by Amanda Carol
“What about visitors?” Bennett asks.
“I was just telling Aria that she can visit with Sparkles any time she’d like. You, however, should probably keep your distance,” Kat says as Bennett throws his arm over my shoulders.
“Hey, now. It’s not my fault he still holds a grudge.” Bennett laughs, but suddenly stops when Kat lifts a brow. “Right. Keep my distance. Got it.”
“Anyway, I’m going to grab some food then go play some Dungeons and Dragons with Grace and a few others. She’s into it now. Plus, I think it eases Knox’s mind that she’s not alone while he’s gone. Catch you later.” Kat waves and then goes inside the barn.
“She’s tried to get me to play but I got confused and was wondering why there wasn’t real magic involved. I was bummed.” Bennett frowns as he leads us to the stairs.
“Wouldn’t there be consequences if she used real magic for it?” I ask.
I know enough about the game to know that if real magic was used, it wouldn’t be elemental magic.
“Touché. I’m just glad I'm not a witch. I mean, having magical powers sounds dope, but I’d end up with a horn coming out of my ass or something. Like…never mind.” Bennett shakes his head.
I stop walking, and he stops and turns toward me.
“What? You don’t know about the consequence for the unicorn?” he asks.
My eyes grow wide as I stare at Bennett. I figured there was a horn involved, but coming out of his ass? Oh no. Bennett throws his head back as he laughs. The deep belly kind of laugh.
“You didn’t know?” He says between bouts of laughter. “I can’t believe you didn’t know. I thought for sure Kat would have said something. Or at the very least, I figured your wolf would have said something. Oh, your face. Priceless.” He shakes his head before turning around to continue walking back to my cabin.
I open the door and turn to Bennett. “You really don’t have to stay. I’ll be fine.”
“I know that. But Hunter asked me to stay with you today.” His face falls slightly.
I take a good look at Bennett. He’s such a loyal friend and pack member. He patrols and is entrusted to look after me. He’s got dark circles around his eyes; his hair is still messy from whatever sleep he did get, and yet, here he is with me.
“And, I don’t know. I just wanted to be around a friendly face. That’s all,” he continues.
Our gazes lock and I nod.
Bennett was there for me the night I woke up in the medical room after I was rescued from Isabella. We sat in a comfortable silence around the fire pit, just watching the flames. He may have the personality of a 13-year-old boy, but Bennett and I just have this unique friendship. He’s like a second brother to me and we just understand each other. Even if I haven’t been myself lately, he’s still here, and that means more to me than he will ever know.
“Okay. Well, I’m going upstairs to paint. Make yourself at home.” I gesture toward the kitchen before going to my studio room.
I hear him opening cabinets, but I turn my playlist on and hook my phone up to the small speaker, which drowns out any noise he’s making in my kitchen. I grab a blank canvas and set it on the easel, and then walk over to grab some paint. I’m not sure what I'm going to paint today, but I start putting the primary colors on my pallet, then adding a few extra colors.
I pick up my paintbrush and swirl it around in the blue, then grab some white, mixing them together. I start to paint the sky, but I decide to mix more blue paint in, giving it more of a nighttime look.
I’m not sure how much time has passed before Bennett walks into the room. I glance up at him and he grins at me. He grabs the second easel I have and a blank canvas and sets it up. I focus my attention on the painting in front of me while Bennett is behind me putting paint on a pallet. I look over at him as he goes over to where his canvas is set up. Then we start to paint together for the first time.
Typically, when I paint, I always have an idea of what I'm going to do. But now, I just let the brush flow against the canvas. When I take a step back and really look at what I painted, my eyes grow wide when I realize that I painted a beige wolf with glowing light blue eyes. I recognize those eyes.
They belonged to Axton.
I painted him in the woods, the moonlight shining down on him. I also painted other wolves standing in the background behind him, howling at the moon. I take another step back as my breath catches and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns and Roses starts playing on the speakers. I stare in disbelief at the painting. I didn’t even notice Bennett walk over to me.
“Shit,” Bennett breathes.
I glance up at him; his eyes are glowing softly as he stares at the painting. He blinks before looking down at me, and the faint glow is now gone. He gives me a small smile, grabbing my paintbrush and pallet from my hands and setting them down on the table, then comes back over and holds his hand out to me. I look at his hand, then my eyes flick back up to his. He wiggles his fingers, but doesn’t say a word. Reluctantly, I put my hand in his and he walks us to the middle of the room.
He reaches for my other hand and starts to sway to the music. I go to pull away, not feeling like dancing, but Bennett isn’t having it. He starts to sing along, horribly if I might add, to the song as he twirls me. I trip over his foot, but he catches me. I place one hand on his shoulder while he places his hand on my lower back and our hands are clasped out beside us. He leads and I follow. He pushes me outward and twirls me again, and then he spins inward toward our outstretched arms and I have to stand on my tip toes as my arm goes around his shoulders. He bends at an awkward angle, tripping over his feet. He falls, and for the first time in what seems like forever, I laugh. He grins up at me as I try to help him up.
