Chapter 73 – You Must Fight
“This kind of war, you gotta believe in what you’re fighting for.” – John Wayne
Neron
Our feet kicked up some pond water, six different ripples encircling our ankles. It was peaceful. I’ve long stopped crying, the itchiness in my throat a distant remembrance of my breakdown. Mom’s breathing echoed softly between us as held one of my hands in hers while Nuria rested her head on my shoulder. I still can’t believe this is happening. I’ve done nothing to deserve this, but here I am, staring at the tangible presences my lost family.
Why couldn’t we have stayed this way? Why did they have to die?
“Don’t give up, Nero.” Nuria whispered, her fingers brushing against the flower petals. I realized what she meant, but it didn’t lesson the doubt swimming in my head. “You can still save her.”
of
“Can I?” I exhaled, glimpsing at my reflection in the pool. My eyes are red and puffy. “Nuria, Kiya wants to kill me because I hurt her. I want to save her, but I can’t ignore the possibility that…I might not be able to. What if I can’t?”
“What ifs are dangerous, my precious.” Mom squeezed my hand, pushing some strands of my hair behind my ear. Her thumb caressed my cheek. “But, you’re right. You hurt that darling and it stuck with her for years, but it wasn’t just you. Everyone, whether they directly harmed her or turned the blind eye, are also responsible…. including your father.” Hurt laced in her last words. I looked into her eyes and saw an amalgamation of pain and shame. Coming to terms that your mate abused a child couldn’t be an easy
thing to deal with.
Kiya used to refer to my mom as her aunt because she was close with her family. Mom loved her like she was her own. Maybe how Mom feels now is what Kiya felt every time she saw me for the first time. I squeezed her hand to let her know that I’m still here, but I wonder. Did Mom see everything? How else would she have known? I glanced at Nuria to see the same amalgamation in her eyes. “Your father and you used Nuria and I as scapegoats for the abuse. Who Lady Sanguine is today directly results from that. You’ve done wrong, and it is your job to make it right.”
I nodded. Lady Sanguine didn’t appear on a whim; Zircon Moon, collectively, created a weapon of our own destruction and she won’t stop until we’re all gone. “I know Mom, and I’m so sorry. I missed you and Nuria so much, and then Dad started talking and
“Shh.” Mom held a finger on my lips to shush me. Then, she leaned in and pressed a firm kiss on my forehead. “You were suffering, I know. But abuse is never justifiable. You cannot erase pain by causing pain to another.”
“Everyone knows Kiya isn’t responsible for what happened to Mom and I.” Nuria huffed, kicking her feet up. “She never was, and we never blamed her. Dad just hates her. It’s not even about losing us anymore!”
“However,” Mom intercepted. “The difference between you and your father, Neron, is that you’re learning from your mistakes. Not many people can do that.”
“Are you ashamed of–me, Mom?” I inquired, anxious. “Are you, Nuria? Kiya was your best friend.”
1/5
Not was, She is my best friend.” She corrected with a glower. “At first, I was deeply ashamed of you. I was furious, Selene showed us everything–the least painful parts, I suppose. You do not know how much I wanted to march out of heaven and strangle the shit out of you.”
“Nuria.”
She gulped. “Sorry, Mommy. What I meant to say is yes, I was ashamed, but not anymore, Neron.”
“And neither am 1.” Mom sighed, swinging her feet as she entered deep thought. “Zircon Moon is not what it used to be. I can’t love it anymore. But it is not your responsibility to carry everyone’s sins. You only carry your own, baby boy.”
“I should’ve done something, Mom.” I retorted, grinding my teeth. It doesn’t matter than neither of them are ashamed; I have enough of it to last a lifetime “I’m her mate! It is my job to protect her, and I failed, back then and now! All I wanted was Dad’s love, and I hurt her to get it, and it turned out to be a load of bullshit. He never cared about me and look at the consequences! It’s because of me she killed herself and its because of me that Osiris has her. And now, she wants me dead. How can I help free Kiya from the darkness if I trigger her hatred?”
“You love her, right?” Nuria asked.
“I do. So much.”
“Then you need to fight, Neron. Fight harder than you’ve ever done before. Your mate bond with Kiya went through hell and back, but its still there. Your love for her has to shine through this time. Losing her to another who wants her purely for her power, is not an option!”
“How do I do that?”
“You have to figure that out on your own, skatten min. We can’t tell you how to reach to her. There is an answer; you just have to find it.”
“And it won’t be easy.” Nuria added. “The question is, are you up for the challenge?”
Fate piled the past against me. Fate pile the present against me. My past behavior and actions are piled against me. All sank into a melting pot that molded into who Lady Sanguine is today; a manifestation of Kiya’s anger and hatred toward all who wronged her. But when I held her, she had every opportunity to kill me. My throat was exposed for her blade to take what it wanted, but she didn’t. Instead, I saw the real Kiya drowning in a raging sea with no one to help her.
I’ll never free myself of the guilt of hurting her. Ever. I’ll carry that sin until the day I die.
Can I help save Kiya? I don’t know.
Am I the one who can save her? I don’t know that either.
But I will try. The future is uncertain, and danger continues to make its presence known, but I won’t run away.
“I can’t lose her, Mom.” I confided, pain pulsing in my veins once again. “She has to come back, for her
Chapter 73 – You Must Fight
family’s sake.”
“For their sake and yours too. Don’t forget about yourself!” Nuria added, giving me a playful shove. I said nothing.
Mom patted my long tresses with a loving smile. “Whatever you do and whatever path you take, know that Nuria and I are with you.”
“We’ll always be at your side, big bro, right Mom?” Nuria shot a wink at Mom, who rolled her eyes and lightly. kicked her feet in the water. My sister giggled before patting me on the pack.
