Marisol rushed to her room, her heart pounding violently in her chest with each step, the weight of the pain it bore washing over her in waves. She was overwhelmed with pain, both physically and emotionally. Fear and regret course through her. She had acted on impulse, blurting out a lie to Cedric in a moment of desperation, and now she was paying the price for her deception.
She collapses onto her bed, the weight of the consequences of her lies bearing down on her like a crushing weight.
She had told Cedric that they were not mates, that everything she'd been doing was only because she wanted to get this over with and return home, and he had agreed in the blink of an eye, without even needing convincing, his unreadable expression not betraying even the slightest hint of mere confusion as he accepted her falsehood.
As she lay there, trying to catch her breath, the door to her room swings open, and Lily hurries in, her eyes shining with excitement. Seeing this, Marisol forces a pleasant expression onto her face, not wanting to have to reveal the turmoil raging within her.
Lily, oblivious to Marisol's inner turmoil, takes a seat beside her on the bed, her excitement palpable as she launches into conversation immediately, "Marisol, you won't believe what's been happening," she exclaims, her words tumbling out in a rush. "First, what happened between you and the Alpha and Luna?"
Marisol shrugs, the recent happenings too complex for her to even try and articulate just yet, "It's complicated," she confesses, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You've got to be kidding! The whole pack's talking about it. What do you mean 'complicated'?!"
Marisol sighed loudly, her body sinking even further into the soft mattress and massaging her temples, feeling the makings of a headache brewing behind her eyes.
Lily seemed to study her for a bit before continuing, her tone more questioning this time, "Well, Sophia has been going around telling everyone that you sent Cedric to attack her."
"What!?" Marisol exclaims, sitting up in shock.
Lily nods, ever so slowly, "Yeah, according to her, Alpha Caleb had been the one to subdue him and rescue her," She shivers slightly, "That must've been terrifying."
Marisol laughed dryly, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her stomach churns at the thought of Sophia's accusations, her heart sinking with a sense of dread. She had known that her encounter with Caleb and Sophia would not just be forgotten, but she would've never imagined that they would stoop so low as to spread such lies.
"That's not true," she counters, her voice trembling with anger and frustration. "Caleb and Sophia ambushed me and began questioning me about ludicrous things. Cedric was the one to come to my rescue."
Lily listens intently, her brow furrowed in concern as Marisol recounts her ordeal. "But why would Cedric bother to help you?" her voice is filled with genuine confusion as she asks, "He isn't someone that cares, or is even sane enough to care."
Marisol shrugs, her mind still reeling from the events of the day. "I don't know," she admits, her words tinged with uncertainty. "But whatever his reasons, I'm grateful for his intervention. Without him, I don't know what would have happened."
Lily nods in understanding, her expression thoughtful as she considers Marisol's words. "It makes me even more curious about the meaning of the prophecy. Maybe you're bonded in some sort of way," she muses, curiosity lacing her every word. "Maybe there's a reason he's been acting the way he has."
Marisol felt her heart lurch. She couldn't risk the pack members connecting the dots or even guessing that there could be any other sort of connection between them.
"He's acting that way because he's cursed and unpredictable, Lily." She quickly replied, her voice coming out rougher than she'd expected.
Lily stares wordlessly at her, the wheels in her head turning and Marisol is prompted to continue with her defence. She'd seen what Lily and her group of friends were capable of. If even a sliver of doubt was left in her mind, that could lead to a curiosity that would be perilous to Marisol herself.
"Cedric has become spontaneous lately. Maybe he did it to get on his brother's nerves or who knows, maybe his wolf was trying to reassert his dominance."
Lily nods and there's a pregnant pause before she adds, "But we cannot deny that your presence in Redwood changed something about him. He seems to have become more stable since you started visiting the hidden castle. That counts for something. Maybe the prophecy is more straightforward than we think."
Marisol couldn't help but wonder if Lily was right and if there was more to Cedric's behavior than she had initially thought. She had sensed a darkness within him, a pain that ran deeper than she could comprehend, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more hidden beneath the surface of his Stoic facade.
But before she could voice her thoughts, Lily's attention shifted, her gaze darting towards the door as if she had heard something outside. "I should go," she says, her tone tinged with urgency as she springs to her feet, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
Marisol responds with a nod. Lily's presence and their conversation had done nothing to ease her inner turmoil. Now she felt an even larger weight crushing down upon her as she watched Lily leave.
Marisol goes back to her lying position, staring up at the ceiling for long enough that she loses track of time and for the confines of the four walls to start feeling suffocating. Evening approaches, casting long shadows across the room, and Marisol feels a restless energy coursing through her veins. After tossing and turning, she realizes that she couldn't bear to spend another moment indoors.
She needed to get out, clear her head, and try to confront the chaos swirling around her.
With a shaky sigh, Marisol pushes herself off the bed and trudges to the door. By now, the evening had completely descended upon the pack grounds, casting a golden glow over the landscape as the sun dipped below the horizon. Marisol hesitates for a moment, her hand hovering over the door handle before she steels herself and steps outside.
Slowly, she makes her way out of the pack house and onto the grounds, her steps hesitant as she weighs her options. She knew she should go to the hidden castle, fulfil her duty to watch over Cedric and keep his wolf in check, but the lie she'd told just a few hours prior remains fresh in her memory, disturbing her conscience. Marisol felt like she'd betrayed herself, and now she didn't know if she could face Cedric again. Plus, the frustration that bubbled inside her, drove her to seek out Sophia or Caleb instead.
As soon as she emerges from the pack house, Marisol is met with the familiar murmurs of the pack members. Their whispers follow her like a shadow, curious gazes trailing after her as she makes her way across the grounds. Marisol chooses to ignore them, their antics were no longer surprising or new to her and instead focused on her mission to find Sophia or Caleb and confront them about the rumors they were spreading.
She sights Lily from afar, the other's features morphing into one of confusion and concern as she sees the accusatory eyes following Marisol and as she draws closer, holding a large bag of groceries to her chest, she stops for a second, Marisol considers just continuing on her walk, but Lily speaks before she can make that decision, pulling her short. "Hey Marisol, what's going on?"