Her lips twitched, and she held her hand out. “Let’s go.”
“I smell,” I complained weakly.
She wrinkled her nose like she’d just noticed. “You’re right. You do.”
She wiggled her hand impatiently, and I finally took it, letting her pull me to my feet.
We sat outside on the patio behind the OTS dorms. Maya procured a fancy bottle of
Cabernet Sauvignon, which we sipped from plastic cups from the cafeteria, watching the sky deepen into dusk as a cool breeze brushed against our skin.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable-it was actually kind of nice.
Until Maya broke it. “So, wanna tell me why you’re attempting to murder yourself and a sparring dummy on your day off?”
I exhaled, staring down into my cup. I twirled it slightly in my hand, watching the liquid slosh around.
“It’s a long story,” I said softly.
She leaned back, folding her arms. “Then you’re lucky I’m a good listener.”
I shook my head. “I don’t-“
“Your trainer just told you to do something, Sera.”
I looked up at her. Though she had on her usual stern countenance, her eyes held a softness I’d never seen before.
“Yes, Miss Cartridge.”
The words tumbled out of me-halting at first, then fast and uncontrollable.
I told her everything.
The mistake I made ten years ago. The night I let my guard down, lost my inhibitions, and committed an irreversible mistake. The punishment that came after-how my family shunned me, how I was branded a disgrace. How I spent the last ten years-alone, unloved, worthless.
I told her about Celeste’s return, about how I’d somehow remained the villain in their story even after the divorce.
I didn’t dare look at her when I finished.
I didn’t know Maya all that well, but she struck me as a disciplined person. Someone upright who valued honesty and hated weakness. I expected her to flinch, to withdraw, to look at me with the same disdain I’d received my whole life.
But she didn’t.
She just let out a soft sigh and said, “You’ve been through hell.”
I blinked, my gaze darting to her.
“Of course you’ve made mistakes, Sera. Who hasn’t?” she continued. “But being wolfless- that wasn’t your fault. And that one night? Last I checked, it takes at least two people to have sex, and unless you’re Mary, you didn’t make Daniel all by yourself.” ??/p>
I huffed a weak laugh at that.
Maya placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry you were let down. I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came. I hadn’t been expecting this level of sympathy, and I didn’t know what to do with it.
AIR
There was pressure building in my eyes, and I was horrified that I might cry in front of
Maya.
“I just wish Lucian and I had met you sooner,” she said softly. “If you’d been brought into OTS back then, maybe you wouldn’t have had to endure all that alone.”
Yep-I was going to cry.
Maya once again surprised me by pulling me into her arms. She held me as I wept, and I clung to her like a lifeline.
The tears flowed out of me unabated, but instead of my heartache growing, it felt like the pain was ebbing.
Like the tears were washing it all away. Suddenly, I felt less pathetic, less broken.
Understood.
Maya’s words replaced Celeste’s and Kieran’s.
Everyone made mistakes, but the punishment I’d suffered had far outweighed the crime, and I was done serving it.
I was done letting Kieran and Celeste poison my life with their toxicity.
***
I woke up the next morning with a kind of clarity I hadn’t felt in years.
It felt like the weight of guilt and regret I’d carried around for ten years had been lifted. I felt lighter, an actual spring in my step.
It was time to move forward-for me, and for Daniel,
Training was better. I felt less inclined to decapitate the innocent sparring dummy, and I think my tears had softened Maya because she went easier on me than usual. Not that I was complaining.
Still, Maya’s version of easy had me collapsing to the floor when we were done, struggling to breathe.
My vision swam as she waved something in my field of vision.
I frowned, grabbing the flyer.
“What’s this?”
“A trial for all OTS rookies,” she said. “It’s in three months. It’s a critical test to evaluate your progress.”
I sat up.
“And you want me to participate?”
She nodded. “Lucian thinks so, too.”
“But-” My mouth was suddenly dry. The other rookies had been training longer than I had.
Most of them had wolves, which was a given advantage.
Maya nudged my knee with her boot. “Get out of that head. If I didn’t think you’d be ready in three months, I wouldn’t ask you to do it.”
She cocked her head. “But I am-asking you to do it.”
A small smile spread on my face. If Maya and Lucian thought I could do it, then I probably could.
It struck me that I had more people in my corner than I initially thought. Lucian, Maya,
Daniel.
Daniel…
Oh, he’d be so proud of me if I did well.
That cemented my decision, and I looked up at Maya. “Yes, Miss Cartridge.”
She returned my smile and tilted her head towards the door. “Now go hit the showers.”
I pushed myself to my feet and headed out.
I frowned when I saw that the light in the hallway was off. I felt my way to the common area I had to pass to get to the locker rooms.
Just as I stepped in, the lights clicked on, momentarily blinding me with their sudden intensity.
“Happy birthday, Sera!”
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