Evangeline A True Warrior

Evangeline’s betrayal

Letting go of Atlas I turned to everyone still in the room. I stayed close to his body not ready to be away from him. The girls looked flustered and confused, they wanted answers but as their Alpha they knew I had no obligation to give them any. I didn’t want them left in the dark but did I really want to answer questions now? Wait. Had Proteus walked out of the room? He usually just disappeared. Panic suddenly gripped my stomach, he was going for the child. He was going for Carol. I turned and ran from the room, taking the stairs two at a time to get to her. Reaching the bottom I saw Proteus raising his hand to touch the sleeping child. I lunged for his arm, not wanting him in contact with her at all. He was so much faster though and spun to grip my throat in his hand. Leaning toward me he whispered.

“I’m positive I made it clear, I do whatever I want. You won’t stop me Evangeline. No one will.” He shoved me away from him and I stumbled a couple steps back. Atlas was there, steady hands on my shoulders kept me upright. Suddenly Proteus was gone. Carol slept on not knowing how close a god had just been to her. 

“We should go talk to everyone Atlas. Proteus isn’t himself, something is wrong.” Atlas nodded his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulders he walked me upstairs. Everyone was in the living room waiting for us. I sighed knowing it was going to be a long night. “Alright. If you have questions. Now is the only time I’ll answer, then I would like some sleep.” I sat down on the couch while everyone else found places around me. Atlas sat next to me, not that I minded, I wanted him close by. KC spoke first. 

“How did you do that? Heal yourself instantly?” The worry was showing around her eyes, she had a history. One with power hungry men and loads of betrayal. I could tell she worried there would never be enough power for me. She thought I would go crazy in my pursuit of it. 

“I haven’t always been able to heal like that if that’s what you’re asking, I recently came into that ability. Sometimes I try to hide what I’m becoming from Proteus. He scares me, he wants me to keep gaining strength and so far I have been. I don’t want him to know all my tricks. That’s impossible though, Proteus knows all things to do with the past and the future. Today, he just wanted a demonstration. The next time we fight he’ll want me to be able to heal while we battle. It’ll come in handy while fighting.” Atlas wrapped his arm back around my shoulders and I was relieved to have a mate. I wonder what his lion is like. I looked up at him and saw his lion looking at me through his eyes. He was magnificent. 

Alora looked like she may be sick. In the bedroom she hadn’t moved at all, not once Proteus walked in. I felt her raw terror now and I knew what she wanted to ask me. I stood and walked toward her. I sat on my knees in front of her. “Did you know Evangeline? Please tell me you didn’t know.” Alora was close to tears when she finished asking me for the truth and I would give it to her. She deserved the truth. I didn’t know if my friend would forgive me for the secret I had been keeping, a secret I had no right to keep. I moved to sit beside her on the love seat and let out the breath I had been holding. 

“I’m so sorry Alora. I don’t have an excuse for not telling you what I knew about Proteus. I want so much to tell you that I didn’t keep this from you, that I had been honest years ago.” Tears Alora couldn’t quite stem left streaks on her cheeks. She kept mouthing NO over and over again with her arms wrapped around her stomach. Hadlee and Keegan held on to each other tightly, Sebastian held KC in his arms while she cried. Florence sat down beside me on the arm of the couch and I could feel Atlas staring at me but I couldn’t look at him. How could he love me after this? The shame I felt over being such a terrible friend and Alpha had kept me up plenty of nights. Every time I looked at Alora it was all I could think about. I felt more shame from being so relieved that I could finally admit what I had done wrong. “I met Proteus for the first time three years after I met you. Four years after he saved us. I didn’t notice it at first, I didn’t know that I could see Mates in the souls of people.” Alora groaned next to me but I had to tell her. I needed her to know. “It’s just a thin cord, in the moving color of everyone’s souls. It matches with their mate. His soul is a sickly green color, I noticed one piece of your soul matched his. His soul is murky and hard to see into but I have seen it. He has one piece that matches your soul, a beautiful vibrant red. I found out what it meant two years ago Alora and I didn’t tell you. I hate him. I hate what I’ve become, who I’ve had to be because of him. You Alora, I love you so much. I didn’t know how to tell you, I didn’t want him anywhere near you.” Alora had started to rock side to side, her soul pushing against me as it expanded with her feelings. Tears pooled in my eyes as I contemplated how to salvage our friendship. I wasn’t sure how to express my feelings to her. She suddenly looked up at me and grabbed my hand hard. 

