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*****
*Carrie*
I stumbled through the forest not because I was hurt but because I was incredibly angry and my stomping feet kept getting tangled in trees that were somewhat uprooted. How dare he? How dare he do that to me after everything I’ve done for us! I am not a bird or a hamster or whatever the hell else gets put in a cage. I clenched my fist. How could he do that to me? And then not even check up on me once afterwards…
I did not want to hurt him, that was the last thing I wanted to do, but he deserved it this time. He deserved punishment for what he did to me – to us. I’d hurt him just a little, just to make him understand what it feels like, and then I would tell him I forgive him, and then we’ll be together again, like we’re supposed to be.
I let out an annoyed sigh as I pushed my hair from my face but stopped walking when noises drifted through the trees.
“Eli, maybe we should go back.” I heard a soft girly voice that made me sick. I hated Eli but hated her so much more. She looked exactly like her Dad, even acted like him. I should have killed her when I had the chance, when Corey was avoiding those children.
“We’re too far to go back,” Eli replied.
“You mean you don’t know where we are, right?” I heard Ashton’s annoyed voice.
“Do you? You said it was this way.” Eli replied in the same tone. Ashton let out a groan.
“Crap. I’m tired!” He whined.
“I’m hungry.” Eli’s voice had the same whiny, tired tone to it as his best friend’s.
“How are we supposed to find Daddy if we don’t know where we are? How’s Papa supposed to find us? What if we can’t get home?” I heard Tamia sob.
I leaned on a tree gripping it carefully to stay hidden and peeked out at the three children from where I stood. They were in somewhat of a clearing. Maybe… I could kill them now… No one knew where they were, no one would even know I did it.
“Hey, Tammy, it’s okay. We’ll find him… I don’t know how yet, but we will.” Eli mumbled patting her shoulders.
My eyes shot up hearing scrambling and I immediately recognised the scent of wolfsbane… on Mike? He had walked right into the clearing, all eyes were on him. I furrowed my brows seeing that he looked somewhat dishevelled, as though he had been running through the trees.
He stared at the trio of children in the centre of the clearing before his eyes fell on Eli who was already fuming at the sight of the older man.
I reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around the plastic handle of the platinum knife I had stolen from the safe in Kaden’s office. I had gotten it on my way out of that massive Inferno packhouse. I didn’t really need a knife, being a wolf with a little bit of magic knowledge, but more protection was never a bad thing living the way I was in the world I was in. Especially protection that would kill any werewolf if it stabbed into their heart. Werewolves didn’t heal from platinum.
“You again.” Mike smiled at Eli. “Ah, your leg looks better.” He chuckled.
“You know him?” Ashton asked Eli who responded with half a nod, his glaring eyes not moving from the older man.
“Where’s my Dad?” Eli’s voice was angry.
Mike walked forward slowly until he was in front of the kids. “You really want to know, Kiddo?” he asked, his smile gone as he stared directly into Eli’s eyes while bending slightly, “He’s dead.” He said coldly.
I heard Tamia sob as Eli clenched his fist. “You-you’re lying.” He said through grit teeth, the anger in his voice wavering into trembling fright.
“Am I?” Mike smirked.
“You’re lying!” Eli yelled.
My eyes widened as his hands lit up with a green glow. My neck almost snapped as I turned to look to my side when I heard another hushed voice. I barely heard it, but I instantly knew who it was from.
“Was that Eli?”
Jayden.
Why the fuck was he still alive?! They had one job!
“Oh, scary.” Mike chuckled.
“Oh my God, that’s Mike – they-they’re with Mike, Corey –” Jayden appeared through the trees behind me, his eyes widened as they landed on me but he quickly looked towards the clearing and attempted to head towards it.
“No,” Corey’s hushed voice came as his hands grabbed Jayden’s. “Let them handle it.” He whispered.
Jayden seemed to completely forget he had even seen me as he shot Corey the same look everyone else was giving him, clearly they all thought he was crazy.
“No –” Jayden began.
“Jay, trust me right now. Let them handle it. If they need help, we’re right here. They’re surrounded.” Corey whispered as he looked at me, his eyes immediately darkened and he stepped closer to Jayden while glancing to look at the children and Mike who had still not noticed that all of us were watching yet before his eyes moved back to me cautiously.
I didn’t care about the scene in the clearing anymore, I hated how Corey felt the need to step between me and his pathetic ‘mate’ as if protecting Jayden. It made my blood boil. He should have been with me already, should have been with me to begin with. Jayden should have been dead. Jayden was not even paying attention to Corey and me as he stared ahead still looking uncertain about Corey’s insistence that they let the children handle the adult man on their own.
I turned to face the scene in front of me when I heard a snap and realised Eli had shifted, he was pretty big for a pup. Mike stared at the black wolf and began laughing. I bit my lip. He was an idiot if he hadn’t figured it out. I brought him back to life for no reason if he was too stupid to realise most of Eli’s power was still hidden. Who didn’t know Novulaní wolves could hide their power? It was a universally known fact.
My eyes shifted to Tamia and Ashton who simultaneously shifted to match Eli’s form before they all just dove at Mike without a second of hesitation.
