Page 144 of Unforgivable

Lyri

I blink away tears that keep smarting in my eyes. Mom sighs, exasperated, as she fights with my short curls, trying to tame them into something presentable.

"Are you sure about this?" she asks me again.

"Yes, Mom," I sigh right back at her. "Ow! Can't Bea do this?"

"Oh, sweetie, I think it's best if I cook dinner," Bea replies.

I bite my lip to resist the pout. Bea doesn't yank my hair the way Mom does, but she has a good point. My casserole... it's in the refrigerator, waiting for Carmichael. Bea keeps eyeballing it, then looking towards the trashcan longingly. I told Mom to do my hair in the kitchen so that I can guard my casserole against Bea.

"Ow, mother!"

"Oh, stop. And you're a luna, pfft," she scoffs, yanking another curl into whatever updo she has planned.

"You're so mean," I grouch. Internally, my gut trembles. I'm kind of glad that the whole 'rejected mate, our daughter is a luna' discussion fell onto Dad's shoulders. I'm sure the talk was... explosive.

"Pain is beauty," she snaps back.

I snicker. Mom has never believed that a day in her life. "Beauty is pain, Mom."

"That's what I said. You're going to look absolutely perfect tonight, female. Perfect, understand?"

I swallow nervously. My males have plotted to re-introduce me to some of the pack tonight. We're going to go to the Watering Hole and dance and drink. All of our 'allies' will be there. It's making me nervous, but I see the point in it. We need to make the pack start seeing me with my males. They need to think of us as a package deal.

I am supposed to present myself as a luna.

So, I let my mom torture my hair while Bea cooks dinner for us all. My family, including Bea, have invaded Genom, so Thjis built a larger table. It's not stained yet, but the big, beautiful wooden table could fit twenty wolves comfortably.

Mom finishes, and I sigh gratefully. "I'm going to check on Devel," I announce, standing up.

"OK, then shower. Don't get your hair wet!" mom snaps.

"Yes, mother," I sing as I flee from her wrath.

I push open the door to Thjis' room. The door to Devel's closet is open, and everything is quiet.

"Devel?" I whisper his name. "It's me, Lyri," I call out just in case. No sense in surprising a dangerous, injured male.

I hear nothing and feel disappointed. He's doing better, according to Thjis, but he barely wakes up and has been incoherent each time he opens his eyes.

He's sleeping on his back when I peek inside the closet. Chest steadily rising and falling, and I take comfort in that. His color is better, and his wounds have stopped seeping blood. Now, only a few remain bandaged.

I check his temperature and pick up the water bottle next to him. Very gently, I sit and pick his head up to place in my lap.

His green eyes flutter open, and he opens his mouth but doesn't say a word.

I'm worried about him. Has his wolf given up because of that whore, Cloe?

Taking a deep breath, I start talking to him softly. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Devel. I really hope this worked, breaking your bond. You deserve better. We both deserve better. Did I tell you that her choice is my mate? I can't remember if I did."

I stroke his hair back from his head. "I'm so sorry, Devel. I feel like it's my fault this happened to you. Even if I know it's not, I still feel responsible."

His eyes flutter, and I hold my breath to see if they stay open. When they don't, I start talking again, disappointed. "I tried. I want you to know that I tried. I did everything except flirt to make him jealous. I didn't want to get a bad reputation." I pause, almost laughing at the irony. "I guess that backfired."

"I won't tell you about my Shaming. I want to just forget that, and I know it hurts my males to think about it. One day, I'll tell you about how I ended up here, but not today."

"When I was seventeen, over two years ago, I started to compete with her. I joined training. There are tests four times a year. Obstacle courses, races, that sort of thing. There was this one course that you had to run four miles, then swim across the big lake, Onerario, across town. Then there was more running, uphill, which is awful, by the way, then you sprint downhill to the finish line. It's a pretty simple course, but it's all on feet, and the hardest sections of the run are last."

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