When she hears my growl, she suddenly stops to get up and steps back.
“What the hell, Nora!”
I stop and put my hand on my mouth, realizing I growled out loud for the first time! And with quite some effect, too. Liz is looking totally freaked out.
“Liz, I’m... I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
“So, you really can shape-shift!” She suddenly says, shocked. “I thought you were totally unable to shape-shift, but you really can growl like a big girl!”
She’s right. Growling requires us to use our wolf-form throat, and hence, slightly shape-shift. And it turns out, I can do it now!
“Nora, that’s amazing!”
I know. I... I did it without thinking! I’m not even sure I can do it again, now that my anger has vanished. I massage my throat, still a bit surprised. Am I really getting closer to shapeshifting? Can I ever let my wolf out someday? I must try it.
“But you didn’t really kill Marcus, did you?” Asks Elisabeth, returning to her seat.
She probably asked because of my slight demonstration, but we both know that’s nothing compared to going into my wolf form. I shake my head.
“I haven’t, but... I don’t know. I’m not sure what happened back there, Liz. Everything is so confusing about what happened on that day. All I get are some random and blurry flashbacks.”
She stares at me for a while. Elisabeth really has stopped the gossiping now. I can tell she’s serious. She plays withher bracelets, seeming hesitant for a while, before finally speaking out.
“Nora, you can tell me. ...Marcus assaulted you?” She whispers.
I avoid her eyes. I don’t want to talk about it, I really don’t.
“That dog did what?”
Oh, no. Liam just came back and is standing on the doorstep, close enough that he probably heard what Elisabeth just said. Oh, this is not going to go well. He runs up to us and looks at me with a furious gaze.
“Nora, what the hell is that girl talking about? Who did what to you?”
He may not be Damian, but I can see a lot of resemblance between the two, especially when he is angry like that. Liam has the same ice-cold stare and furious look as hisolder brother. Why is he so angry? I thought he didn’t really like me. Is it because I’m his brother’s fated mate? He’s menacing, but I’m not scared like I was yesterday with Damian, maybe because it’s not directed at me.
But how am I supposed to handle this...? Elisabeth won’t say a word now that Liam’s back, and I don’t want to talk about that topic either. Not to my mate’s little brother! I just shake my head.
“It’s nothing, Liam.”
“What, nothing! Nora, if my brother knows...”
“Don’t, Liam! Let’s not talk about this now, okay? I really don’t want to. Not now.”
I try to be as convincing as I can, but I can tell he’s seriously hesitating. I can almost hear him debating inside. Then, he glances at Elisabeth and lets out an annoyed growl.
“Okay, but only for now. Later, you tell me what this is about!”
“I promise, but you won’t tell him a thing. Agreed?”
He looks at me with a sullen look for a while, but finally lets out a low growl of agreement. It seems like Liam and I keep bargaining today. At least I managed to have him let go of the annoying subject for now. I’m not sure he will really keep his promise not to tell Damian, but that was the best I could do.
Elisabeth’s eyes go from me to him and back, and she grabs my hand without warning.
“Nora, come with me. We have to tell Vincent you’re fine.”
But I take my hand out of hers, filled with worry. Elisabeth seems confident, but I’m not sure everyone in the pack will be as happy to see me as she was. Did she forget how they treated me? I was no better than a slave back there, and I don’t want to go back to that meaningless life of mine. I glance at Liam, but he is waiting for my decision. Wasn’t I the one who wanted to come back here, after all?
Sure, I wanted to see what happened after my disappearance, but having my brother gone changed a lot of things. And I may still be part of the Jade Moon, but I refuse to be insulted or hit again. I ponder for a while, but no matter what, I must go somehow. One day or another, I will have to face my Alpha about what happened and decide what to do.
