Fractures and fights

Warning: This chapter has violence and contains violent language… reader discretion is advised.

Weeks had gone by since the attack, the dust had settled, yet the wounds were still fresh. The Novera Alpha had narrowly managed to escape but left a trail of death and chaos in his wake. His minions weren't so lucky; not one survived.

Zia Pack was locked down-nobody in, nobody out. For me, that meant I wasn't going home anytime soon. The funeral for the Luna was a somber, quiet affair-more than a little unnerving. Aiden didn't shed a tear-not one. His face was a mask of stone, cold enough to send shivers through the very core of my werewolf nature. He scared me.

Since that day, Aiden had shut me out completely. We attended pack meetings together, but he never spoke a word with me. Made speeches, did his job, then buried himself in work. Sit at the huge dining table, eat, and then leave with no words directed to me, as if I didn't exist. His silence started to wear on me. Kehlani wasn't any better. The minute she saw me, she would always excuse herself and leave. No one wanted to talk to me, not even her.

Days went into weeks and in no time, a month was over. My wolf was getting restless. None of my family could come to see me, I was only allowed short telephone calls, and the cell service was bad. Mom was more distressed than I was, and honestly, I have no idea how Daphney was keeping up.

I felt trapped. Running away crossed my mind, but the fear of what was to come if I left and the fear of Aiden's icy glare held me back. That look he gave me in his mother's room haunted me, as her blood loss was too much for her to take in, and the Alpha's venom was deadly. That was the beginning of my isolation. Everyone blocked me from the mind link. Everyone.

What was the point in that ritual if they were just going to avoid me anyway?

The only one who wasn't going out of their way to avoid me was Damien, but he was in mourning too. I seldom saw him anymore and when I did he just was a painful reminder of how alone I was.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I took a deep breath and knocked on Aiden's office door.

Silence.

I knocked again, but nothing.

"Seriously?" I muttered.

"He's not in," Damien said from behind me.

"Oh. Where did he go?" I asked, jumping at his sudden appearance.

"To your pack. To check on his mate."

"Oh, that's good. The better she feels, the sooner I'll be gone." The words slipped out, bitter and sharp. Damien sighed.

"Aiden said you need to start your training. We're going to the gym," he said, walking past me.

Great. Training with Damien. And he was shirtless. Awesome.

We reached the gym and Damien went through a little stretching before gesturing for me to join him on the mat. I stood still for a second not because I wasn't ready for a workout but because…well, did I mention he was shirtless?

"How's your attack?" he asked, just standing like an immovable mountain.

"Pretty good. I fought a lot at school," I replied with a smile, trying to lighten him up.

He barely registered it. "I never noticed."

Wow. Okay, mean much?

"Attack me," he ordered, and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"We're training, right? Attack me."

I hesitated a moment before throwing a punch, but he caught it, turned me around, and shoved me forward. "That was weak. Try again."

I almost rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long session.

I changed tactics, pretending to hit with my left while targeting my right into his side. He caught both, spun me around, and kicked me on the butt. I went down in a forward stumble.

"Pathetic," he said.

I did snap, wheeling in frustration at him. "I know I'm not your favorite person right now, so why bother?"

"I don't have to do this," he said coming toward me, that cold, removed expression on his face. "But no one else is going to train you."

It hit like a ton of bricks. Of course, no one wanted to train me. They hated me.

"I can train myself," I muttered, standing up.

He laughed a harsh, short sound. "You froze during a battle. You can't train yourself."

"That wasn't my fault, I—"

"You let people die because you froze."

His words were a gut punch. I'd taken a step backward, stammering my apology, but before I got the words out, Damien swung a fist. I barely dodged in time, his knuckle stopping just an inch from my face. My heart thundered in my chest.

"You freeze too easily," he said, stepping back. "We'll continue tomorrow."

Saying that he picked up his shirt and then exited the gym.

I was still there, standing in astonishment. What the f*** just happened?

