Harlyn:It was a beach. Not the one where I was attacked, where Penelope abandoned me to be ravaged by hungry, mindless beasts of the night; where my sister…where Vale saved my life. No, it wasn’t that beach, but it was one like it. Alpha Ares had gone ahead to ensure that all weak spots of Shadow Vale were secure. Turned out that the great Alpha was not in the mood to party. But then, who was?Certainly not me.After what I had been told by Vali, part of me-that annoying, and naively arrogant part of me found it hard to believe that someone like Penelope had the bloody stones to do what had been done. Vali knew this. I assume that was the reason why she had said that she was giving me a heads up. She wanted me to know that one way or another, Penny would be held accountable. She knew that, despite Penny’s betrayal that night at the beach, despite how positively aggravating she could be, she was still-is still my best friend. She had been for years. I usually didn’t befriend people
Harlyn:The sand pressed with a crisp warmth beneath my feet as we walked along the shore together.I’d have much rather been having this walk with someone else, however. Talon.“I know I’ve said it a lot by now, but I really am sorry about that night at the beach. This isn’t the same beach but it gives me like, PTSD just thinking about it.”And just like that, Penny cut off any meaningful thought that I was beginning to have about my true mate. She was always good at spewing random idiocies throughout a conversation.PTSD, I scoffed. I mean is she really serious?!I guess, it was for the best, as I the reason I had even sook Penny out in the first place was to have a conversation that…may change everything after this night.“Imagine how those who actually have PTSD feel.” I found myself saying.“I-I didn’t mean to imply that-”Before Penny could continue to stumble over her words, I cut her off. I wasn’t in the mood to hear her switch up on me because she realized that I was irritate
Recollecting that night was something that I had done quite often since it happened. It really put things in perspective for me about how much Valene had gone through.“I wasn’t-I…am not the only one suffering, Penny. Sure, I’ve lost a mother but…Valene has…she has lost just as much, if not more.”“How can you say that?” asked Penny. “She still has both her parents!”“And lived most of her life as a slave to her own father,” I reminded her. “Branded like a bloody gopher when-”“But Harly, she-”“Living with the fact that her parents didn’t want her. Thinking that all this time, then…being killed? How do
Vale:“Alright, now that we’re alone. What is it that you and Vale need to talk about?” While he was concerned, I could tell that dad was relieved to see that Harly and I were there together. He was happy and that should have made me happy.In any other case, it would have. But not after what Harly had done. “Vale has news.” When my little sister finally spoke it broke me out of the trance that I found myself in as I thought about where she’d been simple moments before joining us again. “Okay,” replied dad, but I could tell that he sensed something was on my mind. “You alright?” he asked me.I shrugged, not knowing how to particularly answer that question. If I was being honest, there was no positive way to answer that question. How could I possibly be okay?Harly acted impulsively with what she did to Penny. I wasn’t sure of the particulars, but I knew that it wasn’t good. Now, I had to be concerned about what would happen to her next. Regardless of her title, Harlyn committed
Alastair:This can’t be happening! This absolutely cannot be happening right now! The words played endlessly in my head as I listened to my baby girl explain in minute detail what happened only an hour or so earlier. I was so speechless when she was done, and I wasn’t the only one; Aziz said little to nothing, but I felt his pain as well as his sense of loyalty being tested on both sides. We both were feeling the same way. We both knew that this was about to be messy.“Dad?” When I heard Val’s voice trump my thoughts, I finally snapped out of the daze that I was in. “You alright?”Alright? Was she serious? I looked at her incredulously, and immediately Val got the hint.“Okay, alright. Wrong question, got it.” she murmured and backed away.“Does it look like I’m alright?!” I snapped. “I-did you really just ask me that?!” Valene shamefully averted her gaze. “Sorry, even I don’t know what to say about this.” Silence ensued for a moment before, Vale finally spoke again. “So, what are
Silence followed his accusation and without breaking eye contact, Talon stepped to Harlyn. I knew he wouldn’t hurt Harlyn, so naturally I did not step in and neither did Val. We both knew that Harlyn had hurt Talon far more than he could ever have had in him to hurt her. “I saw you…going into the forest with her. I saw that look in your eye.”There was something about Talon’s confrontation of this truth that seemed to weigh down on Harlyn more than either or Vale ever could have.“You went in there with the intention to hurt her.” he said bemused.Harlyn could hardly look him in the eye. “I….Talon, I didn’t go in to…”“Yes…you did.” It seemed that Talon knew better than anyone. “You…you may have had a few doubts, but you knew…you knew what you were going in there to do, Harly! What have you done?!” Before Harlyn could even part her lips to find an answer good enough for him, Talon walked away from her. There was guilt in him, I knew there was.“I sho-I should have stopped you! I sho
