Who I was

Lilian's POV

It was a nice and cool atmosphere for an evening stroll and I stepped out of the pack house. I allowed the cool evening breeze to gently brush against my face.

The sun had set and the sky was looking like an artist's canvas of twilight colors in its various dark shades.

The stars were even beginning to twinkle in the sky.


I so badly needed this walk to clear my mind, to gather my thoughts after the conversation with Luna Caroline earlier.

Her words had given me some sort of hope. It had ignited some sort of determination in me. It made me want to reflect, but the reality of my situation still weighed heavily on me.

Nothing was going to change the fact that Kaiden was always going to hate me. I just knew this for a fact.


As I walked through the winding paths of the pack's territory, I tried to let the serene surroundings calm my nerves down but it did nothing to help matters.

The atmosphere was serene. I had to give it that, with the sounds of nature, the rustling leaves, and the distant chirping of crickets which by the way were incredibly soothing.


For a moment, I felt a semblance of peace.

But that peace was shattered even before it had gotten a hang of things when I turned a corner and met face to the back of someone I was already fast growing not too fond of seeing, you know who.

Kaiden.

He was standing there, his back was turned to me and his posture was kinda rigid.

I felt my heart skip a beat or two or three or whichever number it was. I just knew that my breathing wasn't evened.

He was the last person I wanted to see at the moment and I wanted to turn away from him and head in the opposite direction before he would see me or perceive my presence.


But then, instead of that, my eyes caught something. What I saw on his body, no doubt, seemed to be bruises and cuts and my eyes widened at that.


He looked like he had been through a battle or something.

The anger and resentment that I felt for him momentarily gave way to concern.


What had happened to him? I wondered.

Kaiden instinctively turned and our eyes locked. For a moment, neither of us said anything to each other.

The air between us cackled with so much electricity and tension that it was almost sizzling.

I wanted to ask him where he had been to and what had happened to him, but I knew too well that he wouldn't even tell me.

He would not utter a word to me and would probably just brush me off, like he always did.


So I braced myself and I looked away first, breaking the intense eye contact. Without a word, I continued walking and left him behind. I still felt his eyes on me as I walked past, but he didn't say anything either.


It was probably better this way, I told myself. I couldn't let him see how much his behavior affected me. And I sure as hell couldn't let him know that I was concerned about the bruises which I had seen on his body.


I walked further and then my ears picked a sound that made my nostrils flare, I heard someone calling my name.

I turned and saw that it was no other person but that Isabel, her face was twisted into an ugly sneer.


Great, just what I needed. Another confrontation. It had to be one or the other. I sighed as I walked on.


"Lilian!" she called out again in a disdainful voice. I could tell that she was getting riled up. "Where do you think you're going?"

She yelled at me.

But I didn't respond, I did not want to, instead I continued to walk away from her.

I could hear her footsteps as they quickened while she tried to catch up to me.


"Don't you dare ignore me!" she shouted.

"I'm talking to you!" She yelled and that did it.

I stopped and turned to face her, my expression was calm but one could tell that I wasn't being nice.


"What do you want, Isabel?" I asked as I tried to maintain a calm and collected voice.

I saw with satisfaction as her eyes flashed with anger.


"You think you're something special, don't you?" She asked me angrily. "You evidently have no place here!" She yelled at me and even though I had a calm demeanor, I boiled inside me.


"I'm not here to argue with you, Isabel. If you have a problem with me, take it up with the Luna." I told her as she scoffed out a laugh in disbelief while I watched her.


Isabel stepped closer to me, her face was inches from mine and her eyes were menacing.

"Don't think for a second that you're better than the rest of us.

You're just a weakling. Know your place.

She snarled at me. "You should know that no one here is on your level. We are all above you." She told me and I just stared at her, unflinching.


"I know who I am, Isabel. And I won't let anyone, especially you, make me feel less than I am." I told her and with that, I turned on my heels and walked away, leaving her fuming behind me.


I could hear her shouting my name as I walked away, but I didn't care. I had more important things to focus on. Like proving to myself and everyone else that I was stronger than they thought.


I continued my walk away from her even though I could feel my mind racing.

The encounter with Kaiden had left me concerned, but also more resolute. I would find a way to show him, to show everyone, that I wasn't someone to be underestimated.

And I wouldn't let people like Isabel bring me down or speak to me in ways they only wanted.