Chapter 104: Chapter 104

I feel empty, wrecked with a heavy heart, a heart that isn't beating at all, my heart beat for Adrian but he broke it, broke me, broke us. I can't go back now, not to him. Adrian and I ended three days ago, we ended when he didn't come after me, but his sister did. She's the one I should have given all that love I gave to him but I didn't, now I'm numb.

The demon I kept hidden for so long has resurfaced and part of me can't help but think maybe this is who Adrian needed, an Alpha female and not a submissive twerp I was. Nonetheless, he can't have this version of me or the old one, they're both dead and wounded by him, Adrian Zeus Carter is dead to me. I won't think of him, speak of him or go anywhere near him. I fucking hate him for doing this to me, to his sister, I hate him.

“You know,” a voice cuts through my thoughts. I give myself a mental slap, blinking to see who I'm talking to. I

Beta, his hands are folded across his chest in a way that flexes his muscles. My mouth runs dry, of course I've seen biceps before but these are huge, he makes them work. I can't deny he is the best eye candy Takishini has to offer, he not only surpassed the late Alpha Hayden, may his soul rot in hell in both courage and looks.

“It's very rude to stare but I suppose you're above manners because it's also rude to murder your host.” he adds, his eyes searching mine. He feels it too, the strange pull between us.

Rolling my eyes I snort, “Oh please, you're not exactly a sight for sore eyes Beta.”

“Your eyes are beyond sore.” he counters, earning himself a wide eye, jaw dropped reaction.

“Typical smart ass,” I groan, my gaze veering over his shoulder to Mirabelle. It's hard to see her over his shoulder considering how talkative he is but soon enough, he realises he is blocking my view and moves.

Mirabelle is gaping at me too, it makes me uncomfortable.

“Wave to her,” Beta lets out confidently.

I raise my hand, unsure of why I am taking his advice. My fingers flicker in a wave motion at her, it earns me a smile from her. The very bright smile I think of when I imagine her, I love it. Her hand raises hesitantly, ignoring the little girl gaping at her toe nails and she waves, she waves back to me and it feels nice.

I wish it felt great but it's just nice, a tingling sensation type of nice and that's enough for me, I don't want to feel too good, I can only get that high I used to get from Adrian by spilling more blood and I shouldn't, I won't. I know once my wolf gets started, she doesn't ever stop, she likes blood. She lives on malice and cruelty. I don't think she understands the inner workings of this game we're playing. She's eager to win but she'll win using the erroneous strategy.

“She doesn't hate you, see.”

I switch my gaze from Belle to Beta, cocking an eyebrow at him. There's also this invisible red do not push button on him that only I can see and I will continue to push until we part. “I've been watching you, I don't know why but I have and I noticed you're blaming yourself for everything. You're not to blame for anything, good people make bad decisions sometimes and your friend seems to love you a lot, nothing can make her hate you. She's a little shaken up and out of it but she gave you a smile, unsure of what to do but she knows she wants to make you happy.” Beta says, turning around to look at Mirabelle.

“What are you, the expert on blame?” I snort, ignoring all sense he just laid on me but appreciating it silently, from the bottom of my heart.

Beta chuckles, it sounds like music, something cheerful but there's a pain to it, a pain masked so deep in a place I don't want to unravel. “You can say that, and you, what's your story? You go around killing Alpha's a lot?” he teases, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

“I wish I could kill you,” my wolf whispers. My hands come to my head, lightly smacking it before watching Beta.

“Your Alpha was an asshole, he deserved every bit of what I did to him.” I tell him, my feet finding their way out of this comfortable yet apprehensive conversation we've gotten ourselves into.

Once I reach Mirabelle I halt, squatting down next to her. She doesn't say a word, she simply offers me a smile and drifts her gaze back to the water. I too follow her gaze, meeting my reflection in the water. “Fuck,” I whisper to myself, discerning my current state. I knew I was covered in crimson but this, I didn't expect to see this when I looked at myself.

So this is what everyone is seeing? No wonder they all appear so terrified of me.

“Cami, are you okay?” Mirabelle asks, I can feel her gaze on me before I turn.

I nod, my gaze abandoning my reflection, and shifting to her.“I'm covered in blood.”

Veering back to the river, my hands reach into it, securing some water in them to wash my face. I know nobody drinks from this river, it's used for bathing purposes and so, I wash my face with it, crimson dripping from my face when I do. It takes a minute but soon enough, I'm done washing my face and Mirabelle seems to like the change. I slant my head, gazing at my reflection and the glow it had after the killing spree I just had. I like it, but then, something catches my eye, right on my neck.

Adrian's mark.

I hate it, I want it gone. I begin to aggressively wash the spot, hoping the mark fades away.

“Camilla,” Belle howls hysterically. “Stop, you're going to hurt you!” she screams.

I ignore her thoughtful tone, spitting on my tongue and smearing the saliva on my mark. I rub hard, rubbing it until a sting is felt, making me halt my preposterous rite. “There, it's fucking gone.” I whisper hurriedly, my gaze settling on a perplexed Mirabelle.

