3rd Person POV
“Your sister?” Sally is clearly taken aback about the mention of the girl. “Vivian? She told you about Vivian?”
Her eyes immediately zone onto the raven and it’s something akin to hope, but it soon vanishes and she’s staring back and forth at the two. She stops at Keith. “You say her name as if she’s the person you hate most in the world.”
Keith snaps his mouth shut. Of all the people to say it to, the last one he’d want to ever tell was Sally.
Sally’s eyes narrow at him. “Why?” She looks at Katie, disdain in her voice as she speaks. “What has she told you about Vivian?”
“What has she told you? Clearly it isn’t about Vivian.” He turns the table on her.
Sally and Keith stare at each other. Keith had had a share in helping with schemes against rivalry and enemy packs, but he’d learned it all from his sister, his sister who had teamed up with Sally to plot them all.
“Vivian is my best friend, and she is important to me like Samuel is.” She bares her teeth in annoyance. “She is more important than what Katie has told us.”
“Us, as in plural tense: you, Trish, Daniel, Nick, and Jackson. Even Samuel I’m guessing. You all know. Why can’t I?” Keith shoots back. “Obviously it’s important if the Alpha’s inner circle knows.”
Sally brushes off the statement. “If Katie hasn’t told you about it, then why should I? Besides whatever is discussed between us and our Alpha is confidential.”
“It’s not that Katie doesn’t want to tell me, I refuse to listen to whatever she wishes to say. After what happened after she spoke about Vivian, about the Witches’ spell, curse, oath, whatever it is, if it’s going to lead to her burning from inside out, then I don’t want her to tell me.” He chances a glance at Katie who is looking down into her smoothie.
He faces Sally who has a displeased frown on her face. “But, since you know and Katie is here, you can ask for her permission on whether or not you can tell me. So Katie, can they?”
Katie nods her head at him.
He smirks, “See?”
“Rose is the Alpha of the West’s daughter.” Sally doesn’t waver when she speaks.
Keith’s smiles falls and his eyes are wide as saucers when they catch the serious gaze of the blonde female. “What?”
“I’m not going to repeat myself.” She huffs indigently.
Keith turns his head to Katie in shock. “Is that true?”
He doesn’t know what to say. The enemy’s daughter is in their territory and a million scheming ploys are already forming in his head of how they could use her as an advantage against the King of the West. Then, a thought flashes in his mind and everything stops.
A tree, a puddle of blood seeping into roots, butterflies.
He looks at Katie. “I’m guessing if she talks, she’ll also be damaged too? And with how she was born with a weak body and all, it wouldn’t be ideal to have her spilling secrets?”
Katie can only smile sadly and nod once.
He feels a hand on his shoulder and Samuel is smiling at him. And that’s right… Keith remembers. He feels oddly defeated as he slumps his shoulders. Rose is also Samuel’s mate, Katie’s most important person.
“Exactly how I feel.” Sally grumbles out.
Keith knows exactly how she feels, to have information, to have to hurt someone who is the enemy’s child and holds the precious information and…and can’t do a damn thing about it!
“Rose helped Katie escape her prison.” Trish speaks up, not as clever and wise like the two, but she can read between the lines when it comes to how one of their schemes backfire on them. She’s got a general idea of what they’re thinking. “Katie was raised along with other prisoners, and fought them in an arena.”
While Keith is thankful for a distraction the last piece of information has his mouth set in a thin line. He turns wordlessly to Katie. He’d heard tells about it from his sister. How they were forced to room together and they’d help each other survive, but when they enter the Arena, there are no friends and family, only a show for the rich bastards.
Katie is staring at him just as silent. She can see understanding in his eyes.
“I know…” As if to answer, even though he knows she knows he knows. “I know what they do there.”
“You do?” Samuel asks. “Vivian had mentioned it once before, but we never breached the topic.” He frowns, eyebrows furrowed and eyes staring out in thought. “Now that I think about…it’s a place for the prisoners. Why hadn’t she ever told us?”
Again, Keith scowls at the mention of that scornful woman. He doesn’t bother to mask it and is met by curious and once again astonished stares. “Of course she wouldn’t say that.”
“What do you mean?” Trish is staring at him intently.
Before Keith can shout it from the top his lung, a small hand curls on top of his and his eyes snap to Katie who is shaking her head.
