(New and edited)
CHAPTER 19: The Beta's Girl
I felt my consciousness slip into the dark abyss of a world I wish was real.
Her words slipped in and out of a void I didn't want to touch. Alice Voyage was the daughter of Alpha Edward Voyage. A believer in the Magisterium, something of all cultures, not just the werewolf supernaturals, but a league that formulated schools and districts that collated supernaturals, elementals, faerie, vampires, creatures that people couldn't believe were real. He was a kind Alpha and that was so difficult to find. Even in the Darkling royalty. This league of schools valued loyalty but also equality and why it changed was because of greed. And power. The currency of my time, which was more unfortunate than losing a family too young to understand the meaning of the word, until it's too late.
Alpha Kai Torrence overtook him. He overtook Edward and expanded his own clan with Alice's. Her own mate killed her mother and her brother. She stood by and watched. The strength to do that was extensive, if they could overthrow such a clan, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, now knowing her history. Her reasoning, if that is what she would call it. She gave birth to his children, she produced his blood, she built a new generation with his identity in their veins.
I could never do that.
I wouldn't do that.
He used to. Not since I announced my first pregnancy though. From then on, he was soft. Caressing. And hasn't changed since. They say it's a primal shock to the heart, when a man identifies as something else, something more than that. Even if we don't get to see our children often. When a man becomes a father, more responsibility is sent through the system. We all fight, we women all show defiance against it before the inevitable situates itself in your path. Then again, no one figure out the illusion of our males being cheaters. You shocked many of the women here, who got to start the games naturally, where you were taken in your sleep. It was Martin's idea, apparently, just thought you should know that before you go thinking that I'm just another bitch telling you that life is this way and you should just make your bed and sleep in it.
Her words were engraved in my mind. She seemed unique when I first saw her.
But to hear that her pregnancy changed her male's mind about hurting her, that that is in our descriptive culture of the werewolf community vividly slung anger straight through me, transforming into a long-term, distinctive rage. It wasn't the end of the road, it wasn't acceptance, it was about giving up and giving in. Surveying the atmosphere and being rebellious in her young days before changing it, getting restricted on things like seeing her children. Or telling me that once a man opens his eyes to a different kind of responsibility, like family. Then it changes. Like the violence and sustained cruelty from before is just oh-so-forgiven. No one truly sees it until the story is written and people make up their minds. They make theories about whether it's a reality, or just women gossiping for attention, for the camera flash and the spotlight.
And then the shit about Martin.
Who just keeps getting more and more fucking brownie points here.
I felt a heated sweat sweep behind me, touching the nape of my neck, dripping from two holes that were bristled, foaming up in yellow infestation that I knew should have been killing me, she sat above me, but sadly not just her. I was picked up by a pair of silver eyes, he bit his wrist before forcing something of the like down my throat. The taste so vile, I didn't want it, I didn't want any kind of connection it could create.
I moaned in pain. It tethered and chorded my vessels, strained them with the gushing violence of being ripped apart from the inside out. The vampire dead, I knew that because even with the blood of Martin in my throat, I could feel the wound heal and the deadness of ash and bone in the air, "How?" I bubble, feeling my lips tremble.
Martin rests my head in his hands, his face too close, his heat too hot for my liking—No, it wasn't that, it wasn't the right kind of heat, but when I realise it, I see that he's holding me because he's won, he's found the girl, now he just needs to get to the other side and win, the fight to find me was over and it devastated the hell out of my dignity, probably my pride too.
"Tectonic plate movement cannot stop me from getting what I want." Is his explanation.
Fucking lovely.
I felt the numbness in my neck level out across my body, leaving the odd pins and needles to dance down my right arm and left leg, "We'll begin moving in the morning." Torrence mutters, his female sitting next to Alice while I see Warner, the Beta, facing her. His hand gripping hers. I sit up, Martin tries to stop me, but I ignore him and am pissed when he moves so I'm forced to lean back against him, between his legs with my eyes forward and my head craned on his bicep.
Warner follows Alice's line of sight to me, he stares at me, "You were outside our room with Councilman Kade Knight, and Elder Elias." He states, like that is necessary here.
If I had the energy, I'd beat his arse just to release some anger, Martin doesn't get all of it, but the bastard in front of me should certainly get a piece, "And you're a family killing, pig-headed bitch." I mention.
Alice gives me a flat look, "What I said was in confidence."
"We have cameras on all of us, did you have the whole world sign a confidentiality agreement?" I ask her, sarcastically.
I pause when I see Serena take a bored seat on a log, sighing, "Ladies, we are better than this."
I close my eyes, "All it took was a fucking vampire bite. I was this close to making it on my own. This goddamn close." I grumble.
Serena raises an eyebrow, "In case you hadn't read the rules, clearly not since hurting that poor dancer because you wouldn't read the list of featured qualities exercised in the beginnings of these games, you need your mate before moving to the finish line. So sending a crimson river after him was impulsive and if anything, dumb." She points out. Staring at me now with emotions that filtered along recognition, before dissipating to the look a mother gives to her daughter when she finally sees the world for what it is. How hard it is on women.
I narrow my eyes at that look. Before we're interrupted by Robert speaking with Torrence about getting through what looks like a solidified set of skyscrapers in the distance, something I wouldn't have seen if it weren't for the early sunrise of blue, purple, and pink in the sky. Too early to consider any sort of storm set in this route.
