Sold To A Beast

Freedom

It was getting harder to stand it, the constant reminder that he was gone like this. I could feel Dameon's mind prods at the outskirts of mine for any sign that I would collapse or break. Truly I felt like I only had the energy to stand now, there was no reason to do anything else.

"There's another matter that we needed to see you about." Christine Birdy said softly, looking a little nervous as she tried to deliver it lightly. "It's about Cain's pack and the transferred leadership."

"To our little infinity - "

"ANDREW NO!"

"Emily, concentrate on your breathing..." Gale's words were nothing but another painful reminder as my body rejected the sound and feel of him like this. I booted him from my mind and blinked away the blurry glaze from my eyes.

"C-Cain's pack?" I fought through the trembling of nervousness, the resentment I still hold for him was strong for taking away what was mine. The bitter taste of hate would not go away.

"Andrew defeated Cain, therefore the right to reign over them is now yours. They are currently residing in a pack house stationed a few miles from this one." Roland spoke with a calm tone, probably sensing my unease and defensiveness. "The decision is yours to keep them, throw them out, or pick through them until you're satisfied."

"I would not recommend letting them all go, rogues are desperate wolves. If you have them under your control they will be less of a nuisance later on." Ruben stated, "If you decide to not want them, I will happily chase them away for you."

I couldn't bring myself to smile anymore, just answering with a nod or two to please them.

"I think that's enough for today." Finley said softly as she silenced any further discussion. She looked at me, her face looking a little saddened. "She needs to rest, go take some time to recover and we will try not to disturb you as much as we have to."

I nodded my head, some relief coming to me now that I could leave. "Thank you, for everything." Lowering my head in dismissal, I retreated from their pity glances and left the library. Dameon and Gale followed behind me, Cantu entertaining our guests so that we could exit. When we were a little ways from the library and I could no longer see the door, a strangled whine left my throat as I forced myself to hold back my cry.

I stopped at the entrance of the pack house, glaring at the great doors in front of me that blocked my view of the outside. "I want to be alone right now. Go and do something else." Pulling open one of the doors, it shut with a thud behind me as I stepped out of imprisonment.

Andrew's body laid at the bottom of the steps, knife protruding from his chest and his hand extended for me to take. I made myself stand still, knowing it was my maddened mind playing tricks with me. I watched him bleed out, calling for my name until I could only stand there and cry. I blinked and he disappeared.

Stepping out into the rain, I lifted my face towards the sky as the rain droplets painted my face, feeling like ice against my skin. It didn't lessen the ache in my heart.

I walked, taking slow steps across the wet grass as the shivers began and my teeth tried to chatter, more memories of Andrew flashing around me. When I got too tired, I found a spot to sit on the ground, my eyes trained on the dark clouds rolling and moving above my head. Thunder rang and shook the ground with its strength, I watched the lighting light the clouds into a white before spreading somewhere else and leaving the sky dark again.

The girl once afraid of thunder lived no more.

There was nothing for me to be afraid of now, my traumas convinced me I would never recover from them and I could think of nothing scarier.

My fist flew into the earth as I released my anger, screaming my frustrations like the ground would swallow me up too. I hit the ground until I ran out of breath, falling back to lay on the ground and watch the rain fall.

"You told me I'd be safe with you, that I would always be at your side so that you could watch over me." I whispered slowly, the wind ripping them from the air the moment I spoke them. "You left me so easily -"

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to control my anger, wishing I could swallow it somehow and silence it.

"You abandoned me!" I sobbed, crying freely now that the storm was louder and I was finally alone. It was painful to let it out, to let it be known that I was hurting and it couldn't be fixed. I rasped for another breath, wanting to scream again in hopes for release. "What happened to always?"

My body shook with exhaustion, running out of energy after neglecting my body for so long. I couldn't tell if my cheeks were raw from the crying or the cold rain, not able to feel much of my body as I shook from the cold.

"Why did you leave me?"

My beast- My friend - My mate.

"I love you!"

My head pounded with a headache and my body was frozen in a critical state, my eyes rolling to the back of my head from the pressure against my skull. There would be no recovery, instead a replacement. I couldn't lead this pack, I even doubted myself when I had Andrew's help.

I smiled genuinely at the thought of being freed from this world, not having to return to the human world either. Black spots began to stain my vision like spilled black ink on white paper, coating my vision in darkness until I could only hear the rain and Dameon's frantic screams as he called for me. He would be too late.

Always?