Chapter 6

Zack finally turned his attention to her fully, his expression shifting to stunned disbelief as he took in the angry red welts covering her exposed skin.

"Rose, are you finished with this display?" His voice carried a note of weary condescension. "I assumed the injuries from earlier would have taught you restraint. Instead, you've destroyed half the villa. My patience has limits."

Shawn regarded her with open revulsion, taking another deliberate step backward. His gaze swept over her swollen features with disgust, making no move to offer assistance as she slumped against the wall.

Rose let her eyes fall closed.

Rage, helplessness, and bitter sorrow churned within her chest like a storm. Part of her wanted to seize them both by their collars and demand answers—to shake them until they remembered who she had once been to them.

Instead, she drew a shuddering breath and slid further down the wall until she sat crumpled on the cold stone floor. Her voice emerged raw and hollow.

"Is this what I wanted?" She lifted her gaze to meet Zack's, her eyes glassy with unshed tears and something far worse—disappointment. "I'm deathly allergic to eggs. You put them in my food. Tell me, should I accuse you of attempted murder?"

The words hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire.

Zack went absolutely still. Something shifted behind his eyes—a flicker of recognition, of memory striking home like a physical blow.

They both knew. They had always known how severe Rose's allergy was.

Years ago, during her time at the Academy, Rose had accidentally consumed a dish contaminated with egg. The reaction had been catastrophic. Within minutes, she'd collapsed, her airways closing, her face turning an alarming shade of purple as she gasped soundlessly for breath.

Zack could still recall the terror that had gripped him then—the way his wolf had howled in his chest as they'd carried her unconscious body to the healers. He'd been certain she would die before they reached help.

He and Shawn had remained at her bedside for seven days without rest, refusing to leave even to attend to their own affairs or training. They'd accumulated warnings from the Council for their absences, ignored summons from their respective territories. None of it had mattered.

When Rose had finally opened her eyes, weak and disoriented, the first things she'd seen were Zack's hollow, shadowed gaze and Shawn's bloodless complexion.

Now, the memory crashed over them both with crushing weight.

The silence stretched taut as a bowstring. Shawn inhaled sharply, his anger fracturing into something closer to shock. "You know she could die from egg exposure!"

Zack's voice rose defensively before dropping to something quieter, almost uncertain. "I thought—I assumed she was putting on another act!"

The medicine was working at last. Rose's breathing steadied, the tightness in her throat gradually loosening. She leaned against the wall, her body still trembling, and watched the two men before her cycle through expressions—from fury to alarm to awkward, fumbling shame.

It was absurd. She might have laughed if she'd had the strength.

Shawn and Zack exchanged a glance, some unspoken communication passing between them. Shawn cleared his throat, his words stiff and graceless. "I apologize. We... misunderstood the situation."

Zack reached out tentatively, his hand hovering near Rose's forehead as though to check for fever. "I'm sorry. I thought you were still nursing your grudge over Sally. How do you feel? I'll summon the physician immediately—"

Rose turned her face away, avoiding his touch entirely.

She pushed herself upright using the wall for support, her injured knee screaming in protest. Fresh blood seeped through the fabric of her trousers where the skin had split against the table's edge.

Looking at these two men who had once meant everything to her, Rose felt only a vast and terrible distance.

"I'm returning to Golden Oak City tomorrow," she said quietly. "Don't trouble yourselves with escort."

Zack's brow furrowed. "But your injuries—"

"I won't die." Rose cut him off, her tone flat. "You clearly don't care either way."

Shawn's jaw tightened. "We've apologized. But you still owe Sally an apology as well. She—"

"Enough!"

Rose's laughter erupted sharp and unhinged, carrying an edge of something wild and broken.

"You're still defending her?" Her voice cracked. "Fine. I apologize—to Sally, to both of you, to this cursed moon and every wretched soul beneath it! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

She turned and limped toward the staircase, each step a deliberate agony. Her injured leg trembled with the effort, blood seeping fresh through the torn fabric at her knee. Behind her, Zack and Shawn stood frozen, neither moving to assist as she dragged herself upward.

Rose reached her chamber and slammed the door shut. The sound echoed through the villa like a death knell.

She locked it with shaking hands, then slid down against the wood until she sat crumpled on the floor, knees drawn to her chest. Silent tears carved tracks down her swollen face.

Her communication crystal's screen illuminated the darkness.

[The bonding ceremony is nearly prepared. The Thornes await your return to finalize the moon-date. Have you settled on the witness list?]

Rose wiped roughly at her eyes and typed back with numb fingers: [Remove their names. Both of them.]

She stared through the window at the night sky—moonless, starless, black as pitch. Tomorrow, she would leave Blackstone City and everything it represented behind forever.