Chapter 27.
It's amazing to watch witness the innocence infants have. They know nothing wrong in this world, they know nothing about what's going on around them. A child doesn't know where they're from, or the different people around the world. All they know is they are being held, and they are being loved. The first emotion a newborn is introduced to is love. The first one, generally speaking, is the love from a mother.
Felix doesn't know how much he is loved, just like me when I was growing up. He doesn't know how much his mother loves him, how much his father, aunts, and uncles love him. He doesn't know that the entire pack loves him already and he was only recently born. Even before he was born he was loved more than a lot of people get to witness. There is no knowing until he witnesses the love first hand when he gets to remember. I hope he gets to be alive to be with all the people who love him.
"Everything is going to be okay." I kissed the infant on the head. "I promise, you'll be okay."
Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at London as I held the last person she has of her mate, my brother. The look in her own eyes is something I will never forget. She was so scared, so scared of being alone. She didn't want to be alone, with no true family to have. She doesn't have anyone else, at least not that I know of.
But, if I don't do this, if I don't save my brothers child then I have no one. Yes, Lucian will always love me and be there for me, but he has a pack to run. What would happen if we had a child of our own, how would he or she grow up? I can't be present as a Luna with the entire pack being fully aware that I killed an Alpha and got away with it. I can't let my mate be linked to me if all I'm seen is as the crazy Luna who killed her Alpha brother.
I lifted my head after kissing Felix and closed my eyes. I tried to focus on what was wrong with him and began any form of magic that would heal him. I didn't know anything of the sort, but I had to try. Lilura had only taught me to use my magic to fight, and defend my family. For this, I had no clue and that frustrated me more than anything. I didn't know how exactly to heal him, but I knew somewhere deep inside of me I could.
I felt someone touch my shoulder and I turned around to see Clayton holding it tightly. He gave me the smallest closed smile as if encouraging me and convincing me I would do this. He looked down at the ground before looking at my left shoulder. I swung my head around, and to my surprise, I saw Logan, my uncle reaching to hold my other shoulder. He gave me the smallest smile, yet said nothing.
Logan turned to his left shoulder and I noticed Savannah holding his. She looked at me, her green eyes shining like emeralds in the sun. She was smiling at me, her grip on her mates shoulder tightening. She looked over at Clayton, and I turned my head back over to see my grandparents. Fia and Sal both had one hand on both of Clayton's shoulders. They were looking at me with a small smile, and my tears welled up even more.
Everyone who was with me had died fighting for their family, most of them fighting for me. While singularly Logan was the only one fighting for my mother Celia, everyone else was fighting for me. I had killed each and every one of them, yet here they were supporting me as I tried to save my brother's heir. Even when I should be the most hated member of the family, they're here for me and my nephew. No matter what, protecting the family always comes first.
"You've got this Penny." Nysa, the Moon Goddess appeared in front of me. Her eyes trained on the infant in front of me. "It's not his time yet, I feel that it isn't. However, there are forces trying to prevent his destiny."
It was here where I noticed the people I had first started seeing when I escaped my prison and had arrived home. The demon looking people with black eyes and expressionless faces. They were everywhere in the room. There were staring at me, but I soon realized it wasn't me they were staring at, it was Felix. The demon I had seen before, the evil I had felt almost instantly coming here was killing Felix. They were the cause of our families destruction, they were responsible for all these deaths.
"These forces are killing Felix, you can't let them win." She disappeared from in front of me and appeared behind me. I felt her place her hands on my temples. "Focus on destroying the people in front of you, focus on good, strong, love magic."
I tried to focus on the demons that seemed to be getting closer and closer to us. London and Lilura had nearly faded out, but I could see them watching me intently. There were so many stares, so many good and bad; so many families and not. Here, I had my family on my side, even if the ones living hated me. These family members were here.
"I believe in you, Penny." A pair of hands placed themselves on Felix's tiny stomach. "You're our lucky Penny."
My head snapped at her voice, and my eyes widened just seeing her. Nothing had changed about her, it was like she hadn't changed at all. She was still beautiful, still smiling, still full of so much light. Her aquamarine eyes were gazing directly into my violet ones. It was if she hadn't died months ago, it was like she was alive today.
"Sage." I choked, the tears spilling down my cheeks as I looked at her. "I thought you didn't even exist anymore. I thought you were turned to nothing. I thought-"
"Shut up and save this damn kid." She huffed. "I'm happy to finally see you again, it took a while I know, but you need to clean up the mess that was made and do something good. You need to make this right with your family and if you don't save Felix now you'll lose them forever."
