Chapter 20
As soon as Mike let go, Valerie crumbled like a deflated doll.
I caught her in my arms, showing that I didn’t even mind the fact that she was drenched in dirty water and carried her to the nearest sofa.
At this point, she was slipping in and out of unconsciousness.
I massaged her swollen neck lightly to help with breathing and soon, her breathing became steady.
“You are going to be alright, don’t worry.” I comforted her.
“Thank you, Karl.” Valerie said in a raspy voice and gave me a small, forced smile.
I assumed that she was forcing herself to smile because of the pain in her neck, and probably lungs.
“No problem. We are friends after all, and it’s my duty to help you.” I said with a smile of my own.
Valerie’s POV
I heard Karl’s voice telling Mike to let me go just as I was about to pass out completely.
’So, he finally decided to move.’ That was my first thought, but I didn’t care much as long as I could save my little life.
By now, my heart was tearing in so much pain that it contributed significantly to why I was falling unconscious.
The physical pain was nothing. Having my own mate choke me to death wasn’t how I imagined myself dying.
As I lay on the sofa with my soaked clothes and looked at Karl’s hypocritical smile, I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes.
“She stole Innocent’s necklace. That is unforgivable. Even if you defend her, she has to be punished.” Mike said, walking over to stand over me with a condescending look.
“I already said I didn’t see a necklace or take it.” I said softly. My voice barely above a whisper because the pain in my throat when I spoke was too much.
“Then did it grow legs and run away on its own after you cleaned her room?” Mike challenged me and I had no comeback for that.
“Maybe we should just forget about it. Valerie didn’t mean to steal the necklace at all. She must just like it too much.” Innocent came over and began her hypocritical performance.
It sounded as if she was asking for forgiveness for me, but instead she was nailing the coffin for me as a thief.
If the matter was left alone, I would officially become a thief and in the future, the kinds of punishments I would face would double.
Innocent was indeed vicious.
“Look how sensible Innocent is. Even though you stole her necklace, she is still pleading for you. What a disgrace. People like you shouldn’t exist. You are just like your traitor father.” Mike mocked me while elevating Innocent like she was a saint.
I didn’t care much about him insulting me, but to drag my father into this was unacceptable.
I opened my mouth to rebuke him when someone walked over meekly.
Anita’s POV
Since the day I faced Valerie, I knew she was different and didn’t want to cross her again.
No one knew what the future looked like and as long as Valerie was alive, anything was possible.
So, I started distancing myself from Innocent. I knew that she had something against Valerie considering that she had asked us to make things difficult for her.
But now, I wanted none of that. So, I would wake up early to go for training before coming back to take a shower, change, and go for breakfast.
However, today when I came back I found a crowd in the living room. Someone was being accused of stealing something and Mike was aggressively questioning them to the point of strangling them.
I pushed my way to the front and found that the person being strangled was Valerie.
I was surprised about her being accused as a thief because I knew for a fact that she was too proud to steal.
Then I heard Innocent talking about letting it go and just ignoring the fact that Valerie had stolen her necklace and I immediately understood.
Innocent was at it again, but no one would ever suspect that this was all a set up with how perfect Innocent played.
Those who weren’t close to her thought she was a walking angel, but behind closed doors, people like us who she uses as guns know her true colors.
I debated with myself whether to help Valerie or not but was conflicted.
If I defended her, I would offend Innocent, and that bitch was vengeful. She would definitely not let me go, but when I remembered that feeling I had gotten from Valerie before, I wanted to get on her good side.
My family wasn’t rich and didn’t have a high status in the pack. Following Innocent was the only reason I was visible in the pack.
I knew that if I defended Valerie, even the rest of my family might get into trouble. But I thought that if things changed in the future, Valerie would help me.
My wolf had asked me never to cross her again after it had woken up from its faint.
It had in fact, encouraged me to get close to Valerie telling me it was the best thing I could ever do.
I knew that anyone could hurt me, but my wolf wouldn’t.
So, after an internal debate with myself, I finally decided to step forward.
By this time, Karl had stopped Mike from hurting Valerie and they were talking about her responsibility for stealing.
I walked over and cleared my throat softly to attract their attention.
Valerie looked at me with guarded eyes as if I had come to crucify her.
That look nearly made me cry. I was just trying to help, but thinking of how I had tormented and beaten her before, I couldn’t blame her for being so guarded against me.
I hoped that some day she would look at me like a friend. A real friend.
“What is it, Anita?” Mike asked with irritation clear in his voice.