FULL NOVELXO Chapter 331
I longed for him to assist me.
I turned and looked at my men retreating down the hills. I joined them and walked to the pack house, heading straight to my office, where I noticed Piper inside when I entered.
Piper was pacing the room, her movements fast, trying to convey the bitterness that ran within her. But I could smell it, even from
a distance.
“Our pack members are living in fear; they jump at every noise. They’re crumbling beneath their own fears,” Piper said, flinging up her hands, desperation evident in her tone.
I nodded thoughtfully as I walked to my chair and sat down. “Understandable, given what’s been going on, but we can’t have them strong–headed… but I trust you can handle them, right?”
“That’s the problem!” Piper exclaimed, her voice rising. “Warrick, whom I thought would assist, keeps making light of it all–kidding, joking, as if he doesn’t see how serious this all is!”
But Warrick barged in before she could say more, a faint smirk curving his face. “I am right here, you know.”
“I want you to listen,” Piper growled, moving around him, her eyes hot. “This isn’t a game, Warrick. Stop acting like it is.”
His smirk dropped, and his brow furrowed defensively. “I’m trying to keep them from falling apart. If they’re scared, they
Chapter 304
“And if they think it’s all a joke, they won’t take it seriously!” Piper retorted.
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I raised my hand, my voice firm. “Enough, both of you. This isn’t the time for arguments. We have bigger problems to focus on.”
With a frustrated slant to his shoulders, Warrick stormed out of the room. Piper dropped into a chair across from me and let out a slow breath.
“I don’t know how much of this I can take,” she admitted, now speaking more softly.
My eyes softened. “It’s hard,” I said. “I know that. But all of us go through doubts at some point or another. Me too.”
Piper stared at me in return. “You? But you are always so strong.”
I smiled. “You think I don’t feel the weight of this? Dane barely hanging on, our rivals breathing down our necks, the pack waiting for me to give them answers. I’m not always strong; sometimes I feel like I’m failing.”
Piper relaxed. “You’re not failing, Aurora. You’re keeping us together.”
“And so are you,” I said, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Piper’s arm. “Don’t sell yourself short within this pack. They look up to you, even when it feels like nobody is.”
Their conversation was cut short as the door creaked open once more. Warrick stood in the frame, his face tense. “Aurora,” he started, his voice unsure. “I need your help.”
I looked up at Piper, then stood. “What is it?”
“It’s about Piper,” Warrick said, looking at her. “I know I screwed up. I know I hurt her. But I’ve been trying to make it right, and she won’t even give me a chance. Can you help her see that I’ve changed?”
Piper’s face was set in a hard mask as she crossed her arms.