"Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette,
I'm a lifeless face that you'll soon forget,
And my eyes are damp from the words you left,
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest."
– Youth, Daughter.
[Unedited - I don't know why I keep bothering to inform you on this when you all probably know by now I edit the entire story at the end]
Celia was lightly shaken to consciousness. Shivering as blazing fire seared through her veins she blinked away sleep that had formed on the inside of her eyes. The night, eerie and unmoving made strange sounds. It was as if the darkness acted to morph the sounds of the wilds into something horrific. The quick scuttering of nocturnal animals rang through the low bushland that surrounded them. The sea kissed the sand in the near distance, but the dark made it sound like a million spiders crawling from the earth's pit.
Alpha Lennon stood by the border of his territory, broad frame outlined by the car's headlights. Stumbling out of her seat, Celia drew in a deep breath. She missed the salty smell of the sea and the soft ocean breeze that caressed her face. She heard the door behind her swing open and out popped the small girl that had been dragged from her home.
Cassius stayed in the car, cold glare focused on the male bathed in blinding headlights. Celia smiled at him, the old, familiar face brought her a certain comfort she had grown to miss.
"Hello Celia," his coarse voice cut through the soft crashing of waves in the distance. Sighing in relief she walked forward and stopped by the border. "Are you ready?" He asked her from the other side. Gulping loudly she nodded and readied herself for the pain that came with crossing a territory belonging to a pack she wasn't a part of.
Stepping through the border, Celia held out her hand to Alpha Lennon who quickly made a small cut in her palm with a thin blade. A quick sting jolted up her arm as scarlet drops formed on the soft skin of her palm. She stared numbly at the beads of blood that squeezed out of the small opening before Alpha Lennon blocked her view with his own torn palm and connecting their blood. She felt as if the weight of the world had been dropped on her. A piercing pain cut through her temples as she waited for the bond to Cassius' pack to break and for a new one to form.
As their blood weaved together the thick cloud of pain slowly evaporated until she felt the threads of the West pack release their grip on her, allowing the vines of her old pack to safely wrap around her like they had for most of her life. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cassius flinch as the ties were broken, but she didn't dare to turn towards him.
Instead she smiled at Alpha Lennon, a small part of her glad to be rid of the intense atmosphere of the west pack's link. Celia turned to Aria and gave her a reassuring smile. Aria's eyes darted around nervously until they came to a stop on the floor beneath her feet. The territory lines were invisible, but anyone could feel the power of the border if they got close enough.
After a few seconds hesitation Aria stepped into the territory and held out a shaking hand towards Alpha Lennon. In the background, tires screeched loudly against the road as Cassius made a sharp U-turn and sped away into the distance, leaving Alpha Lennon and the two girls in the darkness. The three of them watched silently as the bright red headlights shrank into the distance. Celia felt rooted in the spot. Unable to move as she stared dumbfoundedly at the road where the car had previously been.
He actually left her. Clenching her jaw she swallowed deeply. Remember, this is what you wanted. She thought to herself, willing the flower of pain that had begun to blossom in her stomach.
"Let's go," Alpha Lennon mumbled softly, guiding her to the meeting house by the elbow. Walking through the night felt like a dream. Celia, for some reason, felt incomplete. She refused to admit the single minute that had passed since he left had affected her. No, she does not miss him. Not one bit...
Instead of focussing on the heaviness of her heart she turned her senses to her surroundings. Everything was dark. The lack of lights shining through windows of the small houses they passed proved it was a ridiculous time to be awake. The thick shadows of the night was their only accomplice.
Although the night altered the territory she was so used to, Celia found herself reveling in all the familiar things. The way the wind whispered secrets to the trees. The gentle crashing of waves in the distance. The way her shoes sank into the sandy floor – they were so close to the beach it was nearly impossible to grow anything useful. She remembers how everyone tries their best to keep the plants alive in dirt that refused to nourish them.
Just ahead a large house peaked through the trees. It was different to Cassius's meeting hall. It was a large beach shack made of thick, old wood painted in bright colours.
Alpha Lennon opened the door to the large, beach style meeting house and stood to the side to allow the girls through. All packs had a similar setup. A plain hall used for pack gatherings, and rooms upstairs where all the high wolves reside. Much to Celia's content, the staircase here was a lot safer than the thin spiral steps she had entrusted at Cassius's pack.
The three of them ascended the stairs and quietly made their way down the hall before stopping in front of a wooden door with the name BETA scratched into it. The carving was messy and stiff, as if someone had engraved it with a pocket knife. Celia felt a stab of pain as the golden cursive flashed behind her eyes. It was funny how small things had big impacts in the future.
