In the following days, Kiera found herself once again swamped with work. She was slowly recuperating. It was taking longer than she initially expected but the worst was behind her. Her symptoms worsened during the evenings but she felt she was fit to leave the house and better yet, meet with Mikael again. She missed him dearly. He called her nearly every night and their conversations were animated and heart-warming for her. One thing that astounded her, though, was that he spoke so much without ever giving anything away. She still knew nothing about his personal affairs except for his occupation and the home he lives in with a few of his distant relatives. He, however, knew quite a lot about her, including every detail of her career and even who her boss was. He was particularly interested in her childhood and she couldn't blame him. Her childhood was a peculiar one. She gladly told him everything he asked but there were parts that she kept to herself for the time being. She didn't
Kiera returned home and discovered that Simone was awake and in the kitchen. She had just started preparing dinner when she walked into the kitchen carrying the cheesecake. Simone wiped her wet hands on a kitchen towel and asked, "What's this?" "I bought a cheesecake for dessert. It's strawberry, your favorite."A smile lit up her face. "I'll put it in the fridge, then. I'm sure it's going to be delicious. I'm making a vegetable curry with flatbread.""I'll make the bread," Kiera announced and got started with the preparations. As she worked, she realized that Celia was on her mind. She wished it weren't the case but she couldn't deny it. The encounter disturbed her more than she thought it would and it was strange to think that a stranger could have such an effect on her. She hadn't thought of the men who attacked her that night as much as she was thinking about Celia. She thought of telling Simone the story and getting her opinion but something stopped her. She felt it was silly.
The police assured her that they'd look into her case. And because she mentioned that she had been harassed days before by a group of men, it made her case more urgent. When everyone had left, she and Simone sat across from each other on the kitchen counter. Kiera was oddly speechless. She didn't know what to say and since Simone made me effort to break the silence, she figured it would be best if they said nothing at all. Kane had been contacted and he promised to return home when he got the opportunity. He said at most two days. Kiera decided, in her mind, that it was the perfect opportunity to invite Mikael over for dinner. She didn't tell Simone yet because she felt it wouldn't be appropriate considering the fright they got but she would eventually. Perhaps even later in the day, when things calmed down a bit more."Breakfast?" Simone asked."No," Kiera replied, shaking her head, "I'm not hungry.""Me neither."Kiera wouldn't get any work done, she knew it in her heart. Whenever
Kiera finished by applying lipstick. Mikael would arrive at any moment and she wanted to be downstairs to greet him. Leaving him alone with Simone and Kane would be awkward and the last thing she needed was to make him feel uncomfortable. The mauve lipstick complimented her skin tone well. She loved how confident she looked and felt. Things were finally happening. It was all becoming real.Sharing Mikael with her family meant more to her than anyone would ever guess. It was making him official, in a sense, even if it was only in her heart. He was coming to her home and he'd sit at her table. It meant a big deal to her. And sure, there was the incident that left the atmosphere tense but it was something that Mikael would easily overlook. But she couldn't say that the mood was altogether sour; she and Simone were on speaking terms. Kiera was glad when Simone approached her with the menu with a smile on her face. They discussed the three-course meal they'd serve and Kiera agreed that
Kiera looked back and forth between the two of them. She couldn't believe what was happening. Where did the sudden hostility between them come from? She blinked and tried to speak but no words came out. She was in absolute shock. "Kiera," Kane said after a moment, "take it away."She peeled her eyes from Mikael and asked, "W-what?" "The silver," he said, "take it away."She did as she was told without overthinking it. She carried the tray back to the kitchen and then stood near the counter for a few beats without turning around. Frankly, she was afraid of what she might see when she looked over her shoulder. Her hands were shaking and she was out of breath. She looked at the chocolate mousse and wondered what the hell had happened. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Kiera heard movement behind her and when she turned around, she saw that they were once again seated but they weren't saying anything to each other. She was afraid of approaching them but she knew she couldn't hide
Kiera woke up with a heavy heart. The world was dark to her. She felt so heavy that it was almost as if she would never be able to rise from the bed again. She turned on her side and stared at the wall of her bedroom for what felt like hours. She didn't feel like doing anything. She had no interest in going downstairs for breakfast and working was the farthest thing from her mind. Besides, Simone and Kane were down there and she wasn't ready to face them. Kiera still didn't know what to make of the dinner. She wasn't sure if she believed Kane but she was hurt nonetheless. Her mind was a mess. Would Mikael have said that about her? That she was easy to please? That translated to being desperate and it wasn't how she meant to portray herself. But what if she had done so unintentionally? She groaned into her pillow. Thinking about Mikael wasn't healthy but she didn't know what else to do or how to avoid it. Going downstairs to distract herself wasn't an option. Doing work was imposs
