Between Two Worlds

Chapter Fourteen

Liora

I didn't think this through.

That was my first thought after following Dominic inside the packhouse. I've been sitting in silence for the past three minutes, being dissected by their inquisitorial stares.

They want the truth, an explanation for all these years I was gone.

Do I have one? Absolutely.

Can I tell them? No. I cannot.

Without a doubt, their silence is a way to make me squirm and spell my guts out. A very smart way of making one talk is to make them feel uncomfortable.

I don't know about others, but Dominic knows me better than anyone else and he knows for a fact I am the weird type that talks non-stop to get out of awkward-silent situations.

And that's exactly what I do.

After avoiding their stares as much as I can, I blurt out "When are you guys planning on having pups?".

I immediately know I've made a mistake by the way all their faces twist to a sad—almost mad—, expression. Ops... maybe the pup subject is something delicate for some reason?

Dominic sighs loudly and from the corner of my eyes, I see him squeezing Brianna's hand in a comforting way. That alone tells me something happened and most probably has to do with her.

"I am sorry if I overstepped asking something so personal. It was never my intention to offend anybody" I quickly apologized for my unknown mistake. I want to understand the reason for their reaction, but there is a time for everything, and if or when they feel comfortable, I am sure they will tell me.

With a sad smile that spread to her entire countenance, Brianna let out a few calming breaths and after holding Dominic's gaze for a few seconds, she looks at me, reading herself to tell me something I know was very important for her. And also very personal.

"I can't have pups" she admits, her voice carrying the strength I know it took her a long time to collect.

Saying I am shocked by her words is an understatement. " I am so sorry!" I say in a weak voice. Almost like a whisper.

Without me asking, she continues telling her story as if I hadn't said anything "A few months before I met Dominic, my pack was ambushed by a large group of Rogues. I am from a small pack and we weren't as prepared as we should have been for an attack. Their focus was on kidnapping the females, the young and mature ones. I was amongst the group that was taken. But I had been trained to be a warrior since a young age, so I tried to fight back. I was able to get more than half of the group free and hold them back long enough for the help to arrive. But during the fight, they injured me with a silver knife laced with wolfsbane. Not even my wolf abilities were enough to heal my wounds, since the wolfsbane affected my young wolf. As a result of the attack, I became unable to conceive children".

I was speechless. I mean, what are you supposed to say in a situation like this?

Not even if I say a thousand times how much this isn't fair or how sorry I am, nothing is going to quench the pain of not being able to have a family. I am sure Brianna is the happiest with Dominic as her mate, but for a wolf, having healthy pups is a signal of strength and good genes. And Dominic is not just an ordinary pack member. He is the Beta of this pack. His people expect him to carry on with the Beta line.

That's a tough position to be in.

After a couple of minutes, back into that weird sepulchral silence—now a result of my stupid question—, three times worse than before, a realization came down upon me.

Springing into action without thinking, I get up and in a blur, I reach the door "That's it! I didn't understand then, but now I get it! It was never meant for me!" I am babbling to myself and only when I turned back to tell them I need to do something, did I notice how Logan is also standing and he seems tense.

Did my sudden outburst startle him?

Dominic and Brianna are still sitting, but both are also staring at me with quizzical looks on their pretty faces.

Maybe I do look a little crazy talking to myself.

In a low warning growl, Logan asks "What are you up to now, Siren?"

"The same disdain tone again? I thought we were already past that" I reply rolling my eyes.

Smirking, his reply comes fast "And I thought you were used to it already!"

"I should be, shouldn't I? I guess some things never change!"

"Explain yourself!" Logan demands. It's only then that I realize that, for them, I was just spurting nonsense.

With a movement of my hand, I shrug him off "Long story short, I need to retrieve something from my cabin!" and one look at Logan, I know he has a thing or two to tell me and I know without a shadow of a doubt he will deny my request, so without giving him any room to argue with me, I continue: "Before coming here, I stopped there and save some of my stuff, just in case I wasn't welcomed here and ended up on your dungeons or something!" this last statement was directed to the Alpha.

"Smart move!" said Logan in a debauchery tone. "But what is it that you need that badly? Can't it wait? Or are you just trying to run away from the amazing conversation we were about to have?"

Jackpot! Smart as usual, dear Alpha. I am indeed trying to avoid the whole "Why did you leave" subject. But they will thank me later.

"Contrary to what you guys believe, I am not trying to avoid anything. I can explain, but now I need to go!" I say, hastily trying to make them see the reason.

Or at least the reason I have on my head. One I never spoke out loud.

But what can I do? I am a mysterious person!

"I heard that one before!" Logan says, looking pointedly at me. "Until you tell me what's so important that you need to retrieve now, you are not leaving here!"

In response, I throw my arms up, in an exaggerated sign of frustration. "Goddess, you are a pain in my ass, Alpha! I am not trying to flee or anything. You can come with me if you feel the need to keep an eye on me. Or you can send a whole damn army of crazy wolves after me if makes you satisfied. But can you trust me just this once?" I say with pleading eyes.

