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I let go of her wrist, grip her head, and twist. I feel the moment the life goes out of her. The moment her evil is extinguished. With disgust, I drop her.
I pant and then pull the knife free.
“It was worth it.” I whisper. I carefully bandage my leg, then I grip her arms and drag her to where I’ve stashed Art.
Their dead bodies land facing each other, and I think even in death, these two were made for each other. They hurt my pack.
I don’t regret a thing, I think as I shovel dirt onto their corpses.
thirty-two
Scarlet
The trees hide me as I stare at Barren. He’s fallen asleep in the gazebo, refusing to go inside. He looks so beautiful, even with the bruises. Just being this close to him makes me ache. I just want to run my fingers through his hair.
He’s been fighting his alphas. I can feel the upset, the rage in the bond. He’s been calling me. My refusal to answer has been sheer torture, a test I’ve never had to force upon myself before.
I keep the bond locked down so he can’t feel me. A mercy because my heart is breaking.
It takes hours, but when I’m sure he’s alone; I creep out of the tree line and walk down to the gazebo. I look at the heart I carved into the wood all those years ago and carve more letters inside before crossing to kneel beside Barren.
“You think it can work now, all sunshine and roses, but it can’t. I took a life, two lives. I killed to protect you. I do things like that. I’m not the person you need, Bar. And I’m not the person your alphas want. So I can’t stay because it will become a war zone, and hurting them would hurt you. I love you all so much. But as long as you have them, you will be loved. You will be safe. So, Bar, let’s just…call it a day, huh?”
In his sleep, he frowns and reaches for me. I take his hand, holding it to my chest.
“Time will calm the pain in the bond and ease the pain of goodbye until we can both remember the good times. And, Bar, you were my best of times. So remember that. You are brave, fierce, and wanted.”
He whimpers, and a noise from the house alerts me to the returning alphas. I sit upright, my head turning in suspicion until I realise the sound is coming from me. I press the fingers of my free hand against my chest, feeling the vibrations through my fingertips.
I’m purring. I have a purr. My eyes water, and I blink the tears away.
“You just keep giving me gifts, Barren Knight, and I will never ever forget you. Live a happy life. Your nightmares are dead now. And your alphas, all of us, we love you.”
I stare down at him, letting myself have a moment to study the hard angles of his face. I stroke his hair back from his forehead and then, with reluctance, reach into my pocket.
I carefully pull his hand off mine and put the letter in it.
“Goodbye, Barren.”
Backing away takes me a good few minutes, but then I vault over the side of the gazebo and disappear into the trees.
I jog back to where I hid my car and climb inside. All of my belongings are here. I reach up and stroke the mark on my neck. Soon, it will just be a flesh memory of a time when I once had it all.
The sound of the car starting is jarring. It moves me to action.
“Time to go.” I whisper to myself.
The drive to the city takes two hours, and when I find my rented apartment, complete with all its furnishings, I’m barely able to stay upright. I dump my stuff in the foyer and go straight into the bathroom.
I turn on the shower, climb into it with all my clothes on, and just stand there sobbing, finally letting myself grieve for the life I almost had.
thirty-three
Acton
The apartment is nothing special. Overgrown shrubs hide most of its face. A white fence with a gate rusted open. It doesn’t look like a home. Not for her. I hate it for her. It offends me.
A growl rumbles through my chest, dissatisfaction at not being able to go to her, at the whole stupid situation.