“Corey, this is stupid –” Sean began but Corey hushed him shaking his head and pointing as Eli’s teeth met Mike’s knee, the same time Tamia and Ashton’s met his ankles.
Mike let out a pained cry, his eyes going completely yellow before he forcefully kicked his foot causing Tamia to be thrown across the clearing before she smashed into a tree. I heard Corey take in a sharp breath as everyone else gasped.
In a spur of anger, Ashton ripped his teeth from Mike, taking the man’s entire fibula with him. I cringed as his leg just ripped open with ease and Mike let out another blood-curdling scream.
“Attaboy,” Sean muttered smirking.
Eli decided to follow his best friend’s lead and rip Mike’s knee cap completely off. I cringed at the sight. Shit.
Without giving Mike time to heal, Tamia sprinted across the clearing and slammed into his chest causing him to fall back onto his back, and Eli, not missing a beat, went straight for his neck.
Mike seemed to see it coming though and tried to cover his neck as he rolled over onto his stomach causing Eli to sink his teeth into the closest alternative, Mike’s trapezius muscle, before he ripped it out as well.
“Wow,” Corey muttered in shock.
“What the hell did you teach them?!” Jayden hissed through grit teeth as he glared at Sean and Corey.
“Not this.” Corey shook his head.
“I promise.” Sean added lifting both his hands.
“They’re going to kill him –” Jayden stepped forward.
“Let them, it’s a kill they won’t feel guilty about… a perfect kill for their first time,” Sean said.
I turned just in time to see that Mike had rolled back onto his back and Eli immediately took the chance to rip Mike’s neck apart. My jaw dropped as his head rolled away from his body. Even for a werewolf that was harsh! And Eli was seven!
“Alright…” Corey cleared his throat, “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting that and… and we need to talk to him.” He said out loud making all the kids turn to look at us as Corey let Jayden – who was clearly too shocked to even move – go before he made his way over to the mess that was now staining the grass in red. “Hey, Soldier, you okay?” he asked patting the wolf’s head before doing the same to Tamia and Ashton. Eli looked by him and growled at me, clearly having not calmed down yet. “Whoa, calm down,” Corey said.
“I’m sorry –” I jogged out from behind the tree and joined them before kneeling beside Corey on the grass. I began to reach out slowly and Eli’s black eyes followed my hand cautiously but he didn’t attack it – which I was grateful for because I really felt like he would. I gently landed my hand on the black fur on his head. “I’m sorry…” I said looking at Tamia, “That I used magic on you… and made you sick… and I’m sorry I made you lie to everyone about what was wrong with her…” ‘Blackmailed’ sounded like such a harsh word to use in my mind.
The black in his eyes faded until they were their normal blue, like Corey’s, as Tamia’s did to their hazel brown. They looked confused, as if wondering if I was actually apologising and it seemed they did not know how to react. It did not matter because they had both let their guard down. It came right back up when their father suddenly spoke.
“Please, get your hand off my son and save your apologies for people stupid enough to believe that that shit.” Corey shoved my hand from Eli and stepped forward creating a barrier between Eli and me with his legs. “We’re not letting you go just because you’re ‘sorry’.” He hissed.
I dropped my head letting out a dry laugh.
“Wow, Corey…” I said before I looked back up at him and held my hand out. He frowned but took it nonetheless, and tugged me to my feet. Once I was standing, he still held onto my hand. I figured it was because he wanted a grip on me so that I would not be able to leave. I tilted my head still looking at him as I tried to pull my hand back but his grip tightened. I was right. “I’m guessing another apology wouldn’t allow me to stay inside the pack?” I asked.
I heard Sean snort an answer and Corey just shifted his eyes to the Alpha behind me to say that his answer was pretty much the same.
He smirked. “At least you get to live.” He pointed at Mike’s corpse, “And keep your head, even though you will be locked up in a cage for the rest of your life.” Corey patted his son lightly as he gave the wolf a smile.
He was trying to hide how proud that kill had actually made him, probably to keep Eli in line so that he wouldn’t go ripping people apart every time he got mad. As much as I hated the kid, I had to admit he would make a very strong and terrifying Alpha one day.
“At least I get to live…” I repeated his words slowly as I slid the hand he was not holding onto into my pocket and let out a sigh. “Well, Corey…” I smiled up at him, my heart was pounding at what my head was urging me to do, but even if I was afraid and it would hurt, it was for the best, “I’m sorry…” His brows lowered at me in confusion.
I’m sorry that I have to be the one that gets to live… if just for a few more hours.
“Wh –?” He began but was cut off when my hand swiftly moved from my pocket.
The sound of the knife stabbing into his chest was the last for what seemed like a long time, but was probably only a few seconds before I twisted my hand causing him to croak painfully. He looked so shocked, so startled as he stared into my eyes, his hand slipping off of mine.
“If I can’t have you…” I let the knife go and watched Corey fall to his knees while lifting his hands to the knife buried in his chest. His eyes still stuck to mine as he tried to breathe. I heard Jayden let out a horrified scream and smiled down at Corey as he pulled his hands away from the wound, his fingers coated in his own bright crimson blood:
“No one can.”
*****
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