Alpha Brothers - The Trickster (book 4)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Bleu
It's been two weeks since I left Faol Coillie. The first couple of days I had just cried. Heartbroken and miserable because I missed Graham so damn much. But by the fourth day, I snapped. I needed to survive out here, show myself that I could live by myself.
So, first things first was to find the cave that Graham took me to when we first met. It took me half the day to find it. But I did find it which was a triumph in itself. When I found the cave, it was the first time I realized that I was hungry.
So, making sure that I remembered what way I turned by marking the trees that I pasted, I looked for food. From there, I kept quiet and waited till I spied a pheasant. I didn't have any other weapon bar from my magic, so with a sway if my hand I snapped it's neck. I didn't have time to feel remorse for killing the poor creature. I was too damn hungry.
That night, I gathered a small stack of fire wood and lit it by focusing my mind. That way, I had a source of warmth and was able to cook my bird. At first, I had no idea about how to cook the damn thing. But then I recorded watching Graham when he had cooked our first dinner. First, I de-feathered the bird and then carefully placed it on the fire to cook.
I remembered over hearing a conversation one of the male witches had with his son the day before they had planned to camp. He was talking about how to cook chickens. He said if you poke the bird and if the juice is white, then it's cooked. If it's red, it's not.
I waited for about an hour before it was finally cooked and good enough to eat.
Next day, I made my way down to the river. I could wash my clothes and just relax in the water. My mind floated away and I soon forgot about everything and the very reason I was out here. Though I didn't think all of it through. I had to walk back to the cave stark naked, but that was a new experience too.
The nights were the hardest. The night terrors had returned without Graham to scare them away. Harrison had recruited more witches. I could sense their growing power. But what I feared was that I sensed it close and that's why the night terrors were worse than before. They were a warning that I had ignored ever since I got to Foal Coillie.
But the ancestors weren't just warning me about Harrison. They were furious about my relationship with Graham. They continued to haunt me, tell me that I had tarnished my pure bloodline by mating with a werewolf. I tried to tell them that he was just as pure as I was, that his bloodline was royalty and that by carrying his mark, I was stronger. But they had shut me down and told me that I was foolish. That every werewolf was the same. Angry, aggressive, half-breed creatures. And just as I went to tell them that Graham and his family were different, they threw in my face that they were the reason that I was torn from my coven. But they were the reason why I found my mate. I mean, sure witches don't have mates per say, but Graham was. So why did I leave him?
I didn't regret my decision, truly. I had never felt so free in my entire life. But I feared that when I finally decided to return, it would be too late and he would never want me too. Sure, we had mated and fell in love, but nothing could fix a broken heart. And when I walked away, I tore both our hearts apart.
Through my crazy thoughts, I forgot what I was doing. Hunting.
I sat on a fallen branch trying to spot a pheasant for dinner. I knew it wouldn't take long.
And just as I spotted one, something grabbed me from behind. A tight hold covered my mouth and an arm hugged me to his body. I fault against the grip but he was too strong. Supernatural strong.
"There you are," a recognisable voice whispered in my ear, "We've been lookin' for you for awhile, Blue Flower."
Oh no. My blood ran cold. Anndra. Harrison's beta. Just the very idea of going back brought tears to my eyes and determination to fight back.
Clutching his arm I dug my nails into his skin. He yelled and let go and I fell to the ground. Seeing my chance, I scrambled away. Just as I was about to run for the cave, I realized that I would be doing what I always did. It was time to fight.
I turned around and with the force within me, I through him against a tree.
"How dare you threaten me?" I yelled, gripping him in my force and throwing him against the next tree, "I'm not the witch that you captured any more, I'm stronger."
"Oh yeah," he growled, his eyes glowing their urban colour before he shifted into a huge grey wolf.
I didn't have time to stop him. He jumped me and bit down hard on my shoulder. A fire had been lit against my skin as his sharp teeth tore it apart. My lungs expanded as I screamed as loud as I could, trying not to cry.
Focus Bleu! I yelled at myself, you're stronger than this!
I was. I had lived without any help for two weeks and survived. I had been through night-terror-filled and lonely nights without my mate to comfort me. And it would take a lot more than a damn wolf to kidnap me now.
Using all my strength and power, I through the wolf off me. It yelped when it hit the tree but any remorse that I had was taken away when it growled a threat at me. And just as it went to leap and attack again, I snapped its neck.
Tears fell down my cheeks as relief filled me. I even gave a half smile before I realized what I had done. I had killed somebody. I saw the life in his eyes and saw that it was less valuable than mine. And I felt glad. Because I didn't have to return to that place.
And that's when I realized. I was no better than Callum, Malcolm or Archie. They only did what they thought was the safest option. I was just collateral damage. I think I could live with that.
With a burning shoulder and an ache inside my heart that needed to be fixed, I turned in the direction of the house.