Alison’s POV
The room was suffocatingly silent, broken only by the faint rustle of the curtains against the early morning breeze. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, the vibration jarring in the quiet. I ignored it at first, letting the sound fade into the background. But it buzzed again. And again.
Sitting up, I grabbed it with a sigh, my heart still heavy from the events of the day before. Xander’s voice, filled with doubt, echoed in my head. “I don’t know who to believe anymore.” The betrayal in his eyes as he chose Caitlyn over me felt like a dagger twisting deeper with every memory.
The screen lit up showing a series of text messages from a number I’d memorized by now. Kendrick.
“You don’t belong there.”
“You belong to me, come back and I will show you your family.”
“The whole story about you being an orphan is a lie, my father told me where you came from before he died.”
My stomach tightened. Kendrick had been reaching out sporadically, dangling pieces of this puzzle I didn’t even know if I wanted to solve until now. But today, his words hit differently. The thought of family… my family loomed larger than ever.
Do I really have a family? I wondered bitterly. The idea of people out there who might accept me, fight for me, and love me despite all odds seemed almost too good to be true. Especially now, when I was barely holding myself together.
The next text came almost instantly, as if he could sense my hesitation.
“Meet up with me and I’ll tell you more. But if I must give you all details you would have to come back to Silver Moon with me.”
Back to him? The weight of the decision settled on me like lead. Kendrick wasn’t a savior… he was a predator who only wanted me the moment he saw that someone else wanted me, and I wasn’t naive enough to think his help would come without strings. But what if he really did know something? What if leaving was my only way to escape this spiral of loneliness and despair?
The gnawing ache in my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since last night, not that food sounded appealing. Still, the distraction of breakfast felt better than wallowing in bed. I slipped out of my room and padded down the long hallways of the castle, my feet brushing against the cold marble floor.
As I neared the dining room, the sound of laughter froze me in my tracks. I leaned against the doorframe, my pulse quickening.
There they were.
Xander, Caitlyn, and Katherine sat together, bathed in the soft glow of sunlight streaming through the massive windows. Xander looked… relaxed, even happy. He smiled at something Caitlyn said, his deep laugh filling the room like a melody that once belonged to me. Katherine chimed in, her tone motherly and warm, something I’d never received from her initially.
The sight of them together hit me like a slap.
It wasn’t just the hurt. It was the ease with which they excluded me, like I was nothing more than an afterthought. A ghost haunting the edges of their perfect little picture. My chest tightened, a mix of pain and anger bubbling to the surface.
Before I could think, I backed away, spinning on my heel to escape the scene. The scrape of my foot against the floor must’ve caught Xander’s attention because I heard his voice calling after me.
“Alison, wait-”
But before I could stop myself, I broke into a run.
“Let her go,” Caitlyn’s saccharine tone followed, cutting through my resolve like a blade.
Back in my room, I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the bed, my body shaking with silent sobs. The betrayal was fresh, the kind of pain that didn’t just hurt, it hollowed you out from the inside.
How had it come to this? How had I gone from being Xander’s mate, his partner, to… this? A stranger in the only place I had begin to think I belonged.
I wiped my face, swallowing the lump in my throat, when the door creaked open. My heart leapt, hope springing forth against my better judgment. Xander had come after me. He’d finally realized how wrong he’d been to have neglected me.
But it wasn’t him.
It was Caitlyn.
Her usual smug smile was plastered across her face, her eyes scanning the room like she owned it. She leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, the picture of effortless cruelty.
“Still here?” she asked, her tone dripping with false surprise. “I thought you’d have packed up and gone back to whatever hell you came from by now.”
I sat up, glaring at her through tear-streaked eyes. “What do you want, Caitlyn? Here to twist the knife some more?”
She chuckled, stepping further into the room. “Oh, Alison, I don’t have to twist anything. You’re doing a fine job of self-destructing all on your own.”
“Get out,” I spat, my voice shaking. “You’re a monster.”
“Monster?” She feigned offense, placing a hand over her heart. “Far from it, darling. I’m just here to give you some… perspective.”
I clenched my fists, but she pressed on.
“Xander asked me to move into the castle, you know. His room, to be specific.” She let the words hang in the air, her smile widening as she watched them hit their mark.
My breath caught, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. “You’re lying.”
She shrugged, an infuriatingly casual gesture. “Believe what you want. Of course, I declined. I’m not cheap, Alison. I wouldn’t want Xander to think I’m as… available as you who tagged along with a stranger just because you wanted the position of Luna.”
The words cut deeper than I thought possible. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I thought I might faint from the sheer weight of it all.
“Oh,” Caitlyn added, her voice laced with mock sympathy, “are you crying again? Don’t worry, darling. I’ll try to make the view less painful for you over time unless you just chose to leave on your own.”
I couldn’t find my voice, couldn’t muster a single word to defend myself as she sauntered out, her laughter echoing down the hallway.
The moment the door clicked shut, I buried my face in my pillow and screamed my lungs out, the sound muffled but raw. Tears streamed down my face, hot and unrelenting, as I clutched the pillow like it was the only thing tethering me to reality.
I was tired. Tired of the games, the manipulation, the constant fight to prove myself in a place that clearly didn’t want me.
Maybe Caitlyn was right. Maybe I didn’t belong here.
My thoughts drifted back to Kendrick’s texts, his promises to lead me to my family. The idea of leaving Night Fang felt like a lifeline.. a chance to escape the pain and find something real, something that was mine.
But it also felt like giving up. And if I left, if I turned my back on this fight, would I ever forgive myself?
My mind swirled with doubts and possibilities as I stared at the ceiling, the faint light of dawn creeping through the curtains.
Who am I? I wondered, the question echoing in the silence.
I didn’t know the answer. Not yet. But one thing was clear: I couldn’t keep living like this. If there was even the smallest chance that Kendrick could lead me to my roots, to people who would love me for who I was, maybe it was worth the risk.
Maybe it was time to find out who I really was.