Hidden Away

Thirty-Five: Actions and Consequences

"They want you and Bennett to give up what you have. They want complete control of the world," He says. I know this. We've all known this. They've made it apparent for hundreds of years. And they're not going to stop until they have what they want.

"They can have it," I mutter, but I don't mean it. No one knows what life would turn into under total control from the Destroyers, and I certainly don't want to live in the reality where they do. "Why does everything happen to us?" I don't know why my question is directed towards Evan. It's not like he can answer it. "I lost my family at two weeks old and was kept from them for seventeen years. I find out my so called father isn't my father and everything I know has been a lie. And now that I'm finally where I belong with my real pack and family, they were killed!" Tears stream down my face, calling onto my lap and onto the ground around me.

"It'll be okay—"

"It's not okay, Evan," I yell. "Nothing about this is okay. They didn't deserve to die because of me." I look up at him, my lip quivering just thinking about it. "You don't deserve to die because of me."

"I'd die if it means keeping you safe." He whispers, placing another kiss on the top of my head. My heart swells. I don't know how I got so lucky. The world around me may be going to shit, but at least I still have him. "And it would be worth it because at least you would be alive."

"A life without you isn't a life worth living." I say. "Not when you're the only thing I have left." Evan's soft smile fades into a frown.

"You don't just have me," he says. "You have Rowan, Lily, Carlina, and... Bennett." He says his name with hesitation. He isn't used to the fact that I'm meant to love Bennett.

"But I wouldn't have you."

"You don't need me," he says, a soft smile settling on his lips. But before I can reply, he changes the subject. "You need to avenge them," he says. "They didn't deserve this fate. You don't deserve this amount of pain."

"Don't I?" I ask.

"No, Norah," he replies. "Why would you even ask that? You haven't done anything to deserve any of this. You just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." his hand falls to the back of my head and he picks up a strand of my hair, playing with it.

I erupt into a small chuckle. "I wish it were as simple as just being in the right place at the wrong time. Everything comes down to me being born into this fate that I'm supposed to live."

"Ruin them." Evan's voice changes. A new darkness underlines it as if he's angry that they even dared to hurt me. "You need to make them regret hurting you." His words get to me because anger begins to rise within me and my blood begins to boil. All my painful memories come back. Alec, their leader, took me from my family and posed as my father. He hurt me throughout the entire time I knew him. He faked my childhood best friend's death and the Destroyers gave her back to me nearly dead because they wanted to hurt me. They killed my parents and now I'm here, looking down at their graves, wishing this would all have happened differently. Wishing I was never found because then they would still be alive. They'd be in pain because I would still be missing, but I would be forgotten eventually, and I think I would rather be forgotten than let them die.

Suddenly, I rise to my feet. No other thoughts swirl around in my head but one. All I can think about is getting to the dungeons where the Destroyer spies are being held. When I get to the giant iron door, one of the two guards stationed by it opens it for me. They now who I am so they don't even question my identity.

I look behind me and realize Evan is following me. I can't quite hear what he's shouting at me, but it sounds like he's worried. He doesn't want me to do anything I might regret, which I don't understand because he told me I needed to avenge my parents. It doesn't matter though. I'm not going to wait around long enough for him to say something that'll stop me.