10. Severed Bond
My body tenses, waiting for the verbal attack of these overprivileged hairballs. I ignore them as best as I could, but seriously I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut for long. I just wasn’t accustomed to sitting back and letting things slide.
I really hoped they weren’t going to cause such a big scene in the middle of a public place. Especially a library at that. I stare down at the newspaper clipping on how Blue Silver became one of the biggest territories in the nation.
Of course, they were, they slaughtered innocent people and stole their lands.
As I was trying to read, which was a very difficult feat by the way, especially with a huge amount of a rose water scent hitting me that I nearly started coughing from inhaling it.
“What the hell is this?” Nora’s tone was one of great distain. “Shane, what are you doing? Our table is over there.” She snaps, her eyes staring at me with such hate that if they had the ability to burn, I would be torched right now.
“There’s no room over there, besides there’s nothing wrong with sitting here.” He mumbles, his head slightly bowed over the book he had taken out.
I never took him as a meek, timid, unconfrontational being. You would figure he be more abrasive and bolder in dealing with people. I sit back and watch in fascination of their conversation.
“What excuse is that? You know we’ll make room for you. All you had to do was make one of them leave their seat for you.”
He finally lifts his head and looks right at me. I almost gasp in complete surprise. His clear blue eyes were now dark like the outer sea, his pupils in thin slits. He doesn’t look away, his jaw working as I realize he was trying to control himself.
“I’m not making others move from their seats just because I showed up late, Nora.” His voice was on the verge of growling.
Closing his eyes, he takes a slow deep breath. When he opens them again the slits were back to normal, but the color was still dark. He looks over to her and says,
“I’m perfectly fine right here.”
She scoffs, obviously not caring that he was getting angry, or she didn’t know him as well as she made people believe she did. “Is this some sort of joke? You do realize who you’re sitting with, right?”
I finally take a chance to look at them. I freeze at seeing Slater staring right at me, not once taking his eyes away. What the hell was he looking at? And what kind of stare was that? He was making me a bit uncomfortable. Giving him daggers of my own, his eyes widen in surprise at my look.
Did he honestly think I was just going to bow my head in fear or something? That was the old Hazel. Never again will she bow down to theses ungrateful people.
The sound of Shane’s chair scraping back caught my attention. Pushing back from the table he stares right up at her with a scowl.
“I think I have a pretty good idea on who I’m sitting with, Nora. Where exactly do you see a joke here?” His tone was angry, yet not overly overstated.
Her eyes bug out at the sound of his voice. “B-Babe, I was just saying that these people aren’t exactly our friends so why would you sit here? You never really talked to them before.”
That slightly got my attention. It makes sense as the lack of memories confirms it, so why was he here and talking to us like we were all old friends? There was one thing I find a bit interesting though. I was expecting for her and the others to say something much ruder and a bit more hostile towards me and Benji, but other than the small insult she threw our way she was holding herself back from being the bitch that she was.
Why was that? Was it because of Shane? I didn’t fully understand it, but it made me more curious to find out.
“So what? Am I not allowed to make new friends? What’s wrong with getting to know my pack members a little better? I mean, what if I just want to console Hazel? After all, she was just rejected publicly by her mate. Any wolf would be devasted by that. Maybe I just want to make sure she’s alright, is that so wrong, Nora? Are you trying to tell me how I should act towards my people as the future Alpha of my pack?”
He sounded highly annoyed as they all stood there silently. Even I could feel the dominate waves of his rank, demanding submissiveness from everyone. I feel my wolf stir with uneasiness as she paces back and forth in my foremind. She looked as if she wanted to calm him and sooth the anger from his pores.
I watch as all their heads slightly bow in his direction, even Nora’s and Slater’s. Looking to Benji I could tell he was a bit frightened of Shane as he too bowed just a bit. He wasn’t the Alpha yet, but he was already proving that he was not to be reckoned with. Was this why Nora was acting the way she was right now? Cause Shane actually doesn’t put up with her bullshit?
Looking over to him, I was beginning to see him in a new light. It may all just be an act. He seems like he cares about his people, yet it could all just be an act. For all I knew he could be a conniving, devious, tyrant just hidden beneath a pretty face and a pretty smile.
There could be another reason why these guys were scared of him. I’m not stupid or as naïve. Both my parents taught me at a young age never to fully trust anyone that wasn’t a part of our pack, whether they be friend or foe. They taught me to always keep my guard up and never take first impressions at face value. People tend to hide their true natures beneath a mask and my uncle proved that theory beyond a doubt.
Never again will I put any blind faith in another’s hands, just for them to use it against me and crush me when I least expect it.
Remembering what my uncle and Shane’s father had done to my pack I suddenly, unintentionally slam my book close with a loud thud, making Benji and Derek both jump in unsuspected fright. All eyes turn to me.
Putting on a false smile I tightly say. “I think I accomplished what I came here to do today, so if you all will excuse me.”
