Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke and Mirrors Series Book 1)

by S. N. Nair

  "Don't look away now, I thought you loved your family. Look here is your brother-in-law and your precious nephew, that poor child kept calling out for you when my men surrounded him, screaming that his aunt would find him and take him home… poor thing. I do apologise for the missing family member, I could not find the body of your sister, the animals must have gotten to her before I did… it truly is a pity, we could have had a proper reunion."

  "You are really a monster! A snivelling coward, who killed a child who was defenceless..."

  I stood her and gripped her by her hair, jerking her head backward.

  "How dare you call me a coward. I have gone through hell and back to get where I am today. Not one did I rely on my father’s position to get far in life, I struggled for scraps to build my power.”

  "I am sure that must have been very hard for you."

  My grip on her hair tightened, red trickling down the back of her neck as I dug my nails into her scalp.

  “You take out your frustration and anger on a defenceless girl. That is just the picture of courage now isn’t it? You threaten me with death every day, but it seems like you don’t have the stones to go through with it.”

  Her voice was full of mocking and condescension, speaking to me as if I was a joke to her.

  "Silly girl. Being my mate gives you this privilege. I am not going to give you an easy way out, I am going to prolong your suffering till you beg and beg, only then will finally I will give it to you. However, seeing how uncooperative you are, it does not seem that you would be receiving any relief soon."

  She glared at me before spitting in my face.

  "My family did not die for me to submit to you like a weak damsel in distress!"

  My anger boiled over as those words left her lips. The veins in her neck became more prominent as my claws made a path from the back of her head to the underside of her jaw. My claw poked into the flesh of her cheeks, small tears forming as I brought my hand downwards to push her head down so that she had a front row seat.

  I placed my foot on her precious nephew's head, I looked at her in the eye as I applied pressure, a crack and squelch followed as my shoe made contact with the ground. I smiled as I wiped my boot clean with Ryder's hair.

  I waited for the scream, but none came, I could not believe it, I did everything, physical and mental torture, and she still refused to crack. I ripped the necklace from its position at the base of her throat, the deafening silence in the room was broken when the sound of the small gold links falling to the floor bounced off the walls. I waited for her to scream and cry but as always, there was silence.

  I let out a roar of rage before using my palm to slam her head into the wall behind her, causing spidery cracks to form on the concrete wall. She slumped forwards with her chains being the only thing to hold her up. Without even checking to see the harm I caused her I walked out the door, not before throwing the remains of the chain and pendant into the fire and leaving her with the remains of her family.

  Chapter Eleven: Shattered Fortress

  Sapphire Nightborne

  The dull throbbing pain in my head caused me to wince, I had heard the crack it made when Damien slammed it into the wall and I knew that it was my skull had probably caved in. Nausea built up in the pit of my stomach before I vomited bile all over myself. Anger overcame me and I screamed. My anger was not directed at Damien but at myself. I was the greatest warrior that my pack had seen in over a hundred years and now look at me, helpless…vulnerable… too weak to even support myself that I had to vomit all over myself like a new-born.

  I stared at the fire in front of me, it crackled and burned not knowing that it was burning a part of me. My hand instinctively raised to feel my throat as I always do in dire times but the shackles stopped me. My hand closed into a fist as I remember that I could not go to my mother for comfort anymore, the only piece I had of her was that necklace.

  *“This is for you, Sapphire. Your mother wanted you to have it, she was adamant that you would have sapphire blue eyes, so she got this for you before you were born.”

  *My hands instinctively reached out for it, my house was devoid of any trace of my mother and the only possible appearance I could craft out of her was through scraps when people talked to me about her. The one thing they would always mention was her eyes…her sapphire blue eyes and how it was a shame that I did not inherit them. My father never talked about her, so I never asked as he was probably still grieving over the death of his mate.

  *

  I stared at the gem, this was what staring into my mother’s eyes would probably be like and now she could watch over me.

  *

  This is the first time in years that I have felt so helpless, so broken and so alone. Even when I was on the run with Antony, I was still so sure that we would make it to the settlement, at least I had him… a piece of home, of my old life.

  The glassy eyes of Ryder stared right at me, his features deformed and twisted. I might not have believed that it was actually Ryder had it not been for the chipped right incisor and canine, something that I had given him during one of our arguments regarding the security measures of our pack’s borders.

  I clenched my jaw as I stared right back into his empty eyes. He had committed the worst betrayal known to our kind and now to me at least, was no longer worthy of the right to be called 'brother-in-law', 'Alpha' and especially not 'mate' or 'father'. He did not even have the balls to stand up for his family even though we would have died for him because that is what families do.

