Return to Wisteria (Book Three of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 2~Trash~

Summer

    I stuck to the shadows, making sure Nova stayed silent behind me. I was ecstatic when I had finally caught Autumn’s scent but now, I was terrified. The closer we got to her, the stronger the smell of her blood became. I couldn’t help the terrible thoughts that plagued my head. What if she was badly injured? What if we were too late? What if someone killed her? All I could do was pray to the moon goddess that she would be safe until we found her.

      Autumn’s scent led us to the back of the pack house. There were two medium sized storage sheds and three large dumpster bins.  My stomach was queasy from the smell of blood mixed in with the stench of the trash. “Autumn?” Nova whispered, not receiving a response. We walked further into the enclosed area. “Autumn?” I whispered louder. A small whimper came from the dumpsters. Nova and I rushed over to them. 

    I opened up the first bin’s lid, frantically looking for some type of movement. We both had to tiptoe to see inside. “There’s nothing in the one on the end.” Nova said. I closed the one I was looking inside and walked over to the middle one. Nova lifted up the lids while I peered into the darkness. “Gimme your phone.” I grunted. Nova turned on the flashlight then handed it over. I shined it over the dozens of bags, trying my hardest not to gag. “I don’t think she’s in here.” Nova murmured. 

   I sighed in defeat, ready to close the lid. I lowered the phone, the light illuminating the far-left corner. “Is that a shoe?” I asked, straining my eyes to get a better look. “That’s Autumn’s shoe!” Nova squealed, shaking the lid. “Autumn? Are you in here?” I called out. My hope died when no response came. I dialed in Autumn’s number and called her phone. A whimsical chime sounded off along with a soft moan. 

   I jumped up and pulled myself into the dumpster. “Autumn! Autumn!” I shouted, frantically wading through the waist high pile of trash. I picked up Autumn’s shoe. It felt like I was choking on the overwhelming smell of the garbage and blood. My panic felt heavy in my stomach. Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead. “S-Summer.” came a soft whisper. My hands shook as I tossed bags and filth to the side, trying to unbury my sister.   

   I cried out when I finally saw her small beaten body. Autumn’s curly black hair was tangled and matted. Her face was swollen and cut; her eyes already blackened. I hovered over her, trying not to show my fear. Her body was beaten, her pajamas torn. “Summer.” she murmured, struggling to reach out her hand. I held back my cry, latching onto her with a firm hold.

    “I’m here sis, I got you.” I reassured her. I wrapped her arm around my shoulder and lifted her up. I winced as Autumn whimpered from the pain. We slowly made our way towards the entrance where Nova was silently sobbing. She grabbed Autumn’s hand and pulled her while I lifted up her lower half. By the time I got out, they were a tangled mess on the floor. Autumn was slowly regaining consciousness in Nova’s hold.

     I quickly examined my sister’s battered body, clenching my fist as rage started to fill my lungs. “What happened?” I asked quietly. Fat tears squeezed themselves from Autumn’s swollen eyes. She gave a weak shake of her head. “Tell me what happened.” I growled. I could feel my Alpha aura start to leak. Deep breaths, I need to calm down. I wanted information, but I didn’t want to abuse my power on my injured sister.

    Nova tried, “Did Quincy do this?” Autumn let out a small moan as she nodded her head. I started to pace; my wolf, Royal, wanted blood. “Was this the first time?” I asked through gritted teeth. Autumn continued to cry, shaking her head no. “I don’t understand. I’ve never seen you like this.” Nova sniffled, rocking Autumn in her arms. 

   Autumn took in a few staggering breaths before replying. “He’s never been this-s bad before. In the past it was just a slap or a punch on the thigh. It was n-never frequent and he always ap-pologized afterwards.” she said, her speech slurred from her busted mouth. I shook my head in disbelief, “And you thought that was ok?!” Autumn let out another moan. “It was never s-serious. I never thought he would hurt me like this. He told me he l-loved me.” She responded lamely.

     “Why was this time different?” I demanded. Autumn tried to clench her mouth shut only to yelp out in pain from the pressure. “WHY?!” I shouted, my anger only hanging on by a thread. “Because I w-wouldn’t let him mark me. It didn’t feel right.” Autumn bellowed. Nova pulled her closer, waiting for her to continue. “When I told him no, he punched me. S-Saying that I didn’t really love him and that I des-served to be beaten.”

    I braced myself up on my knees, begging my body to calm down. Through her tears, Autumn continued. “I begged for him to stop, but he told me I was worthles-ss and filthy. He dragged me out here and threw me into the t-trash.” Royal was howling in pain and fury, threatening to break free. “Come on Summer. Help me pick her up. We need to warp home so she can get medical attention.” Nova advised.

    I started to pace again. I knew what Nova was saying was the proper way of doing things. Normally, August would come here once the doctor finished examining Autumn. He would then request an investigation and settle it through the Assembly. By the time the process got under way, it would be too late. Nothing would be done and they wouldn’t be able to prove Quincy guilty. This is exactly why I f*****g hated rules! 

    If I was an active Alpha, I would’ve been able to report her condition first hand. There would be no need to wait for the Assembly to decide our future or for us to sneak around. The Assembly would have no choice but to respect my decision. But here we are, tiptoeing around like we damned criminals. Well, we are technically trespassers on unofficial business, but who cares about the technicalities? 

    Nova struggled to pull Autumn to her feet. “Summer, help me.” she said. Royal was screaming for vengeance while my morals begged me to let my Alpha handle it. I shook my head trying to focus. I watched Nova wrap my sister’s arm around her neck. Autumn’s face was almost unrecognizable from the damage Quincy had dealt. It was despicable. I couldn’t believe a creature like him was about to be an Alpha. He couldn’t even keep his hands off a single woman. Kill him, came Royal’s fiery whisper. 

