I ran towards my brother's house as soon as I jumped out of the car. I heard Liam call after me but I ignored him. I knew he was right behind me because I could hear him.
When I arrived at his doorstep, I didn't even hesitate to push the door open. It annoyed me that my brother never locked his door, he believes that no one would dare breaking into his house, he claimed that anyone who enters his house that he hadn't welcomed signed their death certificate.
His head snapped towards me . I knew I caught him off guard which meant my brother was out of it because I have managed to catch him off guard and that has never happened before. He could usually see me coming from a mile away.
His jaw was hardened and I knew. I just knew he was trying to hold everything in. His eyes filled with so much emotion, it made my heart ache. I could feel my jaw start to shake as my nose started feeling stingy.
I didn't care then whether our relationship was estranged. I wasn't going to stand here as my brother's life came falling around him so I ran to him and when I reached him, I pulled him down for a hug. He hugged me back, tightly. Then I felt him break.
My brother never cried. I don't even remember the last time I had seen him cry. He got pissed or frustrated and usually would just walk out.
It hurt to see him like this. I didn't blame him. He couldn't put a lid on it, he didn't care who saw him like this and no one was judging him.
He cried on my shoulder and I cried in his chest. I cried for Ryan and I cried for my brother who was about to lose his mate. The person he was destined to be with.
I didn't say anything to him because there was nothing to say. I didn't want to lie to him and tell him everything was going to be just fine when I knew it wasn't going to be. I had no idea what my brother was feeling. I wasn't going to give him lame advice or tell him what Ryan would want him to do mainly because I don't know what Ryan would want him to do but also because that was just a stupid advice.
She wasn't dead yet but from what I have gathered, it wouldn't be long.
I wished I could take the pain from both of them. I didn't like this for my brother and I definitely didn't like this for Ryan who hasn't had the chance to live out a good life. A good life she could have had if she had more time with my brother, my family here in redwood.
--------
Cindy and I walked into the room Ryan was staying in. She looked up at us with her beautiful unusual blue eyes and blinked. It was like she couldn't recognise us for a second.
I almost spun around and took off seeing her like that in the bed. Looking like she did. She was pale, paler than normal. It looked like she shrank. If my heart wasn't broken before it definitely was then. She seemed smaller and she was a small woman to begin with.
If I felt like this, hardly knowing her... how did my brother feel?
I knew Enzo was messed up. He has been on his laptop for hours trying to find something, anything to fix this. To ensure that she didn't die but we all knew he couldn't and wouldn't find anything. It was very unlikely that you wouldn't die from a werewolf scratch, it's not impossible but again it's rare. Almost unheard of.
"Hey guys"she croaked out, her voice sounding weak and raspy.
"Hi"Cindy greeted with a big smile.
She was so cheerful and not acting like someone should when someone they knew was in there deathbed.
Ryan gave her grateful smile. I guess she was tired of everyone giving her the 'I'm sorry this is happening to you or you don't deserve this' speech. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to give her any of those speeches. I wasn't going to pretend that nothing was happening either.
She was dying. That was a fact. A fact I needed to face and clearly she did too. Perhaps she already did.
A werewolf scratch is fatal to a pure human and from what we know of the woman, she was human. A woman who was clear affected and would die by the looks of it.
"Weather sucks"Cindy started making herself comfortable in the bed acting casual.
"I wouldn't know. I have been cooped down here"Ryan replied with an amused smile.
"Yeah sorry about that"Cindy said looking a bit embarrassed.
Even she couldn't pretend for long.
"I know what you're trying to do Cindy and that's sweet of you but it's okay I accepted it"
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm just trying to have a conversation with a friend"
"About the weather?"I snorted out.
Ryan gave me a smile over Cindy's head and I gave one back.
Cindy took Ryan's hand, turned to around to the palm was facing up and traced something on her wrist. She looked like she was concentrating on something. Her lips were moving like she was reading something.
Ryan and I shared a look but we didn't say anything.
Cindy tilted her head to the side before letting go of Ryan hand and placing it gently on the bed.
She looked at Ryan, I watched as Ryan gave her a small smile.
"You will be fine Ryan"she told my brother's mate.
Ryan's smile faded and she audibly swallowed.
"Yeah"Was all she said.
Yeah. Simple word but it said so much. And that. That completely broke me. Seeing her have no hope. Zero hope, accepting her horrible fate. It destroyed me but I couldn't show her any of it.
This wasn't about me. This was about Ryan and how everything went to shits just when things were getting good for her.
My brother was many things but if he loved you, truly loved you then he would make sure that you are happy. He loves his family. Even though he never told me, I knew he loved Ryan. With all his heart. If he didn't, he wouldn't be like he was then.
I had never seen my brother like this so I didn't know how to help him. I didn't what to say that would make things better and I was starting to understand that nothing I could say would make him feel better.
I knew my mother felt the same. We might be twins but Cameron was her first child. Her first baby and it was destroying her seeing him like this. She didn't like this for her son. I didn't like this for my brother or Ryan.
Everyone liked Ryan. We knew that she has this wall so high but we were working on breaking it down. We wanted in there because we could see the sweet within them. We didn't need X-ray vision to see what was behind those wall.
