Aiden’s POV

‘’Who does she think she is keeping me from my mate!?’’ I scoffed and shook my head furiously.

‘’She’s a bully and your smart for leaving her.’’ Paige nodded and gripped my hand tighter.

‘’She’s dragging me all over the place and always in the opposite direction of Jayce and where has that gotten us!? We have nothing but blood and death!’’

I immediately regret my words at the thought of Sam and Jeff being Paige’s parents. I looked over to the small girl and she looked at me curiously. Why wasn’t she sad? Why wasn’t she crying or hitting me or something. If Luna had something happen to her I don’t know what I’d do. I’d go on a rampage, kill anyone that said her name in any way no matter what age I was at the time.

‘’You’re really strong you know that Paige?’’

‘’Why?’’

‘’You’ve been putting on a brave face even though your parents- I don’t know how I’d be able to cope.’’

‘’Well I have you now don’t I?’’ She smiled her toothy smile at me and I couldn’t help but let all the pain and anger leave me to smile back at the strong little girl.

‘’Do you want to take a break? I need to find us some food. I haven’t eaten in a while and I bet you didn’t eat much last night.’’ I stared at her knowingly and she nodded shyly.

‘’I am a little hungry and I have to go potty.’’

‘’Okay I’ll go hunt and you go potty.’’ I giggled at the childish name for the toilet, even though there wasn’t one out here.

‘’Okay! I’ll be back here soon.’’

‘’Don’t go too far!’’

‘’I won’t!’’

At that I walked through the forestry, past the small shrubs and branches only to find more. This place was like a maze but unlike mazes that made you frustrated, this one made me calm and I couldn’t help but to take my clothes off and shift into my wolf. It felt like it had been decades since I last shifted.

‘It might as well have been decades’ I thought as the calming feeling of my paws digging through the ground just to the savour texture made me almost moan and my head rose as I tried to hold back a howl of pure happiness and content.

When I was in my wolf form it was as close to my mate as I could get. Our bond amplified and even though it should hurt me more that I had the bond but didn’t have my mate, it made me feel just a little more complete, just a little more closer to him knowing we were fatally bound.

I took in a giant whiff of the air surrounding me. The sweet smell of wild flowers danced through my senses and engulfed me. I couldn’t help but take another one as the scent of pinecones and dirt swarmed me. It was a beautiful earthy smell, not like a dirt smell but an earthy one. It smelt like strength, freedom, happiness, if any of those could have an actual scent.

--

An hour later of enjoying my wolf form I shifted back finding my clothes and putting them on my body as the rabbit I caught dangled from my hands. I knew Paige wouldn’t enjoy knowing she was eating a bunny but I think she’d prefer it over Bambi any day.

‘’Paige.’’ I called out as I gathered some stray twigs and branches.

I’d have to make a small fire and cook the rabbit. I knew I could stomach raw meat -being a wolf and all- but I knew a human probably wouldn’t be able to and I wasn’t about to test my theory on the poor little girl.

‘’Paige!’’ I called a little louder into the trees.

There was no other movement than the scurrying of rodents and the flutter of wings in the air. I tried to concentrate on the sounds but all I heard was the thundering rumble of weight hitting the ground.

‘’Paige!’’ I called desperately as I dropped the rabbit to the ground and walked around in circles hopelessly trying to spot any kind of movement.

‘’Aiden!’’ A distressed cry sounded from behind me before Paige came into view, tears streaming down her face.

‘’Paige! We have to go!’’

‘’No I can’t! They said they have my mummy and daddy! They said they fixed them!’’ Only then did I realise they were tears of joy and a big smile was plastered on her face as she huffed out breath after cold breath.

‘’Paige, Sam and Jeff they- Mummy and Daddy can’t be fixed. They’re gone honey now we have to leave.’’ I pleaded with the girl as the galloping of paws got closer.

‘’Yes they are! I saw them!’’ She screamed and grabbed my arm pulling me towards the area she had just come from

‘’I’ll show you!’’

‘’No Paige we can’t go there they’re the bad men.’’

‘’No they brought back mummy and daddy.’’

‘’No honey they’re gone you didn’t see your mummy and daddy.’’ I tried to reason with her but her face turned a furious red and she dug her fingernails into my arm.

‘’It’s the same as Jayce! I want my mummy and daddy! What would you do if they had Jayce and you thought he was dead!?’’

I winced at her theoretical idea of Jayce being dead but what would I do? There was no question about it. I’d go after anything, anyone just to see my mate. Heck I was doing that right now!