  It all made sense now, the late-night disappearances, the fact that just before the fight no one could find him, it was all crystal now. I had been suspicious that he might have been having an affair as I would have never expected him, as an Alpha, to have committed such an act of treason and betrayal.

  The first tear fell as I stared at the red lump of brain matter, skin and hair that was once my nephew, the consequence of Ryder’s betrayal.

  That first tear caused the dam to break as more followed, it slowly dripping down my face and neck. I was not related to my nephew by blood as he was adopted, but I loved him like he was my own, I promised him that I could protect him. He was so young and yet had so much faith in me to believe every word I said and yet, I failed…I failed all of them. I took the vows the day I chose my path as a warrior to protect my pack with my life and now look, I was alive while they were somewhere dead. They were probably not even given a proper burial/ and were most likely just tossed somewhere like garbage to rot. I could not help but let out a small chuckle as I remembered better times, the memory coming to me in bits and pieces.

  *"Aunty Sapphy you have to catch me!"*

  *I smiled as I easily ran towards Antony before pouncing on him, he giggled as he pulled on my fur requesting a ride which I obliged. I laughed as I watched my sister fuss over him, scolding him for getting dirty while her husband playfully argued that we are wolves and thus, are not meant to stay clean for long. Antony used that opportunity to sneak away from his mother to join me as we watched them continue their playful banter.*

  More tears fell as I accepted that this was something I would never experience again… never again would I hear the voices of my family… never again would I feel their hugs. I would never get the chance to argue and tease my sister or read stories to my nephew at night.

  Something warm and thick dripped down the back of my neck, it barely surprised me as it was a feeling I sadly knew too well, I also knew of what was going to follow. I was going to die.

  There might have been a chance for me to heal myself and live, but I saw no point to do it, my family and most probably my pack was dead and even if I lived, there would be no purpose for it. What is the point of living if you have no one to share the joys and trials of life with? Besides no one would miss me after I was gone, my family and pack were dead after all and I don’t think that my death would rock Damien’s boat too much. I had no one left that cared.

  I felt my vision slow
ly going blurry, the world around me was going in and out of focus, as my vision came back into focus I saw a huge black wolf sitting in front of me, her golden eyes reproachful.

  *"Is this what it has come to, Sapphire Ragna Nightborne? After all we have gone through, are you just going to give up?*

  Her voice was soft but strong, she almost sounded like a disappointed parent.

  "Yes, this is what it has come to. Look around you, look at all the people I have failed, not just my family but my pack as well. I deserve to lose my life this way."

  The tears kept falling even though I wanted them to stop. The last time I cried like this was my first day of training where I was picked on by my peers, I remembered running to my father but today, I could not. I was alone, I had no one to pick me up and tell me that everything was going to be okay. No one was going to wipe away my tears this time.

  *"Your pack might be gone and left you as the last of the Blackwater Pack, but are you going to let all its history die with you, let the sacrifice your ancestors made fighting for it be in vain? Your ancestors experienced far worse than you to build the bedrock of the Blackwater Pack and yet, did not give up. If they were anything like you the pack would not have even survived past its first year."*

  Her golden eyes glared at me, they were so full of judgement and anger, they made me feel as though I failed.

  "Who are you to preach anyway? You have no idea what I have been through, my pain, nothing!"

  I could not help but lash out, I was angry and ashamed of myself. I called Damien a coward, and yet here I was, running away to the comforts of death instead of gritting my teeth to survive.

  *"Who do you think I am?"*

  She stood up and looked down at me, eyes filled with familiar fire.

  *"I am you. I am the part of you that fights and never gives up. The part of you who was so stubborn that she fought against the elders to become the Head Warrior Commander even though she was told countless times she would fail. The part that took the ridicule from others for every mistake she made. The part of you that stood firm against those hunters to hold her own and most importantly, I am the part of you that wants to live, that wants to make those responsible for her family’s death pay their debt in red."*

  Her eyes widened at the last part as she looked straight at me. I let a small smile grace my features, she did sound like me when I was younger, driven and hungry to prove myself to the world. She sounded like me in my youth, where I scream to the sky that if she wanted me to give up my dreams, she was not hitting me hard enough.

  "I am already dying, there is no stopping the inevitable."

  I was surprised by my own voice, it was so weak and resigned.

  She glared at me, I could feel those golden eyes burning into mine.

  *"The only thing stopping you is yourself."*

  The sound of the door slamming against the wall interrupting our conversation. I watched as the wolf faded away and in her place stood Chloe, her green eyes widened with horror as she ran towards me and cradled my head in her lap. I would have put up a fight if I was not so weak and for that, I hated myself even more.

  "What has he done to you?"