        I took a step back, earning a confused frown from Nova. “Summer?” she questioned. I continued to walk backwards. “August won’t be able to help her in time.” I said softly. “What are you talking about?” Nova demanded. I shook my head, “The Assembly will never find justice for her.” “S-Summer, please don’t do this.” Autumn pleaded. “Why are you trying to protect him?” my voice shrill with disappointment. Autumn pleaded, “I don’t care about him, I’m thinking about our pack.” I took in my first calm breath since her first phone call came in.

    “Well, I’m not the Alpha.” I replied, my legs already running towards the front of the packhouse. I could hear Nova screaming after me, Royal howled with glee. The cold winter breeze stung my cheeks as I rounded the corner. I slowed down to follow Autumn’s blood trail up the packhouse steps. My movements were weirdly calm as I opened the door and took my time walking up the steps to the second floor.

    Autumn’s blood trail ended at the last door down the hall. I stared at Quincy’s door, trying to regain my composure. I took a step back; I was acting crazy. A soft giggle came from the other side of the door, stilling my retreat. A deep voice rumbled, “You’re nothing like the trash I left outside.” I raised my leg and pushed hard, kicking down the door. The she-wolf gave a startled scream, jumping off of Quincy’s lap.

   “Get Out.” I growled at her. She clutched the bed sheet against her bare chest, a confused look on her face. “LEAVE!” I shouted, letting my Alpha tone come through. The she-wolf paled and scrambled out of the room. Quincy gave me a wicked smile from the bed. “You must be the big sister. If she had told me you had a bigger rack, we would’ve met sooner.” he sneered, the sound made my blood boil.  

   Quincy laughed at my silence, “What? Are you mad? She brought this on herself if you think about it.  She was so desperate for love, attention, a place to belong. I told her I could give her everything her heart desired. So, you can imagine my surprise when she denied me my rights to mark her.” he twisted his face.

     “Did she call you for help, or to take her place?” Quincy demanded; his tone sounded irritated. I licked my lips and took quiet steps towards the bed, slowly taking my sweater off. “Now we’re talking.” Quincy beamed from his place on the pillows and stood up. His member stood at attention; his chest puffed out with pride. Goddess he was disgusting, I could still smell her Autumn on him. His chest was right in front of me, my head a few inches shorter than his. 

    Quincy grinned, reaching his hand out to touch my face. I grabbed it before he made contact and held it in my hands. His knuckles were red and swollen. I studied the rest of his arm; it was covered in jagged scratches and bite marks. Autumn put up a hell of a fight, but only an Alpha could take down another Alpha. I looked up at Quincy. His bright brown eyes were darkened with lust, his length poking against my stomach.

    Quincy closed his eyes, bending down to kiss me. I ran my hand over his swollen fingers and smiled. “Did it feel good?” I whispered. “What?” Quincy furrowed his brow, his lips still pursed. I tightened my grip on his hand. “I asked if it felt good.” I repeated. I squeezed harder; the loud pop of his bones resonating. Quincy yelped, trying to pull his hand away but my hold was firm. I took a step forward, forcing him to back up. “Did it feel good when you beat my sister? Did you like it when she begged you to stop? Or when she tried to fight you off?” I demanded.

    Quincy started to swing at me with his free hand. I raised our arms to block, avoiding his heavy hits. I started walking faster, pushing him further into the room. I looked over his shoulder, a small smile played on my lips. “I wonder how long I have to beat you until you beg for mercy.” I questioned. “I’ll never beg a common b***h like you.” Quincy hissed, his breaths coming in short. “We’ll see.” I replied then promptly pushed him out of his window.

August

    I dropped Dimitri’s hand and took in our surroundings. There weren’t any lights on in the pack house and everything appeared quiet. “SUMMER!” We flinched as Nova’s hysterical screams filled the night. I made out her image as she rounded the corner, bringing the metallic odor of blood with her. “Nova? Autumn?” I called out, my voice sounding foreign. 

    Loud sobs came from Nova’s side. “Auggie, I’m so sorry.” My steps felt heavy as I tried to make my way to her. “August, look out!” Dimitri shouted, pulling me backwards. We jumped back in time as a body rolled down the roof. The man’s naked form landed with a soft thud. He started to roll around in the shattered glass, painful groans escaping his lips. “Quincy?” I asked, confused.

     Nova stared at me with terrified eyes, “Help me.” I walked around Quincy’s groaning form and approached her. My world stopped spinning when Nova gently pushed Autumn into my arms. I let out a strangled cry, taking in my sister’s unrecognizable appearance. “I’m sorry.” Autumn whispered. I rocked her in my hold and shushed her. “I’m here Autumn. Tell me who did this to you?” my heart threatened to give out.

    A small crowd of worried members began to circle us. “Um, August.” Dimitri murmured while pointing up. Summer walked out onto the roof, her face calm as she stared down at us. She jumped down gracefully with a wide smile. “Oh, hey Auggie. I thought I had at least an hour before you showed up.” she said nonchalantly. I shook my head, “Summer, what the hell is going on?”

    She hovered over Quincy’s retreating form. “You should ask our sister,” she stated in an icy tone. “What?” I choked out. Summer grabbed Quincy’s hair, slamming his face into her knee. Dimitri let out a low whistle, watching Quincy’s nose shatter from the impact. Summer threw him on the ground and mounted him. Her face was emotionless, her fists raining down heavy punches.