"Fine," I gritted out, pushing myself up from my seat. "If no one is going to tell me anything, I'll find out for myself." Determination and anger flared within me as I asked, "Where's Liam?" The room remained silent, but I wasn't backing down. I locked eyes with the Luna, silently pleading for her to give me something, anything to ease my growing panic.
"Erica, please understand it's not our place to—" she began, but I cut her off. "Tell me where he is," I insisted, desperation seeping into my voice. "I need to know."
“He's in my father's office,” Kaitlyn said, which earned her a glare from her mother.
"Thank you," I said tersely, already heading towards the door. My chest tightened with apprehension, but I couldn't sit idly by any longer. I needed answers, and I needed them now.
"I'm coming with you," Kaitlyn announced, standing up and displaying a fierce determination. Her loyalty to me was unwavering, and I appreciated it more than she could ever know. The Luna shot her a disapproving look, clearly unhappy with Kaitlyn's decision.
"Kaitlyn, you know this isn't your place."
"Enough," Kaitlyn snapped. "We're all sick of the secrets, and whatever's going on affects all of us, not just Erica. If Liam has information that concerns the pack, we all deserve to know." The Luna's expression softened slightly but didn't argue any further. Instead, she gave me a nod of understanding, silently urging me to be careful.
"Thank you," I whispered to Kaitlyn, feeling a small flicker of hope in the midst of my unease. At least I wouldn't have to face whatever awaited us alone.
Together, we left the room and made our way through the main pack house. As we descended the stairs, the atmosphere grew heavier with each step, as if the very walls were closing in around us. The unnerving silence only added to my anxiety, making the pit in my stomach grow deeper.
"Something's definitely wrong," Kaitlyn murmured, echoing my thoughts. "I've never seen everyone so on edge."
"Neither have I," I admitted, my voice barely audible. Fear twisted inside me, coiling around my heart like a venomous snake ready to strike. As we neared the Alpha's office, I couldn't help but recall the countless times I'd been in there before, usually for some kind of reprimand or meeting. But this time felt different; the stakes seemed so much higher now that Liam was involved.
As we turned the corner into the hallway leading to the Alpha's office, the sudden sound of raised voices shattered the eerie calm. My heart leaped into my throat, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I braced myself for the confrontation ahead.
"LIAM, WILL YOU CALM DOWN?" The Alpha's voice boomed, carrying a note of authority laced with concern. My pulse quickened, anxiety gnawing at my insides.
"Calm down?! How can I calm down when everything is against me?!" Liam's response was filled with desperation and rage, his words slicing through the tense atmosphere like a knife.
Kaitlyn and I shared a look of alarm before hastily moving towards the door. As we reached out for the handle, I heard footsteps approaching from behind us. I turned my head to find Damon, his expression a mixture of confusion and worry.
"What the hell is going on now?" he asked, his dark eyes scanning our faces for answers. Before I could respond, another crash resonated from within the office, followed by a guttural growl. My heart clenched with fear as I turned back to the door, gripping the handle tightly. With bated breath, I opened it just as Liam spat out his next furious words.
"I mean, if she can't even shift, then it's useless!" The venom in his voice caught me off guard, causing me to gasp involuntarily. As my eyes met his, the pure fury painted across his face cut me to the core.
The world seemed to slow down around me, every nerve in my body pulsing with raw emotion as I struggled to process the implications of Liam's words. My breath hitched in my chest, and a whirlwind of thoughts swirled through my mind, fear, hurt, and the crushing weight of inadequacy. The icy weight of Liam's gaze bore into me, leaving me paralyzed as my heart thudded painfully in my chest. A cacophony of emotions surged through us both, but it was his wrath that dominated the air between us. I searched his face for any sign of remorse or understanding, but all I found was cold, unrelenting anger. Part of me hoped that this was some sort of misunderstanding. But deep down, I knew the truth; he believed I was useless, broken, less than what he needed and deserved.
I felt as if I'd been plunged into an arctic ocean, the frigid water stealing my breath and numbing my limbs. I wanted to scream, to protest, to convince him that I was more than my inability to shift. But the raw pain in my chest rendered me speechless, choking on the devastating truth he had laid bare. My hands trembled at my sides as I forced myself to turn away from Liam, unwilling to bear the brunt of his piercing stare any longer. Damon had moved to stand beside his father, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of concern and anger. He glanced at me, clearly torn between his loyalty to Liam and his desire to protect me from this emotional onslaught.
"Erica," he murmured, reaching out tentatively to touch my arm. I flinched as I heard Liam growl behind me. I couldn’t help it, the intensity of the sound had me turning back to face him.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces at the look of pure fury directed at me. I could barely breathe as the air around me grew thick with anguish and betrayal. As I slid to the floor, tears blurred my vision and a painful sob welled up in my chest, making it hard to breathe. The cold tiles beneath me offered no comfort; they were as unforgiving as the truth that now haunted me. I was lesser, defective. My world seemed to crumble around me, leaving me broken.. I sat there, feeling the cold floor beneath me, the chill seeping into my bones as I waited, waited for what was to come. Who was I, a defective wolf, to think that I could be a Luna, especially not one to the Alpha of a pack this size? My heart ached with the weight of my own inadequacy. Tears streamed down my face, hot and unforgiving, as I waited for the one thing I feared the most in my life, the one thing that would confirm everything I already knew about myself.
The air crackled with tension, thick and suffocating. I felt Liam's anger build like a dark storm cloud, ready to unleash its fury upon me. And then it came: a full primal roar of pain and betrayal that shook me to my core. The room seemed to vibrate with the intensity of his emotion. He lunged forward, and I flinched instinctively, but he didn’t touch me. Instead, I saw the legs of the Alpha’s desk disappear, followed by a crash on the other side of the room. Splintered wood and shattered glass littered the floor, a testament to the destruction his anger had wrought.
"Enough, Liam!" the Alpha shouted, but his words fell on deaf ears. Liam rushed past me, his breath hot and heavy, and stormed out of the room. A door slammed in the distance, followed by more smashing and roaring, each sound tearing at my heart like claws on flesh.
I looked up, my vision blurry through the tears that refused to cease, and saw the shocked faces around me. They stared at me with a mix of pity and fear, unsure of what to say or do. It was then that I realised how truly alone I felt in that moment, surrounded by people who were supposed to be my family, my pack.
All I could do now was to await my fate. Await to be rejected or killed by the person I loved most in the world. And I deserved it because I was lesser, I was defective.
I was broken.
Chapter 52
Liam
AsIstormedintomy room, the vile taste of fury and defeat clung to the back of my throat. Each breath came in ragged, angry bursts, and my heart pounded like a war drum in my chest. How was I supposed to deal with everything when it all seemed to be designed to fuck me over? Was this some sort of sick test?
"Dammit!" I yelled, slamming the door behind me so hard it shook on its hinges.
