by Nana Adu
"Eliana's one of us. She's apart of the pack that killed your little sister." He turns up his chin, glaring at me. I freeze.
Wait.
"What?" Eliana's voice echoes in the room.
Eliana POV
"...killed your little sister." I stare with wide eyes at Noah and Liam, as the sleep, once slowing my movements, vanishes.
"What?" They look over at me.
Moonstribe was the rogue pack that killed Noah's little sister? But that means-
My old Alpha sneaks behind Noah, a knife in his hands as he stalks up behind them.
No, not this time. I won't let them take anything else from me. Not Noah.
"Stop!" I scream, as my voice bounces off of the walls and my heart beat is the only sound I hear.
The world floats for a second. I shake my head, grounding myself again.
Liam and his father stand frozen against the wall as Noah moves towards me.
"No, Eliana, let them go. It'll drain your life force." Noah panics, coming towards me.
...killed your little sister.
I flinch away from him, as he reaches out to touch me.
"No, no." I whisper as my hands shake, and my breathing quickens.
I was apart of it. The death of Noah's sister.
CHAPTER 43
Eliana POV
What a wolf's pack does, reflects on them completely. Who you are is rooted in the nature of your family, and what your family does, is what you do. No matter when, it's culture.
My parents probably helped in the attack. I was there.
My breathing races as Noah tries to approach me again. I lift a hand, holding him back.
"Whats...going on?" My mind races as I stare at the frozen Liam and his father.
"Eliana, you have to release them. It's-" Noah starts.
"What did he just say?" I breathe out. My mind hums while my vision threatens to blur. Noah clenches his jaw.
Noah's parents, Beth, the pack...
My blood spilled theirs.
Pain strikes through my skull as I cry out.
"Eliana!" Noah moves to come near me but avoid his touch.
"Noah. I-"
"It wasn't you, Eliana. I know you." Noah grabs onto my wrists, pulling me in close as his eyes search mine. Pain and hatred beam out of his gaze, as he turns his glare away from mine to Liam.
The skin of my shoulder chills as my mind goes back to the day Noah cried on. The day he opened up and told me his trauma.
His whole life was affected by his sister's death. He can't forgive me, he shouldn't. His scar still hasn't healed.
Noah lets go of my wrist, as I let it fall to my side without another thought.
"I was wondering why you pack of rats always had a different scent when we'd come across any of your little gifts." He stops in front of the frozen men as they can't even move their gaze to look at him. Noah grabs both father and son by the nape of their necks.
"Eliana, let go of them. I've got them. Please." He looks to me. I flinch.
I stare at the floor, unable to find the will to glance back at him.
His sister didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve dying the way she did, and my pack killed her.
"Eliana!" Noah shouts.
"Noah, don't you get it?" I whisper.
"Ignore what he said. You're mine. Fuck what he said." Noah growls, tightening his grip on them.
But we can't. We can't. I can't.
"M-My parents probably-they probably were a part of the attack that-"
"Don't say it! I don't care about that. Your powers are killing you right now, Eliana! Stop using them!" Noah shouts as his voice shakes. My nails bite into my palm.
"Noah, you do care. I know you care. You know how you feel about your sister's death and everyone involved in it. Including someone like me, the fucking kid of one of the wolves who attacked your pack." My voice raises slowly as I speak. Noah turns, taking heavy steps towards me. He stops in front of the bed, looking down at me.
"I said I don't care about that. You're you. Please let's just ignore it. You're not like them. You... Eliana, I need you. It's okay if it's you, so... stop. I can't lose you so stop using your powers." He sets a gentle hand onto my wrist. My heart beat slows as the mate bond and my own feelings send tingles up my arm.
"...killed your sister."
It's not fair.
"Noah, I can't pretend. You won't be able to either. You'll have to tell your pack about this and they won't forgive me. Even I can't forgive my own blood. I used your sister's death to live another day, along with whoever else was killed during that attack. Noah, your parents. I won't be able to look them in the eyes." I brush his hand off, letting the tears welling up in my eyes fall down my cheeks.
