After the Fact

Trey’s P.O.V.

After four months of being banished from the Pack (the punishment was lifted thanks to my Pack brothers) my mind had convinced me that everything would be fine, I was wrong. The first time I went down to the basement to see her and apologize, I knew any fantasies of things being the same were nil. I stood just out of arms length and even though steel bars separated Mia from me, I decided to be cautious. Mia was curled up in a ball on the cot in the “cage”, which was more of a cell. I swallowed then cleared my throat; her back was still to me.

“Mia,” I said, my voice soft. She sniffled. Silence fell once again then after a few minutes she sighed deeply.

“Go away,” she said, her voice surprisingly strong. I didn’t comply, which was probably pushing my luck.

“Mia, we need to tal…”

“Don’t!” She finally turned to face me. “I don’t want to hear it, Marx!” That stung. Mia’s voice had gone cold, bitter. It had taken so long for me to break those barriers after we had met, to get her to trust me. I took a step forward and she watched me, eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry,” I said sincerely. She snickered then stood up and met my gaze.

“You’re ‘sorry’!?” A harsh laugh escaped her. “And what!? Is that supposed to erase the fact that you lied to me?? That you betrayed me??” With each clipped word Mia took a step towards me, her gaze never faltering from mine.

“I don’t expect you to believe me, Mia, but I didn’t plan on doing what I did. I was going to tell you…”

“Then why didn’t you!?” Her voice had raised and I noticed that her hands had balled into fists at her sides. My pride stopped me from answering and I continued with my explanation.

“When we got here,” I continued. “Benicio ordered me not to tell you…when he wanted to talk with you, I panicked.” I caught a familiar metallic scent. Blood. Mia’s blood and it was coming from her clenched fists where her nails bit into her palms. Instinctively I reached out to touch her and she backpedaled out of reach.

“Save it fang face! I don’t want to hear your excuses! You lied to me and I can’t forgive that!” Mia’s fists opened and her right hand went to her left ring finger. I was surprised to see that she still wore the engagement ring I had given her.

“Here!” She tugged off the ring and threw it at me. “Take this back and keep it, wolf boy!” I looked down at the ring in my hand then glanced back at her, noticing that despite the anger she was feeling, Mia was blinking back tears.

Mia’s P.O.V.

I watched him leave the basement and as soon as the door shut I slammed my fist into the wall then cursed for doing so. Not the most mature way to handle things, but after being stuck in this goddamned place who could blame me? I had seen the hurt look in his eyes when I threw the ring at him and the fact that he even felt hurt made my anger rise. He was hurt? The man who I trusted with my whole heart and who decided to deceive me was hurt? Eight months ago I gave Trey everything and made excuses for his secretive lifestyle to keep myself from worrying. The day he proposed I also learned that no one at this place knew about me. Again, I ignored the warning bells. How many times had I seen friends and my many foster mothers fall into terrible relationships? You think that I would’ve thrown in the towel when I learned that our relationship had been a well-guarded secret. My excuse? I know he loves me. I had never known how a woman could cling to those words and that belief until I was in the situation. To make it up to me Trey brought me to Wolfhaven, his home and then that night he bit me. I was no longer Mia the college student; instead I became Mia, the only female werewolf.

Trey’s P.O.V.

I left the basement and began towards the stairs to my room, almost making it there without seeing Erik. Erik had never met Mia before I bit her, but it was clear he was on her side. Erik and I had grown up in the Pack together; he was my best friend. What truly enraged him was the fact that Lucas, another Pack brother, had known about my relationship practically from the get go. Lucas had agreed to keep my secret but told me to tell Benicio about her, which I kept putting off. Pack law clearly stated no long-term relationships of any sort and I had definitely broken that rule.

I ignored the less than friendly look Erik gave me and finally walked into my room, a sigh of relief leaving me. Unfortunately I wasn’t in the clear yet, I turned around to see Benicio sitting in a chair near the window. Benicio never lectured; you had to say more than a few sentences for that and judging by his expression, I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

Mia’s P.O.V.

I had lost track of the time. Every day in this cell feels like an eternity. A man sat in a chair across from the cell reading. Who was this man? Benicio Marx, Trey’s guardian and Pack Alpha, but I had come to know him as The Man. I had picked up Trey’s pacing habit and was close to putting a hole in the floor by the time The Man decided to take a phone call. I sat down on the cot, only to hear the basement door open and familiar footfalls descending down the stairs. I heard Trey talking, the same thing coming out of his mouth. How did I respond? With a few insults and a threat to call up to The Man, even if I hated to do so. He growled in frustration and stomped back up the stairs.

Trey’s P.O.V.

My visits down to the cage continued and pretty soon I was only met with a curse or two followed by a flying object. Hell, I didn’t blame her for acting that way either. In the months I had been away I knew that biting Mia had been selfish and unfair. I was planning to tell her and when I did I was going to offer her to become a werewolf. Mia had managed to control her Changes and Benicio mainly kept her in the cage for my safety. After another month of trying to get her to understand my actions, I told Benicio to let Mia out and let her decide if she wanted to stay at Wolfhaven. Within an hour of her being let out of the cage, Mia packed her bags and left.