Page 51 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

“Thank you—”

“No!” I growl at Cynthia when she tries cutting me off. “I am not done! I do not need your thanks, Cynthia. I am sick and tired of the way you've treated me ever since you received your wolf. Your punishment will be to never have your wolf see the light of day again.”

Cynthia trembles on the ground below me. “You're—you're gonna steal my wolf?”

“Steal?” I scoff, a sinister smirk curving my lips. “I wouldn't dream of stealing your wolf. I would hate to be anything like you, Cynthia,” I spit derisively. “I am the Luna of Blood Moon, and I wouldn't want to be anything else.”

With a scornful chuckle, I turn to the Beta, my brother, and hand down my second set of instructions for him. “The Grime has a method to disarm a Blood Moon's wolf. You'll need the Alpha's blood to perform the ritual.”

Miles nods his wolf head at me, then turns to the Alpha.

“Lila…”

I shake my head when Flynn tries calling out to me, the adrenaline in my veins still pulsing with the power I'd tasted just now. It's unlike anything I've felt before, not even when I built the fortress inside to protect my heart and my feelings.

It's quite the opposite, really. This surge of power was full of feeling, emotion, and the compassion that I once thoughtmade me weak. Tonight, I found strength in my ability to feel so deeply, to be so empathetic, but strong enough to deal out karma. In the form of a punishment meant to teach a profound lesson, I have wielded my weaknesses into strengths.

Riding on that sovereignty, I keep my head held high as I walk past Flynn and head to the main house. I can't stand him right now; his intention to use violence is not the way I'd want to lead a pack. A leader should be respected, not feared.

I'm sick and tired of the fear-based indoctrinations that have been keeping us bound to old traditions. It's why the pack could never accept me for being without a wolf. Fear. Standards. Regulations that deemed us fit or unfit.

Needing to fit in so that we wouldn't be cursed or burned at the stake.

“What just happened?” Flynn asks.

He's followed me to the main house. I used to be vexed when he'd dismiss me or reject me; right now, I don’t consider his attention or presence something to swoon over.

“I don't wanna talk to you right now, Flynn,” I tell him without glancing back, heading to the kitchen to get water. I get a glass out and turn on the faucet, my blurry reflection in the sink making me frown.

I was so sure my face was battered and bruised when I woke up in the dungeon. Absentmindedly, a finger rises to my lip where I'd tasted blood before, my fingertip touching smooth, unmarred skin.

Strange…

“We are gonna talk right now, Lila,” Flynn demands, placing a strong hand on my shoulder to coerce me to turn to him.

I shrug him off but turn to glare at him disdainfully.

“What do you want to talk about, huh?” I snap at him. “You wanna talk about how you were gonna kill her?!”

“How is that ba—” He stops, shaking his head in disbelief, and his jaw tenses as his brows furrow. “She kidnapped you, threw you in the dungeon. You're the Luna of this pack!”

“Stop telling me things I already know!” I yell back, tears simmering at the surface. “Since when do you kill your own?!”

Flynn is taken aback, pausing to slowly nod. “What did you expect me to do, Lila?”

I sigh, hanging my head and giving myself a moment of pause to finally let my soul speak. It's a voice I've neglected for too long. It's long overdue. Trying so hard to be someone I'm not is exhausting. Pretending not to care about Flynn is even worse. The worst is pushing aside my feelings for the sake of others.

I lift my head to find Flynn staring at me expectantly. I take a deep breath and offer, “Stand up for me? Is that too much to ask for? First, you abuse me. Then you wanna kill a Blood Moon wolf. Do you care about this pack at all?”

A glint of sadness flashes through his eyes, his breath catching momentarily. All I can do is purse my lips after being brave enough to finally give him some food for thought.

He takes a ragged breath as he drops his shoulders. “Everything I've ever done was for the safety of this pack. Ever since Finch died—”

“Flynn,” I quickly interject, realizing that I've stirred up his demons that perhaps I have no rightful place to be acquainted with. “It doesn't matter.”

“Yes, it does,” he affirms with a bold nod and a purposeful step forward. “It matters because you have to know that I care.”He takes another step forward and places his hands on my shoulders. This time, I'm too lost in his eyes to shrug him off. “I care about you, that's why I told you to stop working at the center.”

My heart skips a beat as I stare into eyes of golden conviction, my brows knotting in a frown. Until he said those words, I hadn't realized how much I'd been wanting to hear them. Or just how much they'd move me.

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