The car moved with a quiet confidence that made my nerves feel louder by contrast. The engine purred, steady and unconcerned, while my thoughts kept circling the same point over and over. We were going to meet Lucas' parents, the Alpha and Luna of Half Moon pack, and no amount of pretending could make that feel small. I sat stiffly in the passenger seat, hands folded too neatly in my lap, watching the road stretch ahead of us as if it might offer an escape.
Lucas did not speak. He rarely did when things mattered. His eyes stayed on the road, his expression calm in a way that felt practised, almost carved into him. The silence between us was not awkward, just full, like a glass filled to the brim. I could feel it pressing against my ribs, making each breath something I had to remember to take.
I thought about his parents and the weight their names carried. I had been in the Pack House since I was a kid, but something about them set me on edge. Even thinking about standing in their presence made my instincts recoil. My fingers curled slightly as if bracing against something unseen.
I couldn't even stand to be in his presence after cheating on me with my best friend. Tears sprung to my eyes immediately, and the thought came, unbidden. It hurt. I never loved him, but my dignity could not let me let it go.
The trees grew thicker as we drove, the land itself seeming more alert, more aware.
Half Moon territory felt alive in a way that made my skin prickle. I straightened without realizing it, shoulders back, chin lifted, because some part of me understood the rules, even though I hated them.
My thoughts drifted, unhelpfully, back to Lucas. He had always been a piece of shit, even when we were kids. He had been the kind of boy who smiled right before pushing you into trouble, who tested limits because he could. Time had polished him, given him restraint, but it had not softened him. Sitting beside him now, I wondered if his parents saw that same sharpness in him or if they had carved it there themselves.
I was always a victim of his harmless pranks. I never liked him, nor did I ever think I would be his fiancee, then his ex fiancee.
The road began to slow, houses appearing in the distance, and my heart followed suit, heavy and deliberate. There was no more pretending this was just a drive. Whatever waited at the end of it was real, powerful, and watching. I inhaled slowly, grounding myself in the moment, and reminded myself that fear did not mean I did not belong here. The car kept moving, and so did I, carrying my nerves forward because there was no other choice.
I inhaled and exhaled. I would make them see what kind of person they wanted me to marry. I wasn't sure if I could carry Alpha Cedric along, but maybe Luna Brienne would understand.
"We're here," Lucas announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. I breathed out through my nose. I couldn't even feel my legs anymore.
How I managed to stand up and came down from the car was a miracle. Inside the halls of the pack house, I almost crumbled. I could hear it. Astra's laugh. How we used to play around, chasing each other and getting scolded by Brienne. Goddess, it had been so long. I blinked the tears away trailing after Lucas.
When we got to the large hall, the Alpha and Luna were already waiting for us, and my parents. As we walked closer, it took all of my willpower to not let Cassie tear all of them down. "What the fuck is she doing here?" I asked, Lucas.
"Now now, Chloe, let's be civil. You are in the presence of your alpha
"My mother cautioned, and I almost laughed at the incredulity of the situation. How dare she?
Alpha Cedric stood behind his wife, my mother, and father standing together with Nesta hiding behind my mother.
"Chloe, I apologise for taking you from your class, but the situation was dire."
I scrunched up my nose, an old habit I had taken from Astra. "Dire? What is dire?"
"You can not break off this engagement with Lucas. You both need this marriage because the last thing we want is for a nobody to challenge his claim." Brienne explained in her warm, kind voice. I almost went back to those times she would braid my hair and tell me the best stories. So I shook my head. Nothing would distract me from my goal.
"The situation is not dire, Bri. He loves Nesta, so let them marry. This has nothing to do with me." I insisted, firmly, my eyes glaring at the brunette haired girl.
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with you!? You killed your sister! You took her from my arms, but we still let you live! We still took you in! We raised you, and this is how you chose to repay us!?" My mother ranted, desperate.
I clenched my jaw. "I don't fucking care! This mutt," I started pointing at Lucas, which earned me a warning growl from Cedric, but I couldn't care less, I advanced, "cheated on me! His fiancee! I will not marry this scum! And if you truly think I am wrong, then tell the entire pack what he did and see who would want to marry him if you think me unreasonable!
"Your son is a low cunning, cursed coward!"
The speed at which Brienne moved, I could not comprehend. All I remembered was the punch and my body sent flying across the room.
Gasps erupted in the room, everyone staring wide-eyed. Those were the same hands that wiped my tears, the same hands that braided my hair and the same hands that held mine, no matter what.
The tears started streaming down my face, as laughter bubbled from tightened throat.
'No matter what, my Decker, I'll always be here for you.' The words rang hollow now.
But when I stared into her eyes, only rage and disgust were apparent. Was it all a lie? The kisses? The love? The... I swallowed the bile and stood up, the metallic state mixed with my spit, I spat at her feet.
With a smirk and aching cheeks, I said finally to my father, "I will not be a pun in your stupid games anymore."
While to Nesta, I said, "You are just a tool to them. Both of you truly deserve ."
Finally, to Brienne, I narrowed my eyes and sneered, "And the next time you hit me, I will forget any relationship we once shared."
Cedric stepped in front of his wife, "How dare you threaten your Luna!?"
I gritted my teeth, "And how dare you threaten me!? How dare you use me!? I trusted you, Bri! I trusted you when you told me to marry Lucas! I have always trusted you! But it seems I got the wrong idea."
"Do not speak to my mother that way!" Lucas spoke, anger visible in his countenance.
I laughed in his face, "Nessie, come put your dog back on his leash."
"You... you..."
I didn't turn around and kept walking out of that place, my chest heavy, nausea taking hold of me. When I was away from the house and in the car, I let the tears fall free.
Nesta and Bri. It hurt. I needed to leave them behind forever.
I looked up, eyes reddened and my heart hardening. The decision was already made.