Chapter 631
NO! I don’t even know what happened to me. It’s like my body and mind separated. The absolute feeling of despair, hopelessness, hatred, anger, defeat all licked up my insides like a white hot flame. While we were here distracted, someone or something else attacked our home. All the people waiting for us to bring some level of good news, where are they? Are they safe? Did they see it coming and get to safety?? Are the people we are holding prisoner safe? I didn’t want them to die fighting for another person’s obsession. I know I am breathing heavily, but I can’t gain control over myself, I can’t hear my wolf talking to me if she’s trying. I’m drowning.
My chest is caving in and I know I am breathing, but my vision is lined in red. I will destroy these rogues and everything they love for what they have done and are doing to my pack. I let out a scream and a wave of energy blasts out from around me. My vision goes black for a moment.
Thick arms wrap around me from behind. I can feel the tingles run up my skin, I know they are supposed to calm me down, but it’s not working this time. I am pulled back into a hard chest and I can feel breath on the back of my neck. Another set of hands grabs my cheeks. Again, I feel tingles, but I am so lost in my destructive thoughts, I can’t for the life of me figure out who has me. I do know that my legs are noodles, I don’t think I could stand if I wasn’t being held up.
Wait! I know someone is holding me up. I’m in my human form, how did that happen? When did that happen? Someone is talking to me, but it’s like speaking underwater; muffled, incoherent sounds. I still can’t focus my eyes on anything but the plume of smoke eating what may be left of my home. I need to move, we need to move. Why am I trapped? My body isn’t following instructions.
I think I am telling my body to move, but I don’t seem to be going anywhere. Then heat trickles down my body like slow lava, from the top of my head, through my fingertips and to my toes, thawing out whatever had frozen me in place. I gasp and feel the needed air fill my lungs.
“Bitty, Baby, focus. Focus on us. Come back to us, we need you.”
“Sweetness, come on, we’ve got you. Don’t try to do this alone.”
“Tiny, Love, we’re here, always here. Breathe, Love, just breathe.”
An electric jolt snaps me back into my body and I look around. My mates are surrounding me. Cam has me bundled in his arms from behind, Dakota to my right and Oliver to my left. They all have their foreheads pressed to my head, speaking to me softly and it’s enough to break me out of my panic. I feel the tears running down my face.
“Can you turn it off baby? I think you got everyone here.” Oliver doesn’t break contact when he asks.
“Huh?” I look up and blink as I take in our surroundings. Every tree from the grove is gone, the ground is singed black, except for where we are standing. We stand in a circle of bright green grass. I blink a couple more times and notice the rest of my family in similar polka dots of green surrounded by blackened earth.
I can see what Oliver is talking about though, a white flame with black tip is burning slowly across the land. I reach into my wolf and my magic and ask it to stop. Just like that, it obeys me and the flame recedes into the ground. I don’t know how I know, but no one else will be able to place magic here, it is now protected.
The buildings are still standing as if nothing happened, but there are no rogue wolves. All that’s left of them are heaps of ash. I hope the Moon Goddess takes pity on the ones who
ant to be here. I’m sure, like
many were taken and forced into this servitude.
“We need to check on Ava and Brett. I don’t know where they were supposed to be. Lenny and Martha were in the packhouse. Gentry and Elena are probably fine, but I need to see everyone. This is all my fault. They are here for me.” I am sobbing and I can’t make it stop. “Why can’t I make this go away? This is like Kaley at school all over again.”
I grip my hair with both hands. I can’t stop the feelings. I know I’m spiraling, but they just won’t stop. People are getting hurt no matter what I do. I’m not enough to make this situation better. The Moon Goddess chose wrong. Anyone else would have figured it out by now. Why won’t she just stop this suffering?
“Baby, you need to stop, now.” Oliver’s whisper is only loud enough for the four of us to hear.
“You have always been enough, Tiny. Enough to bring all of us together to handle this.”
“You have always been ahead of the pack, give us a minute to catch up, that’s all. Let us help, all of us.” Dakota kisses the side of my head.
“Are you ready to run, or do you want a ride? You know, for old time’s sake?” Oliver lifts my chin and smiles that small half smile at me. All of a sudden my stomach is full of little butterflies. He has always known how to just shut down my nerves and over thinking.
I shake my head trying to focus. “I can run, but is everyone here all good? I don’t want to run into the next fight with our best warriors running on empty.”
“You shut your mouth over there, Midge! Our training was worse than this, and the only one actually trying to kill us then was Drina.” Lil laughs and Wyatt, Nathaniel and I all join in. My mates all grumble. “Drina was just trying to kill Midge. The rest of us didn’t put her precious leader position in jeopardy.” Nathaniel jogs towards us after testing the blackened earth to make sure it was safe. “Are we going to run towards the danger or what?”
“You are not usually the first to willingly run to the fight, what are you up to?” Jena asks.
“Are you kidding? Do you know how many times I finally get called into a fight only to get there and Alpha Midge and her band of female badasses have destroyed everyone? I’m tired of missing out.” He shifts and takes off, everyone else falling into step behind him.