Marisol finally grunts this time, a small 'ugh' sound following the roll of her eyes. "Can we skip the theatrics, Sophia? I've got better things to do."
"And do I look like I'm just hanging around doing nothing? Hello, I am the Luna of this pack. Do you know how busy I am? Just now I had to rush to the infirmary to help around, taking care of the people who were injured from last night's attack and next, I have a meeting with some female leaders. I still have to set an example for the young ones. Does that in any way give you the idea that I've just been lazying around?"
"Being Luna is such a tasking work" Sophia rants, her voice carrying a mix of resentment and exhaustion. "I was never supposed to be in this position. I was forced into it, and it's ruining everything."
Marisol, uninterested in Sophia's troubles, feels her lips draw into a thin unimpressed line. She wondered what part of her demeanor or their earlier interactions had given Sophia the impression that she would be willing to listen to her sulk and whine about her perfect life.
'What exactly does this have to do with me?' She thinks to herself.
Sophia, fueled by her discontent and seemingly not noting Marisol's complete detachment from the one-sided conversation, continues her tirade. "And you! This is all your fault. Everything went downhill when you triggered Cedric's wolf. Now its rampage is out of control."
Marisol stands there dumbfounded, struggling to find words amidst Sophia's accusations. Of course, the irritable woman would find a way to rope her into this and the absurdity of the blame placed on her shoulders leaves her momentarily speechless.
"Why do you always blame me for everything?" she asks, her arms crossed in front of her.
Sophia looks a few seconds away from pulling her hair off its roots. "Stop with the self-righteous act. The earlier you come to terms with reality and the fact that you are single-handedly responsible for everything happening here, the better. While you were snooping around, I'm sure you must have seen the prophecy and how you're tied to all this. So stop pretending and get to work!"
Marisol blinks in disbelief, Sophia waits for a response, but on not getting one, and seemingly done with her raving, she shoots Marisol a disdainful glare and storms off, leaving Marisol bewildered by the sudden confrontation. The weight of Sophia's words lingers in the night air, joining the long train of thoughts echoing in Marisol's head.
As Sophia's footsteps fade, Marisol shakes off the shock and resumes her walk, the accusations and blame sitting heavy on her chest and creating a cloud of uncertainty above her head. She couldn't comprehend how her actions could be held responsible for the chaos that seemed to engulf Redwood. Sophia's words made it look like things weren't already bad before Marisol was forced to remain here against her will.
Marisol walked without purpose until exhaustion set in, but it did nothing to ease her disbelief which was slowly morphing into anger. She refused to bear the blame for the turmoil in a pack that had kidnapped her on her birthday and went ahead to trap her against her will due to a convoluted prophecy no one understood.
"No, this is not my fault," Marisol muttered to herself, each step now echoing her determination.
The more she dwells on it, the more her anger melded into a resolve. She refused to be a scapegoat for the misfortunes within the pack. The responsibility lay with the pack members themselves, with Caleb and Sophia, who had deceived her. It was also on Cedric, the one causing chaos by harming his own pack members.
She concluded angrily that Cedric was the one to completely blame. How was he her mate? In what world were they compatible, and what exactly did Sophia even mean by asking her to 'get to work' like she was supposed to be some slave?
Seconds later, Marisol finds herself standing at the entrance of the hidden castle. The desire to confront Cedric clashed with the responsibility Sophia had attempted to thrust upon her. Should she unleash her fury and give him a piece of her mind, or accept the blame as Sophia had suggested, and maybe try to make sense of the matter and unfold the reason for his newfound hobby?
The decision crystallizes in her mind. Marisol chose both. She would confront Cedric, demanding answers and holding him accountable for the chaos he had unleashed. At the same time, she would take responsibility, ensuring that the wolf within him remained contained, atleast for the night.
She wanted to know what was so crucial that he had to harm innocent pack members in his relentless search. Perhaps, she thought, helping him find whatever he sought could bring an end to the senseless destruction for everyone's sake.
As Marisol steps into the hidden castle, a wave of shock and surprise washes over her at the sight she is greeted with. The once desolate and dimly lit corridors had been transformed. The air was fresher, and the castle bore signs of meticulous cleaning. It was not just clean; it was beautiful, a stark contrast to the gloom that had pervaded its halls before.
Her hands trace the transformed walls as she makes her way to the throne room. Cedric, the source of the chaos that had engulfed the pack, the chaos they had still been grappling with, lay there, lounging on his throne, appearing indifferent to the turmoil he had caused.
Anger bubbles within Marisol, and she is unable to stop her tongue as she unleashes a torrent of words, her voice carrying the weight of her frustration. "Do you have any idea what your wolf has done to the pack? People are out there fighting for their lives, and you're here lounging like it's your royal spa day!"
Cedric, seemingly unfazed by her outburst, pays little attention as he continues to occupy himself with whatever thoughts he has been consumed by, even prior to her arrival. His indifference only works to fuel Marisol's anger, pushing her to escalate her tirade against his recklessness.