I nodded almost robotically and looked down at Felix. I tried to focus on my magic, but it was like every time I used a little bit it was just sucked right out of me and dispersed. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the black eyed people surrounding me. I tried to focus on the strength my family was giving me. They were not going to kill my nephew, and I refused to let that happen.
The hands on my shoulders felt heavier, and Sage's hands touching the baby made Felix feel heavier in my arms. It felt like I now had the entire world in my arms, and according to London, he was her world. I refuse to let a child die, and if this child were to die, I don't know what I would do. I can't imagine living my life without Felix in it. Where would I go after the disappointment and hate directed at me from my family?
I felt my magic flow into Felix, and swarm through his body. It was doing something, what I'm not sure, but I knew it was working. Felix was being healed, he was being fixed. His cries halted, and he began to coo softly. I opened my eyes and looked over at London, who had her hand covering her mouth. She watched me carefully and full of hope as I guaranteed her baby was going to live.
"It's working," Lilura whispered, and I turned around to see her looking at me with such pride.
Somehow my magic worked, and when I believed it was enough and had completely healed him I stopped. I felt the hands on me suddenly disappear, and when I turned to look at my family they had disappeared. Sage was gone, unfortunately, after seeing her for the first time since she had died. It was strange seeing her after so long and having her strength given to me. Without my family and their love, I never would've been able to save Felix.
I looked around the room and still saw the black-eyed demons glaring at me, and to my surprise, they started hissing. They clutched their heads, screaming as I stared at them in amazement. It was as if whatever I had done to Felix had done the opposite to them. I had healed Felix, but I had killed the black-eyed demons. They started disappearing one by one, leaving only a small puff of black smoke behind them. Each one clutched their heads before they vanished, their screeches cut short.
Everything was silent as I held Felix's cooing form, his arms flying everywhere in search of his mother. I walked over to her weakly, feeling the magic has drained from my body. London took Felix carefully placing him close to her chest and holding him close. She closed her eyes, letting the comfort of her son being alive soothe her. She opened her eyes to look at me.
"Thank you for saving my son." Her eyes welled with tears. "I wish Clayton was with us, but I need to be alive for Felix. I know he would want that."
"Felix will need you as he grows up, he'll need someone to guide him." I smiled, reaching over to stroke the infant's cheek. "He'll be an Alpha after all."
The moment had been destroyed when the door had been kicked open, and several people came running in. The first person I saw was my brother Rylan, who looked like an exhausted mess. His eyes were puffy and red, his eyes narrowing down on me. He growled, his eyes brightening and his wolf began to surface. Just the sight of me was enough to get him angry.
Besides my brother, my mother and father had entered. Both looked like a wreck, and when they saw me I got the opposite reaction. My mom pushed through her son, and wrapped me in her arms and began to cry. I didn't understand, I had killed their son, I had killed their Alpha and I wasn't being killed. She clutched me tightly as if afraid I would disappear.
"They can't do it." She sobbed. "I won't let them do it."
"Mom I saved Felix," I told her, hugging her back tightly. "I can explain everything please let me explain why I did what I did."
"You killed Clayton, Penelope." My dad said, and I could see the pain and anger hidden behind his eyes. "We don't have an Alpha right now."
"You can take it back, Dad," I told him, feeling like everything I was saying was wrong. I was horribly telling them that Clayton was replaceable.
"I don't understand how this happened." My mom cried, her tears soaking my shirt. "How?"
"I can explain, please let me."
I looked over at my dad, whose eyes had darkened. I could tell almost immediately he was contacting someone through the pack link. It frustrated me that I was cut off, that I could feel nothing and no one. I hated everything that had happened, and I was frustrated with myself.
"No." Before I knew it my dad had turned around and gave someone at the doorway a nod.
"What?" I asked in frustration, looking between my parents. "Why not?"
I looked over at my brother, whose eyes were narrowed and his eyes were slits. His glare only seemed to grow as two people came into the room, one holding a needle. My eyes widened, and I stared at my parents in shock. What were they doing?
"You aren't taking me back to the dungeon are you?"
"We have to until a vote is made," Rylan told me.
"A vote for what?"
"Whether to kill you or exile you."
«»
I woke up once again in the cold dungeon, however, I was more comfortable with a blanket covering me. My back still hurt from the uncomfortable bed as I got up, but it wasn't as difficult too. I sat up looking at my surroundings and sighed when I saw a small tray of food right by the entrance. At least they cared enough about me to still feed me. On a good note, I won't die of starvation.
When I sat up I looked across to see my mate sitting against the wall where my bars separated us. I got up completely, walking towards him. He was looking at me, but his face was blank. I couldn't figure out what was going through his head, I was completely blocked off from him. Maybe it was the silver bars that made it so I couldn't communicate with him. I wanted to know what he was thinking desperately, but I had no way of knowing without asking him.
