I didn't say another word.
Not to Maddox at least.
I was mad, in fact, I was furious. There was no way that I would let him treat me like that, not without some form of punishment. My heart ached, his words cutting deeper then I thought that it would. I could see Maddox through the window, talking with Omnia and Jupiter, I watched their faces.
It seemed neutral, maybe tinged with disappointment, perhaps a little fear. But they didn't seem to be getting angry, nor hinting to an anger-induced shift. So I had to suppose that it was going well, or, at least, they had accepted Maddox's words.
I wasn't lying, until they improved their human rights regulations, we would not be returning.
Never again did I want to see, or hear that anything like what had happened today had or was planning to be repeated.
Was it planned? Had the wolves known all along and simply toyed with the idea? Willingly leading us into a massacre? I didn't know, but knowing would make it worse.
Maddox returned, Zina and Elliot following behind him. They held no luggage, Seraphine sleeping soundly in a pram.
"Omnia and Jupiter understood and our flight is within the hour." Maddox began, his face sad and hopeful as he watched me. "They apologised sincerely about what happened."
I said nothing, sparing one, hate-filled glance before looking back out onto the city.
"Please," HIs voice cracked, "Say something, please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."
I refused to look at him.
"Come on Elora," Zina said kindly, "I'll walk with you."
I stood up and Zina passed the pram over to Elliot. Who quickly scooped Sera into his arms and pushed the pram out of the walkway.
Zina grabbed onto my hand and started walking me down the stairs,
"Look, you be as mad at him as you want. He crossed a line, and you have no obligation to forgive him." Zina added,
"Have you ever been so mad at Elliot that you can't even stand to look at him?" I whispered, my eyes trained on the floor.
Zina strained her neck, "I suppose, but I caved after a few hours."
"What happened?" I bit my tongue.
"I had just found out I was pregnant, I'm slightly ashamed to say, but it was only a month after I had arrived here. I went to tell Elliot, thinking he would be ecstatic, but, he wasn't. He went on a rage, saying that we should have been more careful and that maybe now wasn't the right time-"
I gasped, "He didn't tell you too..."
Zina shrugged, "He heavily implied it. I left him and went and stayed in another room for the rest of the day. I mostly just cried."
"That makes no sense, Elliot loves Sera; she's the light of his life," I said, still shocked.
"It's almost funny to think about it now, I've never seen a man be so willing to do whatever I wanted during a pregnancy. Anyway, he sat at my door the whole time. First, he was just apologising, then he started crying, and then he started singing. God that man can't sing, so I went to go and tell him to shut up and he refused to let me go." Zina said, smiling fondly at the memory. "Anyway, don't just go straight back to him, make Maddox work for it."
"Trust me, I will. I'm furious with him." I rolled my eyes. "It's strange, I feel so close with you, Peyton and Callie as well. But when it comes to Elliot, Dakota and Cassius, they still feel like strangers."
"You've still been adjusting. Trust me, it took a while for me to get used to them too, but it comes with time. You've just taken a little longer."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," I whispered back.
We had reached the end of the staircase where cars were already waiting to take us back to the airport, this time, thankfully, with drivers.
"You go wait in the car, I just need to get Sera, she needs to be fed," Zina assured quietly, rushing back off in towards of the boys who were just about to reach us.
I didn't wait, climbing into the car and clicking in the seatbelt, not even bothering to look out the window.
Zina arrived not too long after, Sera waving her hands in the air.
"If it counts as anything, I've never seen him so miserable." She said, pointing out to Maddox's direction."
"Good," I replied quickly. "He should be."
The car began to drive, it was slower than it had been when we had arrived, yet it was pleasant.
It felt like everything that had happened today, happened years ago. My body felt empty as I stared out of the window,
I just want to go home.
-------------------------------------------------------
When we arrived back home after a gruelling flight, I left as soon as I possibly could.
I had changed on the plane the moment that I had looked out of the window. I couldn't see the city, only outlines of black that were covered in thick white snow. Even the trees had changed colour.
I was in a pantsuit this time, it was dark blue with a square neckline that was covered in small white dots. Black, laced up boots covered my feet and a creamy brown fur coat covered my shoulders. While it mad me felt unreasonably hot while on the plane, I knew it would serve me well the moment I stepped outside.
I had sat with Zina on the plane.
I had already told her what I was going to do, That I wasn't going to be going back with Maddox, that I would be meeting up with my brothers before heading back later tonight. I told her that I would be back by around Midday, at least by four, since it was only the early morning now.
The airport was completely empty as if the entire building had been shut down. It wouldn't surprise me, due to the snow most likely.
I heard Maddox calling out, shouting my name as I walked away as quickly as possible. I didn't turn around.
Then he stopped, almost as if someone had thrown a hand over his mouth.
It was enough for me to turn the corner and reach the entryway.
The door opened automatically, sending a rush of cold air my way. Goosebumps erupted on my skin, but I kept walking out, not even thinking about stopping.
