Tasting

389–Did They Hear?

Nora:

I didn’t know what came over me, but seeing her again brought back all the messed–up things she did after I befriended her and cared for her. My steps didn’t stop until I had briskly closed the distance between us, forcing her to retreat as much as she could. But with the crowd unable to move, it was impossible for her to get away from me.

I reached her, my fingers wrapping tightly around her neck, slamming her against the lockers. She hadn’t even said a word, and yet I was already glaring into her wide, panicked eyes.

“No! I didn’t do anything.” Natalya begged, her voice trembling, which only made me tighten my grip.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” she cried out again, her tone drenched in fear now that it was her turn to suffer. I wondered if she ever considered how much pain I had felt when they dragged me to the mountains and

disrespected me. No, none of these bitches did. They all happily watched my downfall, adding fuel to the fire whenever they thought I wasn’t being tortured enough.

“Why? Are you afraid of pain?” I hissed in her face, not even noticing the growing number of students gathering around us.

“I am. Unlike you, I’m just an ordinary she–wolf without an active wolf,” she whimpered, as if even the mention of our differences pained her. It wasn’t the first time she’d made it clear how much she resented that I wasn’t like her.

Her words only made me clench my jaw tighter. It was always a

389 Did They Hear?

competition with her. First, she was jealous of my living situation, and she didn’t stop until she’d wormed her way into the mansion, making sure I ended up homeless. And now she wanted to compare our strengths?

“Yet you were able to cause so much damage,” I remarked, seething at how a so–called “ordinary” she–wolf had managed to play such manipulative games.

“Talk about being ordinary,” I scoffed, bitterness dripping from my words.

“Yeah, she’s so nasty,” one of the girls chimed in, but quickly silenced herself when I grunted in annoyance. These girls were no better.

“I did whatever I had to do to survive all the bullying,” Natalya kept trying to defend herself, sounding desperate to justify her actions. I didn’t believe a word of it.

“Even after I took you under my wing? I was saving you, wasn’t I?” I brought my face closer to hers, knowing that meeting my gaze was an intimidation for her.

“But April and the others would still bully me. You remember how Alpha Brody made me feel during training, right?” She was grasping at straws now. If things had ended with her dating Alpha Cain, maybe I could’ve considered her excuse. But now, it just sounded like more lies.

“And then you decided to befriend your bully and betray the only person who was protecting you? Not only that–after you secured yourself a prestigious spot, you didn’t stop until you kicked me out of the pack. So tell me again, how much of it was done in defense?” I was done with her excuses. If she thought she could fool me again, she was dead wrong.

She gulped, the movement noticeable against my palm.

As I tightened my grip around her neck, she hesitantly whispered, “Please, spare my life, and I won’t tell anyone you’ve given birth to

300 Did They Hei

newborns.”

My fingers loosened ever so slightly at her threat, but I narrowed my eyes at her. She quickly added, “I’m not threatening you–I’m just asking you to spare my life.”

She tried to twist it, to make it seem like she was using the baby threat out of desperation, not malice. But I could see through her.

I took a step back, releasing her. Yet her gaze lowered, filled with shame.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, but I didn’t buy her dry apology. I knew for a fact that if she could, she would hurt me again.

“Your life is spared for now, but, Natalya, if I hear that you’ve tried to come near me or the ones I love-” I said, my tone sharp and deliberate when mentioning my babies, “then next time, I won’t be so gentle. I’ve had enough. I’m not making the same mistake of feeling pity for you again.”

Her eyes flickered with fear, and I knew she understood. This was her final warning.

Every word I spoke made her nod and tear up. She had once been so dear to me that I would argue with my mates for her sake.

However, once I finished my threat and turned around, I saw Silas and Nash standing behind me, their expressions puzzled.

For a moment, I felt like it was Natalya’s plan to ensure they heard about the babies, and I wondered just how much they had overheard. Would that cause me trouble? Brody had specifically asked me never to mention my babies to anyone.

“We should go now,” Nash said, maintaining eye contact with me. But the confusion in his tone was worrisome.

389 Did They Hear?

Did they hear about the babies?