Noah grabs my hand again, with both of his, climbing onto the bed next to me.
"I make them understand. You were innocent. How could we blame you?" Noah pleads, squeezing my hand. I shake my head.
"I'll blame myself. You know what matters in our world. What your family's done, is what builds you. They are my family. I can't run away from this Noah." I fall back, feeling something leave me.
Maybe, a breath or a tear, or my home.
I've lost my home.
"Eliana!" Noah catches me before my back hits the mattress. My eyes flutter shut as my strength leaves me.
I've lost Noah. I don't belong anywhere, again.
Noah POV
She's drained too much of her energy. Fuck, what does that mean for her life force?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I need her. I need her. I can't lose her like this. I can't ever lose her. We were supposed to rule this pack together and now...
It's not her fault. She shouldn't be related to those people. She doesn't even smell like those dogs. Why does she have to be a part of that family? Out of all the bloodlines out there, the Royals were the ones who attacked us that day?
Eliana rests in my arms, looking to be peacefully asleep, having escaped the storm happening just beyond her dreams.
"Ah, that bitch finally passed out. She shouldn't waste her ability on someone like you. We'll have to take her now. Don't worry we'll take good care of her." I turn my head to see Liam and his father, stretching, freed from Eliana's hold. I lay her down gently, hoping off the bed.
She needs to see Alyssa right now and there's no way I'm letting them touch her. They've done enough. I've been itching to lay my hands on wolves with this stench for years now.
"What do you know about Eliana? After living with her for years, what the hell do you know about her? As far as I'm concerned she's a victim just like us. You robbed her of her childhood, making her your servant and now you want to claim, she's your family? Fuck off. Eliana has nothing to do with you." I growl, striding towards them as my wolf threatens to take over.
"It's you against two Alphas. Do your worse." Their eyes flash, showing their wolves underneath.
The door bursts open. I don't look over as the scent of my beta drafts over to my nose.
"Took you long enough." I say, glancing over at Kai as he stares at the pair of invaders, with wide eyes.
"This scent... they're-" He starts.
"Yes, and it's time to finally rip their fucking throats out."
CHAPTER 44
Noah POV
"So your pack woke up, huh? That's faster than we thought. I guess we'll have to save this fight for another day. We'll be back for Eliana. Remember, she's one of us." Liam nods to me. They dash out of the window, faster than any wolf I've seen, has ever moved.
Royals? Wolves closest to The Goddess? Bullshit.
I clench my fist, as their scent slowly disappears from the air, as if leaving with them.
"They were those wolves- the ones we've been looking for. B-but how?" Kai asks me. I shake my head and turn towards my bed, hurrying to Eliana's side.
"Is Alyssa awake yet?" My hands come up under her knees and chest, as I pick her up gently.
Please be alright. I don
't know what I'll do if you're not.
"I think so, yeah. She's in her office. What happened to Eliana? Did they do that to her? Wait, isn't she from that pac-" I storm pass him, out the house and down the stairs to the first floor.
My footsteps pound heavily against the wooden floor as my pack members stare as I jog by.
There's nothing I can stop for right now. It's my fault she used so much of her powers. I should've ran outside with those two fuckers and finished them off quietly. She wouldn't have woke up, she would've been okay.
Maybe I'd be hurt, but I wouldn't be scared like this. I wouldn't so afraid like this.
I burst into the infirmary as Alyssa stands in a daze in front of her bathroom sink. Her head turns to me slowly. Her eyes widen as she focuses.
"What happened?" She says, jogging to my side as ushering me and Eliana to the very bed I laid Eliana on when she first arrived here.
"There was a break-in. Her old pack members tried to kidnap her. She used this power to fend them off but it drains her life source. I think she might of used too much of it. Can you save her? You have to save her." I plead, my hands shaking, as I kneel by the edge of the bed.
