Moon Bound (Forgotten Series, #5)

Chapter Nineteen

Two weeks later

I greeted the group of women that walked in with a smile and a cheerful hello but their eyes slid over me as if I wasn't even there. It... hurt. While I wasn't being thrown around like Bastian was, I was ignored. I was invisible and unnoticed by nearly everyone in the pack. At first I had shrugged it off but now... well know it was upsetting. It made my chest tight with embarrassment and my eyes burn. It was pathetic but when you had dozens of people pretending you didn't even exist, that your presence was utterly beneath their notice, it would drag you down.

So far the only people who acknowledged my existence were the Thorns and Fredrick from the meat shop. He called me little mundie and always spared me a smile. I appreciated it because there were some days I felt like the only person who acknowledged I existed was Bastian. It wasn't so bad on the days where Lace had me in the fort working but I honestly hated it. She had six children and I hated feeling jealous but it was there. Azariah was their youngest at nine months, followed by Nina who was close to her second birthday, followed by Eli at four, and the other three at all different ages. The fort was a flurry of activity as Azreal's younger siblings ran around with his children. It was hard to keep them all straight.

"Those towels done in the dryer?" I moved towards Delirium and she came from the laundry room, her eyes holding that animal gleam as she looked me up and down. I stared back at her and there was a tense moment before she handed me a basket of towels and turned and headed into the main bathing room, leaving me standing with the basket without a word.

I felt the action like a knife through the chest and I bit my lip. It was stupid to feel hurt by that, so utterly stupid but I couldn't stop myself. At the Coven you were never overlooked. Someone was messing around with you at all times or they were 'borrowing' your clothes or dragging you out of bed to go to the club. I had never been met with so much silence in my life.

The door opened and I turned, pasting a faltering smile on my face as I did so. "Hello, Lynn." Aiden gave me a soft smile and nodded at me.

"Hey." My voice cracked and I felt a sharp pang of horror as I hurried over to the counter and set the basket down.

Aiden moved closer as I started to pull towels out and fold them. "You okay? You've been looking down for the past few days." His voice was low as he leaned against the counter, his arms over his chest.

"It's just a very different climate. I'm not used to the cold." I turned and gave him a quick smile before I turned back to the towels. I didn't need anyone asking me questions, especially not a Thorn. The last thing I needed was Bastian getting thrown around worse in retaliation or the silence to grow harsher in my presence.

"Is anyone saying anything to you that is bothering you?" He was looking at me, studying me and I tried to keep my movements even and calm.

"No, no one is saying anything to me." And that was the problem. I didn't like being utterly and completely ignored like I was. However I wasn't going to say anything because ti was pathetic to be upset over. "Don't worry. I'm just having a hard time settling in." I gave him another smile but even I could feel it was strained on my face.

One of his eyebrows rose as he looked at me. "And you expect me to believe that?" The amount of skepticism in his voice had me nearly wincing.

"I don't expect you to believe anything, Aiden. I am just stating the truth." I schooled my face to be even as I pulled some more towels from the basket and folded them neatly. I didn't want it getting back to the Alpha pair that I was feeling upset because people were ignoring me. It was pathetic and I didn't want to be looked down upon because of it.