I hold my ground anyway because there’s no other option. Not after I’ve had Naia and connected her to me, willingly or not.
Not leaving any room for debate on the matter, I mutter, “She’s not going anywhere.”
“And if Hayes comes for her?” Luke asks with a cocked brow.
“Then we deal with it.”
Even if they don’t agree with anything I’ve done, it’s very clear now that nothing about this is simple anymore.
And it’s only going to get worse from here.
Chapter 16 - Naia
They’re all staring at me as if I’ve already made my move, as if I’ve already chosen violence. They’re acting like I’m just waiting for the right moment to turn on them. Maybe I would have before, if given the command, but I’m not cocky enough to assume I can take on several Alphas and a magic user in one go. I’m severely outnumbered, and beyond the disadvantage, it’s not an urge I have anyway.
Their disdain and caution settle under my skin in a way I don’t like, feeling familiar and frustratingly justified.
I get it…I really do. If I were in their position, I’d probably be thinking the same thing. I wouldn’t trust me either, given my name, history, and now, unchecked abilities. None of that paints me in a way that invites trust, regardless of my intentions.
Still, it doesn’t make it any easier to stand here and feel like I’m being measured for something I haven’t even done, especially when being here is the last thing I want. If I had my way, I’d already be in Wraith Peak by now.
Zane’s words linger in the back of my mind like they mean to haunt me now. We initiated a mate bond.
I can’t bring myself to look at him now, because if I do, that’s all this becomes. With so much more left for me to work out, I refuse to let the bond stop me from following through with my plans. I can’t afford to let it slow me down.
Not right now, and not with the way Sera is looking at me. The others have already drawn their lines and decided that I’m too far gone, regardless of what ties I have to Zane now.
I square my shoulders slightly and force myself not to shrink under it. “I’m not your enemy.”
The words come out steadier and stronger than I feel, and I can only hope it’s enough for them.
Caleb lets out a quiet breath like he doesn’t believe that for a second. “You’re a Voss. That alone makes things complicated.”
“I didn’t choose that,” I shoot back, finding myself wishing that nobody had any preconceived notions about me.
“No,” he mutters, “but you’ve acted on it.”
I stiffen as I try to find the safest angle to keep them from deciding to act on it. “That’s not the same thing.”
“Isn’t it?” Sera asks, her voice calm yet accusatory.
Meeting her gaze head-on, I force myself to stand my ground. “No, it’s not.”
As the tension grows even more unbearable, I feel Zane’s attention shift slightly, like he’s ready to step in if this goes sideways. I don’t let him.
“I did what I was told,” I continue, not letting them force me into a box that I didn’t make for myself. “That’s how Wraith Peak works…it’s how I was raised.”
“That doesn’t excuse it,” Sera says.
“I didn’t say it did,” I return. The words come out sharper than I intend, but I don’t take them back either. I’m not here to pretend I’ve been something I wasn’t. With a quieter tone, I add, “I’m not proud of it, but I’m not going to stand here and pretend I wasn’t part of it either.”
Judging by the mutual hesitance clinging to the group, that seems to surprise them enough to make them pause.
Luke studies me more closely now, looking more thoughtful. “And now?”
I hesitate because that’s really the question.
After so long of following orders and doing what I thought I was supposed to, I don’t know who I am or what I’m supposed to do with all of this. I only know I have to get back and fix what went wrong from the inside out.
