Chapter 29: Lucas POV

There was an electric energy in the courtyard that I hadn't experienced in years. I crossed my arms and leaned on the training post's edge as the pack's voices erupted around me, calling for revenge.

From the crowd, someone yelled, "She attacked the Luna. Who does she think she is?"

Others joined in, their charges mingling with the clamor of anger. As I heard bits of conversation, my jaw tensed. Words like "execution," "traitor," and "insolence" hung in the air like a storm cloud that was about to blow.

One of the elders said, "She poses a threat to the stability of the pack. We have to move fast before Oliver learns and makes a decision for us!"

My heart fell. Before I fully comprehended what had transpired, I couldn't allow this to get out of hand. Even though I hadn't seen Anna since that incident on the pack grounds, I knew the reports were true because of her power and resistance, which suggested something greater than small-time disobedience.

"Enough!" I barked, stopping the rabble. I took a step forward and said in a quick, low voice, "Without hearing the whole story, we don't make decisions. Where’s Amelia? And where’s Anna?” 

The muttering faded into uncomfortable silence as the pack muttered but obeyed. I looked around at the sea of faces, my thoughts rushing. Anna needed to be found before Oliver did. There would be no way to save her if the Alpha found out.

Anna's perspective

I sat under a twisted oak tree with my hands shaking in my lap in an incredibly quiet forest. I kept playing back the event in the courtyard, each memory becoming more intense than the one before it. It was too much Amelia's growling face and her poisonous comments.

"What gives you the impression that you are anything other than an omega?" Her voice was tinged with hate as she scoffed. "Anna, you are nothing. No future, no family, no power. Nothing but dirt underfoot."

I tried to leave, but she pushed me until the dam inside of me burst, both physically and figuratively. When I reacted, I had no idea what I was doing. The sensation of her body striking the floor and the startled quiet that ensued were all I could remember.

Now, fear and guilt fought inside of me, threatening to destroy me. Even though Amelia might have earned it, I had gone too far. I wasn't meant to fight back; I wasn't like them.

I was jolted out of my reverie by the crunch of leaves. I tensed, prepared to leave, when a voice I recognized yelled, "Anna? Are you here?"

"Maia," I whispered, feeling a wave of relief wash over me.

Her face was a mixture of resolve and worry as she stepped out of the darkness. "How come you're out here? There's an uproar among the entire pack."

With tears hurting my eyes, I shook my head. "I'm not sure what to do. She...she pushed me too far, Maia, and I didn't want to hurt her."

Maia sat next to me and held onto my shoulders. "Listen to me, Anna. It doesn't matter what she did. And you hurt the Luna. Nobody will see anything else. You have to leave immediately."

Her words hit me like a kick to the gut. "Leave? I mean, where would I go?"

"Anywhere but here," Maia firmly stated. "You'll be lucky to get away with your life if Oliver finds out."

My thoughts were racing as I gazed at her. She was right. Staying here would be worse than running, no matter how much I hated the thought.

By the time I made my way back to my cramped, dilapidated quarters, the sky had grown dark. Maia had already gone to stand guard, so I had time to grab what little I had.

The moonlight spilled across the floorboards as the door to my rooms cracked open. As I entered, my chest hurt, and I looked around the small room that had served as my lone haven for years. There were memories around every turn, some painful, others warm.

I knelt by my bed and took out the torn bag I kept under it. As I started packing, my hands were shaking. A half-empty water flask, an extra set of clothes, and the little bread roll I had stashed under a loose floorboard for emergencies. Even though it wasn’t much, it would be enough.

I stopped and looked at a little wooden wolf statue on the windowsill. When I was younger, when things were easy, Leo had given it to me. With a knot in my throat, I slid it into the bag.

"Anna?" The silence was broken by Maia’s words.

She was standing in the doorway with her face partly obscured by shadow as I turned around. We were silent for a moment. I noticed she was holding something; my old scarf, the one Leo had mended so many times as she entered and gently closed the door behind her.

She whispered, "You forgot this," and held it out to me.

My fingers brushed hers as I grabbed it from her. "Thank you," I whispered, holding onto the cloth.

Maia looked into my eyes, her face showing a mixture of sadness and anxiety. "So this is what it’s come to?"

I broke my voice and said, "I don’t have a choice. Oliver will if I stay..." I was unable to finish the sentence.

Maia’s mouth made a thin line. Her shoulders slumped as she crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "I hate this," she said. "Anna, you are my best friend. I shouldn’t be sending you off like this."

Her words weighed heavy on my chest as I sat next to her. "I also hate it," I said. "But I won’t be the only one who suffers if I stay. You would have to deal with the consequences."

She said, "I don’t care about that!" in a highly charged tone. "Anna, you’re all I have left. I don’t want to lose you either."

I put my arms around her while tears streamed down my cheeks. Her cries were muffled against my shoulder as she clutched me tightly.

I mumbled, "You’re not losing me," even though it sounded hollow. "Not at all. I’ll figure out a way to come back. I swear."

She added, stepping back just enough to look me in the eye, "You’d better." Unshed tears gleamed in her eyes. "Because I will never forgive you if you don’t."

I dabbed at a tear and feigned a feeble smile. "Yes, I will. I swear.

We sat there for a long time because none of us was ready to let go. When I eventually got up to go, Maia grabbed onto my hand all the way to the end and guided me to the door.

She urged, her voice faltering, "Be careful."

"I’ll try," I replied, and ventured out into the night.

"You'll be fine," Maia murmured, giving me a squeeze on the arm. "Don't turn around; just keep moving forward."

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words escaped me. Rather, I embraced her tightly while allowing the emotions I had been holding inside to flow.

"I’m grateful," I choked out.

Her eyes glistened as she nodded. "Go."