Chapter 22

Claudia's POV

Fiona broke into my basement with a few people, the small space becoming more crowded. They locked the door and surrounded me. Fiona must have heard from Luna about my eviction and she would take out all her pent-up anger on me before I left.

I scowled and tried to look as miserable as possible. Hopefully, that would make them go easy on me. Fiona checked the basement with a disgusted look on her face. "This place is a pigsty, you're a pig." Her companion laughed as she insulted me.

Fiona spotted the bundle I'd packed up. "What's this?" She took my illustrated book and map. Only that one I didn't want her to destroy. I panicked and tried to snatch it from her hands. But her friend stopped me.

"You really like this, don't you?" She waved the paper in front of me, and I regretted my impulse "Look, Miss. Pig likes to read fairy tales."

The crowd surrounding me laughed as my eyes followed the movement of Fiona's hands. Then she began to tear my picture book slowly.

"No, please, no." I begged Fiona, but she tore happier. They pulled at me, making me watch as my beloved picture book was torn to pieces. I dropped to my knees, trying to gather the torn pieces of paper together. But Fiona's four-foot heels stepped on my hands in a swift motion.

"Bitch, no one will help you now. Do you still want to be arrogant?" She then kicked me in the stomach. "How dare you to seduce Isaac? Do you know who you are now?"

The pain made me crumple to the ground, and Fiona said to her friends, "Let her stand." Then someone pulled me up by my hair and lifted me off the ground.

Fiona was close to my face. "I hear you're still getting on well with Neil, Jesse!" she called out to the girl called Jesse. "She's yours now."

"Bitch!" Jesse slapped me hard. "How many men are you going to seduce? Neil just took pity on you and you dare to take advantage of his sympathy!" Jesse wasn't a lady like Fiona who was used to a privileged life, she was much stronger. The slap made my ears start to chirp and I could feel the warm, sticky liquid coming out of my nose.

Jesse was too tired to gasp out loud before she slapped me a few more times. Flashes of different colors appeared before my eyes.

"Oh, poor Jesse, she's loved Neil for years and it's all your fault. You're a bitch." She said, giving me another slap. "Now it's our turn." I was slammed against the wall by Alex, the impact on my back made me feel like my heart was going to jump out of my mouth. Now I knew why she had brought boys.

"Does it feel good to kiss Isaac?" Fiona's tone had oozed venom. "Punch her mouth!"

A hard punch fell into my closed mouth instantly and my mouth was filled with salty blood. My teeth were loosened, but for Fiona, her revenge had just begun.

"What makes you think you can be with Isaac, with those witch eyes of yours?" She used the pencil I had placed on the table and suddenly poked it towards my eye. I subconsciously ducked my head to avoid the pencil, but a stinging pain came from my face that should have just scratched my face.

Fiona, who had failed to make me blind, pushed me against the table, "Let's see who will save you this time." She took my head and knocked it against the corner of the table. I almost passed out.

"Don't pass out, we're not done yet." She threw me to the ground and all I could feel was a million fists and kicks hitting my body. The pain had slowly blurred. Was I going to die before I could leave the pack? Darkness gradually wrapped around me.

When I woke up, it was daylight and my whole body hurt as if I had been run over by a large truck. There was a completely unfamiliar sight in front of me. I was leaning against a large rock with a large grassy area around me. It didn't look like any place in the pack. Had I crawled out on my own?

"You're awake? I was scared to death. I thought you were really dead." An unexpected person appeared in front of me.

Neil's POV

The sky was beautiful tonight and I set up my drawing board by the lake with the intention of painting the pretty starry sky. By the wee hours, I was almost done with my painting when my wolf heard a tiny rattle in the grass, not a small creature. And it was late at night. No one should be here but me.

That would be a rogue who intended to attack! I prepared myself for a fight and slowly pushed the grass aside. Only to see a girl covered in blood.

Claudia!! How did Claudia get here?! With the moonlight, I finally got a clear look at her face. Besides the blood, there were many bruises on her body. It could be that someone beat her to death and dumped her here.

I checked her to see if she was still alive. Instead, she suddenly opened her eyes and startled me. They were the pupils of a wolf. I was shocked, she had a wolf? The bullies had been using that to make fun of her. Why should she hide her wolf?

Claudia looked at me without moving. "Claudia?" I tried calling her name.

Finally, she was willing to talk. "I'm not Claudia. I'm her wolf Nicole. She's hurt too badly and I can't heal her completely. Can you help her?"

"Sure." I swallowed back many of my doubts. Without the wolf, Claudia looked like she would really die.

I found the medicine kit and helped Claudia with the superficial wounds. Nicole healed most of the mortal wounds. I couldn't help but ask while stitching Claudia up. "How did she hurt so badly and I never knew she had a wolf?"

I could always see the sharp teeth Nicole showed when she spoke. "Your mother banished her from the pack, and Fiona came over to get back at Claudia while she was planning to leave. Also, I can only appear when she's in danger."

"My mother banished her from the pack? Why?!" How had she pissed off my mother? I started to be surprised at her courage.

"You can just go and ask your mother! I'm leaving, Claudia's not strong enough to support me all the way here." Nicole's character was cold, and it felt amazing to watch her say such things with Claudia's face.

When she finished, Claudia fell back into a coma. By the time she woke up again, I could be sure that the soft girl in front of me was Claudia.

"Why did my mother banish you from the pack?" When she came to her senses, I couldn't help but ask the question in my mind.

"... I don't want to talk about it. But thank you for saving me." Claudia looked very discouraged and disappointed.

"It was your wolf saved you." I brought up Nicole, and she didn't react at all. So I had to change the subject.

"It's still too dangerous for you to stay outside." Looking at this skinny girl, she could be taken by hooligans in a heartbeat.

"I don't belong to the Crimson Shadow pack anymore. You should go back."

My heart moved slightly at her stubborn look. I left the medicine kit with Claudia and prayed for her. I hoped that the moon goddess would take care of her and let the traitor girl live a better life.

Isaac's POV

I haven't been able to see Claudia for the past few days, and Caesar couldn't smell where she was since we dissolved our mate relationship. At first, I just assumed that she had been hiding in the basement because she was sad, or just didn't want to see me. But I went to the basement and there was nothing there anymore, like it had been purposely cleared out.

Claudia was missing. I searched every corner of the pack but couldn't find her. Then I thought of my mother immediately. I went to ask her with anger and she was as calm as ever.

"Don't tell me you killed her!" I yelled at my mother, probably for the first time.

"I didn't kill her, I promised you that."

"So where is she?" Knowing that my mother didn't kill her, I was slightly relieved.

"I don't know. I have no reason to ask someone who leaves the pack where she wants to go." My mother took a sip of her tea from her delicate ceramic teacup.

"Leave the pack!?" I was going to lose her. Besides, she would die in the wild, so what was the difference between that and killing her?

"Yes, it's her own volition." My mother could see my loss. "There are so many good women in the pack, you can find a new mate, another chance."

I looked at my mother and didn't say anything. I was so disappointed in her now, she never cared about my feelings, or anyone else's. She only loved herself.

I kept looking around the pack, from day to night. The hooligans prowling around the pack were all beaten by me, and they all said they hadn't seen Claudia.

I regret beyond measure now. I shouldn't put on a show like that in front of Claudia. I thought it would protect her. As long as she was still with me, nothing mattered. But she had gone now, and I may never find her again. Remorse clawed at my heart, and I lost my mate forever.