“Not here,” Sally says, understanding what she means. “You were calmer in taking information we knew, but from the way you reacted about your sister, I don’t think we would.”
“Luckily, we finished cleaning up. Is this something Jack should know?” Trish is walking to the door only to stop and stare at Katie. “Because it sounds like he does. Are you going to be there?”
At the shake of the raven’s head, Trish sends her a small smile before leaving.
“Uh…what’s that all about?” Keith turns to his sister-figure expectantly. “And why aren’t you coming? Yesterday you seemed like you wanted to talk to him.”
“You haven’t told him?” Samuel asks incredulously.
“Told me what?” Keith is frowning now. Is there more he had not known? Then, he wants to know.
“I thought she’d tell you. Jackson is Katie’s mate.” Sally simply says.
But, to Keith it’s not so simple. “No, she told me her mate was in the pack. Just not who…” His eyes meet her pleading ones and he doesn’t know what to say. He then remembers the exchange in the kitchen between the two and finally the pieces all click together. The reason why he had allowed them to stay in the pack house, on the Alpha’s floor, it’s because they’re mates.
He’d made a mistake to let his emotions act on an impulse and now he has to deal with the Vivian problem. He thinks it’s best not to do the same with this. However, Keith thinks, that means she was supposed to be our Luna.
So he doesn’t say anything and just nods, turning to follow after Trish.
Katie’s heart aches at the thought of the disappointed look in his eyes, especially the thought of leaving him. He’s felt abandoned enough, but it hurts more when he doesn’t say anything and turns his back on her.
She watches him until the door closes behind him. She’s going to miss him when she leaves.
Sally watches the exchange with critical eyes, but if she understood anything she didn’t voice it and instead followed after Keith.
Samuel remains by her side and doesn’t speak until it’s just the two of them left in the kitchen. “You’re leaving now aren’t you?”
Despite his aloofness, Samuel can be keen in the most unexpected situations. It’s the genes, Katie is sure of it. Though, she doesn’t answer and that’s enough an answer, because he’s hugging her with a vice grip.
“Please at least have some closure with Rose before you go, Katie.” He whispers. “And please be safe, and I know I’m already asking for too much, but come back. I don’t care if it’s not as my Luna, just please come back safely to your family waiting for you here.”
Katie hugs him then.
She smiles softly. ‘Take care of them, and yourself, Samuel. I’m leaving you my most prized possession.'
He laughs at that. “I will and I guess I should be thankful you’re sharing her.” It’s not the best parting words, but it seems fitting enough for them. “Thank you.”
‘Thank you.’ And she’s gone from his arms and is in the elevator leaving him to stand in the kitchen willing the tears back.
***
Katie opens the door and she sighs fondly at how Rose is drawing in her book. She was always an amazing artist.
Rose beams when she spots her best friend and jumps off her bed, sketchbook long forgotten, and has her friend in her arms. “You look better than you did yesterday.” She pulls away and looks disapprovingly at the raven. “And you weren’t in bed this morning when I woke up.”
‘Rose.’ Katie stops her before she starts rambling. ‘I’m leaving now.’
Rose’s eyebrows shoot up and her jaw drops. “Now? As in now, now?” At Katie’s nod, Rose is scrabbling for words. “But—so sudden—leave—why?”
Katie shakes her head. Rose already knows why, but she can’t say anything else. It’s useless to beg her to stay. Rose’s lips tremble and her eyes water. They hadn’t even spent enough enjoyable time together these last two months and a half.
“Katie,” it’s useless, but she begs anyway, “don’t go. Please, stay! This can be our new home now… This… Our mates are here! I don’t want you to leave… I…”
Katie wipes the tears off the red head’s cheeks. Rose blinks. When had she started crying?
Katie hugs her like there’s no tomorrow, remembering the warmth she’s held onto since her time in the cold harsh floors of her prison cell. She inhales all of the red head’s scent and remembers how it was the only soothing thing in the Arena that kept her sane, kept her from giving in to the beast they’d tried to make out of her.
Katie pulls away and looks into those eyes that have drowned her, her entire life and kept her safe in the calming pools of those deep blues so she could fight against a similar one that is a raging storm.
