I'm Not That Girl

Everyone who was still in the house knew better than to come towards the kitchen. The air in that room was heavy with her own dissatisfaction; it was oozing with every pointed click of her sharp, manicured nails a top of the warn table she was stilling at. Her light blue eyes were a live with an ice cold fire as she glared at the entrance to the room. Her animalistic side was jumping, alive, begging to be let out, mourning that it wasn't a full moon, so that they could not deal with this the right way.

Zino had pissed her off again. Although there were the usual mutters of 'What else is knew', there was an undeniably different air to this argument; he had crossed a line this time. Though know one really knew what.

Though, if they paid any attention at all, if they bothered to notice just who wasn't anywhere around when they had decided to go at this, just who was the only one who could normally get them to behave, they could put it together. But although a family, the pack had its own little ignorances. It was more healthy that way, to ignore some things.

It just appeared the one thing that everyone else knew to ignore completely, Zinoviy could not, on some moral known only to him ignore at all.

"Say it to my face." Her voice was even, calm, dangerous. Vera Parker was many things, but reserved was generally not one of them. She was a passionate woman, felt every emotion to the very core of it, and rarely bothered hiding them. When she was happy you know, sad you know, angry, you bet your ass you know.

But this, when she got like this, there was no turning back. You had crossed a line, and she was going to make sure she pointed it out to you, knew where it was so that you wouldn't be alive to cross it next time.

"Vera, you know-"

"I said say it too my face. You seem to have no problem saying it to everyone else, so why don't you do us all a favour, and say it to may face."

Zino, gave a labour sigh, patronizing, as if he were speaking to a small child, "Vera-"

"I said say it!" her voice rose a fraction in pitch, anyone that had still been hovering around still moved another room back - most of them and disappeared from the house. The empty building was like a western show down, and right there in the kitchen the clock had hit twelve noon.

"You know that he can't feel what you do."

She titled her head, raising an eyebrow, "I do? See, that's not the way I heard it floating around; what I heard was-"

"Grow up, Vera; you understand how gossip works, don't you? Just because someone else states it one way does not mean -"

"- Pathetic and everyone knew it."

She raised an eyebrow, the words that had crossed over top of each other as neither of them agreed to stop talking were lost, but the meaning was still there, hanging in the air. It had been the whole time; it was the reason that both of them were where they were now.

"I didn't say that." Zino's voice was as flat as her's now, low and getting dangerous. His own irritation bubbling up underneath the words.

"Then tell me just what did you say Zinoviy? Because quite frankly whatever you did say, doesn't matter. We both know, just because you are too nice to say it, that is what you meant."

"Don't you dare go putting words in my-"

"Why not? When they said everyone's thinking it, we both know they meant-"

"You are not his mate Vera! And you know you never will be!"

His voice rose, and her actually died. In the wake of the declaration there was deathly silence; Vera seemed to freeze in place, even her breathing stilled. Then slowly a smug look grew on her face, smug and yet bitter. She had gotten him to say just what she had wanted to hear, just as she knew she could.

And it hurt just as much as she had expected it too.

Slowly, she pushed her chair back from the table, stretching to her full height, some how managing to make it look larger than it was, and slowly made her way around the table with a determined gait. She was a wolf stalking its pray.

And Zino never left her gaze.

"Don't you think I know that?" her voice was cold, taking any heat the room had formally had with it as well. "Don't you think I'm well aware exactly where I stand Zino? Years, years I have been picking up the mess after that woman, and still-

"I look at him and he doesn't see in me, what I see in him, and I know that with every single glance. Every, single, glance. I know that. I know that in every breath he takes, every word he speaks, every action he makes. I know Zino. I know!

"So you can take your 'well meaning' explanation of what I do or don't need to do, and shove it. Because I know what I am, and what I will never be, more than you ever will."

Her eyes were shimmering, her low voice was getting thick. It was taking every she had not to break down in the middle of the kitchen. After everything in her life she'd been through, this some how was seeming like the one that she coudln't deal with.

"Vera," his tone had softened, he reached a hand out, and she promptly moved out of the way. Refusing to let him touch her.

"I'm leaving."

"Excuse me?" He didn't understand her.

"You got what you wanted; I'm leaving. You are right, of course, he's never going to-" she took a breath, and continued. "I'm going, there's a new pack of sorts, far from here. They need someone to take care of them."

There was a pause, and she turned to go, "Vera -"

"Tell him, bye for me will you. Don't tell him where I am just... tell him I'm sorry. I'll be in touch, sometimes... tell him..."

I love him.

She didn't finish the statement.

She just left.