Kane was in the living room when Kiera arrived. She spent the entire day with Mikael and so she was in an excellent mood. The whole incident at dinner was miraculously forgotten and she was relieved that he wasn't the person she had begun to think he was. It was all Kane's fault. He was the one who told her lies. She almost broke off all ties with a perfectly good man because Kane decided that he wasn't good enough for her. She wanted to confront him. When she stopped by the door to close it, she gave herself a few seconds to think things through even though it wasn't enough time. She gave up on the idea because confronting him meant that she would have to reveal to them that she had met up with Mikael. It would be best if she kept that a secret for the time being. "Hey," he said, searching her face with his eyes. "Hi," she said, stopping in front of him. She saw that Simone wasn't in the kitchen. Had she gone to bed? "How was lunch?" "Great," she said, remembering that she had
Jared put his hands in the air. "I thought you'd be more excited to see me, Ki."Kiera frowned and took a step back automatically. It was alarming to her how normal he was acting. It was almost as if he wasn't aware that they had broken up and had forgotten about the thing that happened in her kitchen when he came looking for her. "Are you out of your mind?" "Why would I be out of my mind?" he asked. She wanted to say more but decided against it. She sighed and turned on her heel. Having that conversation with him was not something she was looking forward to. She heard him following her and sped up. He called her name, "Kiera, wait!""Go away, Jared!" He caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She struggled against him but managed to free herself. "What are you doing? Why are you acting like this?" Her voice was loud and she didn't care if passersby would listen to their argument. He was beyond caring. She didn't know where all her anger was coming from but she was thankful for it
Kiera sat back in her chair and sighed. The sun was warm, a little too warm, but the one thing she loved about the sun was how it had the capacity of making her forget the cold days. It was almost as if the horrors she endured never even happened. The only reminder that they did was the empty space in her heart that belonged to Kane, and that would forever remain vacant. It took her a long time to feel normal again, even after finding out that Simone and Mikael hadn’t died that day. It was all a big shock to her, and although she had every reason to feel normal, she didn’t. She couldn’t get the image of Celia’s body out of her mind, and it was strange that that was the scene that haunted her the most, apart from the two of them cutting her neck with a knife and leaving behind a scar that she would bear forever. With Simone and Mikael’s help, though, she began feeling better. Leaving town helped. In fact, the change of atmosphere and the drastic improvement of the weather was enough
The hours passed. Kiera was growing more uncomfortable than ever. She didn't know what they wanted from her, not anymore. At first, she thought that they were going to kill her. Now, it felt like they wanted to torture her with the sight of Celia. He kept insisting that it was her fault that the whole thing happened. He didn't do much apart from repeating the same words over and over again. It was torturous. They sky was getting much darker, and soon, she wouldn't be able to see. The sky was moonless and heavy with clouds. The rain stopped, but the night was cool. She knew it would rain again. She could smell it in the air. What were they waiting for?What did they want from her? It was harder not knowing what would happen, she realized that now. If they had told her what the intended to do with her—explicitly—she would know what to expect. But it seemed like they were all crazy. She was surprised that two men managed to cause so much damage. Celia hadn't lifted a finger. She cou
Kiera was in the dark for a long time.Her eyes were hot and heavy with tears. It was bizarre how much things had changed in the space of five minutes. One minute, they were all there; alive and well. The other, they were gone. Simone was gone. She didn't know what happened to her, or where they took the car. She should have acted quicker when she found the man in the shop suspicious. Her own inability to act condemned her. She should have checked Mikael to see if he was alive. She shouldn't have panicked the way she did. Now, it was too late. She didn't know what to think anymore. She was being driven to a place far away without anyone around her that could possibly save her. She thought about it, but her thoughts were as hollow as her. She couldn't hold onto them and attach importance to them. They were just flowing through her like water. She would be at their mercy, and she didn't even know who they were. She suspected that it had to do with the pack Simone destroyed, the DarkWa
It was time to go. They left the next day. Simone was far from recovered, but she insisted that they didn’t have much time left. They had to go. Kiera packed what she could with Mikael’s help, and it was harder to say goodbye to the house she grew up in. She didn’t know how long she would be gone for, but it was unlikely that she would be back anytime soon. The house had traces of Kane wherever she looked, and that was the hardest part. It felt like she was leaving a part of him behind. She didn’t know if Simone felt the same way. If she did, she didn’t show. Her determination to leave overpowered everything else. She looked around, at the pictures and paintings on the wall, and the holes that he made the other night when he put the boards up that were never filled. Her father’s office was impossible to look at. It was no longer her father’s, not in her heart. It belonged to Kane. There was nothing that she could bring with her that would fill the hole of leaving everything behind.
