He came to me and bent down in front of me, raising his hand. I walked up to him and let him touch me. Aiden ran her hand through my hair, making a wonderful caress with the tip of her fingers, brushing her nails.
— His hair is so beautiful. — Spoke, touching his forehead to mine, releasing a deep breath that shook his shoulders. I closed my eyes, feeling an inner peace with that quiet contact.
— What happened? — I asked for the bond that united us.
Aiden was my Alpha, we shared that pack connection.
— The Supreme is coming. — I have drifted away upon hearing his words and growled at Aiden, showing my fangs and making clear my threat.
I’d forgotten about this damn thing, and Aiden showed up, dropping that bomb on me.
I scratched the damp earth beneath me with claws. My brother’s eyes flashed briefly in response.
— Hayley, I understand the anger and fury you’re feeling right now, but just listen to me, okay? I just kept staring at him, flaunting my teeth to Aiden, evidencing my hatred for that story. — I’m not saying that you should accept mating with Jackson, you’re not obligated to anything, okay?
I closed my mouth and shook my head.
— But if you became the companion of the Supreme, everything would be different, both for our family and for our people. It would be a new time with changes and new attitudes, a chance to rise again with strength and courage. I don’t want you to think that my desire is to use you, but I am hopeless, sister. You are the only hope we have left.
His words had not convinced me, but I decided to give Aiden a chance to listen to him because he was my brother. I let my body fall to the ground, beginning the transformation to my human form. Slowly, my bones were breaking and writhing, and it didn’t take long until I was naked on the moist earth.
My brother threw an outfit at me and I dressed it, watching him next.
— Do not freak out. — Asked, snorted through the nose, sitting next to him.
I hated going back to the human body, all the pain and human emotions irritated me. Being human was unbearable, weak and vulnerable.
— I’m not looking for someone to mate with or a male to defend myself. — My voice was hoarse, my throat was scratching. — It infuriates me to know that our parents handed me over to him as a property or commodity.
It was a hard blow to me, brother. I ended up taking it out on Peter, he must be hating me now.
Aiden was silent for a few seconds, until he stood up and held out his hand towards me.
I frown at it.
Come with me, I need to show you something. — He spoke and despite my confusion, I grabbed his hand and Aiden had no trouble lifting me off the ground, my back snapped.
My brother pulled me until we started a short race, I followed him in silence with my instincts alert with possible dangers.
— Aiden, we are reaching the limits of our property. — muttered in the ear of the wolf beside me who had a rigid and rough posture
— We’re safe, don’t worry. — He tried to reassure me, I couldn’t calm down with his words.
After a long time of persecution, I learned the hard way that I can only trust myself to stay alive.
— We’re close to Frank’s pack, that disgusting worm, don’t ask me to take it easy. — grumbled back, Aiden didn’t care.
— Concentrate and smell the air. — I faced him with a crease formed on my forehead.
Just let your senses guide you and tell me what you feel. I nodded, I did not understand that request, but I closed my eyes and in a breath, emptied my mind and focused only on my supernatural senses, and it did not take long until the odors known to me inflated my nostrils.
I frown, still with my eyes closed.
I arched my back. The wild wolf inside me stirred, restless.
— I’m feeling...fear, despair and dread. — My voice failed when I felt the metallic smell.
Blood, that place smelled of blood and death.
— What happened here? — Opened my eyes and stared at my brother for an answer.
Aiden put his hands in the pockets of the coat, the soft morning wind shook his dark wires, his gaze was distant, somewhat empty.
That wasn’t a good sign, I prepared for what was coming next. — There was an attack here two weeks ago. — He said in a low tone. — A family of wolves decided to spend the night here, sleeping under the stars, but were attacked.
My heart shot in my chest, I tried to keep calm.
— Attacked? — grumbled on a voice wire. — What happened to them?
Aiden hesitated before answering:
— All of them were killed.
I squeezed my eyes tightly, breathing into my throat.
— All? — I whispered with burning eyes, Aiden nodded. — How many were killed?
— A couple and their two children.
I looked at the sky with my eyes teary with the news and tried to suppress my tears. An unbearable grip came up in my throat, and it hurt like hell.
— Why didn’t you tell me that before? — Showing off knowing, almost growling. We were busy trying to hunt down the bastards who killed this family. And you spent two months hunting. — Your voice sounded grim. — But we found no sign of who might have done it.
My voice seized when I tried to speak, I needed to take a moment to breathe and think clearly in the face of that situation.
I swallowed it hard.
— How many attacks have occurred in recent months?
— Many— murmured. — Many neighboring packs are suffering from heavy rebel attacks. This was the third in our village, wolves are being killed mysteriously and this is scaring me.
You're fucking lonely rebels!
I hugged my own body and rubbed my shivering arms, a shiver ran down my spine and my head spun with all that information.
— You think... I hesitated. — What has anything to do with us?
Aiden shrugged his shoulders.
— I do not know.
— Peter said my smell was attracting attention. — Aiden turned towards me, surprised and static. — They might be behind me. I saw my brother grit his teeth, his jaw cracked.
A cloud of fury took his face. — We will increase the security of the village, put new guards, nothing will happen to you, Hayley. — Guaranteed in a failed attempt to pass me security.
I squinted hard, hating that feeling of vulnerability, of not having control.
— The Supreme could avoid all this. — I whispered that hateful thought that surrounded my mind.
"He left us to die, don’t forget that."
— We’re losing a lot of people, Hayley. We’re at war, that’s a danger to the pack, you know? — I nodded in agreement.
It does not depend on what we want to do but what we should do, we need to protect our people, my sister.
"Should we worry about our people? Aren’t they the ones who have been hunting us for years and have tried to kill us many times for no reason?"
There are many innocent wolves, children who are not to blame for what happened to me, for us. It is not fair to allow them all to die in vain.
"We were children and that didn’t stop them from trying to kill us! From hunting us for years and years."
Aiden must have felt my restlessness, my brother hugged me by the shoulders and kissed my temple slowly.
— We cannot let our lineage end, that is what they desire, to end our race and usurp our rightful place. We cannot lose control of our people, it is our duty to protect them, to keep them safe. We are Labonairs, it is what we were created to do. It’s our nature, it’s our instinct. We can try to ignore what our heart says, but it will result in more innocent wolf deaths. — My eyes burned for the tears I tried to hold.
— Remember the motto of the Pure that our father quoted to us? — I sniffed, drying the lonely tears that flowed down my face.
— To be a Labonair is to be the protector of our people, said in a low voice. — It is our duty to watch over their safety and ensure their well— being. — My vision was blurred.
— We have been given a superior gift to others, and we must honor these abilities and use them for good. Protecting and leading, that is our motto. — We are the guardians of our race, we protect the weakest and welcome the wounded, teach and preserve the meaning of being a Labonair.
— We must remain united as one family.
♡♡♡♡