Later that evening, I sat in my room, sulking, when a loud knock broke my train of thought. I had expected Damien but found Shannon instead.

She appeared fine, with just a few bandages on her face, but otherwise healed from the attack. "Let's go," she said without any introduction. "Aiden has ordered the start of your training.

I followed her into the gym, half-expecting another Damien-style session. But this was different. Shannon didn't even stretch. She just stood there, staring at me.

"I know you don't like me," she said out of the blue.

I blinked. "Uh, I think you've got that backward. You're the one who doesn't like me."

"And why do you think that?" she asked, tone challenging.

Because you made it pretty clear when I first got here."

"Well, I've changed my mind," she said, her smile not at all nice.

"Oh, okay, I guess?" I returned, rubbing my neck awkwardly.

" Yeah, I don't just dislike you. I hate you."

My stomach fell. "Oh."

She grinned, stepping closer, forcing me to back up. "Our Luna wasn't supposed to die. You were."

Those words hit a lot heavier than any punch ever could.

"Yeah, and to fight, sometimes you got to envision that the person you're up against is your worst enemy," Shannon hissed, stepping closer with a twisted smile, forcing me to back up. "Fortunately for me, I don't have to envision. I already hate you."

"Well, that's unfortunate," I muttered, but before I could fully prepare, she grabbed my hair and flung me across the gym.

My back hit the floor with a sickening thud. Ugh, that hurt.

"Our Luna wasn't supposed to die. You were," Shannon snarled, yanking me up again, but this time I slammed my head into her nose, feeling a crunch before kicking her away.

"Oh, so you've got a fight in you, bitch?" She spat blood to the side and launched herself at me again.

We fought like rabid animals. This wasn't training-it was personal. She was livid, and this had nothing to do with technique or discipline. She just wanted to beat me into the ground.

I did manage to kick her square in the face, sending her stumbling. My gaze flickered to the dumbbell nearby. I reached for it, willing to strike-but I froze.

I couldn't.

It wasn't that I couldn't hurt her. I wanted to. Still, she was hurting inside and this wasn't my pack. I didn't want to give them yet another reason to hate me.

"Do it, bitch," Shannon sneered with that sick smile of hers.

"Screw you!, Shannon," I said, dropping the dumbbell, and turning away to get out of there. I had just about taken two steps when she snatched me, yanking me back and slamming me into the floor hard.

"Never turn your back on your opponent!" She punctuated her words with a punch to my jaw, and stars burst across my vision.

"Never show mercy," she growled out, landing another hit.

And then, if to seal her twisted lesson, she reached out and wrenched my arm backward with a sharp snap. The pain came instantly, a blinding thing.

"Never underestimate what I would do to you," she breathed as she rose, leaving me twisting on the floor in agony.

I let a guttural growl echo out, loud enough to shake the walls. Pretty sure everyone in the House heard it. Not that anyone was coming to help.

"That's your lesson for today," Shannon said so nonchalantly, it set my teeth on edge, as she walked away.

I felt my wolf trying to shift, trying to protect me, but I was stuck in limbo, the pain too intense. I was all alone.

I just lay there, curled up and crying, for what felt like hours. No one came. No one cared. That is, until I heard footsteps.

I tensed, thinking Shannon was back to finish me off, but when I looked up, it was Damien, and he looked horrified.

"What in the world happened to you?" he asked, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of my mangled arm.

"Shannon.she.", I barely managed to choke out.

"Okay, okay, listen to me. It doesn't look that bad, all right?" Damien said softly, though the fear brimming in his eyes told a whole different tale.

Liar.

"I'm gonna pop it back in on the count of three, okay?"

"O-okay." I braced myself.

"One."

Before I could even breathe, he popped it back in place, and I screamed so loud I thought I'd shatter glass.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay," Damien whispered, holding me steady. "Let's get you to the Med-bay. You'll heal, I promise."

I nodded, my tears falling down my face. I thought I knew what real pain was.

I didn't.

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