Word Count: 1842

~Sienna

The village is dead today.

The shops remain open, although very few brave the impending weather. To my dismay, I bowed to peer pressure and agreed to travel here to get dresses for an event coming up.

The problem is a storm is coming, and I'm terrified of them.

"I'm getting the feeling we shouldn't have come out today," I say uneasily, looking toward the sky as we walk down the cobbled street.

Alex, Rowan, Kayn and I have been here for a few hours now, and I've spent the entire time worried about the impending storm. The generous knot in my stomach is starting to really hurt.

"Why not?" Alex asks lightly.

"It looks like it's about to rain any moment now." I chew on my lower lip. That and my nails are suffering the brunt of my anxiety.

"It's just rain." Alex smiles assuredly, unaware of my crippling fear. "Come, we haven't looked in this store."

She grabs my sleeve, practically dragging me to a cute little store on the corner of the street. It's stuffed with mounds of dresses, the cost of which I don't think I want to learn.

"I think I've seen enough of puffy dresses. I'm waiting out here." Rowan mutters, leaning his back against the window.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Buzzkill."

"Yeah, I might wait out here too." Kayn looks at me as if for permission.

I couldn't care less. I just want to get this over with.

"That's okay. Come on, Alex." This time I drag her into the store.

Some cloying floral scent immediately overwhelms my senses as we enter. Everything here is beautiful, handmade and exactly Alex's style.

"Oh I just love this colour," she gushes, pulling a sea foam green dress off the rack, holding it up against her body. "What do you think?"

"I have the perfect shoes you can borrow that go amazing with that dress," I tell her, sitting on one of the bright pink seats outside the changing room so I can wait for her to try it on.

"Really? Oh that's just great."

She disappears behind the cloth, drawing it closed behind her.

"What about you? You still haven't chosen a dress," she exclaims.

"I might make one." I pick at a piece of thread on my pants.

"Oh...why?"

"Because I can, and I like recycling old clothing," I say. "About once a month or so the entire household brings together their old clothing and we all swap. Even Onyx does it, and Lucia. Whatever isn't taken is donated. I haven't had to buy new clothing in forever."

"I like that."

Since doing this, random staff members have been seen parading around in Lucia's expensive shoes or Onyx's lavish suits.

The event in which we need dresses is a ball, hosted by the Alpha of a neighbouring Pack. Maren, her name is, and she only hosts these to embarrass, manipulate or sleep with her political opponents.

I would respect her if she wasn't such a bitch to me every time I come near her.

"So don't worry about me."

Alex pulls back the curtain, revealing her in the dress. I compliment her profusely. She looks stunningly regal I'm her dress, and it hugs all the right places in such a way that's going to draw a lot of attention.

"As long as you dress to impress too. I heard this is really important," she exclaims.

"It is. Relations between Onyx and Maren are tense right now, and he wants to take up some space at her annual ball. It's why everyone is invited," I tell her, picking at my fingernail as she disappears back behind the curtain, deciding this dress is the winner.

Onyx bringing a bunch of potential brides plus his mistress is going to make a statement.

"He has a lot of enemies." She sounds nervous.

"He does. One does not command the largest amount of territory and not have a target on their back," I remind her coolly. "But none want him dead more than Alpha Zion. Those two are constantly at the brink of war."

Just saying his name dries out my tongue, like it poison. The thoughts I have that are associated with that man are vile.

I don't even know why I brought him up.

"So I heard." She pulls the curtain back and she's dressed normally again."Are you scared of Onyx being killed?"

My stomach churns uneasily. The thought has haunted me since we became friends. Being an Alpha is not without risk.

"Every day. But he is a good, strong Alpha, and I trust that he can look after himself and his Pack well," I answer decidedly, trying to pass off some confidence to her.

There's a chance she may be Onyx's bride. She deserves to feel safe.

"Well, I'm taking this dress. We need to head back soon to beat the rain." Alex looks through the window, grimacing at the deep grey clouds.

"Good idea." I follow her gaze, apprehension shading my previous happiness.

She promptly pays and we head outside.

I can smell the encroaching rain in the air. We have little time to head back to the estate before the storm rolls in. Once that happens, I have no idea how severe my reaction will be.

Kayn looks up at me from where he and Rowan are talking.

