"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jacob roared as his grip tightened on my hand.

"Let go of me."

"Or what?" he snapped, intensifying his grip.

Glancing at Charlotte, who stood behind him, wicked thoughts of revenge flooded my mind. The added pressure from Jacob's death grip forced me to face him. Swiftly, I knocked his hand off with my left, and before he could compose himself, I took a fistful of his shirt, lifting him up and slamming him back to the ground.

Swirling back to face the traitor, I prepared to lung for her, but Jacob caught my foot, dragging me to the ground.

Struggling, I tried kicking him off, but at lightning speed, he took hold of both my legs, and pulled me closer until he successfully had me pinned under his weight.

"One more move, and I promise to end you here before whatever lies ahead of you has the chance to." He warned, his clawed hand poised to strike as he tried to catch his breath.

I was faring no better than him, as my own breaths came in short. My heart thundered so loudly in my ear that I was sure he could hear it too. Under his superior weight, my struggles seized as the need to attack Charlotte slowly seeped away, not because of the threat but mainly because the adrenaline that propelled me had dissipated, leaving me weary.

What did he mean by what lay ahead of me?

"Get off me!" I muttered, but he wouldn't budge. At his hesitation, I stared straight at him as if to will him away, but he remained as he was. His steady gaze, which had been on my face all this while, moved to my hands, which were clenched in a fist. That was when I caught sight of the blood dripping from my palm, where my claws were embedded in it.

Unclenching my fists, I retracted my claws, realizing to my surprise that I had hurt myself without knowing it, but who wouldn't have in my current situation?

Sure that I would not try to make a scene again, he slowly got off me and backed away. Towards Charlotte. The simple gesture tried to reel up the beast in me, but I quickly tamed it down.

"So she is the one you deem fit to be your perfect mate," I snarled. "You should have said from the onset that you wanted Charlotte instead of making petty jabs at me."

"Those were not mere jabs I made but mainly my observations," Jacob replied almost sagely. It seemed as if Charlotte was about to say something, but my glare silenced her.

"Lucky you then." I jeered, "Now you have gotten someone who is not as flawed as I am." I turned to leave but stopped.

"You know what? Fuck you, Jacob! And you too, Charlotte! I thought you were my friend." Whirling around before they could see the tears that threatened to fall, I raced into the woods.

The sudden call of a distant wolf brought me out of my reverie. Blinking my tears away, I looked around forcing myself up. It is not safe out here.

***

Embarrassment churned within me as I reflected on the disastrous events that happened on the sacred grounds for the first time.

Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life, but it seemed fate had other plans for me. Lying on my bed, facing the white ceiling, I couldn't help but feel stupid and betrayed by my best friend. I tried shutting my eyes, hoping I could get some sleep.

Probably when I wake up, all this will just be a bad dream, but as hard as I tried, it proved futile.

Sitting up, I absorbed my disheveled room. I had practically turned the whole place upside down the moment I stumbled into the room, blind with grief and anger. Pushing my hair out of my face, I hauled myself up to start picking up the clothes I had scattered around.

The front door slammed shut.

My uncle Paul and his wife, Rachel, must be back. Their voices were loud enough for me to hear their conversation even through the thick barrier of a door that stood between us, suggesting a heated conversation. I must have been too distracted with my thoughts to have missed them till they got to the door.

Walking up to the door, I placed an ear close.

"I can't believe you could say such a thing about our niece!" Paul choked, barely able to control the anger in his voice.

"Mind you, she is not my niece, but your niece!" Rachel snapped, her voice dripping with spite.

"Regardless of what you think of Rachel, as long as she is mine, she is yours too!"

"In what sense?" her shrill voice called back.

"In case you have forgotten, we are mated," he bellowed. "For life." Her snort and the slamming door indicated her departure, presumably to her room. My uncle hardly ever raises his voice in that manner.

So I'm guessing she must have said something really awful to get him ticked off like that. Am I sure the whole issue must be centered on me after what happened earlier? What else could it be?

For a long time, I have always wondered what I must have done for my aunt to hate me the way she does, but right now, that was the least of my concerns as footsteps approached my door. I could tell it was my uncle's from the way each step was measured. He always carried himself in a way that reflected in his steps, and for someone like me who sometimes awaited or dreaded those steps, it was easy to tell.

Stopping in front of my door, he seemed to hesitate, but he walked away.

I shut my eyes and opened them again. What was that about? I thought I could finally escape all this, but here I am, preparing to go through a life that was supposed to end tonight.

My eyes teared up, but I shook my head, refusing to cry.

Enough with the tears.

With my back against the door, I decided not to shed a tear over this issue or because of anyone again. Taking a deep breath, I leaned my head against the door. For a long time, I have been preparing for this particular night, but now that everything has gone sideways, what now?