Damnatus

Chapter Twenty Five

  ❝One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.❞― Antonio Porchia  

                  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. Terror Made Me Cruel...

"Declan?" A small, almost scared voice interrupted the flaring discussion between the circle of lycanthropes, including Kira.

Fourteen pair of eyes looked over to the doorway, where a small, bruised figure stood.

It was a girl with skin the color of caramel and curls the color of ink. She was short in height--about 5'2 feet--but beautiful.

And terribly damaged.

She limped over to him with her hands rubbing her eyes. Everyone had fallen silent. Declan engulfed the girl in an embrace, and she buried her face in his chest. "I'm here," Kira noticed he was careful not to hurt her tender skin and healing wounds as he put his arms around her.

It was clear she'd been abused for a while. She didn't make much eye contact and flinched a lot. Kira could see old scars all over her arms and legs. There was a particularly long and messy one running along her jaw, a shade lighter than her.

She'd been staying in their house for a week now. Kira didn't know much about her. Only that she'd been human when some hunters took her and threw her in a cage with a werewolf far too gone to go back to human form. Inevitably, the wolf attacked her and she Turned. One would think the hunters let her go, but that's when they began experimenting horribly with her.

"Declan, why the fuck is she still here?" It was Emmett who spoke, his voice harsh and unapologetic. "We have enough problems to deal with. She's a rogue. She's not our responsibility."

The girl turned her head to look at Emmett, her eyes glassy and scared.

Kira didn't blame her. The emotions running in the room were anything but pleasant.

Declan shot Emmett a cold glare as his shoulders tensed and his jaw ticked. Kira knew that if the girl hadn't been in his arms, he would've already fired right for Emmett's face. "You're right. I found her in the woods, beaten to near death. I brought her here. She's my responsibility. You don't have to worry about her," Declan gave him a dismissive, mocking wave. "Carry the fuck on to whatever nonsense you were talking about."

Roman clamped his hand on Emmett's shoulder in a heartbeat, stopping him from charging at Declan. "Emmett." Roman growled.

"Fighting won't solve any problems," Kira sliced in sharply, looking at both men across one another. "The Wards grew in number this past year. I saw two of them near the house." Surprised looks were everywhere in the room and Fiona, a young but skilled member of the pack, gasped. "We're in danger. It's only a matter of time..." Kira softened her gaze when she made eye contact with Cheryl, the frightened girl in Declan's arms, then glanced at Declan. "She can stay," her eyes slid to Emmett. "She's not causing any trouble."

"It's true, Emmett." Jacob, a restless fair haired pack member said. "Just look at the girl. She's terrified to even look at us."

Emmett didn't say anything.

"I say we train," Omar began to say, bringing back the conversation to where they left off. He was tall with dark hair and brown skin. Kira's heart hammered in her chest when they locked eyes. She had feelings for him, annoyingly so. But it was never to be. He was twenty and she was fifteen but looked twelve. She also couldn't afford such distraction. "They've always had an advantage. Modernized and silenced guns, arrows dipped with poison, explosives...we have to think like them--take them by surprise before they could use their weapons. We're faster. And only some of them have those weapons. The rest merely use long knifes."