And I guess it worked, because, with a sigh of pure frustration, Logan says "Fine! But I am coming with you!"

"I wasn't expecting anything less!" I answer gleefully.

And less than five minutes later, Logan and I were out the door with the promise of coming back with something that would be worth their wait.

But what they didn't know was that what I was getting, would change their future forever.

*

*

*

The walk to the cabin was done in another awkward silence. Logan was never one to chit-chat, much less with me since we were never really friends. And I guess he is just as curious as Dominic and Brianna to know what I am up to.

It wasn't a long walk until we finally arrived at the decrepit cabin that was once my home.

Many years ago, when my relationship with Dominic was just in the beginning and Alpha Matthew realized we had no plans of parting ways so soon, and well, they kind of owed me for my heroic deeds, he decided that would be safer if I had my own place, instead of staying in the packhouse as a guest. Not everyone had a positive view of me as Dominic had. And since they always thought I was some sort of an orphan and I never told them otherwise, he got me a little cabin just on the outskirts of his lands, just out of anyone's reach, yet at a safe distance he could still protect me from harm.

Being away for seven long years affected more than just my relationship with them. The small comfortable cabin was now showing signs that it would fall apart at any time. It emanated an eerie glimmer of a hunted place.

When we finally got inside, it still looked very much abandoned, with a thick layer of dust covering every piece of furniture and every corner of the place. It looked like no soul had been here for decades, like a forsaken space if not for a few signs that someone was recently here.

That someone being me.

Before I finally gathered enough courage to show my face again, the cabin was my first stop. I needed to be sure my things were tucked away safely. Just in case my plan didn't go accordingly.

I wanted to be quick before Logan's patience ran out, so I went straight for the far wall of the small living room—a wide space covered only by an old furry couch. I was following the faint set of footprints I left days before when I hid my bags inside the hidden space under a couple of loose wooden planks on the floor.

All the while, Logan was staring intently at me. Even though I didn't want to show the Alpha my hideout, there was no way I could ask him to wait for me outside and I knew that.

As soon as I got exactly what I needed and some more— a spare change of clothes and some other items I would need in the next couple of days—I turned to leave, with the Alpha following hot in my heels.

Maybe because I was too nervous and excited, the trip back to the packhouse was even faster. Before I could even think about all the consequences of my actions or If I was indeed doing what I was supposed to, we were once again gathered at the common area of the packhouse.

Taking deep breaths and with the most genuine smile plastered on my face, I took Dominic's hands in mine, placing a little flask on his palm, closing his fingers over it with my hands.

"Let this be an apology and a gift. From me to you. As a thank you for all the years you kept believing in me! Even when I didn't give you any reason to" I whisper, taking a few steps back so he could see what I had just placed in his hands.

"And what was this supposed to be?" Dominic questioned a few seconds later, turning the little flask in his hands, and examining it with inquisitive eyes.

Without coming up with an answer by himself, he turned his gaze at me, squinting his eyebrows waiting for an explanation.

Releasing a long sigh, my eyes glued to his, I start telling them how we get to this moment. "I guess I've promised the truth. So here goes nothing..."

The anticipation, the deep need for an explanation was almost palpable. I could see they were all expecting all the words I was not truly ready to say.

"Did you ever heard about the River of Life?" I ask them, taking everyone by surprise.

Dominic, being an smart-ass as he is, looked at the flask in his hands and then at me. "Yes, everyone knows about the legend of the river with water with magical properties that can cure all illnesses. Even bring someone from the brink of death back to health. But it's just a myth!" he says skeptically. Already knowing where I was getting with my question.

"And every legend, every myth is made of bits and pieces of truth!" I refute his statement.

"What are you guys talking about?" Brianna interrupts our exchange.

Dominic looks at her then and extends his hand, giving her the flask. "I am not sure of what she is saying myself!"

Rolling my eyes, I take a step close to Brianna, my lips moving again. "What I am saying is that I went to great trouble to get this..." I voice my thoughts out loud, pointing at the flask in her hands. "At the beginning, I didn't understand why they sent me to get it, but I guess it was written on the stars. It was never for my use, but yours!"

"Who are they? And what is this exactly?" this time was Logan's turn to speak.

"This, Alpha, is a drop of life. This is their future!" I reply as if they were supposed to finally understand everything.

"Are you telling me that inside this little flask is the magical water of the River of Life?" asked Brianna, pure shock lacing her every word.

Nodding my head, I smile. "That's exactly what I am saying!"

"But how?"

"That, my friend, is an extra long story—"

"And we can all but wait to hear it!" Logan says interrupting me.

Without a doubt, by the tone of his voice, I know he doesn't believe for a second that what I am saying is real. To be honest, even I would have a hard time believing it if I was in their shoes.

I guess I have nowhere to run now.

True to my word, let the story time begin.