Bearclaw Valley judgement day

His next words positively infuriated Laurel. It was visible on her face. Her frown darkened and her ears fell flat against her head. Her lip peeled back ever so slightly but more than a disgruntled rumble did not exit her throat. How dare he say that this was all she ever wanted from this place, that this was why she had stayed. Not only after all she and Indra had given to Bearclaw Valley, but also after she had basically poured her fucking heart out in front of his feet some moons ago and he had just stepped all over the shards she had left behind.

Laurel had hoped for a happy ending, and that was why she had kept him as Alpha beside her. Because she hoped that he would act on the information she'd given him that day. Because she thought that maybe, he felt the same. Because there was a glimmer of hope that she would never dare admit that maybe, not all men were like Reek and just maybe, Xan was really different or that at least she could change him.

But he was just like all the rest.

He didn't love her one bit.

If there was any part of him that hoped the same as she, then he would've done something now, but he didn't. And Laurel knew then that she should cut him from her heart, too, however much it hurt, because he was just like all the rest. It made her want to take the pups and leave, just to show him that this hadn't been it. Hadn't been the only thing that made her stay.

Laurel watched as he walked away from her after yet another stab to her heart. Every single time she would let him do this to her and she hated him that he would abuse what he knew about her. He knew that she hoped for a future together, obviously, because she had told him that she liked him. He had stabbed her in the heart then and he did it again now. How much she hated him and at the same time, how much she wanted to be close to him.

She kept her rage to herself. It was very visible on her face and in every fibre of her body, every tensed muscle, that she was hiding her feelings -- or at least that she was trying very hard to. But she wouldn't give him the gratification, so she glowered and waited until he had left. She would scream and cry when she was alone, but she would not give him the satisfaction of watching her lose her cool in front of him again.