A warm, calloused hand found residence on her shoulder and she looked up into her Alpha's eyes. He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze as if to say you'll be alright before it slipped off and he entered the adjacent door, leaving the girls in silence.
No one came to greet them inside. Instead, Celia lead Aria into her room and they both crashed onto her queen sized bed in silence. Neither of them bothered of change out of clothes, they just kicked their shoes off and waited for their eyes to succumb to the tiredness that had been dragging them down.
Aria was swept out of consciousness within minutes, leaving Celia to her thoughts. Unfortunately, they drifted to the very person she didn't want to have anything to do with.
How can I miss someone I don't even know? She asked herself. Their interactions had consisted of her being a social retard with a bad case of word vomit while he only grumbled the odd do this or I don't want to talk about it.
So how? How is it possible to need someone so badly when all you want to do is hate them? Celia couldn't figure it out.
A certain song from the human era lifted from the fog that kept her memories at bay. It was a beautiful tune, the soft sound of instruments thrumming as the melodic voice of a young girl rose above it. The words she sang use to be just that. Words. Letters on a page strung together to create meaningless sentences. But know those sentences had meaning. They meant everything to Celia. It was is if someone from the past foresaw what would happen and wrote down the words. It was a crazy form of deja vu.
Well this is torturous
Electricity between both of us
And this is dangerous 'cause I want you so much
But I hate your guts.
It was all she remembered from long ago. Sitting on the couch with Eve, a single earbud each as they sat together in silence, listening to the angelic voice that passed through the small speakers. It had made their insides twist, knowing they were one of the only people to ever listen to this song after the humans died out. Thinking to themselves: how terrible would life be for these people, not knowing there was someone out there for you?
It was illegal, like a lot of things from the human era. She never really understood why, but thinking back on the small snippet of song that was on constant repeat in her head, she thought it was because it represented love in a bad way. All she had ever been taught was paper thin explanations. She would find a mate, she would love him and he would love her. That was it.
Only one emotion mattered, and only one emotion would rise above the rest. At least, that was what she was told. Instead, her feelings were contradicting. Simple examples only go so far when it is in relation to something as complicated as mates. Fate makes her want to love him, but he's the only one that can truly make her fall for him. So far he's failed.
Drawing in a deep breath she felt her throat clog up as tears pushed behind her eyes. I guess not everyone has happy endings...
•§•
The unfamiliar sting of tears was still present when Celia woke up. Her eyes, feeling about the size of tennis balls, roared angrily in the mirror as she stared at herself. Unkept hair frizzed up on weird angles, visible creases had formed on the left side of her face where the crumpled sheets had left their signature throughout the night. Her nose was so blocked, so heavy she thought someone had shoved lead up there. Celia had obviously been crying in her sleep and she hated herself for it.
Grabbing a tissue from the bookshelf below her wall mirror, Celia turned and headed for the small ensuite that had been attached to her room. Trying her best to ignore Aria's sympathetic gaze. Undressing, Celia turned the tap on and jumped in without a thought on what the temperature might be like.
The freezing spray of water was an instant shock, yet she stayed within its grasp until her body grew used to the icy drops clawing at her skin. The water washed over her and helped eradicate the thick clump of despair that was lodged in her throat. Closing her eyes she let the jets of water spray against her eyes and pound the puffy, red skin away.
When Celia stepped out, she welcomed the warm air that wrapped around her. Grabbing her towel, she dried off and walked back into her room with the towel around her body.
"There's a clean towel there for you if you want a shower," she told Aria as she looked for clothes in her draw. Aria nodded and rushed into the ensuite, giving Celia some privacy to dress herself.
After both girls had refreshed themselves, they made their way into the small living and dining room. Celia had dreaded the moment of facing her parents. She felt, for some unfathomable reason, like she had failed. The two Beta's sat at the dining table with a plate of toast between them. When Celia entered the room her mother, Jane, jumped from her seat and ran to her daughter.
The weight of her mother's body crashing into her own sent Celia to stumble backwards. Long arms pulled her tight and gripped on for dear life.
"Celia, I missed you honey," Jane mumbled into her thick disastrous mane. The comfort of her mother's arms threatened tears to form. Sucking in deeply Celia closed her eyes and willed them away.
She would not let anyone see how much he had hurt her.
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xxx Thanks all for reading!
*** PS: Go to the next page if you want to read some general information about this book. Like mates, hierarchy, territories etc. ***
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