Chapter 128

Abigail

Dinner was a war zone of silence.

The only sounds were the clinking of cutlery against plates, the occasional scrape of a chair being pushed back. And with every passing second, the tension in the room grew, like a pressure cooker about to blow its lid.

Owen and I sat at opposite ends of the table, both stiff as boards. We hadn’t spoken more than a few words since he dragged me back from finding me with Theo. Wouldn’t even hear me out. He was a complete jerk recently, like he was suddenly some grown up.

I could feel Owen’s gaze burning into my face every now and then, but I refused to meet it. He knew it, and I knew it—we were pissed, and if we dared say a word, that thread may snap.

Mom glance up at Dad, both of them quiet too, but there was a heaviness to their silence—something unspoken that seemed to hang over them like a shadow.

Maybe it was the constant strain of pack politics, or maybe Mark still being missing was weighting on them. I don’t know, grown ups are always with there secrets.

Owen, being Owen, broke the silence first.

“Abigail, can you pass the butter?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “Do I have permission to make that choice?”

His brow twitched. “I asked for it, didn’t I?”

“Felt more like a command. Can I even say no? Or will you just follow me around the table and make sure I get it” I growled.

“Well some people,” he snarled back, nearly slamming his fork. “Can’t be trusted with merely following orders, like getting butter.”

My fork paused halfway to my mouth, and my eyes snapped up to meet his, though I kept my expression neutral. I set my fork down with a soft clink and leveled my gaze at him. “And some people have nothing better to do than spy and make sure they do wat they say. What if I wanted peas instead or butter? Is that allowed?.”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t reply immediately. Lauren’s eyes flicked between us, a hint of concern crossing her face as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Owen, Abigail,” she murmured, trying to keep the peace. “What has gotten into you two?”

But it was too late. Dad, who had been brooding in silence up until that point, spoke up, his voice sharp and clipped. “Enough. You’re supposed to be upcoming leaders in this pack—responsible, mature.” His eyes flicked to each of us, his tone growing more irritable with each word. “But all I see are siblings who can’t keep their tempers in check and are too busy bickering to understand the bigger picture.”

The jab stung, even though it was aimed at both Owen and me. I clenched my fists under the table, the urge to snap at him growing stronger by the second.

“We get it, Dad,” I said, my voice cold. “We’re failing in your eyes. You can go ahead and lecture us about responsibility some more. As if that dumpster fire of a pack meeting was our fault.”

“Don’t be childish, Abigail,” he bit back. “You’re not a child anymore. You’re supposed to be part of this pack—act like it.”

“Yeah,” Owen hissed, only adding to the salt in the wounds. “Maybe be more responsible.”

The words were like a slap to my face. I pushed my chair back abruptly, the scraping sound slicing through the air. “Don’t lecture me about the pack,” I snapped. “I’m just as involved as anyone else!” My finger jabbed towards Owen, leaning over the table. “You think you’re the only one with a sense of duty?!”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Alexander sighed, his voice rising. “But you two—”

Owen snapped to his feet, meeting my snarl, “Maybe if someone here didn’t have a tendency to sneak off at night, we wouldn’t be having this conversation! Maybe Mark would be missing!”

“What!” I snapped, rattling the dishes. “How is that my fault?!”

“I bet you told that rat everything!” He snarled back just as hot.

The room froze. Every muscle in my body tensed, and my heart skipped a beat. My mind raced, the words he’d said hanging in the air like a bomb about to explode.

Lauren’s eyes widened, her hand hovering near her fork as she stared between Owen and me, confused. “Hey! What’s going on?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly with concern.

Owen didn’t back down, his eyes fixed firmly on me, daring me to say something. “Why don’t you all ask Abigail who she’s been sneaking off to meet?! Go ahead, tell them about Theo! See if the adults will back up your stupidity! You’re so selfish!”

The room went completely still. Mom’s voice barely heard as she whispered, “Abigail…”

My heart stopped. My blood ran cold. I could feel my face going pale, my breath catching in my throat. He hadn’t just said that. He couldn’t have.

I pushed back from the table, fury flooding my chest. “Yeah, I’ve been meeting Theo!” I spat, my voice sharp and defensive. “And guess what? We didn’t talk about war! We talked like people! He’s not like them! He’s not a monster! We alked about cartoons! Shows we liked! Skipped rocks! God, no wonder you’ve never had a friend in you’re life Owen!”

“He tried to kill you!” Owen bit, smacking the table and stalking toward me. “DO you get that?!”

“He was set up by his dad!” I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah!” Owen scoffed, pressing a finger into my face. “His dad! The Rouge King! The one we are going to damn war with! Idiot”

Lauren’s hand flew to her mouth in shock. Alexander’s eyes darkened, and I could feel the judgment in his gaze. “Abigail,” he said, his voice cold and low. “Do you realize what danger you’re in? What have you told him? What has he told you?”

I could feel the walls closing in on me, my chest tightening as the weight of their stares bore down on me.

“Nothing!” I whipped his way, my voice cracking despite my best efforts. “I told him nothing! I swear. We only met at the Peace Rock, neutral territory. I promise.”

Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them, and I could feel my resolve crumbling. I swiped at my face, furious at myself for showing any weakness. “Theo’s been missing for days now! He hasn’t come back! I’m scared that his father found out. I don’t know what’s happening to him, but I can’t just sit here and pretend like nothing’s wrong!”

Owen’s eyes flared with anger, and he slammed his fist against the table. “You went back there?! After everything?! You’re reckless! God, you suck at keeping yourself safe!”

“Yeah?” I shove dhim back. “Well YOU suck at guarding anything! You couldn’t even keep me safe when I was home, so don’t come at me like I’m the one messing up!”

The room erupted into chaos. Chairs scraped back as Owen and I tackled eachother, a storm of fists and hair pulling to the ground—the air was thick with shouting.

I didn’t care. I was beyond caring. The anger in me burned too hot, too fast.

Mom tried to intervene, her hands outstretched, her voice pleading before we rolled under the table. “Enough! Both of you, stop!”

But it was no use. Owen and I were beyond reasoning.

Suddenly, Alexander stood up, his fists clenched at his sides, his face twisted with frustration. “You two are acting like children!” he roared. “Your behavior is a reflection of the pack. Do you not understand that? Your bickering, your secrets—this is why we’re falling apart!”

He snatched the table over us and flung it across the room. Dishes went flying, shattering, the wood cracking into the wall.

We froze, Dad yanking us to our feet by our arms with a snarl before shoving me into Mom’s arms, his still gripping Owen’s in a vice.

Mom caught me tightly. Her grip was firm, but there was no softness in her voice as she whispered, “Abigail. Calm down.”

Alexander shook Owen by the arm, his voice was low and dangerous. “You’re out of line, Owen. Get it together.”

I could see the silent agreement between Mom and Dad, the exhaustion in their eyes. They knew this wasn’t something that could be solved at the dinner table.

Without a word, they exchanged a glance, and it was clear: it was time to separate us. Deal with this privately.

Dad hauled Owen up the stairs and Mom near dragged me to the guest bedroom down the hall.

We were in trouble… Owen just had to open his mouth.

All I could hope was mom would hear me out… Theo wasn’t an enemy. Besides, it’s that kind of thinking at divided us to begin with.

Surely… mom would hear me out.