CHLOE
I walked out of the pantry slowly, like a mummified corpse. I couldn’t listen in anymore.Sally was waiting for me outside, hoping to come help me with dinner preparations.“Ma’am, did you find anything we could use.”I walked past her like she was a piece of furniture which elicited a confounded look on her face.“Ma’am…ma’am…” she continued to call out to me hoping to eventually gain my attention, but I kept walking in a daze, her voice drowning in the avalanche of my thoughts.The single most dominating thought was how stupid and gullible I was. I had begun to think that Vincent had changed, that I could finally have a good life… even at the expense of Mark’s and my mother’s life.Why did I think that Vincent could be anything other than the monster he already was?It turned out he was even more conniving than I could even imagine.Sally kept muttering words that sounded like she was several kilometers away. They came off to me like aCHLOEThe very next morning as I drove Mackenzie to school, I wondered if I could just ride off with Mackenzie like this. It seemed pretty easy. All I needed to do would be to make certain arrangements beforehand and just drive out of Drewsy with Mackenzie in town. Before Vincent would notice we’d be long gone.Was it that easy though? I thought silently.Distracted as I was, I had unintentionally driven past my daughter’s school and was shamefully reversing back when Mackenzie inquired of me.“Mummy, are you ok?” She whispered innocently as I continued to put the car in reverse.I took a minute to look at my little daughter. How innocent and oblivious she was to everything around her, to all the pain and anxiety I feel, to the idea that her mother had betrayed the death of her mother to the man who wanted her dead…. I wished I was as ignorant as she was.After I had dropped Mackenzie off at school and was driving back to the manor, I continued planning my es
CHLOEThere was a car blocking the road up front. It had its hood up like it was having some troubles. The road was mostly empty, with no cars coming or going. I was already out of Drewsy and I wasn’t as nervous as I was before. Besides Nobody would have noticed I was gone yet and my flight wasn’t due for another couple hours.“Honey, stay here…and lock the doors.”, I whispered to Mackenzie who was already dozing off. “Mummy will be right back.”I waited till she was fully awake before I stepped out to check the car out.There was a man who had his head buried under the hood, probably trying to fix whatever was wrong with it.“…hello..” I tried to get his attention when I got close to the black salon car.“Do you mind?... you’re blocking the road.”The man didn’t even raise his head out from under the hood to regard my presence.“Hey… I’m talking to you” I reiterated, a little louder this time.It didn’t matter as he kept busy with the car.“Hey!...” I tapped him this time, finally g
VINCENTI walked down my halls with nothing but a mild irritation at the scalding stupidity of my wife. She’d never deigned to make things easy, all Chloe ever did was stress things out.It did not matter. Like every good husband should, I’d always been able to read her like a book. I could predict her actions before she even became aware of them. She wouldn’t be in this mess if she properly thought out her actions. Like the school wouldn’t call me if my daughter failed to show up at school ten minutes past the usual time, or if I might have had a squad of werewolves always two cars behind her whenever she drove. I sometimes wondered who Mackenzie took after. Enough showboating about Chloe’s predictability. There was work to be done. Jacinta was waiting in my study to discuss things she thought were of the utmost importance. I had other things to deal with. But I still made my way to the study. I shut the door as I walked in. I had barely turned around when she began sp
CHLOEI curled up on the damp bed, the only relatively comfortable spot in the room, nursing my bruised chest and stomach. Vincent had come in a couple of hours ago and I had attacked him after managing to break off my shackles. He hadn’t expected it. He was still stronger and faster than me and gained the upper hand before long.Nonetheless, I felt a little satisfied that I was able to draw blood and put a mark on his smug face.Except he didn’t look so smug when he came in, he seemed troubled. I couldn’t understand why and I didn’t think about it at the time. My intent was just to hurt him as much as I could and maybe I’ll be lucky enough to kill him, consequences be damned. But now, I couldn’t help but be a little concerned.
CHLOEI’m sorry ChloeI’m sorry I couldn’t protect you and Mackenzie or the future we wanted. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all the suffering you have been through without me by your side. But I promise you will never have to do it alone anymore.You’ve saved my life once before you’ve saved me more times than you know. Allow me to repay the favor.I promise I’ll come get you and Mackenzie out of Vincent’s hands tonight. Just hold tight.And don’t forget: I love youMarkI read the letter three more times as my tears dotted the piece of paper. I brought it up to my chest and held on to it tightly, the smell of Mark on the paper giving me hope like never before.Maybe Pascal wasn’t as evil as I thought after all. He must be helping Mark. The last time I saw Mark he was dead in a pool of his blood. There was no way he could have gotten out of there on his own.Then I had another thought. What if this was another way for Vincent to torture me? What if it wasn’t true and Vincent jus
VINCENTAs I drove to the company building in the middle of town, I thought of creative ways to put the fear back into the board members. Some of them were members of the pack from older families and it would have taken means that were a little more than conventional to make them remember their place. Very soon though, after the ritual is completed, there would be no need for all of this. Every single person in Drewsy, both human or werewolf, would bow to me of their own volition.As I walked into the building, everyone greeted me as they should. I mostly ignored them and headed straight to the elevator. Ronald my new beta ran up to meet me, nervousness spilling out of his suit as he came closer.He may have been a pretty strong werewolf but he wasn’t accustomed to being my beta and handling all my dealings. It was expected and I had planned to put him through all of this. But now was not the time.“What's the update, Ronald?” I asked as the elevator doors closed shut in front of us.
MARKI cut through the werewolves I came across like a hot knife through butter. I encountered opposition from the minute I walked through the gates. Gates I walked in and out of for decades while I lived here. I grew up here, we both did, Vincent and I. Neither of us are the same people we used to be in those simpler days. My brother and I were at each other’s throats, the one constant that haunted my father. He always hoped that someday we would stand together, me and Vincent, shoulder to shoulder as one against the storms of life. But that time never came in his lifetime. And now he has no reason to think it would come to pass in his death. I should know. After all, I had died already,Once.My mind traveled of its own accord to the time I lay on the floor in my father’s office, mortally wounded and left for dead by my brother. I wouldn’t be here if Jeff Pope hadn’t saved me. He came and took me away as Vincent’s wolves cleaned up the building after my last confrontation w
CHLOEI stirred awake and heard what I could only describe as death throes and hard falls of bodies on the even harder ground. No sooner did they fall than a strong force tried to break down the iron door. At the second blast, the door visibly contorted in an irregular shape. Fear coursed through my very veins at this new force. Could Vincent have decided it was time for him to take my powers and was done waiting for whatever he was waiting for? In a moment the door was blown almost completely off its hinges and I saw the ‘strong force’. “Chloe, I’m here now. I’m here my Love.” Mark said he picked me up and held me close in his arms. I cried and felt him to see if he was real. He was. “Mark, are you here?” I questioned him with sobs of relief.“I’m here Chloe. I’m here. It’s alright now. Everything is going to be alright my love.” Mark comforted me the way only he could. By being there for me. “I’m sorry, Mark. I’m so sorry. You warned me not to and I didn’t l