"What is justice?"
"I'm sorry."
Cassius sighed, his green eyes soft, and she felt even more guilty for snapping at him. After the anger drifted, she didn't know what the feel. She had run the woods, consulting with her wolf, until her body begged for air. She wanted to run away. She wanted to run so far away from the waged war that now threatened her.
But she couldn't.
What followed her would follow her forever. She could never outrun her destiny. The fate, the redemption. Everything that made her soul. It was like her shadow, bound to her as she was bound to the moon.
If her pack lost the battle, she knew what would happen. Her life would diminish or her soul would die. Both apparent as the cost of war was always paid in blood. She felt like the world was crashing down on her. Something was finally going right until everything was going wrong.
In the blink of an eye, her life became dark again.
Yet, she didn't fall to her primal instincts. She repelled her wolf's desire to chase Simon, she denied her feelings of bloodlust, she refused to run from the sword. She remained true to herself - she didn't hide behind her wolf anymore.
"Don't be," Cassius drew her from her thoughts, she blinked at him from across the kitchen counter, "I know the feeling. Everyone is scared right now, we're no match for the Conquistador Pack."
Her stomach felt heavy at his words and she shook her head, "This is my fault. I caused it but I want to fix it."
"For the last time, it isn't your fault," Cassius' eyes slightly narrowed at her, "If you've already forgotten, we have a history with the Conquistador Pack, too. Somehow they knew we'd found Leroy so they came to check, now they are going to try what they did years ago."
"They won't .. succeed," She grit her teeth, "I will find allies, Cassius. Nobody has to die."
Cassius sighed again, "I know you're trying to help, but what allies? Everyone in America will recognize you. Elijah suggested that we find a home in Canada and Leroy is considering it."
"So we just run?" She growled, "I won't run ... run all my life. Run from death, run from men. No more running," She paused as a thought came to her mind, "I want to see Beau."
Cassius sputtered with his coffee, his green eyes widening at her, "What?! Reeve, come on now, don't go crazy on me." He chuckled awkwardly, glancing away from her, but when she didn't waver, he groaned, "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Told you, Beau isn't bad," She said, "He might know allies."
"Reeve," Cassius gasped, his tone scolding, "What the hell is going on with you? Seeking information from the enemy? That's absurd. Plus, it isn't something I would do so you can't do it either."
"Take me to Beau."
Cassius crossed his arms over his chest, "No."
"Cassius." She growled.
"No. Leroy will choke me to death if we're caught. I could lose my rank, be ground a whole month with Ralf," Cassius faintly shuddered at the warrior's name, "Nope nope nope, definitely a bad idea."
"Bad idea or death of pack?" She replied.
"Don't put it like that," He whined, "It makes me feel like I'm responsible. I mean, seriously, Reeve, you're asking a lot of me."
She glanced out the window, seeing the cloudy sky beyond, "Be brave or be coward."
"Oh god," Cassius groaned, "I need sugar, you're stressing me out," He flopped his upper body onto the counter, wailing, "I'm dying!"
"Please help me fight back."
Cassius froze in his childish actions, his green eyes snapping to her silver ones. They stared at each other, his gauging, hers stormy. The silence fallen between them wasn't suffocating, it was electrifying. Waiting for a spark. Finally, Cassius made his decision.
"Okay."
☪
Beau sat in the corner of his barren cell, his ankle shackled, his head hung low. He looked utterly defeated in the shadows that cloaked him. The streams of light tracing the four scars across his face, a ghostly reminder of betrayal. Luckily, he looked well cared for in health, and she felt relieved that Leroy stuck to his word.
The male refused to acknowledge her and it made her uneasy. She didn't want to regret seeking him out. She wanted to find a way to save her family. Cassius stood a few feet behind her, oddly silent when she thought for sure he'd be the one dancing in unease.
She stepped forward, her fingers brushing the cool metal of Beau's cell. The hinges creaked as she pulled open the door and passed through the threshold, every sound echoing in the empty dungeon. Eerie silence followed.
It took her a second to find her voice, to overcome her own urge to flee. Memories of her life behind bars tried to scare her but she refused to cower to the past any longer. She cleared her throat, "This was not... what I wanted. Not right, but my Alpha thinks it is."
She felt as though she was speaking to herself in the dead silence. Only the gentle inhale and exhale of the three of them welcomed her words. She felt discouraged when Beau didn't respond.
"War is our fate," Her voice came out softer than she'd intended, "Death has taken everything away ... I lost many things. Ran for my entire life. We aren't different, some of us similar more than we think. Everyone has lost, everyone broken sometime. I realize now. I don't want to run. I don't want others to run ... want a refuge, a home. We can't win alone, this war is too big if we stand alone," She paused, exhaling silently, "I'm asking for your help. For my family, and for you. You not bad, good man. We can all be family."
She held her breath after she spoke the last word. She had said all that she could and she waited anxiously for the male to respond. It was her last choice. She was climbing onto that limb again, taunting it to break under her weight. She'd won out fate once, she prayed to the Moon Goddess that she could do it again. That they all could live for another sunrise. Another full moon.
It felt like an eternity and she felt her soul crushing with every beat of her heart.
Disappointment.
There was no hope.
But then there was.
Beau lifted his head. His blue eyes were electrifying through the shadows, connecting with hers in a glow of mystery. For some reason, she was drawn to his eyes. It was as if his soul danced behind the blue, teasing her to seek deeper. A shiver ran up her spine.
"You're extraordinary, she-wolf," Beau spoke, softly. He was silent for a few seconds, then he continued, "I helped you last night because I could see the change and I hoped that maybe I could find the same redemption; but it seems my chances have been ruined. My brother has never been loyal to anyone, I wish I could have seen it sooner."
"Its not your fault, Leroy will see you not bad. This can be home for you, too," She was desperate and yet Beau only shook his head, dampening her spirits.
"Your Alpha has every reason to distrust me."
"Then prove you can be trusted."
Beau gazed at her with an unreadable expression. She couldn't sense what he was feeling, he was well reserved - like an obedient soldier. She could only feed off of what he wanted her to, and for some reason, it didn't make her afraid.
"Do you trust me?" Beau's eyes became calculating, colder, challenging.
She hesitated. She looked over her shoulder at Cassius only to find his green eyes staring at her expectantly. Suddenly, she felt like she was being torn between two choices. A decision that grew heavier the longer the two males waited for her answer.
No sacrifice, no victory.
She made the sacrifice.
"I do."
The heavy atmosphere lightened as a soft smile crossed Beau's face. It seemed as though he was relieved, thankful for someone's trust. For someone to see past the mask built from bad decisions. She didn't regret coming to him. She had sensed something else in him and she'd found it.
Beau's eyes grew roguish, "There is a pack in Canada called the Radburn Pack. Their Alpha is quite reasonable if the proposition is right. Regardless of our situation, I'm sure he'll send a thousand warriors to Conquistador's doorstep just because he loves justice."
And she smiled.
✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙
Well...
It feels amazing to bring my characters back to life. I've been so dead on here for over a month. This woman has been working her ass off, literally losing her mind, but I still appreciate you guys. Thanks for being patient.
What do you think of Beau now? Who is this Radburn Pack?
And yeah, I know, a lot of characters. Why so many? Well, the werewolf community is widespread, mainly dominated by males, so I'm portraying it in my own way. Don't like it? Goodbye.
PLUS, its school season again... like what the hell? Where did summer go? This ain't fair.
'Kay, I'm done.
Leave a comment!
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