The rage was palpable. It was like stepping out of an air-conditioned room into the Saharan Desert, like a wall of heat smacking Kaia in the face. It was shock and fear she felt when he ripped her from her dream with Kaleb, that warm and soft dream.
It was like falling from the clouds down to earth, only to smack into solid concrete and turn into a quivering puddle. "I underestimated you, Kaia," he growled.
"Jack, I-" Kaia started, but he held up his hand. The fury in his eyes shut her up.
"Listen to me, Kaia. I know what you must think of me, that I'm a monster, but-"
"You are a monster!" Kaia shouted. She'd snapped. It had seemed like he was about to defend himself, defend his actions. Such a thing was so outrageous that Kaia couldn't bring herself to listen to it. "You murdered my mother!"
"I didn't want to!" Jack bellowed.
Kaia froze, her breath suspended as if her lungs had heard that shout and stopped on their own, else they anger Jack further. It was the first time she'd seen Jack legitimately break his composure, his face reddening and his eyes on fire. It was terrifying. "What do you mean?" Kaia asked, taking a step away from him.
Kaia felt like needles surrounded her, and if she dared move an inch, said or did the wrong thing, they would pierce her skin. "I..." Jack started and then he sighed. His shoulder collapsed and it was like all of his energy left him at once. His shockingly blue eyes dulled.
"She was nothing but kind to me. She understood me, got close to me when no one else could. I hate that she died for it."
Kaia felt a lump form in the back of her throat, and her eyes stung. "You what?" Kaia asked breathlessly. She'd felt the threat of danger leave Jack as his eyes lost their shine. He seemed defeated, like a storm that had fizzled out just before the thunder shook the house and rattled the windows.
This man had turned out to be anything other than what Kaia had expected of him. He hadn't seemed evil when she'd met him; conniving, yes, secretive, positively. But not evil, not like the sort of man who would kill in cold blood. But now she'd seen this other side of him, this side that...that seemed to care about her mother. Those were the last words Kaia had expected to hear him say. Perhaps it was only so stunning because she could detect how genuine he was.
Jack sat down slowly on Kaia's bed, and she watched him, unmoving. He rested his head in his hands. At that moment, he looked older than he ever had. She always knew there were years behind him, his gray hair told her so, but one chooses how to wear their age. It was an old many that spoke, "I've never been able to...connect with people. Never. But when I met your mother...well, she was the exception."
"You're lying," Kaia said coldly, "I've been in your head just like you've been in mine. I saw you right before you killed her. I felt your bloodlust." But Kaia could feel the doubt in her voice. She, despite everything, was starting to believe this man.
It was because of the change in him, the sudden collapse from his overly confident self to this weaker, alien version of him. He looked withered like he was finally bearing the weight of his actions.
Jack nodded, "I remember it like it was yesterday, but it wasn't my bloodlust, Kaia. I'm cursed."
"Cursed," Kaia repeated in disbelief.
"I lose control," Jack said, his voice dark, "Sometimes, I...disappear. And the wolf, the instinctual part of me, comes to the surface and I have no control over my actions or thoughts. I would never have chosen to hurt Isobel."
Kaia leaned against the bedframe, crossing her arms. "You realize that this is hard to believe. More than that, it's practically impossible."
Jack nodded and ran his hand over his face like he hadn't slept for days. He stood up slowly, "I know."
Kaia stayed quiet for a long moment and then she asked the question that had been burning inside of her mind. "You cared about her?"
Jack raised his head and turned to her, "More than anything. She accepted me even after I told her the truth about where I come from and who I am...about where you come from, too. There are more people like us, Kaia."
"Where I come from?" Kaia asked. It was the closest Jack had come to giving her the answers she sought. Honesty, it seemed, was the only way to get the truth from him. She had to be as open as she wanted him to be. Still, he refused to elaborate. "Then show me," Kaia said, "Prove it."
"Prove it?" Jack asked, confused.
"Show me or I'll never believe you," Kaia said, "I'm giving you this chance to convince me."
