They both looked at me for a moment before turning back to each other. “Anyway, Wyatt, I was looking for you all over.”
“Oh, yeah? For what?”
Aubrey turned to me again, her lip curled to reveal her sharp canines. “Callie, why don’t you run along while I talk to Wyatt?”
My claws dug into the soft dirt beneath me as the hackles rose on my back. I turned to Wyatt, but he was looking in the opposite direction. My eyes darted from him to her and back again until my vision went red and the growl deep in my chest couldn’t be ignored.
“I was in the middle of talking to Wyatt. You can wait your turn.”
Wyatt finally turned his head, but his eyes still wouldn’t meet mine. “That’s okay, we’re done here. I’ll catch you later, Callie.”
Dismissed.
There was no other way to put it.
I’d just been dismissed by Wyatt. And in front of Aubrey, no less.
My chest ached as another growl rose in my throat, but I swallowed it before it could rumble out of me. Without another word, I did one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life and just walked away.
Another wolf might have argued with him that we weren’t done talking.
Another wolf might have told Aubrey to get lost instead.
And yet another wolf might have ripped off her hind leg and beat her with it, but I was none of those wolves.
I didn’t fight with my claws and teeth, I fought with my intellect and my brain. And right now, they were begging me to find a secluded place where I could lick my metaphoric wounds in peace.
I didn’t know what had gotten into Wyatt, and I didn’t care. I’d been raised to not take crap from anyone, and I wasn’t starting today. If Wyatt wanted Aubrey, he could have her. I was done being jerked around by him. I was done with his hot and cold nonsense. I’d thought we’d gotten past all that, but it was clear I was wrong. I’d thought we were at least friends, but it looked like I’d been wrong about that too.
I just wondered what else I was wrong about.
Wyatt
I tried not to, but my eyes remained glued to Callie as she walked away. My insides twisted and I fought the urge to call out to her. To tell her I hadn’t meant what I’d said. To apologize and let things go back to the way they were.
But the hurt was too deep.
“Wyatt?”
I ripped my eyes off Callie’s retreating figure and focused on the wolf in front of me. Her bitter words back in the lodge spun through my head, but they didn’t hurt half as much as the single head nod Callie had given them.
I didn’t care about Aubrey. Her opinion meant nothing to me. Being called a half-breed by her just rolled off my back because I’d heard it my whole life. If it was going to go cry every time someone pointed out the fact that I was only half wolf, I’d have a permanently tear-stained pillow.
I glanced back toward where I’d last seen Callie, but she was gone. It was probably for the best. The more distance I had from her, the better off I’d be. I just wished all my internal organs agreed. Even now my heart twisted in my chest and my stomach pinched painfully at the thought of losing her.
“Wyatt?” Aubrey sung in my head.
“What do you want?” I grumbled.
She took a half step back, the smile fading from her eyes. “I was just thinking we should spend the full moon together.”
“I’m busy.”
“Then how about tomorrow night?”
“I’m busy then too.”
She huffed loudly and stomped a paw on the soft ground. “When are you not busy?”
I flashed my sharp teeth at her. “As far as you’re concerned, I’m permanently busy.”
She gasped loudly in my head and I rolled my eyes as I turned away.
“Are you kidding me right now? Are you really turning me down?”
“Looks that way.”
She was quiet for a moment and I should have known that didn’t mean she was giving up, it meant she was gearing up. “I don’t know who you think you are, but no one turns me down. You’re lucky I’m even giving you a chance.”
My laugh was bitter as I spun around to pin her with a glare. “Why? Because I’m just a half-breed? You know what, Aubrey? Why don’t you do me a favor and don’t do me any favors? I don’t need them from you.”
She was quiet again and if I’d have been smart, I would have walked away before she opened her mouth again, but I apparently, I wasn’t.
“Why? You think you have a shot with Princess Callie?” She laughed in my head, but there was nothing happy about it. “Good luck, buddy. No sister of the alpha is gonna wanna be seen with a half-breed.”
“Shut up and go away, Aubrey.”
“That is who you’re holding out for, isn’t it?” She laughed again, this time louder and more vicious than before. “Save your energy for someone who won’t be embarrassed to be mated to you. I don’t know who that’ll be though. No self-respecting wolf would ever think about getting serious with someone like you.”
“Aubrey, I’m warning you. Walk away before I make you walk away.”
She chuckled again but started backing up as she did. “Good luck with the princess. You’ll need it.”
I watched her retreat into the dark night too, but unlike when Callie left, I was happy to see her go. With a shake of my fur, I turned around and stared into the dark woods, hoping I’d find an answer there.
Or if not an answer, at least a nudge in the
