Chapter 17: Facing My Betrayal

She stops at a dead end, which makes me wonder what is next.

My answer is given when the wall in front of us slides open.

She heads in, and I follow.

Ignoring the burning pain emanating from my wounds for as long as I can.

When we head through the threshold, I find shelves, boxes, a white cloth covering something large, and several washing machines.

It takes me a second, but I realize this is probably the basement.

My breathing becomes irregular, and the pain becomes too much, so I get on my knees, then I rest on the floor.

"Get up." She says to me, again without turning to meet me.

I want to comply with her demands, but the blood now soaking my clothing is enough to accentuate the pain I am going through.

I shake my head, ready to tell Celine I can't, but I am not given the chance to.

"I said, get up."

She, she's punishing me, I know she can smell the blood, smell my wound.

But yet, she is still pushing me.

I know this won't be the extent of her fury, but if she deems to punish me this way, so be it.

I take a deep breath, then I force myself up.

As I do, I couldn't help but groan, way too loudly.

When she senses I am up, she makes her way past the shelves, and I follow, or at least I try to, as, I find myself moving at the pace of a snail.

We keep at it, walking past shelf, after shelf after shelf.

I try my best not to crumble to the ground, but several times, my legs wouldn't obey me, so I ended up crumbling more times than I had been erect.

But we finally make it to where I think Celine wants us to be.

As she stops at yet another dead end, where I am finally allowed to crumble to the ground.

I believe I left a trail of blood on our way here.

I turn my sights to Celine, trying to find some distraction from this pain that had grown immensely since we started walking.

I watch her carefully as she pushes a shelf aside, and what reveals itself, is a conspicuously hidden door.

She shoves her finger into a hole in the door, and a mechanism clicks, after which she pushes the door, and light protrudes out, hitting us both.

Inside, I find a small room, with chairs, and a single bed.

Of which Rosemary is seated on.

When our eyes meet, she gasps, then rises and races towards me.

She kneels in front of me, trying to reach out but then just hovering her hands over me.

"What, what happened? Was it him? Did he do this?" She asks, fear lacing her tone and masking her eyes.

"No, it wasn't him." I say at once, trying to quail her worries even the slightest bit.

She wastes no time, and at once, she places her hands on my skin, particularly where the wounds are located, and she begins to heal me.

"What happened?" She asks.

"I..."

"Am a lunatic, a fool, a stupid idiot." Celine says, interrupting me.

"Celine, I'm..."

"I don't care Abigail." She stomps towards me. "Do you have any idea what Darius will do to you if..."

"You won't tell him will you?" I ask, pouring my soul into my gaze, as I meet hers.

"Of course I won't, I don't want you getting hurt, you idiot."

"Celine..."

"Just, just...why?" She finally calms down, sincerity becoming her.

At this point, I can no longer hold her gaze.

Instead, I meet Rosemary's eyes, who I know is unsure of what to do.

I feel the totem in my hand, and I squeeze it tight.

"I went to see my mate."

"I know that much Abigail, I want to know why."

"I...I know Darius would have him killed, so...so I wanted to tell him, to stay away." I lie through my teeth, whilst praying to God Darius didn't share his Instinct of lie detection with her

"You, risked your life, just to keep your mate safe?" She asks, and I can feel it to be a genuine question.

"I did." I say, still not meeting her gaze.

She says nothing more, she just starts to pace, anger bubbling within and without her.

As she paces back and forth in silence, I feel this to be an opportunity to finally apologize.

"I'm so..."

"Do you know what you are making me do?" She asks, no longer pacing.

The sound of her voice leaves me uneasy, and I can feel the same for Rosemary, as she presses down on my wounds a little too hard.

"Celi..."

"You are making me betray my Alpha...my friend."

"I know, but..."

"I actually thought you too were my friend Abigail."

"I am your friend..."

"If you were my friend. You would have never done this."

"Celine..."

"Just, save it. Because I don't want to hear any of it."

"I'm sorry Celine."

"Servant girl, make it snappy. We don't want the other maids getting suspicious." She walks past us, and heads towards the rows of shelves we came through.

"Celine..."

"I'll get you some fresh clothes, and wolf's bane, to clean up the blood you poured on the floor."

And with that, she leaves, and I find my tongue tied once more.

I hurt her, I really hurt her, and I don't know how I can ever fix it.

Rosemary places her hand on mine, of which I had never been more grateful for.

She sends me a reassuring glance, which I use as an anchor, to pull myself together.

It's not over, none of it is over.

I clutch the totem in my hand.

It is only beginning.