Penance of Honor | BOOK 2 ✔️

*Kiss Me: 4*

A Year Later...

I watched Sanuel from the corner of my eyes. These days, it was the only way of ever getting a glimpse of him. He wanted me nowhere near him since that day... All I could do was swallow down my distaste and discomfort of that distance and do as he said, as I promised. And never had I ever broken a promise to him.

His head began to slump down in class and, soon, one of his girl classmates poked at his arm until he rose with a small smile. It made my heart wreath, but, still I continued to muscle it down and turn a blind eye to it all. I had to.

After a while, I moved away from the door and sat down in the hallway along with Talon and Asa. I had lost their respect some time ago and none of them even bother to speak to me. Never once had I minded it. However, after Sanuel had isolated me from him, I had become nothing but lonely and in need of some form of intimacy, great or small.

Werewolves could not stay alone for long.

"Are you done?"

I raised my head up and looked at Talon.

"Is he done with you, finally? Are you done being his plaything?" Talon hissed.

All I could do was purse my lips and keep my eyes trained to the floor. How was I to say he was my mate? They would have never understood. They would have never accepted him. 

"Jonathan killed Quinn you know? Just slit his throat, just like this." 

He slide his index finger deep into his neck and dropped his hand away back onto the floor lifelessly. 

"...And they brought a new one..." Asa mumbled. "Instead of a beta's son, they brought an Alpha's son, from the Northern pack."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "How could they have..." I shook my head. 

I knew then the discourse between the East and the North would rise. They would each blame one another. The North would only see it as an act of needless retaliation for a crime they had not committed. The humans had sown the seeds of hate well, and, now, they are reaping its fruits.

 "He is a pretty one, just like you," Talon noted with sarcasm dripping throughout his voice.

"Hate me, loathe me, do as you please. I do not care. I do care for Sanuel even when he does not care for me. I do not need your acceptance nor your criticism. He is mine to deal with and mine alone," I growled.

"And that is why you are the way you are now. Alone and miserable."

I crunched down on my lip.

"We can only be alone for so long until we start craving affection and love and friendship. That is why we have packs. That is why we all grow so close."

"I know that."

"And your beloved human seems to have tired of you, so what are you to do now, hm?"

I got up before Asa could say something to my defense. Since we were young, she was very much like a friend to me and always looked after me when I needed it most. After Sanuel had pushed me away from him, Asa had only grown closer. I'm quite wary of it. She knows she must know, I am very much still in love with him. It is painful. It is hard, but I am.

She had risen too, along with Talon as he snuffed. 

"I do not want to say these things to anger you or upset you, Aaron. I am doing it out of the love I have for you as a brother. We all are. You are a beta's son. One of our future leaders..."

"Asa is from the Western-"

"It does not matter," she cut in. "None of that matters anymore. Not here. It  should never had..."