What We Deserve

Chapter Two

(Echo's POV)

    I was floating on a cloud, the gentle mist surrounding my acting like a blanket. It calmed the burning coming from my back, my wolf sighing contently at our hallucination. 

    Of course, I knew I'd wake up soon, life or death would never be peaceful. Not for me anyway. Or maybe...

    I woke up rather quickly, looking around the dining room to make sure nobody was still there. Nobody, they were all at the ceremony where the oldest of us would soon receive his title. 

    Alpha Daniel, a male who hadn't even found his Luna, a male who let others hurt his little sister. No, he didn't let them, he encouraged them. I sighed, standing and shaking off the dirt. My back didn't sting, my body didn't scream for me to lay down and go back to sleep. In fact, my head was filled with a pleasant emptiness. 

    I watched my body move from the back of my head, almost as if my wolf was in control but not quite. Observing each movement, the arms attached to me grabbed a series of envelopes I had written for my family and held them tightly. My feet tiptoed to the ceremonial ravine, my eyes spotting my family standing proudly as Daniel kneeled in front of a marble bowl with a knife in his hand. 

    Did I care? My body certainly didn't as it broke through the crowd and looked at my family with cold, disgusted eyes. It handed Daniel the letters, his mouth forming words I couldn't hear. They were angry, the entire pack glaring at me. If they were going to be this angry why'd they let me through in the first place? 

    I scoffed and turned around, letting my family look at the letters before their eyes snapped back to mine. Sam obviously read hers first, her eyes widening and her body rushing out to grab mine. I let her hand skim my wrist before pulling out of her reach. Her eyes were full of tears? Why? 

    My Father was next, anger appearing in his as his mouth opening to form a familiar phrase. What is this bullshit? My Mom was next, a flash of sorrow sparkling in her eyes as she turned to look at me. 

    Then, Daniel, he hadn't even read his but caught on due to my family's reaction. He was too late. My feet hit the edge of the ravine and there's my body off of it. The air flew by me, sending cool tingling sensations through my back. Above me I saw my siblings screaming, both of them horrified. 

    My Father had his fangs bared at me, his fists clenched at his sides. What surprised me was my mother who had half her body over the edge of the cliff, left hand outstretched as if she could pull me out of this pit. 

    Her mouth formed a single word. Her scream reached me even in my dark corner, a desperate 'No' that echoed until I felt the slap of water on my back. Everything went dark, water filling my lungs as my body gave up. 

    Perhaps, for the first time in more than a decade, I was happy. My body slowly falling into the dark depths of the shared river, I was content with life.