Vale:“Where is she?! Where is my daughter?!” John Minken barreled through the crowd of people. Angrily, he looked around, shoving everyone to the side in search for Penny.“John!” Dad rushed forward and grabbed his arm, steadying him. “John, calm down!” “Don’t tell me to calm down, Alastair!” he snarled. “Your daughter isn’t out there, lost in the middle of a dam war!” “John, you know that the perimeter is clear! We have the best people out there-”“Okay, then why is gone!?”“Because she wandered off obviously,” I murmured before I could think better of it.“What did you say?” he glared at me. “What did you say, girl?!” Dad stepped in between me and pushed John back. “John,” he pushed him in one fluid motion. “You need to back up.”“Dad.”“No, Val.” He interrupted me, his wild gaze suddenly on John. “You need to back up, John.”“We found her!” someone yelled through the crowd. Immediately the Delta’s attention was averted toward the direction of the sound. “P-Penny?!” he exclaim
AlastairWe all stood there in the hallway outside of the hospital waiting room. Everyone was too anxious to sit down. It seemed that all who attended the party was trying to get in to make sure that Penny was alright. Seeing how much everyone seemed to care about her made it far more difficult to even think about the conversation that we’d have soon.Agnes was among the many who found themselves at the hospital. Despite, my current disdain for her, I allowed her entry as she was Penny’s aunt and the only mother figure the girl had really ever known.“Maybe that is the reason for her poor character,” said Aziz.I could not disagree. “Are you certain that we should have this conversation as soon as we see him, Alastair?” Toran asked me. “You ask as if we will have a choice,” I countered. “You and I both know that as soon as John clears the corner, he will want to know what happened, who did it, and how can he go about unleashing hell on them.” As I thought about this, I couldn’t he
VALE:The first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of orange and pink as Valene and Harlyn stood on the outskirts of Shadow Veil, their backs turned to the familiar pack. The weight of exile hung heavy in the air, a bittersweet reminder of the decisions they had made.“This is a big step to make, Vale,” said Tobias as we stood at the city line of Shadow Veil. “It is,” I said. I couldn’t bloody well deny his truth. Harlyn and I’s relationship was still on the mend. There were definitely some kinks that needed to be worked out, but I felt an obligation to her. Not only to her but to Shadow Veil as well. I refused to make it easier for Dronnigan to find me. “But you remember what my mother said, Tobi. Even if Harly wasn’t leaving, I’m not sure that I’d have a choice. Not until I find a way to get rid of him for good.” I said. “Yeah, that’s true. I’ll be shoving off soon too.”“Your dad can’t be happy about that.” Tobias glanced back at the beta and his son. “Not really, but both he
VALE:“Harlyn Caris Wade. You almost took the life of your best friend. Your actions of attempted murder have cast an even bigger shadow on the pack. It’s not just because of what you did, Harlyn but who you are to the people surrounding you.”Harlyn’s gaze fell to the ground. There was visible shame in her eyes as these words were said. She knew that all of it was true, and so she kept silent.“You were acting in a rash state of anger and a thirst for revenge, and because of this, you’ve committed crimes of a reprehensible nature.” She looked up at him, and took a deep breath, but still, she did not say a word. It was clear that she was anxious though.“What do you have to say for yourself?” Silence enveloped the great hall, everyone silently and apprehensively waiting for her to speak. Until she finally did. “I…I’ve never been a really good friend…a good master…and especially a good sister. Her eyes wandered the room, but not for long as she finally found the gaze that she was
Alastair:The tension was palpable as the pack and clan leaders stood in the great hall for the judgment that would have to be carried out.As I sat in the Alpha’s chair, looking over the crowd, I could see that every face was etched with tension and sorrow. I couldn’t blame them; this was a big night, and one that I was not looking forward to.My stomach turned constant flips, a clear reaction to my anxiety as this day approached. I was dreading every second up until this very moment, and I could sense that I was not the only one.Agnes and Penny stood there, hands and feet bound as they waited for the room to gather its awaiting crowd for my judgment. They stood before me, Toran on my right and John…struggling internally, but nevertheless on my left. Both Agnes and Penny’s heads were bowed before me as they waited for me to proceed with the grave charges pinned against them. When the sound of the meeting hall’s large double doors could be heard closing, I knew that it was time to
