Purgatory (bxb)

Chapter 15

"Tell me the truth, what did you have left to lose? To be seen in my eyes, as a fool down on his knees. When the kingdom has lost its king, who's left to lead?"
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I stare at them and they blink at me.

Kyle snaps out of it and shakes his head.

"We'll explain later. We have to get you back inside for now."

Aiden nods in agreement and they escort me back, with Greg leading the way. I fight the urge to protest.

I feel out of place, a human in a pack of wolves, a stranger in a strange land.

I've always felt out of place, of course, but not like this.

Before, I never really belonged anywhere, but I didn't know anybody else, so I didn't have to bother about trying to fit in.

Now I have Aiden and Kyle, and as much as I dislike the idea of them staying with me, I have grown too attached to them to even think about leaving them before they can leave me.

I am a human in a pack of wolves, and I fear them. I fear what they can do to me, how they can make me feel, and I hate how easily they seem to tear down my walls, to read me like an open book.

I hate how weak I feel around them, to have to be escorted back into the cabin because of some trespassers.

They make me feel smaller than I already am, treat me like someone precious, someone to be protected at all costs, when I am in reality far from it.

There is a rustling in the bushes, and we turn around to look. Kyle and Aiden stand before me in defence, while Greg stands before them, body on alert.

Greg is poised to attack.

"Wait!"

Aiden's sudden exclamation makes me jump in surprise, but he doesn't even notice, too focused on the shy girl stepping out in front of us.

She is pretty, with her short blond hair and dark eyes. She is obviously anxious, with the way she fidgets and eyes Greg like a deer caught in the headlights.

Greg relaxes a little, but holds out a hand to stop Aiden from getting any closer.

Kyle steps up instead.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Perhaps it is the tension in the air that affects my hearing, or maybe it is the werewolf in him that causes Kyle's voice to sound a lot stronger, a lot more intimidating.

Too intimidating, apparently, for the girl started shaking on the spot.

There is something familiar about her eyes, and the sparkle inside them. I cannot place my finger on it and it frustrates me.

"S-Sylvia. My name is Sylvia. My dad and I just moved here and wanted to explore but we didn't know we were trespassing!"

Her speech comes out fast, so fast I am surprised she doesn't stumble over her own words.

Aiden is frowning now, and walks up to her, his frown deepening when she shifts away from him.

He holds up his hands in surrender, talking to her in the most gentle voice he can manage.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sylvia. I promise."

He holds out a hand to shake, and Sylvia stares at it warily. She regards him with caution, before placing her hand in his only to jerk it away with a scream.

Kyle's eyes widen in realisation and I swallow the sigh rising in my throat.

Aiden grins at her.

"I'm Aiden. Sorry about the whole thing with me shocking you."

Aiden is already smitten with her, and I cannot help feeling sorry for him, for his inability to choose his own lover.

Annoyance flashes in Sylvia's eyes, an emotion so familiar to me. She is no longer afraid.

"Do you pull this prank on everyone you meet, Aiden?"

Kyle looks at me in surprise and I say nothing. She is so familiar, too familiar, and there is a voice nagging at me in my mind, as if trying to make me remember.

Where have I seen those eyes?

Aiden shrugs sheepishly.

"Not really, no. You're just special, I guess. And pretty, too."

Sylvia blushes and looks away.

Greg is finally at ease, and so is Kyle, which in turn makes Sylvia a lot more comfortable.

Sylvia turns to the rest of us.

"Who are you guys?"

Kyle and Greg introduce themselves, each shaking hands with her in greeting, and Sylvia turns to me expectantly.

I owe her nothing, but reply anyway.

"Nick."

She smiles at me, holding her hand out to shake. It is scary how confident she is now compared to when she was shaking in fear just a few minutes ago.

"It's nice to meet you, Nicholas."

I do not acknowledge her, nor do I react. I hear a sharp intake of breath as Aiden steps forward nervously.

"His name is just Nick, Sylvia."

Sylvia frowns, and I know Kyle is getting protective of me as he steps between me and Sylvia.

"Nick sounds a little too informal though, shouldn't I call him by his full name-"

"My full name is Nick."

I feel myself losing patience, a tiny crack forming in the walls around me as a memory starts to form, a memory I just can't seem to fully grasp.

Her frown deepens, and Kyle looks upset. I change the topic before the situation gets out of hand.

"You said you're here with your father. Where is he now?"

Footsteps echo from the direction Sylvia came from, stopping just out of our sight for a moment, before a man steps out to stand beside Sylvia, escorted by someone I can only assume to be Henry, as he bows to Kyle.

Why do they bow to Kyle?

I do not have the time to contemplate, for my eyes lock with the dark orbs of the man before me, and it all clicks.

"Yes, Nicholas. Your daddy would never leave you alone. I promise."

I cannot move, cannot look away as Aiden seethes with rage at the sight of him.

Sylvia is curious, Kyle is concerned, Aiden is furious and all eyes are on me, waiting for me to react.

When you look at the man that used to be your father, do you remember him as the father you looked up to, or the man that walked out on his own family?