You've Gone Too Far
*May*
Elijah stood in the woods with his hands on his hips. “Morgan, you need to shift,” he said.
She scoffed. “For what?”
“Because Dark Moon still needs our Luna. Jordan and Sterling wouldn’t want—”
“Jordan and Sterling may as well be dead, so their wants don’t really matter. Do they?”
“Why the hell would you say something like that?”
Flicking a piece of grass, she chuckled harshly. “Because it’s true. You’re boring the hell out of me, Elijah. Can someone else train me? Someone who can actually teach me something instead of a weak ass supposed to be Beta.”
He inhaled sharply. “Morgan. I know you’re hurting, but don’t ever talk to me like that again. You’re not the only one in pain.”
“You don’t know shit about pain. What? You think because you knew them longer, your pain is anything compared to mine. Get the fuck out of my face. You have no fucking idea what I feel.”
Elijah was trying his hardest to remain calm, but her outbursts were becoming more volatile as the weeks progressed. She never trained, frightened off her wolf and lost her ability to fully shift. She stopped working with Rachel at the restaurant and neglected her responsibilities as Luna. He hated seeing her like this. Hated how angry and cold she’d become, especially since he knew how beautiful of a person she really was.
“Morgan—” He never finished his sentence.
Claws extended, she struck him hard across the face. “I said get the fuck out of my face, Elijah!”
Blood poured from the claw marks, and his eyes burned bright. Fist balled, he clenched his jaw, and his breath harshened. She prepared for him to hit her; she wanted him to. Maybe then she’d feel something instead of anger and numbness. Relaxing his hand, his eyes returned to their natural blue. Turning, he stormed away, leaving her in the woods alone.
*****
In her apartment, Morgan stared at her locket. They’d given it to her at the hospital. Both brothers had been carrying their pieces with them. Her blood boiled, and she flung the jewelry, and it hit the wall and broke. She rolled her eyes. “Dumbass present anyway.” A knock on the door interrupted her fume. “Who the fuck is it?!” she shouted, but heard nothing in response. She stalked to the door and swung it open, seeing Rachel on the other side. “What the hell do you want?!” Saying nothing, Rachel cocked back and punched her in the face. The force of her hit knocked Morgan off her feet, and she flew across the room. “What the fuck?!”
Rachel’s eyes cut into slits. Entering the apartment, she spoke deadly, “I’m not going to hit you while you’re down. Get up.”
“Are you crazy?! Why would you hit me?!”
“You know why.”
She did. In their entire relationship, Rachel had only ever hit her once before. It was the week Morgan’s mother abandoned her. She’d brought Diane to tears when she screamed at her, telling her she wasn’t her real mother. Rachel had been bullied for most of their high school career for being different. If there was one thing Morgan knew, her sister loathed a bully.
“Get up,” Rachel repeated. Wobbly, Morgan stood, only to be hit square in the face again. “I’m also not going to shift because I know you can’t and that’s an unfair advantage, but I am going to beat your ass all around this apartment until I feel you’ve learned your lesson. So get up, or get yanked up.” Morgan stood, and Rachel grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the floor. Holding her down, she choked her until Morgan cried out,
“I’m sorry I hit Elijah!”
Rachel released her and stood. “That’s not the only reason I’m here, though, yes, that was the final straw. I’ve given you space over these last few weeks. I, like everyone else, have dealt with your outbursts. Your nasty ass attitude, and your disrespect, but hear me and hear me good. If you ever put your hands on my husband again, ever talk to him like that again when he’s just trying to help you, I swear, I will beat your ass like you’re not my sister. You are not the only one grieving, we all are!” Rachel’s eyes welled with tears. “I hear Elijah cry sometimes in his office, Morg. He can hardly look at you because you remind him of his best friends—his brothers—and yet he gets up every day and still tries to be there for you.”
Morgan sat in silence, her icy heart slowly melting. “I’m sorry,” she said after a while.
“You know why you can’t shift? It’s because your wolf is terrified of you. Go on, ask her.”
