No winners
~
Erisa
~

The arrow freed from the bow and struck into the heart of the tree trunk, a crack drifting through the woodland.

Birds scattered out of their nests and took flight into the wind, chirping as their wings flapped away.

Drawing another arrow, Erisa stood straighter with an open stance and brought her focus to the tree trunk. She had been out every day for the past few weeks, same time, with the sun at the degree of rising above the tree line and into the clouds.

This time of day brought her a sense of ease she couldn't exactly place.

Breathing through her nose, eyes aligned with her target, she drew back her string, readying for the shot when a ding quaked through the woods like church bells.

Erisa jumped, fear passing through her and the arrow flew without her recalling the release, shooting past the tree and into the bushes.

Groaning miserably, she placed her bow and arrows on the ground with jitteriness shooting through her fingertips as she marched away.

Erisa reached for her phone and Cole's name flashed on the screen. Her heart galloped, the tingling in her fingers heightening and she opened the message:  

Cole: You want to go to a carnival tonight, Moonbeam? I'll win you a toy. ;)

Erisa's face fell, once filled with the joy of shooting arrows, now ruined by this ridiculous attempt at flirting.

Weeks have passed without a word from him, no message or call, not like before when there were continuous pursuits of communication. Erisa wondered how often she was on Cole's mind, a tinkering thought or a spiral of obsessiveness that overruled him.

Erisa: Do you have a good aim?

Cole didn't wait and responded quickly as she sent the message.

Cole: Come and find out. I'll pick you up at six.

Erisa grunted, dabbling her fingers across the screen at a rapid rate and wondered how on earth going to a carnival with an unhinged Alpha would play out.

Erisa: I'll meet you there, my dad and brother won't like a random guy coming by the house. Send the details.

It was bad enough he wanted to win her teddy bear, but Erisa wasn't about to hand over her address ... that would be signing her life away

Cole: Sure thing. We're going to go on a merry-go-round.

A laugh peeled out of Erisa, slightly peeved by the nerve he had, but she didn't bother with the lunatic again. She would have the entire night to spend with him, feeding him blissful lies and whispering sweet nothings to him. And then, that would be it.

After tonight, Cole will be taken into the Fenris pack with no stones left unturned and Erisa won't have to see him again. His face, his voice, his everything would become a distant memory.

Stifling a smile, Erisa lifted her phone to her ear to speak with Cadence.

~

Cadence
~

Cadence could have taken the ajar door as an invitation, but she didn't think she wanted to invade the hybrid's privacy.

She merely lifted her fist and knocked.

"Come in, Cadence,"

Cadence sighed. The fact he knew it was her both baffled and unsurprised her. Her scent, her heartbeat, he seemed so in tune with it.

She kicked the door open and stepped inside. She kept it open. She didn't particularly favour the idea of closing it and being in a tight space with the hybrid.

She had never been in this room — in his room.

It was safe to say, it was almost exactly as she pictured — if she ever did allow such a thing to cross her mind.

Empty bowls of cereal settled on the floor of his bed. Books and crinkled paper danced the wooden floorboards of his room and the very essence of the place was aged paper and traces of wood.

He could be the sunshine in spring. The light spears sun rays onto the soil in the thicket of a forest.

Cadence's haunted gaze travelled to Rexton who sprawled lazily along his bed, his ankles dangling off and his hand resting on his stomach as he read.

Dark green and warm brown were his colours. They complimented the whiskey amber, the golden strands of air and the golden glow of his skin.

He looked over at her, his lips parting and offered Cadence a welcoming, boyish smile.

Cadence grunted at him and lifted her phone, revealing the message Erisa sent only minutes ago. She had called about Cole and then messaged the location where they would be meeting. "We have the go-ahead. Tonight."

"Perfect!" Rexton beamed and then his brows pinched together. "Where?"

Cadence's lips pinched into a thin line. "A carnival."

She wasn't exactly keen on the idea. In a place such as that, anything could go wrong.

Rexton placed the book on his nightstand and sat up against the headboard, bringing his legs into his chest. "Carnival,"

Cadence followed up with a nod. "Yeah, you win things and stuff."

"Interesting,"

Cadence shrugged. "Yeah, there's rides."

Rexton's eyes widened and sat up. "Rides? What kind of rides?"

Cadence rolled her eyes and said, "We'll see when we get there."

Rexton pulled his lip into his mouth, his gaze looking off and he bobbed his head. "You need me,"

Cadence paused. Her eyes couldn't but narrow. What was going on in that head of his? He wasn't thinking too much about this, was he? Because this was just ... work. All work, no play.

"Your presence is required, yeah," Cadence admitted slowly. No more than that. "Don't get it twisted, hybrid."

Rexton shrugged innocently. "Nothing to twist; you need me."

Cadence's hand hovered on the door handle and she rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We leave in a couple of hours."

"Cadence," Rexton called politely, a sweet tune. She stopped dead in her tracks. "What was your mother like?"

Cadence frowned deeply and her throat went dry. Why would he ask such a thing? She was dead and buried, nothing more. Sure, Cadence tried to carry her legacy but with each passing day, she always wondered if she was failing.

"Why you asking, hybrid?"

Rexton moved down his bed and planted his bare feet on the floor. His shoulders lifted but his face told more.

"Nina will be a mum soon. Accalia could be a mum. I lost my mum. You lost yours. I'm trying to know more about you ..." Rexton trailed off. Whatever it was he was saying it, he couldn't word it the way he wanted and Cadence hadn't the faintest idea how to help.

"My mum ..." Cadence uttered and lifted her head, trying to swallow the dryness scorching her throat. "Could be a mum. She could come home and be there. When she hunted, she was a hunter. She was protective, fierce and everything I wanted to be."

Cadence couldn't compare to her. She was a hunter all the time and she would never part with it. She was always on the hunt, even in her dreams. Her mother, on the other hand, had finally found rest.

"She was attacked, wasn't she? She, along with your father?"

Cadence nodded and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I found them. They were torn to bits. Them — among other family members."

"You never found the ones that did it?"

Cadence shook her head. That was all she could do. "My uncle tried. But it was useless, so he made warriors out of us."

Rexton's mouth fell open slightly. He was never good at hiding his emotions. He would need to learn it. "I'm sorry, Cadence,"

"You don't need to do that, Rexton. I mean, you asked." Cadence said dismissively.

His tousled hair foiled over his face and his lips lulled together thoughtfully. "I did,"

Cadence still gripped the door handle, but words burned the tip of her tongue, gripping her bones to stay in place.

"Rexton," Cadence said and his eyes glued to her, as they always did. "We have to be careful tonight, do you understand?"

Rexton tilted his head and oh so innocent he looked. Bloodstained he may be, but he reminded Cadence of a pure white lamb. Easy to slaughter.

Her head flashed with memory. He bit me. He wasn't exactly harmless, was he? But a gruelling, uneasy pit dropped upon Cadence. Anything could happen.

"I understand. You need me there, I will be there to protect you," Rexton said pointedly.

Cadence wagged her head back and forth. "I'll be fine, hybrid. But you — you need to be careful, as well."

Her eyes pinned to him urgently and her mouth parted for the right words. With him, she didn't think she would ever find them without feeling bitter or spiteful. "I ... I don't like the idea of people being hurt, people being vulnerable."

Rexton froze. "Even someone like me?"

Even someone like him.

"Those that don't deserve it," Cadence answered, looking him dead in the eye.

Their gazes met. Amber. Black. And it was a clash that couldn't recover.