TESSA
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Rowan and Calla had gone to the river. He said they were going to catch fish, and though I’d insisted on coming, he’d stopped me with a stubborn look.
“You need to rest,” he said, brushing a strand of hair away from my face.
He wasn’t wrong. My body was still tender from last night, and even if I wanted to pretend otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with them. And truth be told, I wanted them to have this time together.
Karl had tried to tag along, saying he’d teach Calla how to bait properly, but Luna Mila had stepped in swiftly, giving him a sharp look.
I nearly laughed when his shoulders slumped, his big frame looking sulky. Who would’ve thought? Just days ago, he was someone I feared. Now, I could truly see his resemblance to Rowan.
I still didn’t forgive them for hurting Rowan, but in the end, I had to understand that they had lost a son. I could see how they were improving, too, especially Karl. He already looked like a grandfather desperate for more time with his granddaughter. It warmed me in ways I didn’t expect. My daughter had somehow cracked open a man everyone thought was unmovable.
So I let them go, content with the picture in my mind.
For now, I have my own task. Luna Mila had pressed a basket into my hands, the scent of freshly baked goods wafting from it. “Take these to the children at the pack house,” she’d said. “They’ll need comfort. Bread always helps.”
I agreed, grateful for something to do.
The path back to the pack house was lined with voices. My steps quickened, the basket bumping against my hip as I followed the sound. By the time I reached the clearing, a crowd had gathered in front of the large house.
Confusion spiked in my chest. What was going on?
Then I heard a familiar voice cut through the noise.
“That’s not true!”
Noelle.
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15:07 Wed, Sep 24
Chapter 262 Most Precious One
66
+5 Free Coins
My brows furrowed, and I pushed my way forward, careful not to crush the basket in my arms. When I finally reached the center of the commotion, my stomach dropped.
Zaria was at the center of it all.
What the hell?
I thought she was gone. I had prayed she would be gone. However, the reality was that she was still the Beta of this pack.
“I’m telling the truth,” she said with a smirk as soon as she saw me, making me even more confused. Then, she asked a question that made my heart drop. “Why don’t we ask her?” she said, her eyes cutting straight to me.
“Isn’t that right, little sister? Didn’t you tell these people?”
My breath hitched.
She wasn’t talking about that, was she?
Of course, I had told Eternal Woods some bits and pieces about my past life. It was mostly about Rowan, the disdain of the pack, and how everything had fallen apart between us. However, I had never told them everything.
Not about Ellana. Not even my parents. Well, at least not the reason why they died.
I couldn’t. Those wounds were still too devastating.
My hands trembled against the handle of the basket. I wanted to turn away, but Zaria thrived on cornering me, on making me feel trapped.
“Oh, don’t look so fragile now,” she cooed. “You told them your stories, didn’t you? But you left out the best part.”
My chest tightened. I knew what she was going to say even before she said it.
“Our parents died because of you.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd, their eyes swinging back and forth between us.
Zaria took a step forward, her voice ringing with conviction. “Because of your weak heart, Tessa. You killed them.”
I shook my head, and before I could open my mouth, she continued dragging me down with
her words.
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15:07 Wed, Sep 24
Chapter 262 Most Precious One
66
+5 Free Coins
“She didn’t stop there, everyone.” Her voice rose, drawing the crowd deeper into her twisted narrative. “She killed my best friend. Ellana.”
Whispers spread through the members of Eternal Woods.
Zaria’s lips curved into a vicious smile. “And then she took her heart.”
My whole body went cold.
Not again. Not this again.
“Isn’t that right, little sis?”
Everything was ringing. My ears, my head, my chest. They were all looking at me–curious, skeptical, wide–eyed, and murmuring–and I didn’t know what to say.
Why the heck was it that Zaria could still tear me down like this? After everything, after all the wounds and scars she’d left behind, she still knew exactly where to strike. She still knew how to take me apart piece by piece in front of the people I had worked so hard to care for, to protect, to build trust with. It wasn’t fair.
My throat tightened. I wanted Rowan here. I wanted his presence and the strength of his voice to drown hers out. I wasn’t ashamed of the past–at least, I told myself I wasn’t–but the guilt was still there. It had been my burden for years, the shadow I could never quite escape.
I didn’t want her anymore. I didn’t want her words, her hold over me.
“Zaria, that’s enough,” someone said.
The voice cut through the commotion. The murmurs halted, and all heads turned.
My heart jumped in my chest.
Luna Mila and Alpha Karl stood there, walking into the gathering with arms full of baskets of food, their faces shadowed by heavy frowns. The warmth of the baked goods in their hands clashed with the coldness in their eyes.
Zaria froze mid–step. “Alpha, Luna,” she said, forcing a smile. “I was just telling the truth. I was informing them how dangerous she is.” She lifted her hand toward me like I was a weapon she was presenting. “She has them fooled, but you know, don’t you? You’ve seen what she’s capable of.”
The tension thickened.
Karl’s voice rolled out. “Tessa is innocent.”
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