The room was dimly lit. It was clear that she was in a cell of some sort. “Hello, my love.” Her voice was calm and soothing, and yet filled with sorrow. Though she wasn’t facing me in real time, I could sense the shame in her demeanor as she could not even look into Tobias’s eyes while relaying her message.“You know that before you were born…your father and I had an affair.” she chuckled bitterly. “Of course…I didn’t know that he was married or mated or whatever the hell they call it!” She snapped and then took a deep breath to seemingly calm down. “But that is neither here nor there. I did end it, baby, I truly did…once I found out that-what…kind of situation I was placed in. That…that wasn’t good enough for her though…so…that’s basically how my life ended that night.”There was so much pain in her voice as she said this. I couldn’t imagine how much it pained her to relive that evening. But she had to. She needed to confess her truth.“When I was brought back…all of my emotions we
VALEAfter Damian plied me with a few more drinks, I stumbled home to the inn and got me a room to stay at. Since everything that went on with Harlyn, I had been saying with dad, knowing that while he wouldn’t express it aloud, he needed the support. On this night, however, and maybe even the days to come, I’d probably be staying put here. There was far too much on my mind to be placed in the same vicinity of someone who was going through as much as I was.I knew that dad was hurting, and I also knew that if I saw that, if I had to witness it, I’d try and do everything within my power to heal him of that hurt instead of focusing on not going insane due to my own. I stumbled into the bathroom, and started the shower. Then I sat there on the side of the tub, leaned my head against the cold ceramic. It felt good against my flushed drunken skin.Suddenly, I didn’t think that I had the energy to take a shower. Maybe I should just stay here and close my eyes.“I see you have had an…intoxi
VALE:There was a look on his face, one that spoke so many volumes to me and still I could not accept it. I recalled watching as Ares pulled away from Tobias’s thoughts and memories. He was slow facing me, very reluctant.“Is it true?” I had asked him. Somehow, some part of me knew that answer but I needed Ares to confirm.It wasn’t like I thought the worst of Tobias-even in spite of his new lifestyle; not like he necessarily chose the lifestyle that was thrust upon him. I could never say that Tobias was a dishonest person. That’s why…I already knew. Still, there was something about my connection with Ares that would solidify this for me. “Tell me, Ares!” I approached him, desperate for him to answer. “Is it?”When he nodded sullenly, I backed away from him, and sorrow immediately enveloped me. My heart ached.“So…it was a lie?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing even though I knew that it was true. My dad tried to approach me. I could tell that he was as distraught as I was abo
Vale“That…no…no, that’s…impossible.”Tobias shook his head. “No, Vale. It’s not.”I couldn’t absorb what he was saying to me. It was surreal. “Who on earth would the goddess deem worthy enough to procreate with?”“The old man was never clear on that,” said Tobias. “But he’s certain that you are. Apparently he has proof of it.” “And you didn’t think to bring it here?”Dad clearly was as flustered as I was, finding out this incredulous bit of news. Tobias looked at the alpha with a sarcastic expression. “All due respect, alpha…you’ve not met my father if you think that it would be so easy to get away, let alone gather information on him-”“Wait, what?!” Talon exclaimed. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who caught that. I just…I wasn’t sure that I heard correctly. Tobias paused, his eyes falling to the floor with clear indignation. He wasn’t happy about this bit of news either, but it was clear that there was merit to it. “What did you say?” With a resigned exhale, Tobias nodded.
Vale:I stood there, bewildered as our eyes met. Part of me, a less…conflicted part of me was elated to see him standing there. With my father…his father, and his brother.Tobias.I cared about Tobias. Far more than I ever realized. It took him dying and then coming back to see that. But regardless, of how I came to this realization, those feelings were there. And that would never change. I was so glad to seem him alive and relatively well considering the circumstances surrounding…well…us and our current lifestyles.Despite that less conflicted side of me, there was bigger part of me…a blaringly alarmed and untrusting, and even angry…part of me that could only think about one thing; where was my mother?The fact that she was nowhere to be found-even now. It didn’t make sense maybe, but…in my potentially irrational mind, I couldn’t think of a reality where Tobias would even be here and mum not. I just couldn’t shake that feeling….that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, as I wat
VALEThe meeting hall wasn’t too far away from where I was, so I didn’t use a quick means of transportation. “Vale,” I heard someone call after me. When I turned around, Talon was on approach. “Good evening, Talon,” I greeted.I guess any other sister would have given the Beta a cold shoulder because of what he had done to Harlyn.To be honest, as far as I was concerned, Harlyn got what Harlyn deserved. She never treated the guy with the proper respect.Still, I could tell that he was nervous about approaching me. Oh, Talon. I am on your side on this one.“How are you, this evening?” he asked me.“I’m…fine,” I shrugged. “I guess.”“Fine?” His steps slowed when he got closer. “Yeah, just fine. Could be better. Then again, I could be worse.” “Ah,” he shiftily looked around before his eyes landed on me again. He had question that he wanted to ask and I already knew who the question was concerning.“Just…ask the question, Talon,” I rolled my eyes.He took a deep breath, and then said,