He gets to his feet with no help from me and continues our dance routine. When I face Bennett again, his eyes flick to behind me, and he gets a mischievous smirk on his face. He spins me one more time, but instead of bringing me back to him, he lets go of my hand, and I twirl straight into Hunter’s arms.
Bennett quietly leaves the room, as Hunter’s hands drop low on my waist. I rest my head on his chest, swaying with him to the music.
I didn’t know how much I needed this. For the first time, I feel something other than fear. I’m beginning to feel like I can get through this and everything will be okay. I look up at Hunter, and we stop swaying.
I recognize the feeling now: it’s love. And that thought alone brings back the fear. I don’t want to lose any more people that I love and care about.
I need to talk to him. I need to tell him what Isabella told me about the traitor. I’m not sure that I can do this on my own, but looking up into Hunter’s glowing blue eyes, I’m reminded that I'm not alone. I will tell him, but the pack needs to mourn. I owe them that. It’s my fault that Axton is dead.
“Aria, I…” Hunter whispers, but stops himself.
Instead, he leans down and kisses me. He licks my bottom lip, and I open for him. I stand on my toes, throwing my arms around his neck as our tongues start to dance. There is nothing urgent about this kiss and when we break apart, he rests his head against mine.
“I came by to check on you. The Moon Run is going to start soon, so I have to go meet mine and Ax’s parents.” Hunter kisses me softly again.
I hear the front door open and close.
“Aria! You home?” Declan shouts.
I walk over and stand in the doorway, leaning up against the frame.
“Yeah, we’re up here,” I call back to him.
Declan comes to stand just at the bottom of the stairs and looks up at me.
Hunter walks up and kisses my forehead, telling me he will see me later. I stare down at them, crossing my arms over my chest. Declan and Hunter share a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by me. I hear the front door open and close as Declan walks up the steps.
“What was that?” I ask.
Declan quirks a brow. “What was what?”
“You know. You both shared a l
ook.” I put my hands on my hips.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, little sister.” He pats my shoulder as he walks past me toward his bedroom.
I drop it for now and follow him.
“Are you coming tonight?” he asks, taking his shirt off.
I freeze as I notice that he’s wearing his amulet.
“Why are you wearing that?” I stalk forward and reach for his amulet.
He grabs it quickly and narrows his eyes at me.
“Because Mom gave it to us,” he answers.
I reach for it again and he moves out of the way.
“Cut it out, Aria,” he snaps.
“Take it off!” I hiss at him.
Everything I was feeling minutes ago is now replaced with fear again.
“What? No fucking way!” Declan shouts.
I lunge forward, but Declan jumps out of the way.
“Seriously, stop it!” He grabs my arms and spins me around, my back flush with his front. He has a firm grip on me, and I struggle to get out. “Aria.”
I can’t breathe.
“Breathe, little sister,” Declan says into my ear.
I stop thrashing and my knees give out, causing us to fall to the floor. Declan’s arms are locked around my chest, leaving the bottom half of my arms free. I grip his arms, my breathing erratic.
“Shh,” he coos. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” My voice is shaky; sobs form in my throat, but don’t come out.
“What’s going on with you?” he asks as he turns me in his arms and clasps my cheeks. His pale green eyes search mine.
“Just take it off,” I whisper. “If Isabella gets a hold of you…”
I glance back up at him. A look of understanding crosses his features, and he pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me in one of his bear hugs.
“I had Luna remove the binding magic from the amulets after we got back from the mission. It won’t protect us anymore,” Declan says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out my necklace.
I stare at it, not wanting to touch it.
“It’s okay. I can still use my magic while I’m wearing it. It’s just a plain old necklace now,” he reassures me.
I take the amulet from him and hold it in my palm. He folds my fingers around it and leaves his hand on top of mine.
“It’s safe to wear. You can still have a piece of Mom and be able to use your powers. Isabella won’t be able to hurt you again.” Declan releases my hand.
It’s not me I'm worried about. Isabella already got what she wanted from me.
“I’m going to take a shower and get ready for tonight. I’m meeting Ciera down in the clearing soon,” he tells me.
He helps me up, before walking over to his dresser drawer and pulling out some fresh clothes. Then he walks back over to me.
“Aria, you have a shifter that will protect you and keep you safe. But I’m still your big brother. You’re all I have left, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone hurt you again. I know I wasn’t there. But I found you. I saw what she did to you. And I know you aren’t ready to talk about it yet. But I need you. You aren’t the only one hurting here.” He pauses. “I just want—no, I need—my sister back.”
I stare up at him, unsure of what to say. He leans forward and kisses my forehead, then walks out of his room and heads to the bathroom.
I hate the fact that he’s right. They found me, but they didn’t live through it. They weren’t there for the torture, the pain, and the mental blow she added before she left me for dead. There are no words to describe what I’m feeling. I shake those thoughts and go back into my studio room to clean up the mess. I walk over to clean up Bennett’s canvas first.
What the hell?
He painted a stick figure family with a stick figure…wolf?
I shake my head as I remove the canvas from the easel and set it down by the table to dry. I grab his used paintbrushes and mine and rinse them out in the water that I had already set on the table, then place them on the paper towel to dry. I turn and face my canvas, deciding it can stay on the easel. When it’s completely dry, I think I might give it to Axton’s parents.
