The Crescent War

Chapter Eleven

I had been running for so long my legs were numb, but it didn’t matter because I was finally home.

The pack weren’t inside but the house smelt heavily of them, they were all alright and that’s all that matters.

I found myself smiling fondly at that before turning to wander over to my son’s grave. There was still one goodbye I had to make.

“Hey, baby…” I whispered into the silence, tears stinging my eyes once more. “I guess if things don’t go my way today then I’ll get to meet you. So it’s not all bad, right?” My voice broke and my legs gave out as I choked on a sob, losing all the composure I had managed to build up on the way.

“I tried, Will.” I sobbed. “I really tried.”

“Jia?” I spun to see Isabella staring wide eyed at me. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

“I can’t run my whole life, Bella. My kids don’t deserve that life.”

“So you came out here? That’s suicide, Jia!” She stepped closer and wrapped me in a tight hug.

“I know…” I nuzzled in close and allowed her to hold me, gasping as terrible pain seared through my chest.

“I’m sorry...” Isabella sobbed, dropping the blooded knife to the floor and clutching on to me as tight as she could.

I couldn’t breathe.

I had literally been stabbed in the back, by my own damn sister too.

I mustered up all my strength and shoved her away.

If I was going to die then it wouldn’t be in her arms. The b***h could rot in hell for all I cared.

I risked a quick glance to the weapon lying on the ground, it was silver. While I was immune to silver, it would still do the trick if pierced through the heart, it would just be a slow and painful process…

Pain unlike any other tore through my skull. The bond.

The bond was ripping itself apart and Gale was right, I could feel it.

I could feel every damn thing.

I screamed until my lungs give out.

*

“I… I hope you know…” I wheezed, my sister had shitty aim and had pierced my lung in her lovely backstabbing process and it was getting harder for me to breathe. “…that you’re not worth the soil you’re standing on.”

“Jia, please… don’t say that,” Isabella pleaded. “This is why I wouldn’t let you tell us where you were! If we knew then we would have to come and kill you! It was an order, Jia, and as long as I never saw you again then I would be able to keep you alive.”

“I hate you...” I whispered, trying weakly to pull out of her arms and to at least die on the ground.

I stumbled to the floor and curled in on myself, the pain in my chest and head almost too much to bear.

“No… Jia, please!” She sniffled and stared at me with big bright eyes, leaking tears almost as if she gave a crap about me. “You’re my sister. I could never hurt you if I had a choice!”

“There’s always a choice!” I screamed with all my energy. There’s always a choice and her sister out of all people, should know better.

I couldn’t reach the wound on my back to try and stem the blood flow and so instead had to settle on controlling my breathing. “You follow the order from an alpha out of loyalty. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“It’s my pride pack, Jia! They’re the only pride that’ll take me.” Isabella dropped her head in shame at the realization and I turned my own head to avoid looking at her.

“I’m your blood.”

Isabella reached out for me but stopped when about fifty cougars emerged from the tree line, all looking eager and bloodthirsty.

I really prayed they would make it quick because the last thing I needed was an arrogant cougar giving a speech when I just wanted to die in peace.

They closed in without warning but froze as deafening howls filled the air.

I sighed in relief but furrowed my brows in confusion. There was a hell of a lot more wolves out there than my own pack.