Moon Bound

(39) Nothing |Scarlet's POV|

It was a few days after that evening when I found myself trying to stop my impact with the edge of the stair step.

My arms shot out in front of my body, preventing me from falling on my face and rolling all the way down.

For the last couple of days, Alpha had barely kept me out of his sight for a whole minute. I was whether sitting in his office while he busied himself with paperwork or watching the pack train from the bleachers.

Not today.

Today he went in town alone and left me here while he took care of business.

I rose to my knees then lifted the rest of my body up. Someone shoved me again. For a moment I lost the balance I'd just regained, but then came back to my senses.

This was not who I was anymore.

They fought fair when they trained. They respected their opponent when their alpha was watching them, but once his eyes averted in the other direction they did this.

Two years ago, before he took over the pack and merged it with his own, we'd been peaceful people – people who lived in harmony.

I no longer belonged to their pack and they no longer were the same people.

I spun around to face my attacker. It didn't surprise me in the least that it was her face I saw. It did surprise me though that she'd snuck up on me and tried to trip me.

Without a second for though my fist flew up. It pounded against her jaw. She gripped the railing. Her other hand came to rest against her cheek.

She angled herself toward me then spat out.

I was glad in that moment that I was a step above her, otherwise, it wouldn't have been my blouse her saliva saturated but my face.

I looked down to find a pink spot on the fabric. A sound of disgust left my lips as I used my sleeve to get the blood off before I turned my undivided attention to her.

"What the hell, Sasha?" I breathed out slowly, barely holding the urge to punch her in the face. Again.

"You think that following him around makes you his luna now?" she snarled at me, massaging her jaw.

It was a pity a tooth didn't come out.

"I'm not following him around. He's the one who's dragging me with him everywhere," I told her evenly. "And what makes you think I want to be his luna?"

Another disgusted sigh sounded in the empty packhouse. It was similar to mine, however, this time it came from her. "I can see how you are watching him," she snapped. Her face screwed into an ugly grimace.

"He's always in my face so it's not like I have any other choice but to look at him," I said, placing hands on my hips.

She mirrored my stand and shook her head. "That's not what I said."

"No, it's not," I agreed. I knew exactly what she meant. "But you and your observations can go to hell for all I care," I said and tried to sidestep her.

Her hand gripped my elbow, stopping me in my tracks. I directed a curious gaze toward her. "What?"

"He's not your mate," she blurted.

"Right! And that's because..." I trailed off and rolled my eyes at her lack of originality. "He's not mine because he's yours, right?"

She gave me a strange look. I raised a brow. "I guessed it, didn't I? Now, let go—"

"He's not your mate, he's—"

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Startled, both Sasha and I turned toward the entryway.