Without waiting for a reply, I quickly stand up, grab all the books and newspaper clippings I had and leave them all there staring after me in total disbelief. This little encounter wasn’t what I had expected, but at least I was able to dodge a bullet of nastiness that would only leave me filled with rage and possibly a reaction that I would have definitely regretted.
I hear footsteps following behind me, so I assumed it was Benji wanting to get away from all of them as well. But when I go to place one of the books back where I had found it, it wasn’t Benji that came after me.
No, it was someone I would rather never have a conversation with for as long as I lived.
Slater slides right up next to me, hanging an arm up above on one of the shelves basically closing in on my personal space. My body tenses up, waiting for some kind of verbal attack from him.
But what he says makes me blink in surprise.
“Something’s different about you. I could feel it.” His tone was low and bit, dare I say it, hurt?
I don’t reply to him as I place another book back in its spot. I could feel his eyes bore into my face. I go to turn away from him when he quickly rushes to block me.
“I think we should at least talk, Hazel.”
“I don’t think we have anything to say to each other Slater. You have said plenty the other day. Now, you’re in my way, so move.” I was starting to get angry.
Who the hell did he think he was right now? Did he forget that he had humiliated Hazel in front of everyone? Did his tiny brain completely go blank at the rejection he so publicly made?
I take another step but jerk when his hand clasps tightly around my arm, preventing me to move away from him. Pulling me close to his body, he gets right in my face. I sense the anger more than I see it, but there was also pain.
Ha! That pain was only there caused by the broken bond he forced. Now he wants to act like this. What a load of crap-
“How the hell do you feel nothing right now?” His teeth clench tight as he searches my eyes in bewilderment. “What did you do that night, Hazel? I know what I felt. It was the worst pain that I have ever experienced, worse than just the rejection. Now you show up after days of being gone acting like nothing ever happened at all.”
His voice sounded tortured as he spoke. “So…what did you do?” He whispers in a hint of fear.
I frown as I didn’t understand this reaction from him. Worse pain than the rejection? What other pain would cause him to feel…
My body tightens at the realization. Oh, it was that he felt. Hazel’s death. When she jumped over the cliff and plummeted to her death, he felt her soul slipping away from him. The rejection had been too fresh, so there was no time to heal. The bond wasn’t just broken, it was severed completely. Two souls ripping apart from each other.
That’s the pain he’s talking about right now.
And he was afraid that Hazel, me, had done something drastic to take away that rejected pain. Like dealing with a dark witch. A very taboo thing to do and punishable by death. How was I going to explain this?
Wait…why should I explain this to him? He was cruel and mean to Hazel, as well as others. I didn’t have to explain shit to him. Yanking my arm from his grasp, which I was sure was going to bruise from the tight grip he held, I stare him down.
“I got over it Slater, I got over that bond that wasn’t wanted by either of us. That’s what I did.”
Anger and something else flashes in his amber eyes. He hated the fact that I wasn’t crying and begging him to take the rejection back. A part of me believed that’s what he had hoped Hazel would do, probably to humiliate and embarrass her even further, because he was just that cruel.
Well, that wasn’t going to happen, and he was going to learn that real quick.
“What’s going on?”
We both turn to see Shane standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, not looking so happy. Nora was beside him clutching one of those arms, where it clearly showed that he worked out. The long sleeve shirt didn’t do a good job hiding the fact that he had amazing biceps.
She was giving me a heated glare, not even bothering to look to Slater. Oh, the hellcat was jealous! Why wasn’t that a shocker? She gets angry that my dream boy was paying attention to me, more than normal, and she gets angry that her slut buddy was also giving me undivided attention.
Well, I would usually hate being caught in a poorly written dramatic soap opera that could use better actors, but I was beginning to warm up to this new idea that just popped into my head.
With an imaginary devilish grin in my brain, I reach up a hand on Slater’s face and slightly pouted as if in sympathy.
“Oh, nothing really, Slater was just telling me how heartbroken and in pain he was because of his rejection. I was just about to tell him that if he wants me back so bad, he’ll have to fight really hard for it.”
“That wasn’t-”
I grab his face in both hands and give him a sad look. “Now, now Slater. We get that you have an over egoistic douchebag theme going on here, but you don’t have to save face in front of the future Alpha! You’re going to be Beta soon, so start acting like it. I mean, no female she-wolf is going to want an asshole, who only thinks with his dick and looks than with his actual brains.”
I give him the fakest smile I could produce and shove his face none too gentle. He falters back in complete shock of my boldness.
I hear a few snickers and wasn’t sure if it was Benji or the others that were also watching from behind Shane and Nora. No one moves as they all watch me shove in between said Shane and Nora, pulling them apart, cause let’s face it, it was bugging the crap out of me that her hands were all over that sexy goodness that I can’t seem to stop noticing, and march to Benji, grab his hand, my bag, and stomp right out of the library.
I may have acted brave, but boy was I shaking like a leaf.