"Listen, I'm sorry," Lupa said when I didn't respond. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Whatever," I mumbled, trying to get past her.
But she was stubborn. "Ashe, you know we love you. Come back to the party."
"Just leave me alone, okay?"
Hurt flashed across Lupa's face before turning into irritation. "Fine, do whatever you want. Maybe you'll find a fated mate whose attitude is as bad as yours."
Before I could snap back at her, she stormed off. I didn't care. I took off in the opposite direction, her words buzzing in my head like a swarm of wasps.
When I strode into the thick brush, I didn't hear Zak or Quinn on my tail, which was a small mercy. I didn't want to snap at any more of my family members.
My throat constricted like I was about to cry, which annoyed me even more. I rubbed the heel of my palms into my eyes, desperate to stop the tears from overflowing. The last thing I wanted right now is to feel like an overemotional stereotype of an omega. Why did every little thing have to make me cry? Hell, I wasn't even hormonal from being in heat!
"Ugh, this sucks…" I muttered.
The gentle snap of a twig alerted me to a new presence. I whirled around, ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind. But it wasn't Lupa, Quinn or Zak. It was Starry gazing at me with sweet, sympathetic eyes.
"Oh," I said, my shoulders relaxing. "Hi, Starry."
She tilted her head and signed, "You okay?"
"I will be eventually. Thanks for checking on me."
I watched her hands to see if she would sign anything else, but she instead waved to a nearby log and gestured for me to sit down with her.
"Lupa's comments bothered you, right?"
"Mostly that, yeah."
Watching the PDA extravaganza didn't help either, but that was more of a petty thought you kept private. I didn't want Starry to think I was bitter on top of beingsensitive.
Starry gazed at the ground, shuffling her bare feet in the dirt, then raised her hands to sign. "It's not the same, but I sort of know how you feel. You're the only omega, and I'm the only one who's mute."
I blinked, struck by the comparison. "Oh. I've never thought of that before."
She smiled. She had the kind of sweet smile that would melt anyone's heart.
"That makes me feel a little better," I said, smiling back. "Thanks, Starry."
"Want to come back to the party with me?"
Even though having a moment with her calmed me down, I still wasn't ready to face my other cousins. My skin still prickled unpleasantly, like any stray comment would send me into another fury.
"Thanks, but I'm going to take a walk for a bit," I said. "Need to cool off, you know?"
"I understand." She got up and dusted herself off then signed, "By the way, you'll find your fated mate sooner than you think."
I chuckled. "How would you know? Are you psychic now?"
She let out a quiet huff of laughter. "Just a feeling."
I grinned and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, yeah. Get back to the party before the whole family starts looking for us."
Starry hugged me and waved goodbye before exiting the woods. Through the shade of the trees, I watched her reunite with everyone else. Even though she hadn't spoken out loud once, it felt quieter without her presence.
The deeper shadows of the forest called to me. Turning my back on the clearing and my family, I set out into the woods, letting the silent darkness envelop me.
