Chapter 9

Four

Chapter Nine

The smell of roasted chicken filled the cabin as Mariah hummed softly, setting the table for dinner. It was one of the few moments of peace we shared since my world had turned upside down. She had tried to talk to me about everything-about my shifting, my lineage, and even my so-called "mates"-but I wasn't ready. How could I possibly make sense of it all when my entire existence felt like a question mark?

I poked at my plate absently, my thoughts a swirling mess. Suddenly a knock at the door shattered the quiet.

Mariah wiped her hands on a dish towel and moved to answer it, throwing me a questioning glance. I shrugged, uninterested in whoever it might be. Probably someone from the pack with more questions I didn't want to answer.

When Mariah opened the door, my stomach twisted. Standing on the porch were Kathleen and Olivia, flanked by their parents. The sight of them made my blood boil. They were the reason I'd been left battered and bruised on the side of the road. They were the reason my life felt even more suffocating than usual.

"What do you want?" Mariah asked, her tone polite but sharp.

"We've come to apologize," Kathleen's mother said, nudging her daughter forward. Olivia shuffled awkwardly next to her, both girls looking

uncharacteristically meek.

Mariah stepped aside, allowing them in. "Stormi, they're here to talk to you."

Istared at them, my fork frozen mid-air. Apologize? Now?

Kathleen cleared her throat, her voice trembling slightly. "We wanted to say we're sorry... for what we did. It was wrong, and we were awful to you. We're really, really sorry."

me. "We didn't mean for

put down my fork and leaned back in my chair,

for a moment, the only

gaze flicking to me. "What do

your

me wanted to forgive them, to move past this and stop carrying the weight of my anger. But the other part

I said, my voice steady, "but I don't

widened in shock.

expect forgiveness because you suddenly feel bad," I interrupted.

that."

1

face fell, and her parents looked at each other

raised a hand.

said hers," Mariah said firmly. I think it's time

left without another word, their footsteps retreating into the night. Mariah closed the door

wasn't," I admitted, my chest tight.

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Chapter Nine

who left flowers on the porch daily. I ignored their offerings, refusing to even glance at the neat little batches of blooms they arranged just for me, At night, I could hear them outside my window, their soft wolf forms rustling in the legues, but

buried myself in

silver wolves. According to the book, silver wolves had been the pride of the shifter world, known for their strength and wisdom and also their direct connection to the moon goddess it said they were a special bloodling But one hundred years ago, they were wiped out in a brutal massacre by the umbrakins. It was their last known attacked and since then they also seemed to

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