"It's time to put our differences aside. This next move will require teamwork and while I understand what you are feeling right now, Alpha Martin, but we need to be on the move if we can get to the other side of those skyscrapers and through the maze within three days. If we stay close to the tree line of the forest, we won't be out in the open, but we cannot slow down." Alpha Kai Torrence decided to put a strategic notion on his name, he folds his arms, staring only at Martin, because I'm just not worth a gaze, apparently.
Martin tightens his arms around me, "I will carry her. She will not be doing too much physical activity." Oh, thank god for that, I thought I'd be left behind considering the majority of those around us would rather see me die. Which honestly didn't sound so surprising at this point of time. I keep my head positioned on Martin's arm, merely because I couldn't move it, each time I tried, I remembered the pain, the way it struck without remorse.
The way it was so quick and the darkness that shattered what was already moving within me.
I felt myself swaying lightly, the ground moving while fingers tighten around my legs and waist. Lips brush my forehead as the company moves in one orderly fashion. It's quiet, males helping the females whenever there's a bloody log. But it's still dead silent while I feel myself drifting.
"...how did she order the crimson witch?"
"Don't you mean 'how did she defeat her?' That sounds more legitimate." Torrence's unattractive voice ruffles my sleep.
Martin doesn't speak, he only walks us both further to the front. I blink my eyes open, "I need to walk." I say, thinking my voice would be fine, only I croaked out my words.
Martin stops and gently lowers me down, not arguing, surprising me yet again but I ignore it as my shoes touch the grassy floor and I tense, feeling his hand in mine, the other around my waist before that hand leaves mine to check my neck. I stare under his chin, "Has it healed?"
"Yes, but you're going to feel numb for quite some time. Stretch your legs for a minute, then you'll be in my arms again." He promises, eyes moving to look directly into my view. I pull away from him before he reaches out, plucks me up and sits me on a log, kneeling before me to roll out my legs. I ignore the eyes on us both, the scoffing of males voices, the insulting, harsh looks I get from a few other males and the eyes of the females in the shared group behind and in front of us.
I stopped looking around and instead pulled my leg from Martin's grasp, annoyance on my tongue. He stays kneeled in the dirt in front of me. There was grime on his face, the odd smudges here and there, then I see silver eyes. He's staring at me, almost wanting to hold it there, "You didn't stop because of tectonic plate movement," He says to me, "You stopped because you heard a scream. My scream, and it made you pause. It made an ounce of regret sit in ghat devious, gorgeous mind of yours. There's no point lying to me right now, there's also no point strong-arming me. You care, and you can continue hiding it all you like but I know the truth. Now, are you going to let me carry you willingly or not?" He asks me stoically.
I stare at him, "Did you see the face of the vampire who bit me?" I didn't listen closely to his words.
He stares at me, "The machine had no face."
I purse my lips, "That's not true."
"Why are you focusing on that?" He questions, standing and leaning on a tree trunk behind him.
I swallow and flick my eyes to the hills west of us, "Because I wouldn't have stopped, I wouldn't have paused if I hadn't seen him before the creature jumped me." I mutter.
"It was a she." He points out.
"No, it wasn't, it was Elias." I spit.
The atmosphere is silent, I struggle to stand, feeling my hand crawl up to my neck and I close my eyes at the memory, "He chased me, he ignored Alice. In fact his every step was patterning mine. Whether machine or some simulation, it was a he, it was Elder Elias." I insisted.
Martin steps forward, I snap my eyes open then, "No, it looked like you. I only knew it wasn't because she was on top of you and I had no problem ripping her apart because if it was you, if I couldn't tell, then that would ruin me. But I knew what I was doing. I was protecting my mate, because that is my job, that is my life, despite the times I must punish you and expect the same from you if I ever require punishment but not seeing you for days opened my goddamn eyes, alright. I know I've treated you like shit because of the rejection, because it did fucking hurt me, but this. This is our lives, goddamnit and I will not stand here and argue with the woman I cherish to the ends of the earth when she refuses to love me back!"
Oh, this son of a bitch.
I stare at him.
I stare at the length of him while I could practically feel anyone watching this shit show, telling me to run to him and say that I love him too, but that's just it, I still feel nothing. He can have an audience or none at all and say these words, but I just couldn't look at him the way the imbecile was staring at me now.
I wondered if he did this on purpose. No, I know he did this on purpose.
I stare at him now, my eyes penetrate his indecipherable ones, "I can walk on my own now." I move past him.
That numbness leaves me like a hurricane while Serena groans above us, "C'mon! Really!" She yells at me. There was a strangely heightened sense of mortal fear in the air, human fear and I frown, moving further towards an area of fairy lights and shocked, ignoring the masculine screams and drum-like noises behind me. I turn to find out what the hell they're yelling at me for, but in shock, Martin's banging against some sort of shield before he dissolves. Before they all do. I run up in horror, seeing it, the shield is gone and so are they. The log I sat on before, I was standing on it now, looking around.
"Martin!" I call out.
Nothing.
Nothing but weird squeals and laughter. I spin around and still at the sight of three girls following what looks to be an orange ball of fur.
"Hello, wait! Stop, what is this?!" I call out to them, wondering what the hell they're doing here?
"Wait! Stop, please!" I call out, running after them, before widening my eyes when the fairy lights come into view and bonfires surrounded by females and males alike, humans with beer and food. It looks as though I just walked in on a century-old time stamp, the woman had flowers in their hair, dancing in bare feet and there, sitting in the middle with its sharp white whiskers tilted at a forty-degree angle, is a Fox.
Of all things.
TO BE CONTINUED...