"I got you something." He holds out a flat, velvety black box to me.

"You did?" I take it from him.

"I saw it in the shop over there, and I thought you might like it." He smiles proudly, clearly sure his gift will impress me.

I open the lid gently, peering inside. My breath catches in my throat as the reality of what I'm looking at sinks into my flesh.

Fuck.

It's a necklace laden with fat, oversized diamonds. They glisten magically, even with the darkening weather, showing off how truly extraordinary they are.

And yet, disappointment curls in the pit of my stomach.

I would never wear a necklace like this. It could cover the taxes of the village for months, and just wearing it would put a target on my back.

It's pretty...it's just too much.

"Wow. I...this must have been incredibly expensive," I stutter.

Alex looks over and gasps, covering her mouth. Even Rowan looks appalled, and he rarely shows emotion beyond boredom and disdain.

A man I hardly know should not be buying me presents at all, let alone presents like this. I don't know how I'll ever compare with anything I could give him.

"Don't worry about the price." Kayn waves me off, knowing he has plenty of money to spare. "Let me put it on."

"This is beautiful. Thank you, Kayn," I force out, watching in slight horror as he takes the case from me, reaching into it to pull out the necklace.

Before he can, a crack of thunder rocks through the air right above us.

I scream, stumbling away until my back slams against the door of the shop. I fumble for the doorknob, desperation ratcheting up in my body, fear clawing its way up my throat, overcoming all my senses.

Unable to find the handle in my panic, I sink down, pressing myself as far into the door as I can manage.

"Oh fuck, that gave me a fright." Alex comes to my side, her hand resting over her chest. "Are you okay Sienna?"

I shake my head.

Violent images of rain lashing against my face, lightning streaking through the sky and wind pulling at my body flares up unbidden in my mind.

Cold hands hold me close, my mother's hair lashing against my face as she hustles me to the transport. I see her busted lip, the terror in her eyes. I look down, and I see a litany of bruises on my arms, shaped like large hands.

"I need Onyx," I choke out, looking up at Alex, whose face blurs in my tear-soaked vision.

"Onyx isn't here..." Panic edges her voice.

"What's wrong? Did the thunder scare you?" Kayn comes to my side, grabbing for my arms but I press them tightly against my chest.

"I don't like storms," I force out through strangled breaths. "Please get me Onyx."

I need my best friend. He's the only person who has ever calmed me and pulled me out of my panic.

"Onyx is away, but he will be back in a few days," Alex tells me nervously. "Don't worry, we will get you home."

She goes to loop her arm around me, but I fight her off, pushing as flat as I can against the door, watching the rain dotting the concrete close to my feet.

"I can't go out in the storm."

"Yes, you can. Come on, it's just rain," Kayn growls, grabbing for me.

I fight against him as he tugs my arm, trying not to scream in panic. If he forces me into the rain, I don't know what I'll do, but I know it will be something that I'll regret.

"I can't," I insist, wishing he could see how desperately I want to get out of this, just not through the storm.

"You're being ridiculous. You have to go home, so let's go now before it gets bad," he says in my ear, his tone so firm and harsh it's almost unrecognisable.

"You guys go get the transport from the other side of town. I'll wait inside with her," Alex commands her brother and Kayn, giving them pointed looks.

Kayn rolls his eyes like this is all a massive inconvenience for him.

"This is silly. Come on, Sienna."

"I can't," I whisper.

"Rowan, Kayn, go!" Alex commands harshly, irritated at their hesitation.

Kayn gives me one last look before he nods at Rowan to follow him, and they disappear into the rain.

I tuck my head into my hands, trying to avoid seeing a flash of lightning.

"You're okay, it will pass," Alex soothes, running her hands down my head, down my arms comfortingly.

"I need him," I choke out desperately.

How can I ever be without him?

"I know. I know," Alex says, worry edging her tone.

All I can do is hold onto her back, even as the storm rages wildly a few feet away from me. My stomach is so tight and twisted I should throw up, and my vision is stained with spiralling colour as I squeeze my eyes so tightly shut it hurts.

I don't start to feel calm until the transport arrives and I'm ushered in it and driven back to the estate.

And until Onyx is back, I'm not going to feel whole again.

💙••💙

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading (:

~Midika 💜🐼