Simone was discharged in the morning, as she expected. A large potion the forest had caught fire. It was all over the news, and all everyone talked about. Kiera felt bad. Of course, she did. They were responsible for the forest fire, which claimed a few innocent lives of the people trying to put it out. To know that they were the ones who caused the whole mess was disheartening, and her heart weighed with guilt. There was a small chance that Celia had escaped. They couldn’t be sure about the others. Mikael mentioned that there was no chance that she escaped, and that was a relief for Kiera. She was finally out of their lives, and the worst was behind them. Having Simone and Mikael in the same house was strange. They hadn’t talked to each other when Kiera first brought her, and that was the part that made her grind her teeth. She didn’t know what she thought would happen but the silence was unsettling. They didn’t have to talk, and even if they did, what would they say to each other
They got out safely. All three of them. Simone was hurt, though. Celia had managed to scratch her with her talons before they got out. She was bleeding heavily, so Kiera drove her to the nearest hospital as soon as they reached the car. Mikael was collapsed beside her, but he wasn’t hurt. He was so weak he could barely sit up. Behind them, the fire raged. Simone would be alright. She had been injured and needed stitches and bed rest. Mikael refused to go to the hospital. He insisted that all he needed was a decent meal and some sleep, far away from a hospital. He didn’t have documents, so he couldn’t even be admitted in one. So, once Kiera was sure that Simone would be safe, she drove him to their house. They didn’t speak to each other. There was nothing to say for the time being. Kiera had a lot on her mind. She wanted to fetch Simone as soon as she could. The next morning, preferably. The hospital was too close to the pack house. She wasn’t all that safe there. Once they reache
"Mikael, is that you?" Kiera said. He was silent for a few seconds, and then he answered, "It's me."The first thing she noticed was how weak he sounded, and then she concluded why. He was hanging from the roof. She suddenly remembered what she had been told about him. He would be killed for trying to protect her, and he was being kept as a prisoner and awaited execution in the home of some werewolves. These guys. She never thought about it. It slipped from her mind completely. Her first instinct was to rush to him to help him. He had to get down, that wasn't up for debate. In the dark, she was practically blind. Even if there was a light switch in the barn, they couldn't use it. They would grab unwanted attention. She would have to work in the dark. "What do I do?" she asked him. "Cut me loose.""Simone, I need a knife," she said, trying to reach the rope above his head. She couldn't reach for it even when she stood on the tips of her toes. It was making her desperate. "I'll do
The day went by slowly, too slowly. Kiera was stiff from having to sit in the car for so many hours. Simone was adamant. She didn't want to leave, and Kiera wouldn't waste her time in trying to convince her to leave the front of the building. They were running out of time, and they didn't have a better plan. So they were forced to stay. When the day was over, Kiera could hardly move. Her anxiety was making matters worse, but she managed to sit up when people started trickling out of the building. Their eyes were wide and searching every face that walked out. They were looking for the man responsible for Kane's death. They couldn't lose him, or all their efforts would have been for nothing. That was worse to Kiera than having to fight the man. "There," Simone said, breaking the silence. It was the first word that she said in hours. Her voice was surprisingly clear.He began crossing the street, and in a few steps, he would disappear around the bend. Where was he going? They had to k
Simone was thoughtful for the rest of the day. Kiera had no choice but to wait for what she was going to say. A decision had to be made, and quickly, or they'd lose their advantage. News about the dead werewolf would spread soon, and then they'd all know that Simone was after the wolves who had been involved in Kane's death. If that happened, they would go into hiding, and finding them would be a lot more difficult. Simone remained silent, so Kiera couldn't do anything else but wait. Long periods of silence made her think about Kane all of the time. She didn’t know what else to do. The current situation was impeding her from doing anything else, and it was hard to imagine that a few months prior, she was concerned about not finishing her work. She forgot all about being an editor. If they placed a manuscript in front of her, she wouldn’t know what to do. But she wasn’t the only one who changed drastically. She couldn’t recognize Simone on most days. The sweet but tough woman was r