Violet let out silent sobs, and when she looked up, her eyes were glistening with tears. “I-I am sorry that I disturbed both of you. I didn’t mean it. I just want a place to stay.”
Her hand clutched her right cheek where I had slapped her.
I ignored her and started picking up the scattered bracelets all over the floor. The materials were a bit sharp and some of them cut into my skin, but I didn’t care.
It was nothing compared to the pain I felt when I heard Ryan speak to defend Violet. “You can stay, Violet. Don’t mind Scarlett.”
He turned to me. “Scarlett, what’s the meaning of this? She just wants a place to stay temporarily. When she is officially a member of our pack, she will get her own residence. Besides, she has helped our pack tremendously and is a savior to our pack.”
“When did I agree with it, Ryan? She can get the hell out of here.” I said coldly.
I held back the sob that was threatening to burst out of my chest. My wolf's spirit stirred and I also could feel her pain that our mate didn’t love us anymore.
“Why did you become so cold-hearted, Scarlett? Your temper has gotten worse. You weren’t like this before. We are just letting her stay temporarily because she just underwent eye surgery.” Ryan said in a disapproving tone, and his eyes were brimming with disappointment.
I looked at him in disbelief. What did he just call me? Am I a cold-hearted woman? In order to defend Violet, he could even say such hurtful words to me.
We have been mates ever since we were very young back then, when we were adolescent. I could feel it in my bones that he was the one destined for me. None could imagine how ecstatic I felt when I found out on my eighteenth birthday that we were actually mates.
He promised that he would love me deeply and forever. Seeing him favor another woman over me like this made me almost breathless. My wolf's spirit stirred further and excruciating pain spread all over my body.
“I am also sick, Ryan.” I muttered under my breath. Why couldn’t he feel it through our mate bond that I was sick, really sick, that I had less than a month left to live?
He looked at me, and his gaze became hard. He berated me. “You are already an adult, Scarlett. Act like one and don’t be childish that you always want to compete with others.”
His words pierced my heart and for a split second, I wondered if I had mistaken him for my mate when he actually wasn’t. Was I too smitten with him that I recognized the wrong person?
However, I knew that it was only my doubts speaking. The tattoo on our body was similar, and he was certainly my mate.
I didn’t know whether he felt the intense emotions swirling in my heart right now. There was a flash of what seemed like concern in his eyes before they disappeared, replaced by the sternness of the leader of a pack.
“You are a Luna, Scarlett. You should be generous with your pack members. Violet is going to be one of us soon.” After he said that, he left me alone to escort Violet out of the room.
I looked down. The pieces of sharp objects from the shattered bracelet had unknowingly embedded themselves into my palm. In my anger, I must have clenched my fists too hard.
Without caring for the pain, I continued to pick up the pieces, which felt like picking up the pieces of my heart.
This bracelet was a gift from my brother. Before I turned eighteen, I was attacked by a group of rogues and got so sick that no doctor could help me. My wolf became dormant and because of that, I also fell into a coma. My twin brother, Austin, heard about a temple that could grant people’s wishes.
He climbed that temple which was located at the top of a mountain. For two days and two nights, he relentlessly climbed alone. He prayed there for my health. Austin had sat for five days straight without food or water until someone there gave him this bracelet. After he returned, he put the bracelet on me. Miraculously, I woke up.
I wondered if this broken pieces of bracelet could be a sign. I had woken up because of it, and now that it was broken, it meant that my life would end soon, right?
Bitter laugh escaped from my mouth.
Suddenly, I heard someone clearing his throat. I already knew who it was, so I didn’t look up.
“She destroyed my bracelet, don’t you know?” I muttered coldly, sending him a brief glare before resuming my action.
Ryan clutched both my hands, stopping me from picking up the sharp pieces any longer. He said softly, “Let’s go to the infirmary.”
“She destroyed my bracelet, don’t you know?” I repeated, my voice rising a bit.
There was a brief silence before he spoke. “It’s just a bracelet, Scarlett. I can get you a lot more with whatever materials you want. Gold or diamonds, you can name it.”
I closed my eyes. Didn’t he know how much this bracelet meant to me? Two weeks after Austin gave it to me, he died in order to save someone from rogue werewolves. With that, he also buried his dream of becoming a warrior in a pack. He was gone before he could join any pack.
And the person he saved was none other than Violet.
My throat felt dry, and I pulled my hands from his grasp. The pain jerked me into slight tears, but I forcefully held back. After my wolf's spirit began dying, which I didn’t know exactly when, my regenerative ability also slowed down a lot.
Instead, my skin was more fragile that a light pinch could bruise it for days. I had hidden this condition from Ryan. I thought that I did well in hiding it, but seeing his reaction today, I had doubts. Maybe he just didn’t care.
“Get her out of here or I will be the one getting out of here.” I growled at him.