"You saved Felix," Lucian told me, finally speaking for the first time. "He's perfectly fine now."
"I'm glad."
An awkward silence filled the room, and I looked down at my completely destroyed white sneakers. Like my life, they were far from being repaired. All the relationships that had been perfect and just the way I wanted them were now gone. I had no one. I only had myself, and to me, that wasn't enough. I couldn't be alone again, I couldn't go through that again.
"The vote that's being cast around the pack is in favor of your execution," Lucian spoke again, running his hands through his hair.
"I deserve it."
He stood up abruptly, slamming his fist into the wall. Cracks form, and his hands got covered in dust just from the force. His eyebrows scrunched together in anger, and fists clenching and unclenching. I knew he didn't want me dead, and if they pack had me killed I didn't want to know what he would do.
"No, you don't." He ground out. "No one deserves the death they have planned for you, not even Ayana."
"What will they do to me?" Fear erupted inside me, and I knew my voice began to quiver towards the end of my sentence.
"I'm not going to explain it to you because it's not going to happen." Lucian pressed, looking directly into my eyes. "I won't allow it."
"This isn't your pack," I told him. "You can't just tell them what to do."
Lucian walked closer to me now, wiping off the dust on his hands. "You can't expect me to just let you be killed."
"It's what I deserve and you know it," I persisted, turning my back to him.
"I refuse to let that happen." He told me, letting his frustration grow. "You're my mate, you're my Luna, you're meant to be the mother of our children."
"I can't guarantee you that." I cross my arms over my chest and looked at the moldy bricks that held my bed upright.
Lucian walked away frustrated, his footsteps echoing down the empty dungeon. I sighed, looking down at the ground and closing my eyes. I wish things were so different. How did I let things get this far? Things would have been so much easier if I had only stayed in that prison. Now here I am six months later stuck in a prison once again.
I collapsed to the ground, my knees rising to my chest. It felt like I was there all over again, and I hated it. This place brought back so many memories that I had tried so desperately to hide. The loneliness and the claustrophobia were rising in my throat. I wanted so badly to just scream but I couldn't.
"Right where you belong."
I looked up, and the person I feared the most was standing directly in front of me. Tears began to form, and I tried to cover my ears so I wouldn't be able to hear her. If I heard her, I didn't want to make the mistake of hurting someone like I had done to my brother. If I didn't see her or hear her nothing would happen. She's not there, she's dead.
"You're not here." I told her, "I killed you."
"Are you sure you did?" Ayana asked, grabbing my arms and pushing me back so I could hear her. "Maybe I'm not dead."
"Ayana you're not real." I began to cry, tears pooling down my cheeks. "You weren't real when I killed my brother, you're not here now."
"Don't witches play mind games?" She laughed, looking up at the ceiling. "Isn't that why Lilura got sent to my prison in the first place, for being a trickster witch?"
"She got sent there because she is one if you were one you would've been in the same place as her."
"Then why do you keep seeing me?" She leaned down over me and grabbed my face. "Crazy, are we?"
"I'm not crazy!" I shouted trying to push her, but when I opened my eyes completely she was gone.
It was as if she had completely disappeared, almost as if she had managed to disappear. The only possible way for that to happen was for her to be...all in my head. As much as I don't want to believe it, perhaps it's true. If this was in my head, then everything going on was because of what was going on in my head.
I grabbed the bars, immediately ignoring the burning the silver brought to my skin. I cried out for everyone I knew, someone who was outside the cell walls had to be hearing me. I didn't care if it was my family or my friends who hated me for killing Clayton, but I needed them to understand my side of the story. If they didn't hear me out at least, I was going to be killed.
______________________________________________________*(A/N)*
Hey Guys! So a cool little thing I wanted to tell you guys about!
So I didn't update last Sunday (Which I would've) because I was across the world on vacation. As a matter of fact, on my flight home, I happened to be in Canada. I spent the entire eight-hour flight writing this book. When I came to the final chapter, which I promise is coming soon but not too too soon, I was just passing into Canada where this story takes place. How cool is that!!? The ending of this trilogy comes to an end in the country where this story started.
Anyway, I happened to be crying when finishing the story, because I've grown to love all my characters and all the fans of this series. However, I hope you guys stick around a little longer after the series is done because I have the most EXCITING NEWS!
How did you guys feel about saving Felix? Did you guys see that coming?
Love you guys so much!
VOTE/COMMENT/FAN/SHARE
Xox
Pamela