A COURT OF SHIFTERS AND SECRETS

T H I R T E E N

He couldn't have been more than nine or ten in this photo, those eyes still the same shade of blue as they were now, but held a different emotion in their depths.

Anger and fiery determination.

I wonder what must have happened in the time between then and now that made him lose that fiery look in his eyes and replace it with his current sadness.

"No" The words escaped me before I could stop them, harsher than I ever would have expected "I won't do it."

"What?"

My eyes lifted and immediately locked on that burning gaze of hers.

She...Was...Pissed.

"What did you just say?" she asked, her tone eerily calm.

"I'm not going to go out of my way to avoid Phoenix" I said, "And while I can understand your discomfort with him being in a house with another woman, I won't actively go out of my way to avoid my roommate. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you go to the Penta yourself."

"How dare you..." she growled "Do you not have any respect for the sacred bonds of..."

I narrowed my eyes at her "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you."

"Or what?" She leaned forward, her eyes darkening even further "What could you possible do to me? I'm practically an Heir myself."

"A technicality doesn't count" I murmured "Just because your Aunt's an Heir doesn't mean that you are."

She leaned forward, her eyes radiating pure hate "And just because your dead daddy was a Lupine doesn't mean that you'll ever live up to the name."

With those final words, she stood up and left.

Her words hitting the intended target they were meant too.

Because the little slip of doubt that was in my mind just grew a tiny bit larger.

How was I supposed to take down the people that tore me away from my family if I couldn't even gain the skills I needed to survive?

~🌙~🌙~🌙~🌙~

I stormed through the house like a woman on a mission.

While Saoirse's words hurt me in the moment, I couldn't help the anger that followed after I realized that I was letting her get to me.

I followed the rambunctious laughter coming from the kitchen, glad that all three morons were in the same place.

Good...they'll all be there to witness what I have to say at the same time.

I swung open the kitchen door so hard that it banged against the wall.

The conversation died immediately as three sets of eyes locked on my angry form.

I walked up to where Phoenix was sitting and slapped my hand on the table next to his plate, bending down so that his eyes were locked with mine.

"Oh shit..." I heard Kassian mutter "She looks beyond pissed."

"Shh..." Atlas shushed him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" he continued to eat his chicken like I wasn't up in his face, threatening him.