Lunatics {Book 1 ✔️}

Chapter 26

"Tell Elias I'm sorry," he breathed. "And Tucker too...I'm so sorry."

Before I could think about what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried myself in his hug. Moments ago his mother was trying to kill me and now I was hugging him. I was comforted by the fact that not a lot of my life made sense at the moment. He didn't think it was strange, however, and wrapped his arms around my back. For the first time since I'd walked into Anna's tent, I felt relaxed in my friend's arms.

We released each other and I sent him a wary smile that he returned, not reaching his eyes. The two Joy brothers watched me as I walked away.

"Ready?" Ben asked as soon as I caught up with them.

He didn't look at me when he spoke, his eyes were inspecting the trees. I swallowed the lump in my throat. The implications of what I'd done were washing over me with every step I took. The woods weren't cold anymore. I didn't feel death.

I didn't feel anything.

My arms wrapped around my middle as I walked between the two silent boys. It wasn't until we reached my bike that I decided to explain myself. I figured we were far enough from the camp that neither of them would do anything stupid when I told them.

My bike was slightly wet as a result of the misty evening. I wiped the seat off absently as the two boys stood behind me. Curiosity hung between us and I was terrified to lift it and answer their questions.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face them. Their eyes pierced me, brown eyes more so than the teal.

"I-uh don't know where to begin."

Tucker crossed his arms. "The beginning would be ideal."

Deep breath. "After you left, I told her why I'd come to speak with her- that I wanted to ask her questions. She started to talk to me about daemons."

"And uh," I coughed. "The tethers that supposedly help keep them grounded without succumbing to the darkness."

The two boys looked at each other in confusion. I wasn't surprised. They would've mentioned something if they'd known what it was beforehand.

I struggled to say the next few words. "And then she uh she told me that...well, that Owein killed your mother."

The two boys said nothing. I waited for an explosive response but it didn't come. Tucker seemed to wince but Ben's face remained unchanged. Tucker noticed my expectant look and sighed.

"We'd figured as much. In order to become a true fully-powerful alpha, you have to kill your own alpha. At first, we thought Owein just stepped up as the leader of the pack, but the more we watched him the more powerful he seemed," Tucker paused. "When you found out that he was hiring...hunters we put two and two together."

"You didn't think to mention that to me?"

Ben scoffed, muttering to himself. "Oh right, like we're the only ones holding out information."

I put my hands on my hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He lifted his head to look at me, his brown eyes flickering blue. I swallowed.

"We burst into the tent after hearing screams only to find one of the most powerful alphas cowering at your feet? Want to get to the part where you learned how to do that? Or better yet, why?"

His voice held notes of anger mixed with confusion and hurt. He seemed torn between being scared for me and scared of me. I wanted to reach out to him but I was frozen in place.

Our friendship was something that had become so constant in my life. The thought of losing it because of the darkness I'd unleashed, scared me more than the actual power.