𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍: 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐲

TWELVE: Outted

Emotion clogged my throat under a grip of shock, my hands trembled as I took one step back. Dry leaves heaved below my boots as the cold cut through my skin, straight into my wolf. My torso, face included felt tightened and numb, my hands crossed over my rapidly beating chest. Shielding me from my animalistic reflexes to scratch at all the itches I knew were illusional but felt all the same. I swallowed the lump in my throat as sense of my exposed sin washed over me and settled in my joints and stomach.

My eyes welled up instantly.

My gaze fell to the ground as humiliation washed over my spirit and I couldn't bear to look up and read the judgement in everyone's eyes. It was clear enough in their rough snarls, murmurs and slow rising wimps of varying amounts of warbling and cursing. My parents attention burned through my skin but I couldn't bare to look at them. Dani's sobs were the only thing that could be heard and yet I couldn't bear to look at her either.

"Malik." My mother's was a serene, heartbroken sound of disappointed melody, Dani's music producer would have loved. "Are you his mate?"

I swirled around ready to turn and make a run for...anywhere away really when I was surrounded by the army that circled me with oleander flower ashes. The ashes temporarily binded my abilities to read open mind links or even form shift. This is what they did to criminals and captured rogues, I'd officially become both. The feeling was surprisingly saddening and horrifying to say the least.

Jaws dropped and the crowd's gasps carried even louder with their disgruntled cries growing thicker. I faced the council choking on my own dry mouth. "I can explain." There wasn't much to explain that would be understood by his fan club, which was just about the entire pack. They all pointed acting holier than thou and widened their eyes taking in every word I was bound to say with their sight as if it was the sense in charge of hearing.

Someone from the section where girls were huddled yelled "What a coward."

Another voice from the boys' section, agreed. "He should be punished right away." 

Noise was ignited with people agreeing with them and murmuring more about my less than stellar behaviour. Ahead of me, Dani knelt, her back hunched in a complete bow crying a flood of tears into the ground. I looked to the council members and they all seemed unfazed by her dishonour. But on a closer inspection, I could smell the disappointment off of them. Clouds darkened and a thickened wind sprang by. I'd lost my natural abilities but I still had my human sense of sight which allowed me to see the spiritual chair fall on her knees dramatically with a thud.

That did it to silence every single sound as we all watched in anticipatory shock. Her eyes were bloody red and watered down. She wailed a high pitched noise to the gods in anguished surrender. The woman fell harder to the ground bleeding from her nose. Her claws clutched desperately at the hard floor beneath her as she wiggled helplessly in what seemed to be nothing but pain. That was usually a sign of her receiving dangerous premonitions, which usually resulted in bloodshed.

And I would probably be the cause of it this time, so to speak.

My gaze trailed to my father who had his head buried in his hands massaging his temples and mom had since moved closer to him standing just an inch behind him. Her small hand sitting on dad's broad shoulder and when we made contact. Her irises clotted a dying honey yellow and deep brown that was almost red. She shook her head at me, in disapproval and my eyes felt heavy, hooded with unexplainable shame and tears.

My vision much like my hearing was spotted behind a wet fog but I could still make out the sound of Brady's angry growling. Out of nowhere, I saw his figure appear in front of me. He grabbed me harshly by the neck of my shirt and through gritted teeth demanded, "Why would you do this to me?" His eyes were still cast over, to show his sight wasn't back. Yet he'd clearly strained hard enough to trace me by his sense of smell.