manage to free myself from my abductor and turn around to find Freya standing there, a furious expression on her face.

~I can’t catch a break, huh?~

“What’s up?” I ask her impatiently. “What’s going on?”

“Where the hell were you all weekend?” she asks me. “You totally ghosted me after the debate tournament.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I was with Everett all weekend and I—”

“That’s always your excuse. Everett this. Everett that,” she says. “I don’t know what kind of relationship you have, but it seems totally controlling and unhealthy.”

~If our argument this morning is any evidence, she might be right…~

“Tell me something, Rory. And please be honest for once in your life,” Freya says. “Is he violent with you? Is he abusive?”

“Freya, no—”

But I can’t finish my response because suddenly Freya’s hand is flying toward my neck.

She grabs hold of my scarf and pulls it off of me, revealing my mating mark.

Freya gasps, horrified. “Holy shit, Rory. He did that to you, didn’t he?”

“Freya, I can explain,” I say. “I promise, I can explain.”

~But how?~