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SAGE
"What do you mean I'm not coming?" I asked, the disbelief clear in my voice as I took a step closer to Titus. I felt the weight of his decision settle like a stone in my stomach.
"You heard me. I said what I said," he replied, his tone calm but unyielding, his eyes hard as if daring me to challenge him.
I blinked, thrown by his blunt dismissal. Just moments ago, he'd taken my suggestion seriously and had even agreed with me in front of Scott. For a brief moment, I'd actually felt like an asset, like he'd finally seen that I could be helpful to their cause. But now, door had slammed shut, locking me out and making me feel as though I was back to square one.
"Why?" I pressed, my arms crossing tightly over my chest, holding back the rush of hurt and frustration swelling inside me. "You agreed with my idea. Wasn't that enough to prove that I can actually be helpful?"
was like a
Titus took a slow, measured breath, his gaze faltering just a fraction as it softened, if only for a heartbeat. "Sage, this mission is dangerous," he said, his voice carrying an edge of finality. "This isn't like strategizing around a table or honing skills in training. It's fieldwork. There's no margin for error, no space for anything to go wrong. I can't risk you jeopardizing everything."
My brows furrowed, his words hitting me harder than I'd expected. "Jeopardizing?" I echoed, the sting of his words settling deep. "You think I'll somehow mess things up if I'm there?"
He shook his head, his jaw clenched as he spoke with thinly veiled impatience. "It hasn't been long since you started training. Do you have any idea how many years we spent honing our skills before we were ever allowed on a mission? You'd only be a liability, Sage." The words hit me like a slap, my stomach twisting with a mixture of hurt and disbelief. I forced myself to keep my voice even, though the betrayal simmered beneath each syllable. "So, you're underestimating me," I shot back, trying to steady the wave of indignation rising in my chest. "I may not have the years of training, but let me remind you of who I am, Titus. Despite my past, I am still an alpha's daughter. You may have forgotten it, but let me enlighten you. I hold the power of the ancient red wolf. I was the one who freed you from the leviathan." I took a step closer, refusing to let him look away. "I think that makes me more than capable of joining this mission."
Titus's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing as he processed my words. He looked at me, stunned, a flicker of something unspoken behind the hardness in his gaze. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, trying to understand what I'd just revealed-an admission I hadn't meant to slip out.
"What did you mean?" His voice was low, laced with suspicion and a touch of curiosity, as if he were peeling back layers he hadn't realized existed.
I swallowed hard, silently cursing myself for letting that slip out. I'd been so careful for so long, avoiding any mention of the past, knowing one wrong word could ruin the fragile balance between us. But as upset as I was with myself, I couldn't just stand by and let him think I was weak-someone fragile who needed to be kept out of the way.
I knew that bringing up the past would make things complicated and would lead to questions he might not be ready to hear or even ones I wasn't ready to answer. But I was so tired of being underestimated and of him assuming he knew me when he clearly didn't. It felt like he couldn't see me at all, like I was just someone in the background, even though I'd proven myself more than once.
I'd kept my silence for a reason, but now I couldn't keep quiet anymore. Titus needed to know the real me, not the cautious, careful version he thought he knew. And if he couldn't see it yet, then I'd make sure he did.
I was about to explain it further when I saw him frown. Titus's hand flew to his temple as he grimaced, the struggle to remember taking a visible toll on him. I watched as he winced, his face contorting with a mixture of frustration and pain. Just as he started to say something, Anna appeared at the doorway, her face clouded with concern. She didn't waste a second, rushing over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder as if she'd rehearsed this moment countless times. DUB.
"Titus, come on," she murmured, her voice laced with a gentleness I hadn't seen before. "You need to rest."
Before I could even speak, she had his arm around her shoulder, guiding him toward the door. Titus leaned on her, clearly struggling, his face still a mask of pain as he fought through whatever fog clouded his memories. And though her touch was light, almost tender, there was something too controlled, too practiced about the way she handled him, as if she knew more than she was letting on.
I took a step forward, unable to shake the suspicion building within me. "What's happening to him, Anna?" I asked, my voice sharper than intended.
She turned, a polite but steely smile on her face, her gaze unwavering. "He still hasn't fully recovered from his injury, Sage. He's been through a lot. The last thing he needs is more pressure, especially with... memories he can't fully grasp yet."
Her response was too quick, too smooth. It was as though she had prepared for a moment like this, with ready-made answers to brush off my questions. But why? Why would she need to keep anything about Titus hidden? Unless...
I narrowed my eyes, trying to read the subtle tension in her expression, the way she tightened her grip on Titus just a little too much. Something inside me churned with a quiet, gnawing doubt. Was it possible she was intentionally keeping him in the dark, steering him away from memories that would reveal too much?
Titus, clearly exhausted and barely aware of the exchange between us, allowed Anna to lead him away. My heart clenched as I watched them disappear down the hall.
As they retreated, a sense of resolve hardened within me. I wasn't going to let this go. Something was wrong, and if Anna thought I'd sit idly by, she was wrong.
*