Chapter 5

Maliyah

I was holding my breath. This wasn’t the first time Argan had seen someone turn. But this was the first time someone had threatened him. He was always protected and highly regarded.

Cain shifted back. He was now nude in front of me and not a trace of shame on his face.

He walked towards the others standing behind him. One of them handed him a coat.

“Help Maliyah pack. I’ll go get Dimitri,” Cain ordered. “And get that man out of here,” he added, glaring at Argan who was being picked up from the floor.

Before I knew it, Cain was already off to get Dimitri and Argan was being dragged out of my room.

“Shame on you!” He exclaimed, “How dare you shame your pack like this! You’ll never belong anywhere!” Argan’s voice was full of venom as he screamed these words. He said stuff like this that pierced through my bones whenever he was intoxicated but I could never learn not to let it get to me.

And so, as usual, it weighed on my heart.

It didn’t take me long before my things were ready. I didn’t have much on me anyway.

The door quietly swung open and Dimitri emerged with Cain into the room. I could already tell that they had mutual respect and some sort of brother bond on them. Alonso wasn’t like this with his beta. He always made sure his beta stood behind him. Whereas Dimitri had Cain next to him.

The hopeful part of me figured life with their pack would be a lot better than here in Midmoon.

“I’m ready,” I announced.

Dimitri’s eyes didn’t leave mine as he continued to walk toward me. When he didn’t stop, I took a step back instinctively. And then he lifted a hand and gently turned my face to the side. His thumb brushed over my skin where Argan’s hit still stung.

I watched as his jaw tensed so I tried my best not to wince. He examined my face and then turned to Cain.

“Where is he?”

“In his quarters,” Cain answered. Dimitri tore his hand from me but before he could walk away, my hand caught his wrist.

“Let him sleep through it,” I told him. He turned back to me and then eyed my hand circled on his wrist. My eyes widened at the thought that I had just touched him without permission and commanded him. I wish I could take it back, but I’d already done it.

“Why aren’t you healing?” Dimitri asked through gritted teeth, facing me once again.

“I don’t heal quickly,” I shrugged. “I have the strength of an omega so I heal a lot slower than the rest. This is why I taught myself how to fight,”

It was the bitter truth. I wasn’t a good fighter, but I couldn’t risk putting myself in physical danger knowing that I wouldn’t be able to heal as quickly as others.

There was no proper training provided by the pack though. Alonso didn’t believe in training women to run with them. There were only a few exceptions, like if these she-wolves carried a certain name. Unfortunately, being a Lovegood didn’t mean anything.

So everything I knew about fighting, and I knew little, was just something I learned by myself. Some by experience, some through sheer imagination.

“Is there any good in here for you women?” Dimitri’s voice was low and thick with frustration. He sighed and shook his head. He frowned at the mark on my cheek once again before turning to Cain.

“Make sure Maliyah meets with Indrix,”

“Indrix?” I asked.

“She's my gamma. She’ll get you all the training you need,” Dimitri answered plainly and then picked up my bag on the bed and gave it to Cain. “You should be trained properly even if you have the strength of an omega. Wolves aren’t born into strength, we work for it. And I want you to be at your full potential.”

“Oh,” was all I could say.

“Indrix will know what to do and teach you all you need to know,” he added.

There was something wildly unfamiliar with the concern Dimitri was expressing. Nobody had ever really cared for my potential nor did anybody even see it. For the longest time, I’d been isolated from this and I was convinced I was good on my own. Midmoon was never going to let me be a part of them the way others were.

I was scared to admit it, but there was a soft spot that made itself known when Dimitri took my hand and guided me out of the room.

He wasn’t as scary as I thought he’d be. Intimidating, yes. Scary? Far from it. He moved like his next steps were to protect me and I wasn’t used to it. And I didn’t want to get used to it either, so I locked up whatever it was that was stuck in my throat and continued to breathe shallow breaths.

When we left the Midmoon Manor, I briefly looked back into the window where a vase of white Lillies stood. Argan wasn’t completely heartless. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fresh Lillies for my mother every single day.

A wave of sadness and separation anxiety hit me. I didn’t want to leave him behind, but he wasn’t going to be of any help to protect me. Although this was a battle I didn’t choose, I still wasn’t going to lose.

Live a better life, Dad.

Dad was such a weird word, but I could only say it in my head these days.

Like on cue, he stepped into view, his sad eyes over me and the Bloodsky pack I was leaving with.

‘I’m sorry it had to be this way,’ I told him in my head.

‘You won’t be allowed back here if you step out of those gates with them, Maliyah,’ he mind-linked me.

Dimitri kept a hand around my wrist as I looked up at the window.

‘Don’t be selfish,’ Argan echoed in my head. ‘You won’t be able to handle life out of those gates, Maliyah,’ and it stung because he sounded like he meant all of it.

Tears surfaced in my eyes. I was always made to feel like I wasn’t enough in these four walls and sometimes even out of it. I had to keep fighting to justify a place in this world and I didn’t want to keep living like all I was meant to do was survive. I deserved a spot in the world. I deserved a fair chance to live the way I want to.

I wanted what was best for me, too. And this wasn’t it.

I was done living afraid of my own shadow.

‘I’ll prove you wrong, dad.’ I told him.

Dimitri’s hand left my wrist and pressed a hand on the small of my back.

“We should go,” he softly said and then he wiped a tear off my cheek.

Something in his eyes soothed the craters inside of my barely beating heart. I’ve only ever known to rely on myself but he was standing in front of me like hope personified.

“Your new home awaits you,” and a trace of a small smile played across his face. He stepped into view where I could still catch a glimpse of Argan.

I nodded and let Dimitri lead the way outside.

As soon as I stepped out of the gate, an echo in my head took over.

‘You think you can leave your alpha just like that? You’re mine, Maliyah and I always get what’s mine,’

It was Alonso.