  She stroked my hair before bringing up her hand that was now covered in blood, she looked around at the carnage.

  "Sapphire, I am so sorry."

  I felt water droplets fall on my skin, but I could not say anything even if I wanted to, my brain was thinking of what I wanted to say but my mouth was not cooperating.

  "Don't close your eyes okay? Just stay with me."

  Maybe that won't be such a bad idea, I have done all I could, maybe it is time for me to rest. I have worked hard, defended the pack to the best of my ability, made good on my vow, I deserved a long break. The last I remember was arms picking me up as the world around me fell into complete darkness. I would have laughed if I could as I thought:

  "Congratulations Damien, you've finally broken me. You've won."

  Chapter Twelve: Pre-destined Souls

  Damien Black

  I sprinted down the hallway as I felt her body go limp in my arms, I did not know what I was doing, my body just reacted instinctively when I went in to check on Sapphire and saw Chloe crouching over her body. I just picked her up and started to run. Chloe ran just as fast beside me, she looked more worried than I have ever seen her in a long time. Sapphire tried to speak to me, but her words were incoherent as blood gurgled in her throat. Chloe kept screaming for Sapphire to keep her eyes open.

  We barged into the operating room where my pack’s Chief Healer was treating a member. With one hand supporting Sapphire, I used the other to throw the patient out before placing her on the table and dragging the Chief Healer to her.

  "Heal her now!"

  His team and he swarmed around her. I watched as one of the healers held her head in place while the other forced a tube down her throat to prevent her from drowning in her own blood. They kept her head in an elevated position after they saw the extent of her head injury. My eyes narrowed as the Chief Healer left his place at her side and came up to me, hands wringing around each other.

  "Sir, I don't even know where to start with her, moreover save her. Her body is damaged beyond repair, the humane thing to do would be to administer silver to her."

  I growled as I lifted him with one hand before slamming him against the wall, his feet dangling dangerously above the ground. His team used that as encouragement to quicken their pace, frantically trying to stop the bleeding from her head injury.

  "Do as I say! Remember, she dies, your whole family does as well."

  With that, I threw him to the ground. He hastily picked himself up to continue his work.

  I had no idea why I was acting like this. I was not supposed to care if she died or not, it was not as if I was going to accept her as my mate and live happily ever after, and yet here I was, worrying myself to death. I had just woken up from a dream where a woman told me to go to Sapphire and it was as if someone had attached strings to me like I was a puppet, forcing me to leave Karmen’s side and run to where Sapphire was.

  Chloe had made no move to talk to me even though she would usually never shut up when she had the chance to speak to me. She just slumped against the wall, before I had the chance to question her, the healer rushed out.

  "Sir, that girl has a dented skull and is bleeding internally as well. We have tried to break her bones to jumpstart the healing process but so far, she is in an extremely critical situation."

  "Do what you have to do or else!"

  The healer gave a small whimper before rushing to return to the room, I turned to my sister whose eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying.

  "Chloe, save your tears for something that actually matters, she is..."

  I was interrupted by her laughing as if I just told her a joke.

  "Something that actually matters… something that actually matters!”

  She scoffed as she repeated the sentence.

  "Damien, that girl in there is supposed to be the thing that matters the most to you and now she is dying in there because of you! She could have been someone who would have seen past your flaws and loved you for who you are and now, you have sent her gift wrapped with a bow to death's door!"

  Her chest heaved as she shouted at me, eyes wide as she searched for any possible emotion from me.

  "Chloe, how long is it going to take for you to get it into your head, mates are nothing but a weakness."

  "And who is talking right now, you, or our father?"

  My jaw clenched as she made the comparison, she knew more than anyone about how much I hated that man.

  "He might have done many things that were not right."

  Her eyes softened for a moment and a small smile graced her features but that smile soon turned into a frown as I said the next sentence.

  "In our eyes as we were children but now, all I see is that he spoke nothing but the truth. I’d rather learn from him than our mother, at least he stayed to ra
ise us, even if it was for a short period of time."

  She bared her teeth at me and was about to retort when a sudden commotion in the room caught our attention. I strained my ears, my mouth opened, and tears somehow found their way to my eyes as I heard Sapphire’s heartbeat, one that I had trained myself to be attuned to should she ever lie to me, go silent.

  Chloe and I charged in to see a group of healers frantically trying to close her wounds that had for some reason started to bleed again. The rest were rushing to try and restart Sapphire’s heart. I looked over to Sapphire to see that her body was covered with various types of cuts and bruises that were not there when I first brought her here. They left almost no skin on Sapphire’s body clean which left her looking as though she had rolled around in several thorn bushes.