The South was hot, cruel and unfamiliar.
The North was cold and unforgiving, but I knew it like the back of my hand.
The streets were empty, not a human or wolf in sight. Billows of smoke billowed from chimneys and a light shade of yellow was projected onto the snow from the lit windows.
Indents of my feet followed behind me as I took a corner. The gate was the official entry to the human side of the city, but as I had discovered in the South, we weren't the only ones to have alternative entry.
It was recommended, only to be used when you really needed to go in and out. Usually, there were guards hovering near these entrances, but, due to the snow, not a single guard was in sight.
The one that I was closest to would mean that I would end up just behind one of the Wood factories on the far side of the city. And while It wasn't ideal, the sooner I was out of werewolf territory, the better.
The entrance was a hole in the side of the wall. This particular factory sat on the border between both sides.
There was nothing in front of it on the wolf side, so they had covered it in a gruesome mural, most likely depicting some ancient myth that I had forgotten about.
I slid myself through the hole, small particles of snow falling down as my head went under the brick arch.
I had only been through this entrance maybe twice, and neither of those times was I trying to enter the human's side. I had wanted to see what it looked like, the two times that I had used this entrance. I hadn't left the building, only poked my head out of the hole to sneak a glance of the life that I had used to wish for.
I didn't have time for that now, nor the need.
I ducked through the planks of wood that were lying on suspended carrier lanes.I stayed behind the big chunks of metal to avoid being seen by the surveillance camera, though it didn't matter whether or not I was seen, I was still being safe.
The bottom floor was tiny, most of the production machines and worker areas being on the high floor for reasons unknown, I had never known anyone who worked here.
I unlocked the door and pushed it open, unveiling myself back to the familiar comforts of home.
I bit my lip, I had forgotten how everything looked in the winter.
As a child, I had always imagined that winter was simply the grim reaper passing through the clouds, carrying the bodies of the dead. That's what it had always felt like, a cold so chilling that perhaps I wouldn't even be able to make it through the night. I always managed to, as did my brothers.
Though I had always hated going to the end of the winter funeral.
Just one, to acknowledge everyone who had died, who had been carried across the sky.
I shook the thought out of my head the moment I felt bile beginning to rise in my throat.
Nothing seemed to have changed. The buildings were still small, the bricks still a faded, mouldy red, the wood planks still splintering. The snow under my feet was no longer a pure white, but muddy and embedded with large branches, stones and leaves.
There was no light from the windows, even during the day the inside of houses would be lit up during snow like this. I looked up, the dark clouds covered every inch of promising blue in the sky, a promise of another storm.
I began to walk.
It didn't take long for me to regain my bearings. Everything came flooding back to me at once, every little nook and cranny, ever building to avoid, even the people that had slipped my mind whilst I had been with Maddox.
It felt good.
The cold was biting at my skin as I walked, I could already feel my nose going a bright red, most likely to accompany the colour on my cheeks. I slipped into a daze, my limbs already knowing where they needed to take me. Every step felt heavy until I saw the small outline of my house on the horizon.
I could see the chimney smoke twisting upwards into the sky. I wondered how much warmth the fire actually provided.
I pushed the gate through the snow and took the three steps it required for me to get to the door. I didn't even hesitate, rasping my fist against the door.
First, there was nothing, then the slow thump of feet against the floor. It was still extremely early, I would have waited if I didn't already know that Isaiah would always be up before the sun even thought about rising.
The door was rudely shoved open, I stepped back before it was given the opportunity to smack me in the face.
"Come back later- We're currently indisposed-" Isaiah pushed the door open with half-closed eyes, ruffled hair and a cup of dark liquid in his cracked mug. He paused, blinking as if he wasn't entirely sure if I was real or just a figment of his imagination.
"Can I come in?" I squeaked, pulling the coat tighter as a burst of wind came flying through.
"Of course! Yeah, no come in." Isaiah shook his head, putting on a smile, "I thought you were away until next week at least?"
"Yeah well, things change," I grumbled miserably, pushing in through the doorway.
I felt myself being scooped up into a hug, and I let out a sigh. I had missed them, more than I thought I had.
"You ok?" I heard Isaiah mutter,
"I'll tell you everything once Elijah is awake. I don't really feel like telling the story twice." I sighed, letting myself slip into one of the chairs that sat at the dining table.
Nothing looked different, the house hadn't been fixed, I could hear the slow drip of the tap water against cracked porcelain, the low snore from Elijah's room. I watched the flame slowly lick the burnt bricks in a desperate attempt to warm the room. I could feel the slow up creep of the chill sliding between the layers of my clothes. The fire clearly wasn't doing its job.
I watched Isaiah walk back over to the bench and poor discoloured liquid back into his cup. "Where's Maddox? I thought you two were at the point of no separation."
I followed my fingers along the ridges in the table, "I'm mad at him at the moment,"
He sat down in the chair next to me, "I didn't realise you could be mad at him, thought the mate bond prevented that?" His statement sounded more like a question.