Then I go to my room and open my closet, moving the clothes around, trying to decide what to wear tonight. I pull out a green sundress and walk over to my dresser drawer to grab some spandex shorts to wear underneath and a bra. When I hear Declan’s bedroom door close, I make my way into the bathroom to get ready.
I finish my shower and get dressed. I wipe the mirror off with the towel and I stare at my reflection. There are no physical scars on my body that show what I went through. To the outside world, I just look tired. But looking at myself in the mirror, I’m staring at the ghost of the girl I used to be.
That’s not okay.
None of this is okay.
I know my brother is right, but how do you tell someone something so tragic, knowing that it will rip apart everything they thought they knew? I jump at a soft knock at the door. With my heart racing in my chest, I carefully walk over to the door, and slowly open it. Declan is standing there in black jeans and a dark V-neck shirt.
“You ready?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah. Let me put on my shoes. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
He nods and walks away. I pad into my room and put on my white Converse. Before everything happened with our parents, I had a variety of Converse colors. Being on the road, I had to limit the amount of stuff to bring. Sacrifices were made, and I wasn’t a happy camper in the beginning. I got used to it, but Luna and Abby bought me a variety of colors in high-tops and low-tops.
“Declan?” I call out when I get downstairs and don’t see him.
I rush to the door and open it; a sense of relief washes over me when I find him standing on the porch with his back to me. He turns when I shut the door and holds his elbow out.
I loop my arm through his, and we walk to the clearing. When we get closer, I see dozens of people, witches and wolves alike. I search the crowd and stop walking when I spot Axton’s parents and I release Declan’s arm.
“Aren’t you coming?” he asks, spinning around to look at me.
I shake my head. He looks at me for a moment before giving me a single nod and walking off. I watch after him as he walks up to Ciera, pulling her into his arms. My eyes search the crowd for Hunter. I don’t have to look far, because he is standing near Axton’s parents. The Alpha and his wife are with them, along with Bennett, Knox, and Blaine.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own. Axton was an essential member of this pack. He was loyal, generous and kind. He will be truly missed by all of us here in the New Orleans pack. So, come, all of you. Shift.” The Alpha’s voice booms through the clearing. “And let’s go take a howl at the moon in honor of our fallen.”
Then they all shift. I see Kat, Grace, and Zayne step forward. Kat lifts her hands, making pebbles rise into the air. Then Zayne lights the stones on fire, heating them up. Grace uses the water element to hit each stone, and it causes them to glow softly. I don’t know if that’s even scientifically possible, but I guess since it’s magic, anything is possible.
Abby, Luna, and Ciera walk over and send the stones flying through the air, making the forest glow with the soft light. With the light of the full moon and from the stones, which look like the twinkling lights around the Compound, the whole scene looks breathtaking.
All the shifters lower themselves into a sitting position. All except for the Alpha family and Axton’s parents. Alexander howls at the moon once, then again, only this time, Hunter howls with him, followed by Lydia and then Axton’s parents. Then, all the wolves howl from their sitting positions.
Alexander takes off running and then the rest of the pack follows him. They are keeping pace with each other. It’s not a race. They are moving gracefully through the trees, and now they are headed for me. I quickly run to a tree to stand next to it. The Alpha passes me first, but a particular black wolf breaks formation a
nd walks over to me. Glowing, bright blue eyes are staring at me.
I feel the familiar tug and open the link.
I’m glad you’re here, Hunter’s husky voice rings through my head.
Me too, I think back to him.
He nods, closing the link, then runs off to join the rest of the pack. After they all run past me, I glance down and see the witches all huddled together. Zayne is holding Abby from behind, and I see him kiss her cheek. Luna is standing next to them, talking with Grace, Kat, and Kora. Declan is sitting against a tree with Ciera sitting in front of him. Ciera wipes a tear from her cheek and Declan pulls her in closer, kissing her temple. All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck stand and I realize that I am no longer alone.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
I would recognize that sinister voice anywhere.
I spin around quickly. Blaine is standing there, eyes glowing and fists clenched tightly at his sides. I feel all the blood drain from my face, then I turn my head, and realization kicks in. Everyone else is too far away and too wrapped up in each other to notice that I am alone with Blaine.
“It’s just you and me. What do you say we finish what we started in the training room?” Blaine smirks as he takes a step forward. Half of his face is covered in darkness, while the other half is illuminated by the moonlight. “No one is here to protect you now. Are you afraid? Because you should be.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I feel my anger flow through my veins.
“I’m afraid of a lot of things.” I say, glancing down at my hand and form a fireball. My gaze flicks back up and locks with Blaine’s. “But you are not one of them.”
I throw the fireball at him and he jumps out of the way. The flames diminish before it hits a tree. I’m not sure if that catches the attention of the others, but I don’t really care.
He growls and charges forward, and I bend my knees, waiting for the right moment to move out of the way. My eyes stay locked with Blaine’s until he gets close enough where he thinks he’s going to tackle me. At the very last second, I duck and roll out of the way, and back onto my feet, my hair whipping back behind me.