She remembers her sweet, innocent Rose and how she had betrayed her because that bastard of an Alpha. Remembers when she screamed at the not so innocent red head that she hated her and meant it. Katie smiles lovingly at Rose. She’s never hated anyone more than the person in her arms, but even though she wished she’d never met Rose, Katie is thankful she had. She had something to live for all this time.
‘Goodbye my Moon.’ And she’s out the door she came from and out of Rose’s life as if she never existed.
Rose looks around her room in panic after a moment of complete disbelief. Katie’s bag isn’t there, anything she owned was nowhere in sight. Rose hadn’t noticed when she’d taken all of her stuff. She looks down to the phone they’d both chosen together right after they ran away. And she screams, crying out into the lonely room. Katie had shut her out, and now she can’t even trace her through the phone’s GPS.
***
Katie walks out of the pack house and into the woods heading east like she’s planned from the beginning.
***
It’s already night time by the time things cool down in the Alpha’s private meeting room.
“Sally, you of all people should understand. Do not let your emotions cloud the obvious truth.” Keith growls.
Sally scowls at him. “I don’t want to hear that from you! And I know okay? Just let me think about it!”
Trish and the guys all have grim faces.
“We knew there was a traitor amongst us since the attack three years ago.” Daniel jaws are clenching trying to reign in his emotions.
“Vivian did say it was most likely the case.” Nick adds. “Coming from her, of course we’d never suspect a thing.”
“Shit. Just because her mate is the beta. Does she not care about her family here, her brother for example?!” Trish quickly looks at Keith and adds, “No offense.”
“None taken, I’ve already considered her no longer my sister and as an enemy.” Keith shrugs. He then looks at one of the two other people in the room who hasn’t said anything since he began his explanation. “Jack?”
Jackson is staring out the window with a faraway look. Daniel elbows his side. “Dude, are you okay? You’ve been staring out the window for a while now. You alright?”
Jackson looks up at him, and then turns to Keith. “I heard you.”
Keith’s eyebrows furrows, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns to the other silent person in the room and Samuel hasn’t even looked at anyone of them since he came in. ‘Sam, what’s wrong?’
Samuel doesn’t look up at him. He doesn’t reply either.
“Sam,” Keith tries again. “Are you alright?”
The blonde male flexes his clenched jaw and stares resolutely at his foot. “Is the meeting over now?” His voice is low and it’s hard like he’s forcing himself to speak.
All eyes stare at him.
“Yeah,” Jackson’s eyebrow nit together, “Is there something wrong Sam?”
Samuel doesn’t look at him and just nods. “If this is it then I’m going to go check on Rose.”
He’s halfway out the door when Keith calls out to him. “Wait, Sam! What about Katie’s barbeque before she leaves? Shouldn’t we plan it?”
Samuel doesn’t turn back when he speaks. “I don’t want to celebrate her leaving.” The door closes behind him with a click.
The room falls silent.
Sally is the next to leave, and Nick follows her looking between Keith and Jackson.
Daniel is frowning as Trish pulls him out and the two other males are left alone.
“She’s leaving?” Jackson asks after a while.
Keith stares at his Alpha with sad eyes. “By the end of the month...”
Jackson stares at his face for any signs of joking. He sighs. “Is that so?” He then makes his way for the door.
“Are you going to let her leave like that Jackson? She’s your mate, and you love her. You’re going to just do nothing?” Keith’s voice cuts through the other man like he’s minced meat.
“She rejected me.” Jackson simply says in finality. “What else can I do?”
“Try again! After being rejected once, you’re going to just give up? She loves you!” Keith says desperately.
“Clearly not enough to stay with me! I can’t go after her and leave the pack! If I was to choose between her and you guys, of course I’d choose the pack!” Jackson roars.
Keith takes a daring step forward and his eyes are full of pure rage. “You’re an Alpha for Moon Goddess’ sake! Why do you need to choose between the two?! You shouldn’t have to choose between the two! They’re the same thing!”
Jackson’s eyes go wide.
“They’re the same damn thing! She became part of the family the minute you let her into the pack house!” Keith shouts his lungs out. “You’re the one who is making it a choice! Katie has always had one set destination, but you’ve given her a choice, but one that only benefits you!”
Keith is huffing heavily as Jackson stares down at him in shock.