Jack sighed and held out his hand, "I can do that. Take my hand, child." He was going to drop his walls, the static that protected his thoughts and memories. This touch was her chance to get a better look at Jack's thoughts, his past.
Kaia reached out immediately and took his hand for the second time. The second she did, her head split open. For a moment, it was like someone had wedged a blade into her skull and pried two halves apart.
And then everything calmed. Kaia was elsewhere. There was no world around her, no context. Everything was white, everything but the two people in front of her. Kaia clapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes welled up. It was her mother. She was younger and without the lines from smiling all those years, but her mother nonetheless with her gentle dark eyes. Kaia's eyes.
"Mom," Kaia squeaked, stepping forward. But her mother couldn't hear her. She only watched the boy in front of her, the boy with the stunningly blue eyes.
Kaia wanted to cry. She felt like she was trapped in a cage, banging on the bars to get out, screaming. But no one could hear her. Not even her mother, the woman who was supposed to be there for her, was to supposed to understand everything.
"Look," she said, taking his hand, "I learned this when I was young." She traced the lines on his hand, "They mean different things. You see here..."
The boy was smiling widely. It was Jack, a young Jack without the years of weariness. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, his eyes softening when he looked at her. "You'll have a long life," Kaia's mom said, tracing his hand.
"And you?" Jack asked, taking her hand and looking at it. When he saw it, he looked perplexed, and then... This boy was transparent. He looked traumatized, "Your line is short."
Kaia's mom took her hand away and shrugged, "It's never accurate, you know. I'm going to have children one day. Stop worrying, Jacob." She reached up and touched his face with a smile.
Jack frowned, "Don't call me that."
And Kaia's mom smiled softly, her eyes affectionate, "Sorry...Jack."
Before the image faded, the connection with Jack's mind still active, Kaia turned away from the scene and peered into the endless white void. She could have sworn she saw something for a heartbeat, a woman with olive skin and raven hair. But the mysterious woman was gone with a blink, and Kaia couldn't make anything else out. Who had she been and why had she been in Jack's mind?
The world went blurry, the image fading back to black. Kaia felt her mind whiplash back to real life. "Wh-"
"Do you believe me now?" Jack asked, staring at her.
Kaia blinked, "That was my mom." She felt tears falling down her cheeks, but didn't bother to wipe them away. It was no use. They would keep coming. She wrenched her hand from Jack's.
"I'm sorry," he said finally. Those words. Kaia hadn't known that she'd wanted them. She'd always wanted them from someone who honestly meant them. At her mom's funeral, she'd heard them a hundred times and a hundred times more but never from anyone who genuinely felt them. And this man knew how important those words were, what he'd lost. That was obvious. But Kaia still...
"That could have been a lie," Kaia said, "You could be tricking me."
Jack groaned and strode across the room, "I know I haven't exactly been forthcoming with you up until now, but I showed you the truth."
"Bring me to where you killed her," Kaia blurted. She had to get back to her Pack. If she stayed here any longer, she'd go crazy. The blade of fury she wielded was dulling. Kaia needed to find answers before it became useless altogether.
He looked confused, "Why, Kaia?"
"So I can watch you when you relive it. Then I'll see the truth."
☾
When Kaleb awoke, it was with a gasp. He clapped a hand to his bare chest to feel his heartbeat pounding beneath his palm. His head was spinning, and he felt sick. No, it was more than just a feeling.
Kaleb lurched forward and ran to the bathroom, doubling over the toilet and vomiting until his throat burned. He collapsed, sweating and pressing his palms to his eyes.
"Kaleb!" a voice called. Kaleb raised his head and pulled himself to his feet, shaking slightly. Soon enough, Lionel's head had popped into view. He rounded the bed quickly when he saw Kaleb in his state, a look of serious concern on his face. "What happened?"
"Kaia's alive," Kaleb breathed.
Lionel grinned, "That's good, right? One less thing to worry about." But his smile melted when Kaleb met his eyes. "Oh. That's not all."
"No," Kaleb said, striding past Lionel and walking up to his wardrobe. He pulled on a black t-shirt and headed for the door, "That's not all."
