Untouchable by Marii Solaria

Chapter 27 – The Truth

“There are so many things that I want so badly to tell you, but I just can’t.“–Nina LaCour, Hold Still

Neron

After the fiasco at my ceremony five years ago, I’ve learned that Halima had jumped off the treacherous cliff, five stories to her death. She accepted my rejection and ended her life. The soldiers spent weeks scouring the river below our territory for her corpse, but it was never found as if she disappeared in thin air,

I was elated back then. I broke our bond, so I felt nothing. I didn’t have to worry about someone I’ve considered worthless. Sure, I was pissed at Kwame for body–slamming me, the Alpha, in my ceremony, but I felt free. Free from the burden of housing someone my father and I believed is responsible for the death of my mother and sister.

I blamed her for everything. For leading my sister out to the pond against permission, forcing my mother to look for them, and forgetting about the rogue sightings her father warned about. For not mind–linking anyone about the disaster, not holding onto my sister tight enough, and for not screaming loud enough for the help.

Oh, how quickly love could turn into bitter hate…

I blamed Halima for being ignorant and irresponsible. Everyone did. We, collectively, believed she deserved the abuse she got. It is our own twisted way of exacting justice for our fallen Luna and her daughter. She was guilty in my eyes. She was nine and knew right from wrong. And I believed her selfishness caused their deaths.

But it didn’t

The Gamma Family had been working secretly on Halima’s exoneration, working day in and day out to track the bastard responsible for killing my mother and sister. It was only three years ago when the spikes of rogue attacks first began, that was when I was smacked with the truth.

The Rogue King, he called himself, though I knew him better as Uncle Zain, was infuriated with my father for being given the Zircon Moon pack, even though Zain was the eldest son. My uncle was considered unfit to rule and the title was passed over him to my father. Enraged, my father’s elder brother set out, breaking his bond with the Zircon Moon pack and plotted revenge ever since. I suppose he finally got what he wanted after so many years of waiting.

We hunted him down like the mutt he was, not without difficulty from his hounds from hell. Upon his capture, he confessed to slaughtering my mom and sister with a smile as big as the planet itself. He laughed right in my face, at my father’s face. He sniggered at the fact that it unintentionally liberated him from all crime and was smart enough to cover his tracks.

“All I had to do was wipe the blood on that stupid child, and then I was free! I had to avert suspicion away from me, and why not make the child look responsible“? Amazing how things turned out, huh?”

his life out in revenge. It forced me to face the truth that Halima isn’t the one responsible. It was

wolves did he kill? How many

broke Halima because of him. We all maimed, tortured, and starved her because of his crimes. We

hold responsibility for how we treated an innocent pup because

death. I marked my mate for death because I was blinded with anger

jumped off

accept his rejection of our mate bond. May you

my mate. No wonder Onyx hates me. We’ve lost the one person the Moon Goddess destined us to be with,

red letters stamped diagonally on her

EXONERATED

Raina’s wailing

shit until she had enough. A werewolf kills themselves if they have nothing to live for,

me in my dreams. The fear, the hopelessness, the loneliness–so many terrible emotions swam in those eyes, We, as a community, put that terror in her and I smiled back then, relishing in it. But in my dreams, they torture

nightmare, she died, and I couldn’t save her. The pack had everything while she had nothing. She was alone and she died alone.

her file is the last photo taken of her as a joyful child. Bright brown eyes sparkling, her cute lips widening into a big smile, her brown skin rich

Goddess blessed me with: a mate. My other half. The yin to my yang. My soulmate. My eternal lover. Rarely does she grant second chance mates, and

mate bond, never to rekindle again. I could never have my true Luna or the love that all werewolves yearn for. This is the Moon Goddess’s way of punishing me for hurting one of her

children.

shut the folder, settling it back on my desk. Hot tears pricked my eyes as my heart pounded madly in my chest. It hurt so bad. It hurts every time I think about Halima and her final days. But I needed to stop focusing on her,

tears, shaking away those thoughts as I

–

This was an enormous bruise to my ego, but my pack needed help with

I cannot afford to lose anyone else. No mate or family

“Alpha Anthony speaking.”