“I always knew how ruthless you could be Evangeline. Anyone who crossed you understood that as well, I just never imagined I would be on the receiving end of it” Releasing my hand slowly she drew in a shaking breath while my heart shattered in my chest. “And I haven’t been. That man is a monster, I don’t want him as a mate. I want you to remove the knowledge of my mate from me. I know you can. I know you can take memories from my soul, so that I don’t remember.” She didn’t know what she was asking for. It was one thing to take a small memory from someone but he’s caused a shift in her soul. The cord glowing brighter, stretching, winding its way through her soul inch by inch. My beasts beat at me not wanting her to suffer anymore because of us. 

“Alora, I think the repercussions from this will be enormous. It’ll feel like somethings missing, like you’ve forgotten where you left something or a dream that you couldn’t remember once you woke up. I see it in your soul, how much he’s already a part of it.” Standing up quickly Alora paced in front of me. Her decision was already made, I wasn’t going to change her mind. 

“So you won’t help me Evangeline? You can’t leave me like this!” Practically pulling her hair out I rushed to her side. 

“Calm down Alora. I would do anything for you, I’m worried this will affect you severely. I don’t want to be the reason your soul diminishes at all. The cord is taking up space and I don’t know what will happen once it’s gone.” I was shaking so hard I thought I might fall over. Everyone was silent in the room. Fear left a sour taste in my mouth, it consumed us all. 

“Get it out of me Eve. Please.” Alora begged me. Eyes red from so many tears. The pain she was feeling clogging my throat making it hard to swallow. 

“Okay. We’ll need to find you a bed to rest in after.”

“We have a couple spare rooms if some of you don’t mind sharing.” Sam answered. I hadn’t noticed Sam and Haley joining us and from the sobs wracking Haley’s body they had been here for most of our conversation.

“You guys will sit with me right? While I get rid of him?” Alora was asking our friends to be with her while I worked. All of them came forward and gathered her in their arms. I felt apart from it, like I didn’t deserve the love they gave freely. Atlas stood and took a step toward me but I wasn’t ready for affection. I walked to Sam and let him lead the way to a room. Walking down the hallway we entered a room one away from the room I had been in earlier. A queen size bed sat in the middle with a light blue comforter with stripped pillows. The only other things in the room were a bedside table with a lamp and a dresser on the far end of the room. Alora laid down on the bed and looked up at me. Her beautiful blue eyes had dulled some and I couldn’t help but think they looked that way because she was looking at me. 

“It’ll feel like a slight pulling like I’m pulling on your clothing. I’m hoping you won’t feel to much discomfort but I don’t know for sure.” I had to look away from her and noticed Haley in the doorway with her hand raised to knock. She held up black pants and smiled a little at me. “Just relax some and I’ll be right back” I told Alora as I headed for the door. Haley led me to a room across the hall. Once again a queen size bed sat in the middle with few furnishings. She turned and handed me the pants she was holding. 

“Wash up Evangeline. It’ll help you feel more like yourself.” I thanked her and she left closing the door behind her. My hands felt numb but I walked to the adjacent bathroom and turned on the cold water. Atlas hadn’t come to me. I didn’t want to know what that meant, studying myself in the mirror I saw the dullness that I witnessed in Alora’s eyes. My violet eye a deep purple while my green eye was just as dark. I didn’t lie to Sam when I told him my soul was as black as they come. This was the first time I’d really looked at myself in so long. Rarely wanting to see what lurked in the depths of my void soul. A blackness so rich it shined. I could see the cord from my mate moving throughout it, an almost white color. Taking up so much space. I splashed water on my face, dried my hands, slipped in the thin black pants Haley had given me and left the bathroom. Atlas sat on the end of the bed resting his head in his hands. When he looked up at me I wanted to cry. His opinion of me had changed. Atlas saw the monster that his mate truly was.