Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 08

Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 08

I said yes immediately.

My teacher always told me “Dance is a language. You have to learn to speak it with your body.

“You carry so many stories in your bones. Let them out.

I realized then that I’d finally found the language that was mine alone.

In the time after that, Rhys came to see me a few times.

He looked worn ragged every single time.

I heard from my aunt that he’d choked at the Alliance Gymnastics Championships-didn’t even crack the

top ten.

After that he just completely checked out, slacked off on all his training. Word was the Alpha was so disappointed he was already looking for a new heir.

Delia had already latched onto a new Alpha by then, and wouldn’t give him the time of day.

“Maren, I was wrong, I was so wrong,” he said, standing outside the dance studio staring at me through t

glass. “Without you, I’m nothing.

“I only just realized it-all these years, you were the one making me who I am.

“When you were here, I had drive, I had a purpose.

“Now that you’re gone, I can’t even remember why I train anymore.”

I stopped mid-move and stared back at him through the glass.

“Rhys,” I said, “that’s exactly your problem.

“You’ve never lived for yourself. When I was around, you lived for me. Now you live for regretting

“When are you ever going to live for yourself?”

He froze, like he’d never even asked himself that question before.

I went back to practicing and ignored him after that.

The next day, I got a long apology text from him.

I didn’t block him this time. I just muted his notifications.

He needed an outlet to get it all out, but I didn’t need his apology anymore.

Junior year, I won the gold medal at the North American Werewolf Alliance Moon Dance Championship.

After the awards ceremony, I got dozens of congratulations.

One of them was different from the rest.

[Congratulations, Maren. I watched you from the audience, and you really are a phoenix. From Mireya.]

Mireya-she’d been my best friend on the gymnastics team, but she’d distanced herself from me after the

whole scandal.

“Maren, you actually did it!” Her eyes were red as she talked to me after. “Do you know? So many people

regret it now, after you left.

“Everyone says they should’ve stood up for me back then. Especially after seeing how successful you are

now…”

I smiled and shook my head. “It’s all in the past.”

“What about Rhys?” she asked carefully. “Do you still hate him?”

I thought about it for a second. “No, I don’t.”

“Really?”

“Really. Hating someone is exhausting. I don’t have time for that. I have way more important things to do

now.”

Senior year, I got an offer from the New York Moon Dance Company-it was the opportunity every dancer

dreamed of.

But I turned it down.

Because I got a better offer-a one-year advanced study program in Paris.

Mrs. Odette had connections there that could get me into the core company’s training program.

“Maren, you’ve earned this,” Mrs. Odette said. “Go see the bigger world out there.

“Tell your story to the whole world.”

Before I left, I stopped by the old gymnastics gym.

Standing on the floor where I’d trained for so many years felt like stepping into another lifetime.

“Maren?”

A familiar voice called from behind me.

I turned around, and there was Rhys.

He’d lost so much weight, his eye sockets were sunken in-all the cocky, charismatic energy he’d had back

in the day was completely gone.

“You… you’re back,” he said, voice shaking a little.

“Just passing through,” I said. “Stopped to look around.”

“I heard you’re going to Paris. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Silence.

After a long minute, he spoke again, “Maren, may I ask you something?”

I nodded.

“If… if that night, I’d never treated you that way… would we still have…”

“No,” I cut him off before he could finish.

“Why?”

“Because it was never just that one night, Rhys.

“It was twelve years of you slowly, steadily taking me for granted, one little slight after another.

“That night was just the last strike that broke me.

“Sooner or later, we were always going to end up here.”

His eyes glistened. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” I said, looking him straight in the eye. “Actually, I need to thank you.”

“Thank me?” He looked stunned.

“And I hope you find your own path, soon.”

I turned and walked away after that.

This time, he didn’t call after me.

Our lives had drifted too far apart a long time ago.

He’d lost his purpose.

Me? I was going to be the Queen of Moon Dance, telling my story with every step I took.