<i>Zephyrine </i>
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When thest elder walked out, I had to pause, turning toward the window so I wouldn’t have to meet his eyes, as if I had done something unimaginably awful.
“You’re getting married to a cursed man?”
“He is thousands of times better than you, Nyroth. Let’s face it,” I murmured, turning to him. He stood at the entrance, a frown of awe and disbelief on his face.
Then he took a step forward, still surprised, confused, but now curious.
“Tell me, Zeph… is it the wealth you’re after? I mean, we all know Apex is blessed. Is that what you wanted?”
“You forget I am an Ashmere. Just because you heard our pack supplies have run out doesn’t mean we’re poor. There are many
There are many alternatives,” I said, shaking my head. “I am not after
Lycannar’s wealth.”
“The presents he gave you?”
I had to smile, unconsciously reaching for my ne amulet to fidget with it.
“I love his gifts. I appreciate them, but that’s not it. Really.” Then I turned fully to him. “Why should I tell you anything, Nyroth? You and I ended long ago. You love another woman, and I love another man. We are simply not made for one another. ept it, and ept peace.”
It was as if I had told him to go and die. He stood in silence for a long moment, then took another step forward to stand before me.
“Zeph… I am your first love. Five years ago, you looked at no man but me. You wanted me so much. Will you tell me now that you have grown out of love? That there is nothing at all of me that you still desire? Nothing at all?<b>” </b>
I swallowed hard.
“First love <b>is </b>supposed to mean something. Just because we parted badly doesn’t mean you should forget what we went through. The good times, where…”
“Where what?” I cut him off softly. He paused, searching my eyes. I shook my head slowly, trying to remember. “Where what, Nyroth? Good times like when your mother was abusive? Or when your younger sister never ceased to mock me?”
<b>18:00 </b>Mon, <b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
:
He didn’t speak. His face faltered, and he sighed regretfully.
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I exhaled now, letting emotions tug at my heart. I realized that I was deeply sad, and I had masked it with happy thoughts of Lycannar and me getting married. But now Nyroth had dug into the depths of that sorrow, and it all surged back.
It wasn’t just hate. We simply hadn’t spoken inly and fully after our rejection. He stood there with me, alone in the vast Ash Pack meeting hall. I bit my lower lip, shaking my head.
“There are no good times with you, Nyroth. All I did was elevate your pack, and in return, you gave me absence, neglect, and silence when everyone called me a rogue. As if that weren’t enough, immediately after Ka returned from her foolish mission of peace, you started cheating on me with her.”
“Zeph…”
“I hate that I have topare you to Lycannar, but it’s out there in the open. The truth. You treated me like trash, a worthless rogue. Lycannar worshiped me. He made me feel seen, loved. He supported me and…”
“He supported you to go on a suicide mission. Is that it?” he suddenly asked, and I paused. “I heard he was the one who handed you the torch to set ckwater aze. He went into that ce to ughter hundreds in less than an hour. And yet you never questioned his bloodthirst. What if you had died there? What if his egging you on led to your death? If Warrior June hadn’t stood his ground to not stop him, if he had listened to Yadev, do you even realize how many men Apex would have killed? Is that the man you want to bear your pups, Zeph? A man who lives only in a tower? Perhaps your aunt was right after all.”
“About what?” My voice was quiet but filled with awe. He looked up at me, and I repeated, “About what, Nyroth? You sound like you’ve met my aunt somewhere other than this pack.” <fn9395> Fresh chapters posted on F?ndNovel</fn9395>
He took a step back, lowering his gaze as if I had caught him. Slowly, it began to dawn.
“You were there when Warrior June was called to stop Lycannar and me from rescuing Varyn?“” I asked. Silence fell, and I drifted down memoryne.
I remembered the night I mounted my horse to White Pack. Nyroth hade to ask me to plead with the Council members instead of going to war.
That meant… he knew what awaited me in that pack. Death. Death if Lycannar hadn’t been the
executioner.
Staring at him again, I saw he had failed me once more. Nyroth… why?
“Each time we tried to find an end to our loopholes, you tied another tight knot yourself,” I
<b>18:00 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
said, shattered. I moved to bypass him, but he caught my wrist and confessed.
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“I didn’t do anything. I went there to rage at Ka to let you be, and I saw your aunt there. She was going to take your pack with Ka’s help. I did nothing wrong, Zeph.”
“Let me go!” I snapped, jerking my hand free. “You know I was going <i>to </i>get killed. You know their ns, and yet you stood by. Perhaps… you expected me to perish in ckwater with Lycannar? <b>Is </b>that your n?”
Not waiting for his response, I turned away, but he pulled me back again, losing his senses.
He reached for my wrist, but I intercepted, swiftly tugging for his neck, and in a blur, pinned him against the wall, identally tugging my amulet ne free.
I froze as the ne rolled from my neck and hit the floor. Lycannar must have felt it.
I turned to Nyroth, who seemed to have done it on purpose, and shoved him away angrily. I reached for my ne, but he extended it to me, swallowing.
“If this is how you want it to be, Zeph, then so be it,” he said.
I didn’t dwell on his words. I grabbed the ne and quickly put it back on, reconnecting with Lycannar. Darkness flooded me for a heart–stopping moment, and I staggered.
Nyroth reached for me, but I refused his help. I walked to the table, leaning on it, swallowing hard against the powerful force that had descended. Gradually, it faded, and I sighed.
I straightened and headed out, tossing a final nce over my shoulder.
“Get out of my pack, Nyroth. We are done.”
“Not yet, Zeph,” he said, but I didn’t bother to respond.