The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne

Natalie's PO.V

I could feel my heart breaking all over again the longer I stayed in the pack house the next morning. Haylee never came home last night, and I knew she was right upstairs, sleeping next to the man who claimed he loved me just two days ago. The man who had promised me forever.

The dryness in my mouth and throat made it hard to swallow, but no matter how much I drank, I couldn't seem to get past the utter devastation flowing through my veins.

As little as I wanted to be here, I had chores to do. The Lycans would be arriving in a matter of hours, and as the lowest-ranking pack member, I was stuck with cleaning up the mess from the party. My goal had been to get in and out as soon as possible, but when I heard footsteps hit the stairs, I knew I had taken too long.

The pile of vomit I was cleaning up had me ready to gag, and I knew if I didn't get it off the floor, depending on who was about to join me, there was a good chance my face would end up in it. But I had stupidly saved it for the end, knowing it would be the worst part of the mess to clean.

"Tilly?" His voice called out softly, and my spine straightened as goosebumps covered my flesh.

It was an odd sensation, having the only person I ever felt safe around suddenly be the cause of my fear and panic. I didn't like it. While the rest of the pack loved to hurt me, the emotional pain he caused was much worse than any broken bone or cut.

"Please, just leave me alone," I whispered as I placed the rancid paper towel into the trash bag by my legs. "I have work to do.”

The sound of his feet padding across the hardwood floor made my stomach roll, and I could feel him getting closer to me. I used to feel butterflies, but now there was a cold dread that washed over me.

My hands shook as I reached for the spray bottle and began to spray the floor so I could wipe up the rest of the disgusting bile.

"I figured you would be down here early to clean.” He said, and I tensed as I heard him stop only a couple of feet away. Knowing that he had been thinking about me and had gotten up early just to talk to me made me happy and feel sick at the same time.

I fought the urge to cry at the sound of his voice, but it was like the well had dried. I had no more tears left to shed.

"We need to talk about yesterday,” He trailed off, sounding irritated as I kept my back to him and began to scrub the cleaner off the floor. "Look at me, Tilly."

The nickname made me cringe. Yet each time he said it, he reminded me of who I was. Silly Tilly.

I placed the paper towel in the trash bag before taking my yellow kitchen gloves off and getting to my feet. "Why should 1? I won't trust anything that comes out of your mouth. You lied to me for years, Jake!"

"What did I lie to you about, huh?"

"Everything!" I snapped as I turned to face him. "Why don't we start with, 'I love you’, or 'I hate your sister. She's such a bitch."

I watched as his eyes swirled with the black of his wolf surfacing.

"Don't say I didn't love you, Tilly. You know that I did! But that was before I found my soulmate. If you had shifted, you would have probably found yours by now too, and none of this would even have happened!" His chest rose and fell as he yelled at me, surely waking a handful of hungover wolves that had decided to crash at the pack house.

Was he really blaming the fact that he cheated on me on my not shifting?

"You cheated on me, with my sister! But that's not even the worst part! You kept telling me that you didn't care that I didn't shift, but you lied! You were actually using it as an excuse to end our relationship if you didn't find your mate last night!" I yelled back, feeling my body start to shake. I knew there was no reason for it. I had gotten angry before. I had felt this same thing happen, and then....nothing.

It was like my anger evaporated, and the wolf that I was begging to finally surface vanished

"I came down here to make things right between us because you're my best friend! But I'm glad you brought up Haylee, because I have a few things I need to address. If you want to throw a pity party that we broke up, that's fine, but don't you dare disrespect my mate again. The way you publically treated your future Luna last night, will result in punishment.” He threatened, and I wanted to scoff at his declaration that I was his best friend.

I wasn't his best friend. I had been his girlfriend. There is a big difference. The fact that he assumed I would still be friends with him after he destroyed my heart was laughable. It was knowing that he was planning to punish me that made me pause. Would I be locked in the dungeons for a night or would they take so far as to tie me to the post outside to be whipped?

In the end, it didn't matter. They could punish me all they would like. I had taken everything they could throw at me before, and I was still standing. They may have left me with a few scars, but I was still breathing.

"Is that you talking, or Haylee?" I knew it wasn't him. He wouldn't punish me, or at least he wouldn't before my evil sister got her claws into him. She was going to corrupt him, and her manipulations, jealousy, and power-hungry mind would be his downfall.

I turned to walk away, but Jake shot forward. He grabbed my forearm tightly, spinning me around to look back up at him. "Don't turn your back on me when I am talking to you.”

My eyes glanced between his, and I didn't even recognize him anymore. The darkness in there sent a shiver down my spine like someone had run the tip of a blade down it.

"When I said that I felt sorry for you, Jake," I whispered, knowing I had nothing left to lose. I had been in pain for years. I was already going to be punished. The worst they could do was kill me and free me from this cursed pack. "I meant it. She has already changed you. With her by your side, whispering in your ear, this pack will fall, and you will be the reason.”

His hand tightened on my arm, his nails extending and puncturing my flesh. My bone protested under the strain, and I knew if he kept going, it was going to break.

"Ah!" I groaned out in pain as my knees gave out from beneath me.

Jake's eyes widened as his wolf receded, and he dropped my arm in shock. "Tilly, I didn't mean..." His eyes glazed over, and I backed away slowly as I held my already injured wrist to my chest and panted in pain. The tears spilled over my eyelids, and I stumbled as the back of my foot hit the bag of trash behind me, barely catching myself.

When he came to, I could see the conflict in his mind. Even he was surprised that he lashed out at me that way.

"They're here." He whispered while he stared with guilt down at my arm. "Tilly..."

"You should go. It's disrespectful for you not to be there to greet the King at the border." I wiped my good hand over my cheeks to dry them before grabbing the bag of trash and making my way to the back door to throw it out.

It was now or never. As soon as the pack was distracted by the Lycans, I would make my escape, and they could all kiss my ass.

Yet, as I made my way through the trees and back toward my home, an uneasy feeling ran through me. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. A warning went off in my mind that made me feel like I was about to become prey, and I ran.