Chapter 46
Chapter 46
FAYE
As I left the training ground, I went straight to my room, dragging myself toward the bed, intending to collapse, when the sharp trill of my phone startled me. It was lying on the blanket, vibrating against the sheets. For a moment, I considered Ignoring it…whoever it was could wait. But then I saw the name on the screen.
Mother.
A sigh escaped me, part longing, part dread. I hadn’t heard her voice in weeks, maybe longer. The ache of home rushed through me in a flood…our house at the edge of Silver Hollow. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until now.
I snatched the phone and answered.
“Mother.” My voice came out soft.
“Faye, my darling!” Her voice was warm, bubbling with the kind of joy only mothers seemed capable of. “Oh, thank the goddess, you picked up. I’ve missed hearing from you p>
I smiled faintly, lowering myself onto the bed. “I missed you too, Mama p>
She chuckled, and I could picture the way her eyes crinkled when she did, the way her hand probably pressed against her chest. “How are you, hm? Tell me everything. How’s the pack treating you p>
For a second, I almost told her the truth–that it was exhausting. That they stared at me as though I were an intruder, an outsider who didn’t deserve Alexander’s mark. That a wolf named Bella had just tried to humiliate me in front of everyone. That I woke every morning. with a weight on my chest heavier than armor, the unrelenting pressure to prove myself.
But the words wouldn’t leave my lips. I couldn’t bring myself to paint my struggle for her. My mother had always believed me strong, unbreakable, born with steel in my bones. To admit how hard it was here felt like letting her down.
“I’m doing great,” I lied with a small laugh, pretending to catch my breath from excitement rather than exhaustion. “The pack is… different, but I’m managing. You know me…I always manage p>
“Of course you do,” she said warmly, pride dripping from every word. “That’s my Faye p>
Her faith in me both lifted and crushed me at once. I wanted so badly to live up to it, even if part of me feared I never truly could.
Chapter 40
“How’s father?” I asked.
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“Oh! your father,” she went on, “he’s well. He’s been fussing over the orchard, as usual. Says the apple trees are late in blooming this year, but I told him it’s just the weather. You know how he gets p>
I chuckled, picturing my father muttering at the roots as though they would obey him if he scolded hard enough. For a fleeting moment, I felt the sting of homesickness lodge in my throat.
But then I caught the subtle hesitation in her voice…the shift. She wasn’t done.
“Mother,” I murmured, narrowing my eyes though she couldn’t see me. “What is it? You’re circling something. Just say it p>
She exhaled slowly, and I knew what was coming even before she spoke.
“It’s about Sage p>
At the mention of her name, my heart hardened like cooling metal. My jaw clenched, my shoulders stiffened. Of course. Of course she would bring her up.
“She told me she’s been trying to reach you,” Mother said gently. “Calling, but she says you don’t pick up p>
“That’s because I don’t want to talk to her,” I snapped before I could stop myself.
“Faye,” my mother soothed, “she’s your sister. You can’t avoid her forever p>
I looked away, staring at the floorboards as heat rose in my chest. Avoid her forever? That was the plan. That was the only plan.
“She betrayed me, Mama,” I whispered, each word sharp. “I don’t owe her my voice…I don’t owe her anything p>
“But she’s sorry,” mother said.
“She should be,” I said.
“She wants to make things right, Faye p>
“Well, she can’t,” my voice broke, and I pressed a hand to my temple. Even now, even with the distance of miles, the memories of Sage’s betrayal haunted me. I saw it every time I closed my eyes. I heard her voice in my dreams, cold and cruel, the knife she twisted in my back.
My mother didn’t understand, or maybe she refused to.
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“She’s your sister,” she insisted, as though that bond alone excused everything, “Your twin. You two were born of the same breath. That connection cannot be severed, not truly. I raised you to forgive, Faye. To hold your family close, no matter what p>
I laughed bitterly. “Why is it always me who has to forgive? Why is it always me who has to bend? You don’t even ask Sage to bear the weight of what she did…you just look at me. You always look at me p>
Silence stretched on the other end of the line. I almost felt guilty for snapping, but the anger still burned too fiercely to extinguish.
“Do you remember,” I whispered after a moment, “the night she chose to betray me? The night she smiled while she tore everything from me? Because I do. Every detail. I wake up drenched in sweat because of it. And you want me to forgive her? Tell me, Mother..would you p>
She sighed like she didn’t have an immediate answer. That silence was answer enough.
“ Tm not ready,” I said finally, softer now, my throat tight. “I don’t know if I ever will be. So please, stop asking. Stop trying to mend what cannot be mended right now p>
“Faye…” My mother’s voice was thick with sadness. “I just don’t want you to carry this pain forever p>
“I already do,” I whispered. “And that’s on Sage p>
We sat in silence for a while, the distance between us louder than any words. I could almost feel her disappointment, her helplessness. And I hated that I hated her for it.
“I love you,” she said finally, her voice breaking just a little.
“I love you too, mother” I murmured, and I meant it. But love was not enough to soften the raw wound Sage had left behind.
*Just think about what I’ve said,” she added.
When the call ended, I sat on the edge of my bed for a long time, staring at the dark screen of my phone.
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