With George not showing any signs that he wanted to communicate, Talia didn't want to linger.
"I will be back in the evening to take this away and bring fresh food. No one will disturb you. If you need anything, you only need to shout, and someone will come to check on you."
She said her goodbyes and left.
What Talia didn't see was that George's eyes moved when Talia closed the door behind her.
George heard Talia. He was aware of everything happening around him, but he didn't have the desire to respond. It was like all that was happening to someone else and he was observing from the third person's point of view.
Detachment allowed him to ease the pain, but the truth was that he felt hollow, like someone removed an important part from his chest. He was an empty shell, without a drive to react to external stimuli.
Why did the Moon Goddess give him Marcy as a mate? To teach him a lesson? To steel his resolve that he needs to demolish the Red Moon pack?
He heard that Marcy was in the room next door and that she was not doing well, and he didn't care. That was a relief. His indifference was proof that the bond was broken, and he won't be influenced by the persistent urge to stick to Marcy and to claim her as his.
The unbelievable part was that if Marcy didn't reject him, he would probably drop the whole revenge part if she asked him to. He would do anything to make her happy, and as the son-in-law of the Red Moon pack with the Alpha bloodline who is definitely more capable than James, the chances were high that George would become the next Alpha of the Red Moon pack without the need to spill blood.
That moment in the garden when he met Marcy the first time, was the fork on George's path, and he could continue with his revenge, or give up on it, and Marcy's rejection decided for him.
After Marcy's rejection, George spent days drifting between anguish and agony, wondering what he did wrong to be rejected by his other half as his heart ached like someone stabbed him repeatedly, and only when numbness replaced pain, he was able to breathe.
George heard updates about Marcy, but he avoided seeing her out of fear that he will experience that pain again. Luckily, she didn't come to the training ground.
When George heard that it's set for Marcy to go to the Dark Howlers pack, he decided to go with her. Did she really think that she will be the Luna of some other Alpha after what she did to him? George was determined to spoil Marcy's plans, even if that meant he needed to go through the same hell again.
It was easy to manipulate Alpha Edward into giving that task to George, and George was surprised that when he finally faced Marcy again, instead of pain there was anger.
Well… things unfolded the way they did, and after George realized that his innocent mate is a slut without a shred of morality, chasing after money and power, just like the rest of her family, he accepted her rejection.
Isn't this what she wanted? She wanted the freedom to be with someone else, and Geroge gave it to her. Marcy was definitely not aware of the pain that comes when mate rejects his other half but George didn't have any desire to think about her anymore.
He needed to focus on himself.
This pain of mate bond breaking completely was stronger than he thought it will be. How long will he need to resemble a normal being? Will he be able to recover? He could barely feel his wolf.
Talia said that they could conceal this for some time, and he knew that he should snap out of it because if Alpha Edward finds out about this, George will be in trouble… but the problem was that George had no willpower to do anything.
The emptiness in his chest was expanding and threatening to engulf him completely, and he hoped that when that happens, the pain will go as well. He was tired… tired of training and fighting and trying and pretending that he is a grateful orphan who made a name for himself among warriors, and he wanted it all to stop.
Why was he struggling? To avenge people who were already dead? Surely, if his parents were anything like what he heard in stories, they would wish for George to leave all this behind and to lead a happy life, but that glimpse of happiness disappeared with Marcy's rejection. There was no point in continuing.
Darkness was consuming him, and he allowed it to happen. He wanted it to end.
After an unknown measure of time, Talia's words echoed in George's mind, 'There must be people waiting for you… think about them…'
He remembered Estelle and other Omegas that are living in his villa. What will happen to them if George gives up and doesn't return to the Red Moon pack?
And it's not just them, there are many others in the Red Moon pack who were originally from the Frostcrest pack.
Every Friday evening, they would gather in the forest behind George's villa. There would be a bonfire and drinks, and they would reminiscence the days from before George could remember. The mood was light, and George would eagerly wait for someone to whisper about Alpha Conor and Luna Eliana, and how amazing they were.
Those Friday evenings were bringing him peace and comfort, and George knew that those people were in the Red Moon pack only because the other option was to rebel and end up as rogues, or in the dungeon, or worse… dead.
If they had a choice, they would still be part of the Frostcrest pack and living their peaceful lives.
Since he found out about his background, George listened to stories of people who had professions like a baker, a hunter, a weaver, a florist, and they were proud to be members of the Frostcrest pack. Those friendly people accepted a life worse than Omegas, working dirty and hard jobs, because that's how the ones who didn't originate from the Red Moon pack were treated.
No one spoke about the future because they didn't want to think about it. They gave up hope for a better tomorrow. Their Alpha and Luna were gone, their prince was missing, and they were looking forward to Friday evenings when they could lift their heads and share their griefs with people who understood their situation.
They thought George Shaw was dead, yet there he was, hidden behind the alias Commander George, listening to their stories that told him there was a group of people happily recollecting the days when his parents were alive, and they had no idea that he was right there… and he could make their dreams come true.
Isn't that what an Alpha should do? Fight for his people?
His father fought and died, and George thought how that was valiant. Shouldn't he do the same? Fight, so that his people can have a better life?
Is that why the Moon Goddess sent him Marcy? Because he was delaying to make his move? Was he getting complacent as the Commander, and he forgot his purpose? Was Marcy a reminder that the Redmayne family is corrupted beyond redemption and that he had to remove them in order for his people to walk with their heads held high all the time?
George rolled to the side and groaned at the pain that wrecked his insides.
He curled into a fetal position and repeated silently that he needs to get through this because Talia was right. Estelle and many others were waiting for him to return, and he will kill Alpha Edward and… he didn't think beyond that, but he knew that he will free the world from the existence of the Red Moon pack. That will be his legacy.
