Chapter 91 The inner wolf 1

Chapter 91: Chapter 91 The inner wolf 1

Talia’s POV

Piper left, and I closed the door behind her.

I leaned against it for a long moment, with my heart still pounding, and my hands still shaking.

I knew already that Serena was asking questions, digging into my past, and looking for something to use against me. But now, it was getting worse.

I pushed off the door and walked to the window. The valley was dark, and I could barely see the mountains, because they had been swallowed up by the shadows against the night sky. Somewhere down there, in the pack house, Serena was still plotting, and that made me restless.

I did not know how long I stood there before the door opened behind me.

I turned, as Kaelen walked in, with his gray eyes sweeping across the room. He saw me standing by the window and stopped.

"You are still awake," he said.

"I could not sleep," I answered.

He walked to the window and stood beside me, looking out at the dark valley. His shoulder brushed mine, and I felt the warmth of his body through his shirt.

"You have been a bit too quiet all day," he said.

"I have had a lot on my mind," I replied.

"Tell me," he said, resting against the desk.

I hesitated. How could I explain what I did not understand?

The power, the voice, the way the room had gone silent, the way everything had frozen when I spoke, and the way Alpha Stone’s eyes had widened in fear.

I did not have words for any of it.

It was like trying to describe a color I had never seen. I knew it was real, but I just did not know what it was, and that scared me more than anything.

How should I even tell him I was worried about Serena, who was digging into my past, without making it look like I was hiding something?

"I cannot," I said. "Not yet."

He nodded, but he did not push.

He walked to the bed and sat down on the edge, but he did not take off his shirt or lie down. He just sat there, watching me.

"Are you really alright?" he asked.

"I am fine." I gave him a fake smile, because it did not reach my eyes.

"You are not fine," he continued.

My mouth twitched, but I did not answer.

He patted the spot on the bed beside him. "Sit."

I hesitated. Then I walked to the bed and sat down next to him.

"Piper, your friend was here, right?" he said.

"Yes," I answered.

"What did she want?" he asked.

I looked at him. His gray eyes were soft in the firelight, and his face was relaxed. He made it clear that he was not demanding an answer. He was just asking.

"Serena has been asking questions," I said. "About Cresswood, about my mother, and about the fire."

His jaw tightened. "What kind of questions?"

"The kind that could hurt me," I answered.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I can talk to her."

"No." I shook my head quickly. "That will only make it worse, and she will think I am hiding something."

"Are you hiding something?" he asked.

I looked at him. "Everyone hides something."

He held my gaze for a moment, then he nodded. "I will not push. But if you need help, you must ask me."

"I will," I answered.

He reached over and took my hand. His fingers were warm, and they wrapped around mine gently. I looked down at our intertwined hands, then back up at his face.

"You are not alone in this," he said.

"I know," I replied.

"Do you?" he asked.

I was quiet for a moment. Then I squeezed his hand. "I am starting to."

He did not let go of my hand, and he lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, pulling me down beside him, and we stayed like that for a long time, with neither of us speaking.

Eventually, his breathing slowed, and he fell asleep.

But I did not.

I lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, and listening to the fire crackle. The shadows danced on the walls, and my mind would not stop racing.

I thought about Serena, and her questions. I thought about the way she had looked at Kaelen, and the way her hands had clenched at her sides.

I knew she wanted what I had. She wanted him, and she wanted to be Luna.

And she would not stop until she destroyed me.

I thought about Piper’s face when she told me about Serena’s visit. The fear in her eyes, and the way her voice had trembled.

Serena had gone to my best friend, and she had tried to use Piper to get to me.

That was definitely a line she should not have crossed.

Piper had been through enough because of me. She had walked three days to warn me about Vivienne, and she had risked everything to help me at Mooncrest Hall. And now Serena was circling her like a shark. I would not let her hurt Piper, and I would not let her, or anyone, hurt anybody I loved. NOT AGAIN.