*“I-is that true?”*
*“Yes. I lost them too, but you make me feel like it’s my fault.”*
Morgan pulled her legs to her chest and cried. Sitting beside her, Rachel wrapped her in her arms.
“We can’t fathom your pain, but it doesn’t mean we’re not hurting too. All of Dark Moon is grieving, and it feels like we’ve lost our Luna as well. You need to go visit them. You haven’t been to the hospital since that night.”
“I can’t.”
“They haven’t moved or made any progress at all. If they don’t make it…” Her words trailed off and she wiped the tears from her sister’s face. “Is this really how you want to say goodbye? You promised them you’d always be by their side. Fight with them, and now you’re abandoning them. Is that really what you want?”
“No. I just can’t see them because if I do it becomes real. Sometimes it hurts so much that I can barely breathe, Rach. I’m afraid to see them like that.”
“I know, but they need you. We all do.”
After a while, Morgan calmed and wiped her eyes. She spoke to her wolf, *“I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve me treating you like I have been. I will never do that again.”*
Her wolf remained silent, and hesitantly synced with her. Standing, she looked at her sister. “Can I come over? I really want to apologize to Elijah.”
“Absolutely.”
As the two left the apartment, she paused. “How did you learn to fight like that? Elijah?”
“No, Jordan and Sterling. They were training me for a while. You should see what my wolf can do.”
“They were training you?”
Rachel smiled softly. “Yep. They asked me not to tell you. They said they wanted me ready for the day you needed me by your side.”
*****
“Come in,” Elijah called over his shoulders as he sat at his desk in his home office. Seeing Morgan’s bruised lip, he smirked. “She kicked your ass, didn’t she?”
She laughed lightly. “Throughout my apartment, and into the floor.”
His smirk fell and he leaned back in his chair. “You deserved it. Not just for today, but for the last few weeks.”
Nodding, she sat down, and stared at the slowly healing claw marks on his face. “I’m so sorry Elijah,” she said, wiping her eyes. “For what I did, and what I said. You mean the world to me, and somehow I forgot that.”
Elijah sat in silence for a moment before his lips tightened. “I have never hit a woman in my life, but today I almost betrayed the trust of my brothers.” He had so much sadness surrounding him, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. Dark rings etched themselves around his eyes, making him look older. He appeared to be more on autopilot than the lively person she’d grown to know.
She stood and rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m sorry for your pain, big brother, and for pushing you to the edge.”
“I’m sorry for yours, little sister. Never forget that I'm always in your corner.”
“You two make up?” Rachel asked as she entered the office. They nodded. “Good. Didn’t want to have to beat Morgan’s ass again,” she said as she smiled at her sister.
Morgan returned her smile, then wrapped her arms around her waist. “Hey, could you guys do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Can you gather Dark Moon? I need to have a talk with everyone.”
*****
Hurrying to her apartment, Morgan ran to the corner of her living room and crouched down. Her hands shaking, she picked up the shattered pieces of the locket.
*I’m so sorry.*
Her tears hitting the pieces, she placed them close to her heart. Inhaling deeply, she gathered her strength to face her pack.
Reaching the center of the woods, she silently walked through the wolves of Dark Moon. Finding Rachel and Elijah in the middle, she joined their side. She spoke to the entire pack, “I asked you all here today because I need to apologize to you. I have been so selfish. Jordan and Sterling trusted me to lead, and at the first real test, I failed you. While I can’t undo that, I really hope to one day regain your trust.” She peered out at the crowd, and saddened, soft eyes stared back at her. Some nodded in understanding, and some wiped their own eyes.
“We love you, Luna,” someone said, and she lifted her head.
“I love you all. My only solace is in knowing that while I was gone, you were in capable hands.” She glanced at Elijah. “I have the most amazing man for a brother and Beta. He trains me, strengthens me and I’ll always be grateful for him. Today isn’t about me, though, it’s about you, it’s about all of us. It’s about Jordan and Sterling who are some of the strongest men I’ve ever met.” Placing the pieces of the locket to her heart, Dark Moon saw her cry again. Dropping to her knees, a Luna grieved with her pack for the loss of two men who meant the world to them all.