Penance of Honor | BOOK 2 ✔️

Chapter: One

The sun bursts full of colors as it made its gradual decline and left the world dark. It used to warm me in the coldest of nights and now I feel nothing, see nothing but the darkness that comes after. This sight that once brought me so much happiness once before, now only brings me pain and heartache and sadness.

"I miss you..." I mumble. "So...so much..." For weeks I begged them to go look for him and for weeks they have ignored my demands and pleas. They thought of it as a fool's errand. Nothing more and nothing less.

"I just need to hold you in my arms...feel your heart beat against mine. I want to feel your soft skin and soft breathes by my ear whispering to me words that would make me shudder..."

I prayed to the Goddess for months and she still has yet to answer my prayers. My throat begins to tighten and feel dry as I blink my eyes a couple times. I ignored the sight of the colorless sky.

Stevens soon comes into my room causing me to quickly wipe my eyes and look at him with a forced smile. "Alpha Asellio would like a word." He takes in my demeanor and sighs.

"Cassius."

I close my eyes trying not to let my emotions show.

"Pierce loved-"

"Stop," I say quickly not wanting to hear any more of his words. No one has to tell me how much he loved me. He loves me still. No amount of words could tell me otherwise.

As soon as I leave out of my room, Analia follows behind Stevens, eyes lowered. I pay her no my mind and shuffle down the stairs that smells of nothing but Eastern weres.

I've grown use to having them around, but by no means am I happy with the situation. None of us are. In the past two months since living together there has been a total of thirty-five brawls and three deaths: two Northerners, one Easterner.

Low bows come from each Northerner I pass and only stares from the Easterners. Hateful ones. I've long since gotten used to them. At first they bothered me, but now I rarely ever notice them.

The moment I exit the door I smell Isaac. It's as strong as any Alpha's scent, but for some reason it isn't as strong as Pierce's or even his father's.

"Cassius." He gives me a small smile causing my eyes narrow.

With a raise of my hand, both Stevens and Analia walk off somewhere far enough to be out of ear shot, but close enough to keep an eye on me. Tensions are high and distrust of one another is even higher.

"What is it that you want, Isaac?"

"We must be seen together much more often than just to speak of future plans of retaliation."

My mood begins to simmer allowing him to back away from me. "Two Alphas in ceremony is not as uncommon as you think."

"No matter what the Elders say or anyone says from your pack, I will never take your hand in ceremony. I will never touch you just as you will never touch me," I growl.

"And you think I'm any happier about these arrangements, hmm gorgeous?" He tries to touch my face, but I smack his hand away.

"What is it that Pierce found remotely appealing about you other than your figure and looks, I wonder. Maybe that's all he took interest in." I bite down on the inside of my lip at his insinuation.

"You know, he liked me first, loved me first, fucked me first. You will always come second to me."

"Is this what you wanted to speak to me about, your unrequited feelings once again? Oh, or is it the blaming me for everything again?"