Vanessa's giggle rings through the room in confidence. 'I guess we will see if the elders prefer your true mate, who is weak and didn’t even know she was a werewolf, or if they prefer me—experienced, strong, and willing to bear your pups straight away,' she smirks.
Both Ryker and I unleash a simultaneous growl of annoyance at her audacity. I can't help but huff in frustration. 'You're barely a wolf. You looked like a scruffy little dog out in the woods!' I snap.
Mia and Hayley burst into laughter, and even Kane joins in. Trying to maintain his composure, Seth exchanges an amused glance with Ryker.
Vanessa, standing up, protests, 'How dare you! I came from one of the strongest packs in the world—Shady Crest! We are known to be—'
'Shady!' I interject, unable to resist the opportunity for a well-timed quip.
The entire table erupts in laughter, leaving Vanessa flustered. 'At least I know what pack I came from!' she retorts, attempting to regain some dignity.
Silence blankets the room as Vanessa's snide comments hang in the air, leaving everyone uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact. I resist the urge to respond to her taunts and maintain my composure.
She continues her verbal assault, her words dripping with condescension. 'For all we know, you could be from one of the weakest packs, like the Rabid Rebels or the Astral pack. The elders will intervene and ensure you won't become Luna but me in your place!'
I retort with a hint of defiance, 'And what if I'm not? What if I'm from one of the stronger packs?'
Vanessa smirks triumphantly, clearly enjoying the confrontation. 'Well, the strongest pack used to be the Moonstone pack with pure white wolves, but they were wiped out over eighteen years ago. My old pack, Shady Crest, is known to be the strongest, and I've never seen you there before. Then there's this pack, the next strongest. So that confirms—you're from a pack below us.'
Her laughter echoes through the room, and I can feel the tension building as Ryker and I growl in response to her mockery.
Fed up with the entire exchange, I abruptly stand up from the table and walk away. 'Astrid, where are you going? You haven't even touched your dinner,' Ryker calls out, frustration in his voice, though it's directed at Vanessa.
I respond tersely without looking back, 'I lost my appetite, and I'm not going to stay here and listen to this scruffy little mutt any longer!' Storming off to my room, I slam the door shut and lock it again. Vanessa may be confident, but if she thinks she can speak to me like that and treat me that way, she has another thing coming!
The night has been restless. My anger toward Vanessa keeps me awake for most of it. Deciding to rise before the sun, I drag myself out of bed and go downstairs to the kitchen, hoping an early breakfast will improve my mood. As I enter the kitchen, my steps falter when I unexpectedly spot Alice already there, cutting up fruit at an ungodly hour.
Alice pauses in her task, her face contorting into a scowl as she glances up and locks eyes with me. 'Good morning, Alice,' I greet her, trying to maintain politeness despite her obvious displeasure.
A low, menacing growl escapes her lips, a clear warning. Nevertheless, I continue into the kitchen, determined to make my breakfast without unnecessary confrontation. 'I'm just going to get myself something to eat, then I'll be gone,' I inform her.
'Permanently, I hope,' Alice mutters venomously, her voice dripping with disdain.
I stop in my tracks. 'Alice, I understand you're upset, but I never planned any of this. I didn't even know werewolves existed until recently. Perhaps if we got to know each other, we might come to tolerate each other. Maybe, eventually, we might even become friends,' I suggest, attempting to ease the tension.
Without warning, her knife flies past my face, embedding itself into the wall with a sharp thud. I yelp in shock, my heart racing. ‘I will never be your friend, and you will never be my Luna! Mark my word: Vanessa will become the Luna of Shadow Crest! I suggest you save yourself the hurt and leave now because, I can assure you, you won't even live to see your eighteenth birthday!’ Alice warns.
'Did you just threaten to kill me?' I ask, disbelief colouring my voice as I eye the knife lodged in the wall.
Alice advances toward me, and I tremble, an overwhelming fear taking hold. 'If you're not gone from here today, Vanessa and I will shift into our wolves and rip you apart,' she snarls menacingly, her eyes glinting with malice. 'And I'll ensure that no one, not even Ryker, will be able to find you. If you speak of this conversation to Alpha Ryker or anyone else, I will make today the last day you ever breathe.'
Tears start to well up in my eyes, my fear intensifying. 'Alice, why do you hate me so much? Don't you want Vanessa to be happy? How could she be happy with a man who doesn't love her back? A man who doesn't even want to be with her?'
In response, Alice grabs a fistful of my hair and shoves me against the wall, her grip firm and unrelenting. 'Oh, Astrid, you see, sometimes in life, it's not about love but about other things like power,' she hisses as she retrieves the knife from the wall.
I breathe in ragged gasps as I struggle to hold back my fear.
'So, if I were you, Astrid, I'd get going right now before everyone starts to wake up for the day,' Alice warns, tapping the tip of the knife against my nose. Her cold eyes bore into mine, leaving me with no choice but to nod in agreement.
'Good! Well, it was nice meeting you, Astrid. I hope we do not cross paths again,' she smirks as I scramble out of the kitchen and race back to my room, her ominous threat lingering in the air.
The weight of my decision presses heavily on my chest as I scramble to get dressed, my mind racing with uncertainty. Panic courses through me—she will kill me if I stay! I don't want to leave Ryker or the others, but how can I tell them without Alice finding out?