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To deal with any of this.
“I’ve been trying to reach Onyx, but either his phone is off or it got damaged. Getting in touch with your sis has been impossible, and security has been extremely uptight at both work sites so…I guess the purpose of calling is to make sure you’re not dealing with any adverse effects, you know?”
That had to mean she still cared, right?
There was a long moment of silence as if she didn’t know what else to say.
“The Coven wants to kick me out.” I hadn’t mentally prepared for her words, and my heart skipped a few beats while I tensed up in my seat. Bria seemed just as nervous as he approached the invisible wall with caution.
Being anxiously nervous as a male always made me feel weird because a part of me wanted to numb it all away while the other part of me wished to get mad.
To rage on about how one part of my world that I cherished was turning upside down.
Leaning further into my chair, I raised my hand up to pinch my nose, hoping it would do something to stop me from saying a word.
From offering her options.
I needed to know where she stood. Needed to figure out if she would be able to handle this herself with her pack or if she needed our assistance.
Deep down, I wanted her to ask for help. I wanted her to be free from their greedy clutches once and for all because, fucking hell, my best friend had gone through so much.
She was just like me: a misfit in her own community. Shunned, treated poorly, no matter how hard she fucking tried, and though she was slowly gaining her confidence and falling in love with those who would support her in leaving such a toxic place, I knew my bestie better than anyone.
She’d fight to belong…
“Since you were appointed to the chair…and all, I guess maybe they thought another one would be available. Honestly, I’m not sure.” She nervously laughed, but she couldn’t hide the glimpse of agony in her voice.
The heartbreak.
“I’m supposed to congratulate you. As a good friend…I should be so fucking happy for you.” Her voice cracked, and I bit my lip hard. “So…why the fuck am I sad? Disappointed? Mad? Fuck. How can I be fucking mad at my best friend for claiming a position…I thought would finally be mine.”
I needed to hang up. It would be the smartest decision I could make in this prime moment. My thumb hovered over the red button. A simple tap would end it all. It would allow me to continue to live in my mental fairy tale.
I made up my mind to do it, but a hand reached out to wrap around mine. My eyes widened before I slowly looked to my left to see Jayce standing there. His expression was neutral, even as our eyes met, my shock obvious.
He shook his head slowly as if to affirm that I couldn’t run away from this. I had to listen from start to finish.
Even if it would break me.
"I know all my life I’ve been a puppet to them. I thought that by being naive and continuing to be used and abused I’d at least get some form of acceptance. I was forced to join the Coven…and though a part of me regrets it…another part of me is glad I did because I’ve found a pack of misfits like me in the process.”
My hand shook, to the point that Jayce had to hold it even tighter so I wouldn’t drop the phone.
“I…have a choice to make.” She was getting to the point. “If I drop…I’ll be stripped of everything: my rank, positions, resources…my family name. My companies will crumble…I won’t be able to get my own meds; my new assistant would be forcibly deported.” She let out a shaky breath. “I’ll lose fucking everything, Willow.”
The stakes were too high.
“If I’m outcasted…my pack has to share the same fate," she revealed.
She didn’t need to say anymore. I knew what her verdict would be.
“I can’t…do that to them, Willow. I love them. Each one of them. I won’t let my world crumble again. I can’t stand…losing everything.”
Then it was okay to lose me…
How desperately I wanted to scream right now.
“If I stay…I gotta be a puppet…again,” she quietly revealed. “I need to redeem myself. To prove my redemption. They need to witness how powerful I am without the fucking chair…and that means I have to obey what they ask of me.”