Ryan may hide behind a wall, and her shell may be thick but inside she was all soft and sweet. I saw a glimpse of it the last time I was there.
She was perfect for Cameron, it was like she was made for him. So this sucked double. Her dying. Us knowing what was happening to her and not being able to do anything sucked bad.
We chatted with her for a bit longer, she asked for Enzo and we had to make some lame excuse to why he wasn't coming in. She didn't like this. I knew it. Cindy knew it and Ryan knew we knew but tried to hide it with another smile anyways.
She was getting sleepy so we left her to rest.
Cindy went to Enzo. I watched her lean into to slightly. I didn't need to use my super hearing to know what she was telling him. I watched as she spoke to him and then he shook his head. She moved to get up but he stopped her placing his hand on her thigh. She turned to look at him and he shook his head again. She let out a sigh and settled next to him, placing her head on his shoulder, he kissed her hair and went back on his laptop.
I looked at my brother and saw that he was looking at the interaction with Enzo and Cindy. He must have felt me looking at him because he switched his gaze to me in question.
I shrugged.
I didn't know what he was asking really, I thought maybe it could be about Enzo and Cindy.
The truth was I had no idea what was going on between them but I was glad that Enzo had Cindy with him, especially during this time. Enzo and Ryan built this connection. They bonded while he was watching over her because my brother thought it was best if she was locked in the house.
Honestly why and where he came up with this bright idea confuses me. No wonder she left the first time.
I would leave if I was kept in the house all day. I would go mad staring at walls. Wasn't that how prisoners lived like? Staring at that same four walls day and night. Okay I know they have to go and eat in the cafeteria and do chores and take some walks. I'm not completely clueless, I did watch prison break.
I didn't know much about my brother's situation with Ryan. I knew few things, I knew they cared for each other, I knew that they were both hiding and I knew that my brother was wreaked over what was happening.
He looked nothing like him. He had dark circles around his eyes, his lips were pale and dry. I knew he ate nothing because I haven't seen him eat nothing. My mum had been fussing around him even though she tried hard to keep away from him.
His eyes were empty which is total opposite to how he was normal or even hours ago. There was none of that colour in his eyes. It wasn't cold. It was just lifeless. And that killed me.
I wasn't just hurt anymore, I was angry.
I was so angry at these rogues who thought it was okay to come into my home, my pack and have the intention to hurt people. Harmless people who did nothing to them. Ryan's attacker was killed on the spot but there were three other rogues found in our territory and were held to be questioned.
This has been my safe zone. It was our home, our territory and they tried to threaten that. They did. They might not have all took part in what happened to Ryan but the entered the pack with the intention to hurt innocent people.
I was tried of them ruining things. This pack were people's home. It was people's safe haven.
I knew exactly what I needed to do.
----
I didn't think. I just grabbed the nearest rogue and slammed them to the wall, their hands twisted behind their back.
"Is this what gets you off? Coming to people's pack and hurting innocent people"
The bitch laughed and I twisted her arm harder, she groaned. I pushed her to the wall harder, the side of her face was going to have some bruises for sure.
"Well well well if it isn't the princess back home"she said.
She sounded like a chain smoker and her tone made my skin crawl.
I pulled her back then slammed her to the wall again.
"Don't call me princess bitch"
She winced in pain.
"Is that all you got?"she asked taunting me and I could feel the anger in me burning harder.
I wanted to end her there and then and I would have if an arm didn't snakes its way between us and drag me off the bitch.
I didn't need to look at the person to know exactly who it was. I was pissed. I was pissed at the bitch and Liam who was keeping me away from dragging the bitch down and ending her sad life.
"Let me go"I growled, struggling in his arm.
Liam's arm tightened.
The bitch laughed. She actually laughed and that fuelled my anger even more.
"Cool it Lily"Liam whispered in my ears.
"Fuck being cool. They ruin everything"I clipped.
"I know"he growled.
"So let me go"I snapped at him.
I was frustrated and that wasn't helping anything if I wanted to escape from his hold. I needed to focus but I was acting on my emotion which was weakening me.
"She deserves to die"I told him moving my head to look at him.
His eyes softened.
"She is being detained for questioning"
"But she-"
"I know babe"he cut me off.
I felt myself relaxing and he let me down.
"Aw isn't that cute. Is romance in the air"another rogue spoke.
Liam glanced at the rogue. One look. That's all he needed to give to make the rogue cower back.
"I actually want to know that too"I heard Vinnie say.
I turned to him, he was sitting behind a desk, his feet on the table, a pocket knife in one of his hand and the other up like you would when you want to ask the teacher a question in the classroom.
I glared at him.
"But I'm thinking that can wait."he retracted his hand.
"How about I take you home?"Bryce offered.
"No"I said and at the same time Liam said "yes"
This time I glared at Liam. We had a staring contest.
Liam won.
Bryce and I didn't go home straight away but we did eventually.
-•-•-•-•-•
Yay!!!
Updated this book! I'm proud of myself. As you can see this book is catching up. Slowly but surely.
Sorry for the missed errors! I wanted this uploaded as soon as possible!