Chapter 8: Fallen Allies
1299 Words
Ava
I'm so angry, I don't even bother to open my door with the knob. I ram into it with a shoulder, the wall vibrating with the force of the impact. The door crashes against the far wall in a clatter of dust and debris.
There is no Tom occupying my bed this time.
I scream into the empty room, my throat straining with the effort.
I can't believe him! I know he's hiding something! I know it!
I scream again and punch the wall, a hole now marking the path of my rage.
“Dude, calm down!" I hear a voice behind me and whip around to find Tom's dark shadow creeping in the hallway. “Are you okay? What happened?" he asks me.
I'm seething, sure that steam is coming out of my ears.
“I saw you leaving the council meeting. I heard about the attack. Where did you run off to?" he goes on. I can sense the worry in his voice.
He steps into the room, and the sunlight from the window hits his caramel skin. He scans my face, and a moment later, he releases a heavy breath.
“You went to him, didn't you?"
I fall onto the bed and nod, not trusting my voice to be calm.
“What did he say?"
“He said he didn't know anything, but when one of the scouts said they'd seen an omega, my only thought was that it must've been him. There aren't any others around here; if there were, we would've heard about them by now."
Tom moves and sits beside me. “But how could he have done all that by himself? He's an omega, right? They don't exactly have much in the way of power."
I shake my head, letting my muscles relax.
“It doesn't matter, anyway. We need to go there and find out who actually did it."
“And if it turns out he had something to do with it?"
“Then, we deal with it. The fact that he and I are connected won't change anything. There is no way I'd let myself be with someone who would murder an entire pack."
Before either of us can say more, there is a knock at the door. Jenna, Tom's mother, pokes her head through the open doorway and grimaces at the damage on the wood frame.
“Forget how to use a knob, dear?" she asks me.
I shrug. Jenna's eyes flick to Tom.
“Thomas, there you are. I was looking for you. There is another scouting party heading to the location of the attack. I could use your help sensing any charms or anything that would suggest magical use."
Tom nods and stands up.
Jenna, speaking to me, says, “Your mother asks that you come as well. She has matters to attend to and needs someone to oversee things. James will help you with whatever you need."
I repress the urge to roll my eyes and nod, standing up on stiff legs.
This is just another attempt by my mother to get me to accept a leadership role. Normally, I would object, but given the circumstances, I'll use any excuse I can get to set eyes on the damage.
I follow the two of them out of the room, down the hall and a flight of stairs that lead to the main entrance hall. A group of black-clothed betas lingers in the entranceway. One of them, Naomi, who had seen the omega at the site, eyes me suspiciously.
I look down at my clothes and notice the dirt and random smears staining them. I forgot to change after my time in the woods.
I look back up and give Naomi a sheepish smile.
“There you are," James says, coming up from behind me. At his side is his son, Sam, who wears the same black leather boots he always does. His auburn hair is tied back into a low ponytail.
He spots Tom and gives him a small wave, but the smile on his lips tells more.
Tom blushes beside me, and I give him a playful jab in the ribs with my elbow.
“I'll need you three in the car with me," James tells Jenna, Tom, and me.
We all nod and make our way outside.
The four of us climb into the small car while the others pile into the SUVs behind it.
It takes us almost half an hour to reach Samuel's pack. The road cuts off about halfway and leads into a densely packed forested area with dirt and gravel roads. The cars have difficulty finding purchase on the rocky paths, but they make it just in time to see the start of the sunset.
Even through the heavily tinted windows, I can make out the dark lines of burned and broken foundations of large houses.
When the car is parked, I jump out, and Tom quickly finds his place at my side.
His stunned face mimics my own. My mouth goes dry, and my stomach roils at what I'm seeing.
All around me are the charred remains of houses that had once held multiple families. I can see blackened bodies in them, barely distinguishable from the wreckage around them. Some are huddled together, while others are spread out at unnatural angles.
The stench is the worst. It smells like a campfire mixed with cooked flesh and burnt hair. I plug my nose as I carefully step through the debris.
“My God," James remarks, stepping into the interior of one of the houses. “This was Samuel's house that he shared with his parents, wife, and children," he says, picking his way through the rubble.
I think I see tears in his eyes as he picks up a broken portrait that is burned beyond recognition.
Jenna moves off to the side, Tom following her while looking around him at the eyes of the bereaved.
They each begin making circles in the dirt with their hands, humming and murmuring enchantments. Jenna sprinkles a bit of something onto the ground, her hands moving around it in a circle. It takes a moment for me to realize that she is squatting near the remains of a child.
I'm so shocked by the realization that I have to hunch over and clamp my hand over my mouth to prevent being sick.
A blast of heat hits my skin, and I look up to see green flames dancing over the child's body. Jenna steps back in horror, her hands shaking as she covers her face.
“What is it?" I ask, forgetting my stomach and running over to them.
Tom looks down at the ground, where the fire lingers over the child.
“The kid wasn't killed naturally," he says.
“What do you mean?"
He looks up at me with his bright, hazel eyes. “She was cursed."
“There's more," James calls out from where he stands over another body.
I move over to him, taking care not to trip over the debris.
He looks up when I'm close and holds up a silver medallion. I've never seen it before, and I have to squint to make out what it is.
The medallion depicts an image of a silver wolf's head with red eyes and flames coming out of its mouth. Beneath it are the words 'Libertas filiis lunae.'
“What does it mean?" I ask him as he stands up, face sallow and pale.
“It means 'Freedom to the Children of the Moon.' Filiis Lunae is the name of a rogue pack led by the alpha Nathan Jacobs."
He holds the medallion out, the sun's dissipating light gleaming off the polished metal.
“This metal belongs to him."
- Writer