"Nope, I can definitely be mad at him. In fact, I'm furious with him." I clenched my fist, not lifting my gaze from the rotting, uneven table that I was now leaning on.
Isaiah raised an eyebrow, "So he clearly did something. So whatever that thing is, is it 'I feel like my brothers are going to come to kill him the moment I say it' or 'It's not actually that big of a deal and I've just blown everything out of proportion and now I'm being a sook?'"
I slammed my head against the table, "Definitely the first."
Before Isaiah got to say another word, the slow creak of the door echoed through the room. Elijah must finally be up.
I heard him yawn, "What's that thing at the end of the table? You kill a bear this morning for breakfast?"
I lifted my head up in annoyance as Isaiah took a long sip from his cup.
"I mean, I certainly feel like I've been shot. No need to point it out though," I shot back, taking a little bit of glee in his reaction.
He came over and sat on the chair next to me, "I thought you were still in the South! Why are you back early, did something go down?"
I groaned, "Maddox did something. She was waiting for you to wake up before she told me. Apparently we're going to kill him after we hear." Isaiah answered for me.
Eli slung an arm over my shoulders, "Murder wasn't really on my agenda this morning, but I can always find time for Maddox. So what's up?"
I hesitated for a moment, "I got caught up in something, don't ask me what, cause I'm not saying. But I was walking back to the southern Temple on my own since Maddox was dragged off to a meeting and there was no other way for me to get home. I took longer than I thought and when I had arrived back to the temple, Maddox was already there. There was a shooting in the square, so he was already worried that I had been killed. But he began accusing me of cheating on him and a bunch of other things simply because he 'smelt a male on me'. It made no sense. I went off at him and haven't spoken to him since. I told him that we were heading back home as soon as possible and would not be returning until their human policies were cleaned up a little bit."
I felt Eli's arm tense around me, Isaiah holding his cup in front of his face, unmoving.
"Oh, so real-time murder." I heard Elijah say darkly.
"Yep." I sighed. "I feel like shit now."
Isaiah shrugged, "That's most likely his intense emotions pushing against the mating bond. You shouldn't feel bad."
"What are you going to do?" I heard Elijah ask, "Are you going to go back to him or stay with us until you've gotten over it?"
"I need to go back by at least midday. That's all the time I could get. Zina said she could give me that but not a minute more." I admitted. "I doubt I'd be able to get away for much longer than I already have before Maddox would come looking for me."
"If you're sure..." Isaiah frowned, sparing a glance over at Elijah. "You know, Maddox offered us a place in his palace, or a house nearby if we preferred. Maybe we should take him up on that offer."
I felt relief wash over me, "That actually sounds like a great idea. It's hard coming back here knowing I can't stay." I looked up at the clock, it had only been an hour or two. "Maybe if I head back now, you two can start putting together some stuff to take and I can go discuss it with Zina, Peyton and Callie. They can run it by Maddox."
"Sounds good Lor," Elijah agreed, stretching his arms in preparation to move. "You know, we were planning to wait much longer. But I guess we can move in now, just for you."
I stood up and placed a chaste kiss on their cheeks, tightening the coat around my shoulders. "Then I better leave now. Thank you both so much, we'll talk later, promise." I squealed, a grin plastered stupidly on my face.
I turned and ran out the door, letting my feet jump into a few centimetres of extra, fresh snow. It must have started snowing again while I was inside, a few cold droplets landing themselves on my head. I didn't care, so I kept walking. It had been nine-thirty when I looked at the clock, but there was still no activity. Everything looked almost exactly the same as when I had gone into the house. But I didn't let myself take any notice of it, continuing to plunge through the snow until I was back on the sidewalk, which thankfully was a little cleaner.
As I kept walking, I felt an uneasy chill run up my spine. It was eerily quiet, not even the birds were chirping, no screams from workers or the band of a shotgun. Nothing.
I heard a rustle in the tree's behind me, Just an animal, I thought to myself. Nothing to be worried about.
I felt something grab onto my arm.
I let out a scream as the person behind me spun me into their arms. They stomped down on my foot and crushed me into their body, stopping me from even moving. I tried to squirm out of their arms, but their grasp held tight.
They had a piece of material in their hand. It was a quick movement, placing it over my nose and my mouth, holding it there until I had no choice but to breath in the toxic fumes it was admitting.
My eyelids grew heavy, my blood moving sluggishly around my body. I felt a numb sensation take over my limbs before an invisible force shut of my view.
I tried to open my mouth to scream, but nothing happened, only the feeling of pulling muscles with no result.
I felt something bang against my head. I felt no pain, only the slow, cold sensation of slipping out of consciousness.
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I'm legit sobbing, thank you guys so much for 4k reads. Seriously I cannot thank you all enough for your support.
Keeping this short today, remember to vote and comment!
See you in the next chapter,
Eryn