Alyssa checks her heartbeat, wrist, body and more. I can only hear my heartbeat in my chest. Alyssa hooks her up to an IV. She sighs and shakes her head.
"Damn it, she's slipped into a coma. Right now, we can only wait for her to recover her strength and wake up, if she ever does." She says, letting her arms fall by her side.
"You mean, she's stuck like that?" My heart drops.
A coma? Asleep.
I breathe heavily, struggling to stand up on my feet as the door opens.
"Alpha, we need you. Kai wants to have a meeting."
I stare at Eliana resting face. She peacefully inhales and exhales. The broken expression on her face from before isn't there. She's breathing. She's alive.
It's okay, she just needs to come back.
Please come back to me.
"Alpha." A wolf lays his hand on my shoulder. I growl, flinging his grip from my body.
"Just leave me alone, right now. Please." I grab her hand, placing it against my cheek.
How can I leave your side at a time like this?
***
A shadow crosses my vision.
Sam, is that you?
The shadowy figure passes by my view again. A little thing with a ponytail in her hair. The same as Samantha.
"How could you forgive her? Are you going to forgive my murders too?" The figure shows me its back as I slowly approach it from behind.
"It's not her fault. I love Eliana, I know her, she isn't like those monsters. You'd like her too." I almost catch up with her, jogging to reach her.
"I see, so you choose her over me. After you left me to die." My sister glances over her shoulder, not enough for me to see her face, but enough to see the hatred in her eye.
She's so close now. I stretch out my hand, iches away from her shoulder
"It's not like that. Samantha, I'm so sor-"
I'm cut off as I turn the figure around.
Eliana smiles at me, blood scattered across her face. The blood increases all over her skin and white dress as my eyes trail down. In her arms, the source of the blood still bleeds.
My sister's dead body sits in her hold.
"It's my fault, Noah." Eliana whispers, the smile still large on her face, as tears fall down mine.
No. I don't believe that. I don't believe any of this.
I look down at my hands, which are suddenly soaked in blood as well.
My breathing is heavy as I drop to my knees.
No, it's not her fault because it's mine. It's mine.
I gasp, as my eyes open, sweat surrounding my face and wet on my pillow. My gaze finds Eliana and my heartbeat calms a bit. I grab her hand, as I relax more and more.
Her eyes still shut, I stare at her chest, seeing it rise and fall ever so slowly.
2 days go by so slowly without you here. So damn slowly. Seeing you this ashen, pale, even the life in your hair has seemed to die.
You can't leave me though. I can't do all of this by myself. You said you would be by my side. So come back.
I won't blame you for my sister's death. I won't let anyone blame you, so it's okay to come back. Please come back.
It's not your fault it's mine. I'm willing to take all the blame away so please come back Eliana.
My back sends an ache up to my shoulders as I straighten it. Sleeping here isn't comfortable but it's the only place I think I can get sleep.
My nerves are too high anywhere away from her.
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" I ask Alyssa as she yawns, leaning on her sink.
"Do you have to wake me up every time she twitches?" She sighs, pushing off the counter, heading near us.
"Yeah, I hope. I've never seen anything like this. A werewolf in a coma. It's literally like she's asleep but in a coma with her wolf. Her brain is still very active."
"Good. I like to know she's not just laying around. Update me if she does anything and I mean anything." I walk pass her, washing my face at the sink and running some mouthwash through my gums.
This is the worst I've felt and looked, but I can do this. I won't let you come back to a world that blames you for anything.
The door creaks open as Kai and Hunter stand in the exit.
"You've put off this meeting way too long. The pack needs to know what happen that night." Kai comments.
" I know, lets just get this over with." I walk pass them, heading to the porch where everyone waits outside.
I'll do whatever I have to, Eliana, so don't feel bad, just come back to me.