I wonder what that’s all about.
Speaking with Mom and Nuria rejuvenated me. Hearing their words of encouragement was enough to douse out the harsh words Dad implanted in my head. He doubted my abilities and competence to be a leader, and I doubted myself. If my father didn’t believe in me, why should I? I tried hard to appease him, but nothing worked. But now, with the two most important women in my life, I felt like anything is possible.
Mom and Nuria couldn’t stay for long. They have to leave. A spasm of loneliness entered my heart, tugging at my heartstrings. I grabbed onto their hands for dear life like a child frightened of being left alone. I just got them back. A dream is a dream, but to me and the child–like innocence left inside me, this was a paradise.
Part of me didn’t want to wake up; it wanted to indulge in the love Mom and Nuria have for me. When I wake up, I’ll be alone again and they’ll be in their graves. But I have to leave also, because the real world won’t wait for me to get my bearings. I have to bring Kiya back to the light, even if it means my death.
I love Mom and Nuria more than I love myself, and with my palms pressed together, I quietly thanked my Moon Goddess for blessing me with the opportunity to see and chat with my family again.
Our lives would’ve been so different if they were still alive.
But, for now, I’ll relish this moment while it lasts.
With the women I love.
I woke up from my chair with a startled gasp, my eyes readjusting to the darkness after being in white for so long. The moon was fully shining through my window, casting a silvered glow on my desk. I’m back in my reality, but at what cost?
My hands flew to my face and soon touched the hot tears I’ve unknowingly shed in my slumber. My sniffles echoed through the hushed air, and loneliness took its place as my partner once more. The dream was so vivid that I can still feel them. I still feel Mom’s hands in mine and Nuria’s head on my shoulder.
“Mom…Nuria…” I’m missing them all over again. Tears pricked my eyes, but I hastily wiped them away with my hands, sniffling. My world fell into that familiar chill once more. But Mom and Nuria left me with a smidgen of hope that everything will turn out alright in the end. They’ve given me a newfound purpose to fight, perhaps a grander purpose before.
Chapter 73 You Man Fight
“Hoo?”
Diana appeared, sitting under the strip of moonlight on my desk, her gold eyes peering at me with curiosity.
“Oh, Diana.” How long was she there before I noticed her? I wondered how she got in, but when I looked at the opened window, it all came back to me. I inspected her feathers to see no injury, bringing a wave of relief. The owl disappeared after the attack and I was so worried something might have happened, but I’m glad that the worry was a waste of time. A smile awakened on my lips when the owl craned her neck when I went to pet
her.
Still as soft as a pillow.
“Do owls dream?” I wondered, gathering the tiny bird in my large hands. “You won’t believe the dream I just had, Diana. 1…” I sighed. “I miss my mother and Nuria, a lot. But, oddly enough, your presence makes us for it. You’ve made my life less lonely and you aren’t even mine.”
Diana cocked her head to the side, blinking once. Maybe she doesn’t understand me, or thinks I’m talking straight out of my ass, but everything I’ve said is true. This owl made her way into my heart without even trying. She deserves to be protected.
“Hoo!” Diana hopped out of my hands and pecked at the picture frame of Mom and a young Nuria smiling in a flower field. It was the last photo those two took together.
“Yup, that’s them.” She pecked at Nuria. “That is Nuria. She was as beautiful back then as she was in my dream. Time sure flies, huh?” Diana stared at the photo for a minute before settling near the frame, continuing her initial stare down.
“What? You want to tell me something?”
“Alpha Neron.” A patrolman’s voice abruptly entered my head, erasing all the warm and fuzzy feelings from before. “I apologize for the disturbance, but we’ve found something that you need to see.”
“Don’t touch or move anything. After what happened last night, I’m not taking any chances. I’m on my way.”
Playtime is over, so it seems. It’s back to business. Diana hobbled from my desk and perched on the windowsill, pointing her head to the forest, and cooing with urgency. I rose from my chair, bewildered. Does she want me to follow her? Hooting sharply, she fled into the midnight sky.
Looks like she does.
I made my move out of the pack house, mindful to not arouse my Betas and Gammas sleep. Once outside, Diana, small and majestic, encircled the sky before taking off into the forest. Charmed, I followed, eluding every sapling and log to the scene toward the northeast part of the territory. The owl’s white feathers faintly gleamed in the twilight, serving as my North Star toward the patrols.
She’s like an angel.
In two minutes, I arrived at the location, the air tense with apprehension. Three patrolmen surrounded a specific tree, murmuring amongst one another, but ceased when they saw me approach. Diana took her place on a nearby branch, observing us with scrutiny. “What is going on, men?”
Chapter 73. You Murl Fight
“We discovered this.” One patrolman gestured to the tree bark. “We don’t know how this slipped past us during our rounds, but when we crossed this zone a second time, this was here.”
“We also smelled blood.” Another patrolman mentioned. I walked in front of them only to have my heart drop. Embedded into the tree bark is manilla–tinted letter nailed to the bark by a silver blade pungent with the odor of wolfsbane. Blood saturated the edges of the envelope, dripping onto the roots of said tree.
Not only was the letter addressed to me, but the scent of the blood settled blocks of ice in my bones. The blood belonged to my father.
“Shit.” I snarled, tearing the letter from the tree. Touching the knife was not an option. Tearing the envelope open, the message revealed careful, stylistic writing penned by a feminine hand. I realized at that moment, I had to loop in Anthony. The situation reached an all–time high.
Surprise, huh? Do you miss your old man? This is only the beginning of your nightmare.
If you want your father and the Betas back unharmed, meet me at Pauline Park at noon.
Come alone. Bring back–up and your members return in pleces..
I’ll be waiting, Alpha Neron.
-Lady Sanguine
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