Page 87 of Wolf Targeted
Why does it have to be so fucking hard? The world is against us.
23
Jara
I meet Alex’s gaze through the crowd. His mask is perfectly in place, but his eyes show his devastation.
I hate this—hate that Archer can just banish someone he’s known his whole life.
Angela holds her head high, and her shoulders are stiff as she waits for the order from Archer.
I glance at my mate, but he’s the cold and cruel bastard he always seems to be. There is no hope he’ll change his mind. I cross my fingers for nothing.
“Jara,” Angela whispers. “I’m sorry, he’s right. I failed to follow his command, and you paid the price for it.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I say.
Tears burn the backs of my eyes, but I can’t let them fall. I can’t show weakness in front of the pack.
Archer will lose his mind if anyone sees me as weak due to my own actions. Showing how emotional I am will be like a personal afront to him.
It would make everything worse.
My sad, stupid heart still hopes he will change his mind—that things don’t have to be this way. There is no hope in my life, though.
Patrick squeezes my arm as I step forward again. There has to be something I can do. Some way to stop her from being banished.
I glance at Archer again, but his gaze is locked on Angela. His arms are crossed over his chest. He’s every inch the unfeeling alpha.
“Archer, please,” I whisper.
He snaps his gaze to mine. He shakes his head and turns back to Alex.
“Escort her out of the pack lands.” Archer’s voice is ice.
Alex’s shoulders slump as tears run down Angela’s cheeks. He nudges her toward the forest and all hope dies a slow death in my heart.
This isn’t fucking right. She shouldn’t be escorted off pack lands.
As the crowd thins and everyone shuffles away, I round on Archer. “I can’t believe you actually did that.”
Can’t I, though? It’s exactly something Archer would do.
“Well, believe it, mate.” Archer turns away and storms off.
I jog behind him, not willing to let this go. He’s not being reasonable at all. He’s being an asshole.
“Archer,” I say to his back.
He spins on me and shoves me up against the wall. “You wanted to see the real me, mate. This is it. I’m the cold-hearted monster that can banish my best friend at the drop of the hat. Test me again and you’ll see that firsthand.”
“I know this isn’t really you.” I shake my head.
He can pretend that this is who he is, but I have seen differently.
He’s pushing me away again like he’s a scared little boy who can’t show his feelings, and the fact that he did is terrifying to him.
I glare into his dark eyes.
