Sapphire Nightborne

The world around me moved in a blur as I continued to stare at the bloody piles of flesh and blood that were strewn all over the arena... those piles were all that remained of someone who I had loved with all my heart for twenty-two years... those piles were all that remained of my sister.

I could not even register the soft press of lips against my cheek, my eyes focused on the sight in front of me... the guards had already forced the Werecats back into wherever they kept them, and were now throwing Cordelia's body parts into baskets as if they were trash.

"You are free now, Sapphire... your tormentor is gone."

Tears slid down my cheek as I felt his breath against my ear, his finger pushing my hair behind my ear... chuckling as I slowly shook my head... I was not free, I was a prisoner in my own body.

"It's okay, Sapphire, it's okay."

My lips trembled as he ran his fingers through my hair, my eyes never wavering from the scene. 

The mops had come out to clean away the floor, removing any trace of her, while the baskets that contained her remains were kicked aside.

"Take her back to the room."

I did not resist as someone picked me up, my neck did not twist and turn in a feeble attempt to get away like I had tried with Damien, the soapy blood smears never leaving my sight. I continued to stare in that direction even though the arena was no longer in view, the image of her being torn into pieces replaying again and again in my mind.

My gaze was fixed on the ceiling as I was laid down onto the bed, the soft rays from the moon slashed through the dark ceiling... just like how they slashed through my sister. I did not even look at the face of the person who brought me back, the ceiling was all that I looked upon as the door softly shut.

My sister was dead... Cordelia Lyra Nightborne was gone... for good, she was not coming back this time.

She had done everything she could to hurt me, to break me, but yet... it felt like my heart was slowly being crushed as I watched her futilely struggle against her chains, trying to get away from the claws and fangs that sunk and tore into her flesh... fear clear in her eyes.

This was a girl who I was raised with... we grew up together, trained together, ate together, laughed together and cried together. We would sneak into each other's rooms as children when our father was called away for his duties, and she would read me stories so that I could sleep.

*"And the Moon Goddess gave each of her children a gift... a promise... a promise that a wolf will never be alone and they will always find someone who will love them for who they are."*

*"So we are supposed to sit and wait till this 'gift' bears fruit?"*

*I laughed as my sister playfully hit me with a pillow.*

*"Don't be so cynical, Sapphire... these stories give some of us hope for the future, we can't all spend our years training and rising through the ranks."*

*"Very funny, Lia... but to each their own I guess."*

*She rolled her eyes as I snuggled into her, brushing hair away from her face."*

*"Thank you for reading to me, Lia."*

*I closed my eyes as she pressed her lips against my forehead.*

*"We should go to bed soon, Sapph... father won't be home till dawn and both of us have forest training tomorrow morning."*

I smiled as I thought of my childhood, there were many things in my childhood that I would love to forget, but those moments with Cordelia... they were the few good ones. Time passed and we both grew up, and while we were still close, we fought more... I felt that she had changed, and she felt that I was still the same.

*"How could you just stand there with your head down while those girls were put up like animals for auction?"*

*I had just been dragged into one of the Grimford guest rooms after my 'little' outburst and had been ordered by Ryder to stay put till negotiations were over. He had even stationed my own Generals outside my room to restrain me if I tried to leave, he also decided it to make it known that should I try to escape, because he knew that I could overpower my own Generals, he would not punish me... but the consequences of my actions would fall onto my Generals.*

*Cordelia had come into my room, furious, that I had disrespected Ryder and her in front of everyone.*

*"We are here for a crucial alliance, Sapphire... mouthing off against their practices would destroy any chance of that!"*

*"Crucial, oh please, don't make me laugh. Ryder just wants access to their gold, he loves that stuff more than anything--"

*"Not me! Not more than me!"*

*I rolled my eyes as I walked to sit down in one of the many armchairs, kicking my feet back to rest my boots on the table.*

*"We could have easily ended up just like those girls if not for our father."*

*"Don't you think that I know that? But to live the lives we have now, some of us have had to make sacrifices! Maybe you don't see the grey in the world, but sometimes we have to give up certain parts of ourselves for the greater good!"*

*"The greater good? Our pack has enough gold as it is, Ryder just can't keep his hands to himself when there is an opportunity to make more!"*

*I dodged as she threw a vase at my head, standing from my seat as I stared at her in shock.*

*"You might be a Lycan Legacy and Head Warrior Commander, but learn your place... Ryder is your Alpha and I am your Alpha Female!"*

*I scoffed and walked up to her as she glared in my direction, her chest heaving from all the yelling she had done."*

*"Go back to Ryder, Lia... I am sure he is real proud of you... his perfect Alpha Female."*

I should have seen the signs, picked up on the things she said and did... she always refused any help from me when I did... and now I know why. She hated me for going against Ryder because it threatened where she stood in the pack as she felt that being Alpha Female was the only one up against me... she did not see me as her sister... I was just a cockroach that lived for too long and was too hard to kill.

I stared at the bag that contained the black liquid which kept me paralyse and I began to sob. My own sister had spent months or even years developing something just so that she could use it against me... just so she could hurt me.

I gave a watery chuckle as I remembered my first last memory of her alive. I was just packing a few things for a training session when she ran into my room, positively glowing, the happiest I had ever seen her in months.

*"Sapph, I just came back from the Healer."*

*"And what did she say? You have been quite recently."*

*I stopped what I was doing as she bounced on her heels, eyes wet with tears and lips curled into a big smile.*

*"I am pregnant, Sapph... after all these years, Ryder and I are going to have a baby."*

I dropped everything that I was holding to hug her as she cried into my shoulder. She and Ryder had been trying for a child for so long, and the pressure from the Elders was tearing her to shreds. They tore into her worth as an Alpha's mate from being unable to conceive, belittling her everyday even when I tried to stop it. To them, Antony was not enough as he was not a 'true' Alpha's child... it was awful.

How could she let her hate for me result in the death of her children? She loved Antony with all her heart, but had yearned for a child of her own... so how could she just abandon the both of them when she had finally got what she wanted after all those years of tears and pain... she was in so much pain.

My only comfort when I saw her body on the battlefield was that she could finally be at peace, and it spilled over when I saw Antony's head... I thought that at leat they could be together, in a place where no one will hurt them. She died that day as my sister and friend.

Now? 

My last memory of her alive is her flesh flying all over the arena in an act of 'love' by a monster.