The party officially started at four. I stood near the back porch of the pack house, away from the crowds. It was mostly made up of the people who Francesca deemed her circle or my Father’s head warriors. Then sprinkled in were my team, their families, and a few other people I knew from the pack. Caleb was talking with Snow White and I smiled. Maybe they would be good for one another. At least Caleb could pull himself up after that bitch Alice.Ethan and Justin had taken it upon themselves to act like my security guards. Alpha Alan was actually being social and speaking with people but there was something he was digging for as he spoke with people. My eyes widened when I saw Helen headed towards us.Throwing my arms around her, I hugged her tight. “Helen. Thank the goddess you’re okay.”She chuckled. “A little dungeon time never killed anyone.”“Don’t start.” My eyes narrowed. “You’re okay though?”Helen nodded and pulled me into a hug again, dropping her voice low. “I’m just sorry yo
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the warrior shift his claws and put them to her neck. She whimpered and I nearly did too. Kat didn’t deserve this. What I did see was a partially shifted Alpha Alan stalking through the crowd. I quickly looked back at Emmett.“Em, I’m not going to be Alpha. Caleb is going to be Alpha. He is going to be good for this pack.” I tried my best to smile as I took another step towards him, keeping his attention. “I don’t need to be anything and neither do you. You are better than all of this.”“Better? No. I’m weaker. But with you, together, we can become the most powerful pack. Together we can take down whoever we want. You and me, we will take on the world like we talked about when we were little.”I shook my head, sadness filling my heart. “That’s not what it meant; to take on the world. I’m not fighting the whole world, Em. I wanted to see the world. Travel and get to experience different foods and cultures. Together we were going to see the world and t
I didn’t look at Emmett. I couldn’t. My tears fell as I shifted my hands into claws.“Sky…what…?” Emmett’s voice sounded confused.“I’m so sorry, Em.” I chocked out a sob. “I failed you. I fucking failed. I’m so sorry.”My claws tore into his back, digging in deep as I held onto him tight. He cried out, trying to pull desperately away. Crying, I held him tighter to me.“Don’t…Em…don’t fight me. Please.”Taking a breath, I opened my eyes and looked up at Emmett. His eyes were looking at me in fear and pain. My eyes reflected red in his.“This isn’t you. This never was you. You’re not a monster. I am.”“Sky…what…are you doing?”I smiled sadly. “I’m taking it all away.”His emotions shifted from confusion, to fear, and then anger. “You can’t!”Swallowing hard, I pulled him closer. The tendrils of darkness started to lash out at me. Their poison and acid trying to corrode me. I shook my head, not even flinching as they attacked.“You can’t hurt me. This isn’t your darkness, Em.” Pushing
Emmett hesitated, his head starting to shake and his eyes filled with tears. I reached out and cupped his cheek, brushing away the tear that fell. The darkness was gone. His wolf was gone. All that was left was his soul. My hope was that it hadn’t done permanent damage to him.The problem I now faced was that I was his weakness. I was his crutch. This wasn’t the first time I’d see the power I held lure him in. I had to make sure this was the last time. If he was truly to heal, to move on and be able to thrive like he should, I would need to remove myself from him. The thought bite my lip as it shook.“I…Sky…what do I do? Do you…” He shook his head. “You should kill me. It would be easier that way, right?”“I’m not going to kill you. I can’t.” I let out a heavy sigh. “It would be easier but since when do we ever do the easy way out?”Emmett let out a breathy laugh. “That’s true. So, my punishment is losing Marrok.”It wasn’t a question but I slowly started to shake my head. “This isn’t
I woke up screaming and my eyes flung open. Everything was hazy and I didn’t know where I was. All I could remember was the all consuming feeling of the darkness. How sticky my hands were from Emmett’s blood. The last sound that came from Marrok as I killed him. My heart sped up as I started to hyperventilate, as my stomach started to roll.“Hey! Sky! It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.”A hand brushed my cheek but I flinched away from in.“Shit. Hold on. I’m pulling over.”I felt bile start to come up but I just coughed, forcing myself to not throw up. I hadn’t realized we were moving until the motion stopped completely. It helped a bit for my stomach but I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. Hands slipped under my arms and pulled me up from my laying down position. My head fell heavily against Ethan’s shoulder and arms held me tight.“You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”That broke the damn. I started to cry as I grabbed onto the front of his shirt, balling it up between my
We headed down the road in Ethan’s truck. I was squished between Ethan and Justin in the center seat of the bench. Still, it felt nice as I rested my head on Justin’s shoulder and my fingers laced with Ethan’s. I’d need them to handle this trip.“I gave one of the new homes to Sam. Her and Emmett have been staying together.”“So she didn’t reject him?”Ethan squeezed my hand. “She didn’t. She hasn’t marked him but when she heard what you did, I think she thought it only right for her to give him a chance as well.”My heart lightened just a little, knowing that something good may actually come from all this pain. Ethan turned down the road that was brand new and I could see the new homes that were being built. There were three blocks of them that were already finished and he pulled into the driveway of one that was a block down. I scooted out of the middle and Justin helped me down from the truck.“Whatever you do, pretend like I’m not here.”Both Ethan and Justin gave me confused look
I sat on the stairs of the porch, looking out over the back yard of the pack house. Everything was so quiet here. It was nice to take a break from the chaos that was now my home. At least for a few minutes. The wind blew and I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. Looking down at my phone, I stared at the messages that were there. E: Hey Sky, I feeling a little better today. Sam made some kind of soup. It was completely inedible. She had to order pizza. It reminded me of when you tried to cook that pasta dish and you somehow managed to burn the pasta. E: I went shopping online today. Got some more clothes. Bernard came by and cut my hair for me. That was nice. It was getting in my eyes. They won’t talk about you though. It’s like you don’t exist anymore and I hate it. E: Today was a bad day. I don’t know why. I just woke up and I threw up until there was nothing left in me. Sam tried to help but I felt disgusting. I’m reminded of what I did. What I had done. It’s like it comes back
*** Four Months Later *** My eyes peeled open and I reached out for my phone. The screen flashed four in the morning and I groaned. My hand fall back against the sheets and I laid there for another moment. However, it was Raine who started to bounce up and down in my head.‘Raine, come on.’‘But Sky, aren’t we doing to do the thing?’Her exuberance and happiness made a smile creep onto my face.‘Come on, Sky. If we go early, we can be there early!’‘Alright, alright! Fucking hell.’Throwing the blankets off of me, I got up and padded into the bathroom. Going pee and taking a quick shower, I woke up enough to feel somewhat alive. Coffee would get me the rest of the way there. The kitchen was quiet when I walked in and I still continued to thank the Goddess for it. It had been a month since everyone moved the hell out of my place. There was still work needing to be done in the apartments but I left that to the contractors and the guys themselves.For now, I would enjoy the simple peace