Chapter 28 Chapter 28

Chapter 28 Chapter 28
"Does it matter?" I laughed bitterly. "It's probably all over school by now. The whole pack has seen me... whatever that was."
Asher took the phone from Kyle, his eyes narrowing as he read the message. "I'll find out who recorded it. And who's spreading it?"
"Don't bother," I said, pushing the food tray away despite my hunger. "It won't change anything. I'll still be the freak show."
"Stop calling yourself that." Caspian's voice was sharp, commanding enough that my wolf instinctively wanted to submit. But I wasn't in the mood to back down.
"Why? It's what everyone else is thinking." I pushed myself further upright, ignoring the wave of dizziness that followed. "I've spent six years trying to be invisible, and now I'm the opposite. The Goddess's chosen one. The Lancaster heir. The girl who's somehow mated to all three Williams brothers. Take your pick, I'm still a spectacle."
Kyle sat on the edge of the bed, close enough that I could feel his warmth but not so close that he was touching me. "Is that really what you think? That we only want you now because of the bond? Because of what happened with the Goddess?"
"Doesn't it make sense?" I challenged. "Three days ago, Asher was calling me fat and ugly at a council meeting. Now you're all hovering around like I'm made of glass."
I saw Asher flinch, genuine hurt flashing across his face. "I told you, I didn't mean that. I was lashing out because Kyle had just told us about the bond and I was..."
"Jealous," I finished for him. "Yeah, you mentioned that. Still doesn't explain six years of torment."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Through our bond, I could feel their emotions, regret, guilt, frustration, and underneath it all, something deeper that I still wasn't ready to acknowledge.
"You're right," Caspian finally said. "Nothing explains or excuses what we did to you. We were cruel, and you have every right to hate us for it."
I hadn't expected that. I'd been bracing for more excuses, more explanations about how they'd been confused by the bond or scared of their feelings. The simple acknowledgment caught me off guard.
My phone chimed again. I was at the packhouse earlier. Kyle was carrying her towards their bedrooms. I told you she’s just a whore.
I stared at the text message, bile rising in my throat. Whore. The word burned like acid, confirming every fear I'd had since waking up in Kyle's bed.
"Let me see," Caspian said, his voice tight with barely controlled anger.
I clutched the phone to my chest. "No. It doesn't matter."
"It does, matter," Kyle insisted, reaching for my hand. I pulled away before he could touch me.
"This is exactly what I was talking about," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "I've gone from pack outcast to pack slut overnight. And for what? Because fate decided to play some cosmic joke by binding me to you three?"
The brothers exchanged glances, communicating silently in that way they had. It made me feel even more like an outsider, watching their wordless conversation unfold.
"We need to talk about what happened," Asher finally said. "About the Goddess, about Silverclaw. About the bond."
"I don't want to talk about any of it," I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted dangerously, but I forced myself to stand. "I want to go home."
"Imogen, you can barely walk," Kyle protested, rising to his feet beside me. "And it's not safe at your grandmother's house. Silverclaw could..."
"I don't care," I snapped, taking a wobbly step toward the door. "I've spent six years being invisible in this pack. I was finally starting to accept it, to find ways to survive. And now..." I gestured vaguely at the space between us where the bond hummed like electricity. "Now everything's ruined."
"Is that really how you see it?" Caspian asked quietly. "As something ruined?"
I didn't answer. Couldn't. Because the truth was, beneath the fear and anger and confusion, part of me, the wolf part, was singing with joy at being near them. Three different bonds, all pulling me toward them with an intensity that terrified me.
My phone chimed again in my hand. I glanced down automatically.
I always knew she was a freak. First, the fake love letters, now this goddess bullshit. Bet she's faking that too.
I closed my eyes, willing the tears not to fall. Six years of carefully constructed walls were crumbling around me, leaving me exposed in a way I'd never been before. Not even when Kyle had read my letter aloud.
"Give me the phone," Asher said, his voice leaving no room for argument. This time, I didn't resist when he took it from my hand.
His face darkened as he read the new message, jaw clenching so tightly I could hear his teeth grind together. "I'm going to find whoever's sending these," he growled, "and I'm going to..."
"What? Hurt them? That won’t fix things; it will only prove their point. Just whatever, I can’t do this.”
I turned away from all three of them, my bare feet unsteady on the hardwood floor. The exhaustion from whatever the Goddess had done to me was still pulling at my limbs, making each step feel like I was walking through quicksand.
"I need to get out of here," I said, reaching for the door handle with a shaking hand. "I can't breathe in this room with all of you staring at me like I'm some kind of miracle or disaster you can't figure out which."
"Imogen, please." Kyle's voice was soft behind me, and I could feel his desperation through the bond. "Just sit back down. You're going to collapse."
He wasn't wrong. My vision was already starting to blur around the edges, black spots dancing in my peripheral vision. But I couldn't stay here, couldn't deal with their concerned faces and protective instincts when my entire world had been turned upside down yet again.
"I've been taking care of myself for six years," I muttered, fumbling with the door handle. "I don't need..."