Lionel was on his heels in an instant, hovering around him like a persistent fly. "What? What aren't you saying?"
"Did you and Cole figure yourselves out?" Kaleb asked, looking at his friend as they walked down the hall.
"Depends on your definition of 'figured out,' but I'm here one hundred percent if that's what you're asking," Lionel replied.
Kaleb nodded, "Then you need to get him. Where is he?"
"Grand room with Elias." Kaleb felt the urgency in his steps renew each time he remembered that man's face, with his cold, icy blue eyes. And Kaia was with him, his Kaia.
Kaleb wanted to scream. Kaia was his! She didn't belong with that murderer, that disgusting man who had blood on his hands. Kaia was good and pure and the opposite of everything her captor was.
Kaleb slammed the doors to the Grand Room open, letting a bit of his fury out on them. They cracked against the walls, leaving little dents. Lionel gently swung them shut behind them. "Alpha Kaleb," Elias said, nodding his head.
Elias was in his thirties, but he looked younger than that. The head of patrols was a dark wolf, just like Kaleb was. He had pitch black hair that fell almost down to his shoulders and a stern jaw. Everything about him screamed 'do not mess with me,' including his tattoos and the rings on his fingers. He'd told Kaleb once that he wore them because with metal on his hands, it'd hurt more if he needed to punch anyone.
"Elias, have you found anything?" Kaleb asked, walking up to the long table in the center of the room. The Grand Room was where Kaleb and the higher ranked lycanthrope managed most of the Pack's affairs. If Kaleb needed to orchestrate anything to keep the other Packs in the area in check--included organized strikes--this was where it happened.
Elias shook his head, "Either this lycanthrope doesn't have a Pack, or he's got little regard for ours. All of the Alphas in the area are accounted for, which means he's not registered. He's flying under the radar somehow, but I can't imagine how he'd be able to hide an entire Pack so easily."
Kaleb took a deep breath, "I have a feeling that might change. We'll need to double the guard, send patrols out more often. He's coming."
"What about the wolves you promised?" Cole interjected.
Kaleb scowled, "I was getting to that." He turned back to Elias, "I need you to assemble a team of your best lycanthrope. I don't know what he's got planned, but he's either going to strike here or at a separate location. Either way, we need it to be on our terms. We'll leave the bulk of our force here and strategize to make up for the difference in numbers at Mizpah."
Cole looked content. He let his shoulders fall a bit like he had finally decided that Kaleb was just as serious about getting Kaia back as Cole was. He nodded, "How many?"
"Ten, maybe?" Kaleb offered, "Fifteen?"
Cole frowned, and Kaleb sighed, "It's a small Pack, but we've got strong fighters."
"We should move out as soon as possible, right?" Lionel said, "Kaia's still alive, so we've got that going for us."
Elias, who had already learned the full truth of the situation, agreed. "I can get the orders out and the team together in less than half an hour."
"Do that," Kaleb said, "But listen." All eyes went to Kaleb, and he took a deep breath. He felt weakness thrum through him like he hadn't felt in years. The little boy inside of him was curling up in a dark corner, afraid of the world. Even when he was losing control of his Pack, he hadn't felt this way. No, there had only been one time...
"If this guy makes an appearance, we aren't going to kill him," Kaleb said, "Those are my orders. Take him prisoner."
"Alpha?" Elias questioned, "He kidnapped our Luna. We can't just let him live. It's-"
"Elias, I'm going to kill him myself," Kaleb interrupted, the anger brimming in his voice, "It's my right." It was the wolf that would win the battle inside of him. The wrath he felt was stronger than his fear.
"Because you're Alpha?" Cole asked. He wasn't familiar with the inner workings of lycanthrope Packs, so it was a reasonable question. It might even have been the real reason why Kaleb insisted on destroying Jack. It could've also been as simple as fury in return for his stealing Kaia. But it wasn't anything like that. His anger was older, a wound that had been reopened instantly at seeing his face.
"Because he killed my parents."