Chapter 216
[ 1,080 words ]
Feeling Small.
Macey
Dinner was… tense. The kind of tense where even the clatter of cutlery sounded too loud, and every word felt like it had
weight. The packhouse dining room was full-veryone except Elliot. Of course. He hadn’t shown up again. Not for
breakfast, and now not for dinner. Normally, that wouldn’t worry me, he had responsibilities, sometimes stayed at the
orphanage, but after what happened earlier, my stomach twisted with every passing minute. He wouldn’t snitch, right? No,
not Elliot. He might brood and sulk and shoot me looks sharp enough to cut steel, but he’d never throw me under the bus.
Still, the silence at the table felt suspicious. Too calm. Too quiet.
Haiden set down his fork, glancing at the empty chair next to mine. “Elliot still working p>
“I think so,” Elias said, shooting me a quick look I definitely didn’t like. “He said he might be late p>
My heartbeat picked up. I focused on pushing peas around my plate.
“So,” Mum said lightly, looking around the table, “how was everyone’s day p>
Kieran, bless his traitorous little soul, piped up first. “Macey got called to the principal’s office p>
The clatter of a fork hitting a plate made me flinch. Levi’s head snapped up immediately, eyes narrowing. “What p>
I glared daggers at Kieran. “Do you ever know when to keep your mouth shut p>
He shrugged, unapologetic. “You told us not to lie to Mum
Haiden arched a brow, voice deceptively mild. “Why would you need to tell them not to lie, Mace p>
“She skipped school!” Lyra added helpfully, all bright-eyed innocence. With that new boy, Dean p>
The table went completely silent. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
Mum set down her drink, fingers laced together, expression unreadable. “You skipped school p>
“It wasn’t like that!” I blurted out, sitting up straighter. “I just-he said I looked tired and p>
“Oh, that makes it better.” Noah muttered, leaning back in his chair.
“-we just went for a walk! That’s all p>
Levi’s eyes narrowed, calm but sharp. “A walk where p>
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Feeling Small
Thesitated. “In the woods. Behind the school p>
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “Macey p>
“I know,” I said quickly, my cheeks burning. “It was stupid, okay? I’m sorry. I already got detention for it p>
Haiden leaned forward, elbows on the table, trying for gentle but not quite hiding the steel under his tone. “Sweetheart, you’re the daughter of the Alphas and Luna of this pack and the Underworld’s heir, no less. People look to you. You can’t
be skipping class with boys you barely know p>
“It was one time p>
“Once is enough,” Levi said firmly.
“I get it!” I snapped, shoving my chair back a little too hard. “I get it, okay? I messed up p>
The words hung there for a beat too long. Mum’s expression softened, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, it was Xavier
who finally spoke. “You’re grounded for a week. School and then home, that’s it.” He said nonchalantly, like it was no big
deal that he was ripping away my freedom. He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t drag it out, just looked at me and said it how it
was. And maybe that was worse, the disappointment in their eyes instead of anger. I sank back down, staring at my
untouched food, heat prickling behind my eyes.
“I’m done,” I muttered, pushing my plate away even though I hadn’t eaten a single bite.
“Mace-” Mum started softly, but I was already standing.
“No. I’m not hungry,” I said quickly, my voice thinner than I wanted it to be. I could feel the sting in my throat, the heat
behind my eyes, and I refused to let them see it.
Xavier sighed but didn’t stop me. Levi looked like he wanted to say something more, but even he stayed quiet. The scrape
of my chair echoed in the silence, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as I turned and walked out. The moment I hit the
hallway, I blinked hard, forcing the tears back. No. Not yet. Not where they could hear. I took the stairs two at a time,
heart pounding, the echo of their disappointment chasing me up every step. By the time I reached my room, I shut the
door quietly but firmly, leaning against it as the first tear finally slipped down my cheek. A whole week.
A week. It didn’t sound like much, but it felt like everything. Like being twelve again, grounded for sneaking out of my
room to watch TV and eat cookies, at midnight, except this time it wasn’t about breaking rules for fun. It was one stupid,
impulsive moment. A harmless walk in the woods.
And they’d acted like I’d burned down the packhouse. I dropped onto my bed, burying my face in my hands. I knew it was stupid when I’d done it. Dean had just… gotten under my skin. He made me feel normal. Like I could forget for a second who I was supposed to be, the Luna’s daughter, the Alpha’s heir, the girl who had to be perfect because the world was
always watching. Now all I felt was small. I grabbed my pillow and hugged it tight, pressing my face into the labric to
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miffle the sound of my own shaky breaths. Maybe I was a little kid. Because apparently, I still couldn’t make a decision
without everyone thinking I needed saving from myself. It hurt. The way Xavier’s voice hadn’t even risen. The calm, firm
disappointment had cut deeper than any yelling could’ve. I turned onto my side, staring at the dark ceiling, and whispered
to no one, “It was just one mistake p>
But the silence didn’t care.
And tonight, I didn’t have Elliot to sneak in and tell me it’d be okay like I knew he would if he was here. He wouldn’t have let me feel small, not for a single moment. Elliot would have made me laugh, would have helped me brush it off. Elliot
would have…he would have loved all of me…and made sure that I knew it. So I cried quietly into my pillow, letting the
tears soak into the fabric until sleep finally dragged me under.
Comments
Kitten_81
thank for multiple chapters im pissed at macey
7 days ago
17
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