I throw open the main exit, as the crowd ahead of me, just below the steps, quiets down. Kai and Hunter shut the door behind me.
Big eyes stare up at me, expecting answers and solutions, and that's exact what I'll give to them.
"A couple nights ago, we had invaders in the house. They had abilities to put you all asleep, which they did..."
The truth.
"...They were from Eliana's old pack. They are also the pack who attacked this pack 13 years ago, here to kidnap Eliana and take her back."
CHAPTER 45
Noah POV
My pack stands in stunned silence before me.
"Doesn't that mean our future Luna is from a pack that has slaughtered our own? Her blood is tainted with the blood of our fallen! We can't-"
"I dare you to say that again." I growl, clenching my fists as my wolf dares to take over.
I won't have anyone threaten my family.
"I don't want to fight any of you, but I will if I have to. If I hear another word like that, I swear by the Goddess, I'll banish you from this pack. Eliana's my mate. I hope you all can understand that." I seethe trying not to let my anger overwhelm me.
I just want to stay with her. I need her.
"But they-they killed your sister. Don't you care? You'll be sleeping with the bitch who-"
"Kai, go get her stuff. Make sure not even a washcloth remains in this house by tomorrow." I state, glaring at our female member, Roseann.
"Wait, no. You can't just kick me out!" She yells as my men begin to drag her away from the porch. Our pack members look on in fear, disbelief, and some, betrayal.
"I swore by the Goddess. Eliana is not the one who killed our brothers and sisters. She was as much as a victim as we were. Trust me on that, although it's not my story to tell." I say, looking away from Roseann, as she screams being taken away from our territory.
I lived for my pack. I would've died for my pack. But Eliana is my future, and also the future of this pack.
No matter where her roots come from, she's mine.
Even if my sister curses me from the grave, I'll bear it.
Eliana didn't kill anyone. She didn't kill my family.
"Noah? What's going on?" I look up to the familiar voice of my mother. My father stands close behind her as a path opens up through t
he crowd. They walk towards me, each step building more and more dread inside my chest.
Will they hate her? Will they get rid of her? Can I stop them?
"Noah, speak up." My father says. I can only stare at them as they climb up the front steps, standing near me.
"Noah! We just saw Roseann being dragged off by your soldiers, why would you order that? Answer us!" My mom pleads.
I don't want to answer. I don't want to hear their answer. I don't want to feel that kind of pain.
"Hunter, tell us." My father says using his power as the previous Alpha over him.
"Last night, there was a break-in by Eliana, our future Luna's, old pack. They carried the scent-" I cut him off, my fists clenched tight as my nails bite my palm.
"They carried the scent of the men who attacked us and... killed Sam 13 years ago." I breathe out through my teeth. My eyes widen as my mom's face falls. Her hands start to shake as she swallows.
"That means she's family with them." My father says, staring hard at me.
"Yes, but-"
"Let's not talk about this now. Just give me some time to think about this. I don't want to do something I'll regret." My mother mumbles out, turning on her heel and hurrying away from my father and I, towards their home farther in the wood.
"Son, I-I'll follow your mom." With that he disappears into the crowd, running away like always.
They run away from everything, go into hiding, and expect the world to work out their problems.
This isn't their problem though, it's mine.
"We'll talk more later. Meeting adorned." I wave my pack off, trudging back to the infirmary where Eliana lies.
As much as the love runs deep in my soul for my pack, I can't just get rid of Eliana. I would die for my pack but I can't accept this one request of theirs.
I didn't expect anyone to get it, I just hoped they would. I wanted to be granted this one wish of selfishness but it seems I'll have to fight for it. Take it by force.
It might be wrong but I can't just give up.
I open the door to the room, my gaze finding Eliana's sleeping figure instantly.
I won't give her up.
My feet take me to her, step by step as if in a trance. I kneel by her side, laying my head on to her chest. The sound of her beating heart sends relief down to my toes.