CHAPTER 80: GOOD RIDDANCE
CHAPTER 80: GOOD RIDDANCE
Alana’s POV NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
The crowd fell silent again upon hearing Britney speak. I glanced over at Axel and he had lines in between his eyebrows which only meant that he wasn’t interested in spending any more time than necessary in Britney’s company.
Still, he let her speak.
When Britney observed that she had everyone’s attention, she slowly turned her back for all of us to see. Through the worn-out material draped over her body, I could easily see a web of gauze covering almost her entire back.
I didn’t know she was that badly hurt. The injuries looked treated, but that didn’t stop crimson from staining the edges of the dressing. When she was satisfied with the result of her little show, one which she could tell from the occasional surprised gasps and murmurs, she turned back to face the pack.
Is that why she looked so lost?
“If it wasn’t for me, more than half of this pack would be gone. Most of you would have been buried with the rest of them.”
“I will only warn you once to watch the next words that come from you, Britney.” It was the first time I had heard Tyler speak since the night of Coral’s death. Fury was evident in all he said, and he could barely keep himself contained in his seat as he shot death glares at Britney.
“Do you know I even tried to save her? Coral?” Britney asked no one in particular, looking sad. But from all this woman had done in the last couple of months, I learned to take her words and actions with a pinch of salt.
It seemed the pack too had learned as murmurs of disbelief rose again in the air.
“I do not care what you believe, but it’s the truth. How else would I have gotten my back battered?” She searched the faces of everyone around. “I lost my wolf,” she said with a smile. One that looked so painful, it couldn’t have been doable to frame.
“What?” I gasped. As someone who had gone through a time in her life without her other half, her literal other half, I felt her statement in a way no other person possibly could.
That was why her aura had changed. She wasn’t complete anymore.
She whipped her head to me. “I don’t need your pity, Alana. So, spare me it.”
I said no more, but I still felt bad for her. One would say it was karma paying her back for her actions, but in my opinion, being wiped off the earth was much better than roaming it without the part that makes you whole. Without the part that makes you what you are —a werewolf. —
“As you wish,” Axel’s cold voice reached my ears. “From the decision of the pack elders and the high-ranked wolves, Britney will cease to be in charge of the omegas of this pack, a pack warrior, and a high-ranked wolf. You will not be turned rogue or imprisoned, you will complete your treatments, but upon your return, you will be sent to the post of an omega for your remaining days in the pack.”
From her bent head and her hair forming a shield over her face, I caught a tear rolling down her cheek but before anybody else could see it, she angrily wiped it away with the back of her hands as though she was immune to all that was happening.
“Luckily for you,” Axel continued. “You will not be treated in the same manner that you treated those who you were supposed to look after because from now on, things will take a turn in the pack.” Axel’s hand squeezed mine before he pulled me impossibly closer to him. “The Luna will be in charge of things now.”
Whispers of agreement reached my ears.
Britney finally raised her head to lock eyes with me.
“Do you understand?”
“I do,” she said with her head held high.
“Take her back to the doctor.”
“I envy you,” she said as the guards made their first step towards her, and the crowd was starting to make attempts to disperse.
Her statement was directed at me but I still thought I didn’t hear her correctly. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve gotten everything I wanted for myself and you didn’t even try so hard for it. You can argue all you want that I caused the attack on the pack but that’s not true. Did I contribute to it? Yes. But was it just me? No.”
“Nothing you say will get you out of this, Britney. I didn’t ask for you to be happy for me, but if you had respected my relationship and stayed away, things would have been different.”
“Believe what you want, I truly don’t care. But I envy you. You’ve got the pack. You’ve got a man wrapped around your finger who will run after you wherever you go.” At that, Axel let out a warning snarl that caused Britney to jump.
I looked at her and I told her, “You are getting closer to what you actually want for yourself. Death.”
She continued either way. “You’ve got my position, and you’ve got that other thing.” She eventually gave up a small smile that would have been genuine, and her eyes dropped to my stomach for the quickest second.
The pack was probably already too engrossed in the scene playing before them to notice or hang on to what Britnet just said.
I had stopped trying to figure out if Britney still hated me, liked me, or even envied me. I, too, couldn’t care less.
“You finally got everything you wanted, and I hope it lasts for you.”
With that, she turned for the guards to take her away. But before she could go far, I changed my mind and stopped her.
“I did envy you too, Britney, once.” She stopped and turned halfway to face me. Once upon a time, I would almost jump out of my skin when she looked at me. Where that feeling went, I didn’t know, but I was sure it wasn’t coming back.
I continued. “But that changed when I realized that you weren’t better than me as you used to think or try to make me feel. I realized that you wanted me to feel less of myself, not because you thought you were better, but because you thought I was better. And thank you, Britney. For shaping me to not let the actions of bullies get to me. This thing between me and you, it’s over. I’ve risen above it and I’m never coming back down.”
I wasn’t going to care what Britney said or did anymore, to either make me feel good or make me feel less of myself. I was done with her for real this time.
She held my stare for a minute and finally gave me a smile and a curt nod that looked like respect before letting them take her away.
Good riddance, I thought to myself.