I had to sympathise with her. It was technically the same but I saw them ripped up. I saw they were beyond repair. There was no magic that could bring the dead back, no amount of medicine that could mend a broken body, no amount of love that could be given.

‘’Okay.’’ I whispered and her head shot up.

I don’t know why I was doing what I was going to do. Maybe it was to put a girl’s heart a rest. Maybe it was my own selfish whim to make up for all the pain I’ve caused the people around me. Maybe it was my calling from God. I don’t know but I know I was going to try and bring at least one person happiness, no matter how much pain it brings me.

‘’Okay, Aiden, let’s go!’’ She cheered and started pulling me towards the blundering steps.

They were getting dangerously close. All the animals around us knew better than to stay in the way of wolves no matter how big or small they were. It was viscous cycle of love and pain between the small animals and us and I wish I could be with them as they hid in their burrows and under their logs or up their trees. I wish I could be with them and their families in the warmth of their homes and frightened hugs they held with their dear loved ones.

A horrible laugh echoed through the trees sending the remaining previously confident birds flying. It was like a deep throaty mock of a woman that reverberated from every angle, every tree, and every piece of earth beneath my feet, and it could only be one person.

‘’Ezra.’’ I shuddered at her name that slipped through my lips.

‘’My darling, you remember me?’’ The ghostly figure sauntered out of the trees with the eerie glow of red eyes surrounding us.

‘’Of course I do. How could I forget the woman that basically dammed me?’’

‘’Oh my lovely, I just told you what you were. You should honestly thank me.’’ She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes held and evil that not even Hades could overpower.

‘’Give Paige her family now, if you even have them.’’

‘’Paige? I don’t know a Paige.’’ She smirked.

‘’This girl right here. You told her you had her family. Now either give them back or let us go.’’

‘’This girl?’’ She gesture to Paige and I nodded.

‘’This girl is my spy, darling. You didn’t honestly believe she was their kid right?’’ Her laugh screeched through the trees followed by the demonicecho of her rogue’s wolfish laughs.

‘’What are you talking about?’’

‘’Darling, she looks nothing like them. How could you get that from them.’’

I looked down at Paige but she wasn’t there. I needed to know the truth. She didn’t look anything like Sam and Jeff but there was always a chance. Since when did the bad guys tell the truth? Since when did the bad guys dedicate so much time to capturing one person no matter how ‘powerful’ they were? Why? Why did the bad guy have to break all the rules with me? Why was the bad guy and bad girl with an army of rogues. Why did I feel like in this story… the bad guy would win?

‘’Looking for me?’’ I looked up and saw Paige holding Ezra’s hand with a childish smirk gracing her face.

‘’So it’s true?’’ My eyes started pricking with tears at the truth of Ezra’s words.

‘’Yep.’’ She popped the ‘p’ and smiled happily.

‘’Why?’’ I choked out.

‘’Why not?’’ Her nonchalant shrug was my undoing.

I shook my head as the first tear fell down my cheek. I had been played. Ivana said there was something wrong with her and I didn’t believe it. Ivana said not to go west and I didn’t want to hear it. I was such a bad person and only asked for my downfall.

The tears seemed to flow like a never ending river down my face which only seemed to fuel the laughs and smirks of all the creatures around me. It felt like the once peaceful creatures I wished to be were laughing at me too.

How could I be so stupid? Why was I so stupid?

The wolves seemed to close around me and I couldn’t help but to fall to my knees and cradle my head. I didn’t want to give up but I felt like I had to, like if I didn’t I would just keep causing pain; I would just keep causing all this needless drama.

‘’He’s my brother!’’

No. No I wasn’t her brother.

‘’He’s my mate!’’

No. He’ll love another.

‘’You’re my family.’’

I’m sorry Ivana.

I’m sorry everyone.

I don’t want to let you down but I don’t want to keep going.

‘’I give up.’’ I sobbed and tried to remember any happiness I had felt throughout my life just so that it could somehow fix my sins when I get sent to my afterlife.

I remembered when Luna and I used to play as pups down near the human village. I remember when a little blonde girl with deep brown eyes called out to me whenever she was upset and needed her ‘puppy’ to come play. We always played with the little kids. It was forbidden but we did it anyway.

I remembered meeting Luna again after years of not seeing her, the feeling of her finally being my sister again, being my whole life again.

And I remembered meeting Jayce; my mate, my love, my life. But I remembered running from him when he tried to kiss me. We never kissed. I never kissed my mate. I would never feel his strong lips brushing against mine. I would never feel us become one, I would never bear his mark and he would never bear mine. We would never grow old together or raise pups even if they weren’t our biological babies they’d still be our kids.

‘I won’t let you give up.’ Three voices growled.

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