05: Make Her Pay In Double!

Dorian’s POV

I walked away from April. It had been 3 years since we declared Stacie dead, and I had been repeating the word ‘vengeance’ every day since the day they put her empty coffin in the ground.

Yes, empty. Her coffin was empty. When they dug the car wreckage from the accident three years ago, they didn’t find my sister. We had hoped that, somehow, she would show up. Maybe someone had saved her after April’s father fainted. Yet, after waiting for three years, there was nothing. It was like she had disappeared into thin air. I balled my fist angrily.

Every day, the thought that he had escaped the accident with only a concussion and ‘foggy memories’ made me feel even worse than ever. Zephyr Grey killed my sister. I was sure of it. The bastard must have faked that accident to cook up that useless story of having foggy memories.

Three years later, he had gotten his karma. But his death had been peaceful. So I was going to rain my vengeance on his only family left: April.

It’s been three years since Stacie’s accident, and I miss her every day. Before Mum married Alpha Zephyr, life had been hell, but I pulled through it with Stacie, who helped me heal. She fixed my heart each time it broke and gave me reason and hope to keep living. I had kept on living because I had to protect Stacie.

When I met April, my stepsister, I instantly fell in love with her. Her dark locks and blue eyes always captivated me, along with her bubbly personality. Back then, I felt like the luckiest person in the world, having two sisters who made me whole. Life was good back then, perfect even. But now, it was all in shambles, and Zephyr was to blame.

We lived together, and yet I didn’t realize what a hateful duo my stepfather and April were. Stacie had once told me how they treated her, but blinded by trust, I had brushed it off and didn’t believe her. If I did, she wouldn’t have died. Because of this, I felt that her blood was also on my hands! If I had acted on time, none of this would have happened to her in the first place. I owed Stacie vengeance on the people who took her away from me. Zephyr was no more, so April was going to pay.

“Alpha Dorian?”

I was pulled out of my thoughts and turned to Ivar, my Beta. “I am so sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but you heard what the principal said. There is a lot of work to be done in the pack.”

My Gamma, Eric, was at my other side, and he nodded. “Ivar is right, and this is just the high school. The damage done by Zephyr is everywhere. There is work everywhere. Zephyr ruled the pack carelessly, and many things are falling apart.” I scoffed. “Typical Zephyr. He always destroys everything that he touches.”

I slipped back into my thoughts. April was beautiful and kind; she adored me, and Stacie was equally sweet. We loved playing dress-up together, and I always called April my princess. I could still picture her in her favorite pink dress from seven years ago. Later on, Stacie drifted apart, having other friends in the pack and leaving April and me to bond with. I assumed it was because of Stacie’s vibrant personality. I had no idea she had drifted away because of her fear of April.

I clenched my fist again. I hated everything that had happened. Every time I saw April or imagined her, I saw my stepfather—the same blue eyes, dark hair, nose, lips, and face. She was basically him, making it even harder to connect with her during these times. I couldn’t help but hate her after Stacie’s death.

I had always loved and cared for April like any brother, but Stacie’s death made it hard for things to return to the way they were. April had tried to be nice to me after Stacie’s death, but I knew it was all a ploy. I couldn’t reciprocate deception with kindness; I refused to be gullible again. No, never again. All these years, I had thought of her as an angel when she was really just one of the demons that made Stacie’s life hell.

“Alpha Dorian, where should we begin repairs on the high school? There is a lot to do. The earlier we start, the sooner we can put this pack out of its misery and bring it into new limelight,” Ivar said, interrupting my thoughts again.

“Let’s start with the classrooms and work our way up. You should contact the interior designers, and we can schedule a meeting to discuss ideas. I will inform the educational board that renovations will begin soon.”

 They both left my side, and I was alone. I sat on a bench in the corridor and looked down at my shoes. For some reason, an image of April etched itself into my memory. I remembered the plea in her eyes and the way she looked up at me when she came out of the restroom, looking all filthy and beat up.

For a split second, my heart wanted to give way and feel sorry for her, but then I saw those eyes—the eyes of my sister’s murderer. Then, I knew I couldn’t let her go free. She deserved everything that she got and even more. A lifetime won’t even be enough to pay for the blood on her father’s hands. I couldn’t let myself be weak. I had to stay strong and hard for my sake and the sake of my dear sister if I was ever going to avenge her. Everything they had done to Stacie, I would make April pay in double!

I sighed and headed to my office. A painful throbbing pulsed through my head as I opened my drawer to grab a pill. Something on the wall caught my eye as I popped an aspirin into my mouth — the calendar. The date, the sixteenth, was circled in red—April’s birthday. Tomorrow would mark the day. Even though the date was etched in my mind, I always made a point of marking it on my calendar.

Tomorrow, she was going to be eighteen. She would be of age to find her mate. My lips curled up in mockery. Stacie was never going to get her mate. That thought had my fists tightening, and I couldn’t help but wish April misery and that the goddess would never grant her love. She was undeserving of it.