Only now do I realize everyone is watching me, I've done more than caught their attention in the past three hours. I hate how I have always been presumed to be the weakest in the room when I was in fact the strongest, the evil they all needed to watch out for the second it came to life. I tried extremely hard to keep it that way, the weakest in the room but where did that get me?

Taunted, used and emotionally abused?

Fuck, that was a goddamn rollercoaster I put up with but not anymore, I've had a taste of freedom. A taste of power, and my God it tasted like heaven, or was utter bliss and I'm not going back to the old me again. I don't know what I was thinking but this version of me is better, it's the real me, descended and headed to hell.

“How is –”

I shake my head, unwilling to start explaining myself and how I managed to rid myself of Adrian's mark. Marks can't be erased, I simply concealed it, buried it deep where it should have never gotten. Even if I try hard, I can not erase Adrian's mark. Some mates mark you sweetly, easy and soft but when he marked me, he meant it. Adrian was trying to prove a point and he fucking succeeded, his runs deep within my skin, it's venom flowing in my veins. I can feel it threaten to reveal itself at the thought of him, my wolf isn't mad at me for it. She's not a fan of Adrian, I've heard her tell me on nights I couldn't sleep, I just presumed it was the voice in my head but it was her, I know that now and what a relief to know I'm not mentally deranged.

My gaze roams our surroundings, a familiar face catching my attention. A man, he looks rugged, and starved but I would know that man anywhere. Even as I stare at him now, the undying fire in his green eyes is burning bright. I can't forget the eyes of my father's favorite warrior. I spent my childhood admiring the way he protected everyone, it was something Tee and I wanted but for then, protecting each other was enough for us, still is. I get immense pleasure and peace from safeguarding Tee, and I know she feels like that with me too.

“You're Adrien Huntington right?” I ask him, the name sampling bitter on my tongue because of the similarity to Adrian's name.

The old man nods, the veins in his neck popping when he does. “You remember me?”

“I do, my father loved you very much, you were his favorite warrior. But I thought you died?”

His head shakes, the fire in his eyes dimming momentarily, it's as if he gets some hurtful flashbacks. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trigger his emotions but I know that he died, we buried this man in the best graveyard Dark Moon has to offer.

“I didn't die,” he sighs. “They made it seem like I died and enslaved me like everyone to combat in their battles and do their dangerous work.”

“Hmm, that's sad, but on your way back to Dark Moon, can you kindly take my friend with you and tell Alpha Ryan to escort her to Midnight Saints safely?”

“No.” Mirabelle lets out from beside me.

I ignore her protest, carrying on with my request, “Don't tell him you saw me or anything I've done, this isn't exactly something my dad would approve of. He didn't raise a killer, I just—Take her with.” I tell him, my eyes veering to Belle. “You need to go home, I can't handle anything happening to you.” I whisper to her.

Mirabelle shakes her head, “I know, but I can't go home without you. It's not home without you anymore, the time you left I was miserable, you know that so why are you insisting on sending me to a home you don't want to be a part of?”

“Fine,” I sigh in defeat. My arms dropping to my sides. “You win, I'm not forcing you anymore but we have to find a place to live while we wait to go to college.”

“I don't mind living under a bridge as long as we have each other, Camilla, that's all we need. We're enough for each other.” she murmurs, her tone breaking.

I gulp hastily, my hand reaching to take hers. She freezes the moment I brush over it but relaxes when I hold her hand in mine. “It's fine sir,” I say. My gaze found Mr Huntington once again. “You can be well on your way, we're staying together, this stubborn girl and. We will figure something out.”

The man nods, running his hand through his roughed hair. “I remember you wanted to be a warrior, you and that frightening child.” He chuckles, referring to Tee. “You are more than a warrior Mia, you are what inspires warriors. You know, you just killed Alpha Hayden and his entire team of trustees. You single-handedly, with little help if you want to acknowledge it, wiped out the strongest members of his pack. I don't think your father would be disappointed he raised a wonderful young lady. Jacques would be proud of you young lady and I think it goes without saying, you can easily run his pack.”

My heart swells at his words, not about ruling Takishini but about my father but still, it doesn't change the hostile behavior I exhibited. Someone else could have easily handled that with little or no bloodshed, using Alpha Hayden as a bluff but I went for the kill, the first degree massacre and Mr Huntington thinks I should run the pack? No, I can't out of respect for all good Alpha's out there.

Looking over his shoulder, my eyes find Beta, giving some bottled water to the girl who seems to be barely alive. “He will do a good job at being the next Alpha, as long as he can beat Gerald to it.” I snort.

The young woman next to Mr Huntington whose existence I had missed earlier grins, “He is a good man right Adrien?”

I almost flinch at the name, my hand clenching into a fist. “Indeed,” Mr Huntington nods, his gaze veering to Beta. “That boy has a golden heart and his wife took advantage of that.”

His wife?

He doesn't look married, he doesn't wear a ring either.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my gaze following Mr Huntington's. I know I shouldn't snoop in his private life but part of me wants to know more about him, conceivably because of the pull his gaze holds. And besides, I'm not prying, someone else is putting it out there and I'm just asking to have full data, I don't like being out of the loop. If they know it, it's probably not private and gets talked about so what's the harm in knowing?