VERA

three

Carter held Vera under his arm as they walked home.

Vera sobbed the entire way, and she wanted so badly to just collapse where she stood and have a meltdown, but Carter had orders to follow and she didn't want to put him in any more trouble.

They reached the front of her house and Carter stopped a few feet away from the door.

"I'm so sorry, Vera." She looked into his sad, blue eyes and reached up to push his hair out of his face. He looked up at her and she smiled. Or at least she tried to before the sharp pain shot through her cheek again.

Carter gingerly cupped her cheek and when he pulled away, there was blood on his hand. "You need to go inside and get that cleaned up."

"I know." Vera bit her lip, not wanting to say what she was going to say next. "My father said we can't speak to each other anymore."

The 18-year-old nodded, his dark brown hair flopping over his forehead. "I understand. I wasn't supposed to be messing around with you anyways. I knew the trouble it would bring, but I love you."

Vera squeezed her eyes shut and bit down hard on her lip to keep her tears at bay. "I love you, too." She reached out and ran her hands over his shoulder and arms. She would miss him. Every part of him.

He pulled her close by her waist and kissed her tenderly, careful not to injure her further. She hugged him and he whispered in her ear. "Another alpha may mark you in that arena, but you're mine. Please come back to me."

Vera felt tears prick at her eyes again and she looked at the ground. "Okay."

"Look at me." She did. "We belong together. I'm yours. Come back to me."

"I will." She nodded.

"Be safe." He gave her one last kiss on her forehead and stepped off of the porch, slipping off into the night.

Vera watched him go until he was out of sight and then she slipped into the house, quietly closing the door behind her. She saw the soft glow of her mother's reading lamp emanating from the living room, but she didn't want to face her mother right then. She crept down the hall and up to her room, sighing and turning the lights on.

The draft must have kicked in, because the door slammed shut and Vera jumped.

"Vera, are you home?"

The young wolf refused to answer and instead threw herself onto the bed, taking a deep breath. She kicked off her shoes and socks and took the hair tie out of her hair.

This was always her favorite part of the day. There was almost nothing she loved more than relaxing.

Except for Carter.

Her hands balled into fists again. Her father was a monster. She had known this, but his antics had never totally affected her personally, so she didn't really notice.

There was a faint knock on the door. Her mother entered carefully. "How did the meeting with your father go?"

"That monster is not my father!"

The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes and went to sit down next to her daughter on the bed. "What argument did you two get into this ti-? Oh my god!"

Motherly instinct kicking in, she sat the poor girl up to get a better look at her cheek. Vera sighed and cried out as her mother placed a hand on her face. "Vera..."

The girl looked into her mother's eyes, her sympathy making her want to cry again.

Vera's mother stood and beckoned for her to come along. "Come to the kitchen. We need to clean up that gash before it gets infected." Vera followed her mother who sat her down in a wooden chair. She watched as she moved quickly around the kitchen, gathering supplies to clean the cut.