Waking up was the hard part and it wasn't just because of the physical pain my body was in.
Although every single bone in my body was hurting and I felt that someone took an ax to my head, it paled to comparison of the emotional distress that heaped on me the moment I became conscious again.
All the memories came crashing down and I couldn't believe that I did what I told myself that I'll never did. Not only did I break my promise to myself, but I betrayed Trenton.
I signed my mate's death warrant and at the moment when I chose to give him up, I didn't care knowing that if I went to sleep, his life was over.
All I heard was the other voice telling me to go to sleep. To let Trenton die so that we can escape. To be free.
I just wanted to be free and now that my mind was cleared, a strange feeling was building at the pit of my stomach that threatened to tear me up.
Regret.
"Open your eyes, Ariel," a voice murmured into my ear. "I know you're awake."
But I was a coward. I didn't want to open my eyes and see the mess that I created. Was Trenton dead?
And if he was, it'll be all my fault. Not Trenton. Not the Sherman brothers but mine alone.
I let the dark voice in my head win.
A sob tore out of me. Oh goddess, please have mercy on me.
"Open your eyes," the voice demanded and this time I took the plunge, and woke myself up. Bright light stung my eyes as I blinked trying to get everything into focus again.
A dark figure was leaning over me and it took me a while to decipher who it was. It didn't take long though. His dark, black as midnight, eyes and elongated fangs poking out of his lips quickly gave him away.
"Leon?" I muttered and I was mortified when my voice came out watery. Tears started streaming down my eyes and wretched sobs that I couldn't hold in, came out.
"Shh," Leon murmured, using his hands to softly brush the tears away. "It's okay, beautiful. I'm here." His voice, even though was comforting and made to soothe me, just made the guilt rolling in me double.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach and I couldn't stop the tears from falling out.
What did I do? Trenton's dead because of me.
I haven't realized that I was voicing out my thoughts in jumbled words until Leon placed his finger on my lips.
"Stop Ariel," Leon commanded, hauling my body into his lap. "Stop it and just calm down. Trenton's not dead. You hear me. He's not."
That stopped the tears immediately and I wrenched my head away from his hug to look at him. "He's not. Where is he? What happened?"
I had no right asking him that question. No right at all to question about Trenton's well-being when it was me that put his life in danger in the first place.
"Relax," he repeated, as I looked around the basement. It was then that I realized that there was no one else in the basement.
"Wh- Leon?" I murmured, staring in horror at the fresh blood splattered on the walls. "Where is everyone? What's going on? Why is there so much blood? You said that Trenton is safe. Or is that someone else's blood?"
"Ariel, listen to me," Leon said, holding on to my struggling form. "You need to calm down and listen to what I have to say."
"What?" I whispered, bracing myself for the worst. "Where is everyone?"
"They're fighting outside," he answered, watching my eyes the entire time.
"What?" I screamed, scrambling out of his arms. "You can't be serious? Why would the Sherman brothers even let us out of the basement?"
I was rapidly shooting him questions but I wasn't even waiting for his answers.
Ignoring the pain in my body, I hauled myself to the stairs, ignoring Leon's demand to stop. It wasn't until he pulled me back roughly into his arms, did I see that he was holding something in his arms.
"Stop struggling for a bit," Leon demanded harshly, before bringing the object more in to focus. "You need to look at this first."
I looked down at what he was holding and I felt sick staring at the black book that started this whole mess.
The black book, meshed with chains-
"Wait a minute," I breathed out, not believing what I was seeing. "It's not open, is it?" I swiped the book out of his hands, watching in fascinated horror as the chains fell easily to the ground.
The loud clanking noise as the chains hit the floor was ominous in the silence of the basement room.
I feel the power in the book, princess. I could almost taste it.
I shivered not only because of the malice in its voice but also because I realized what those dreadful words meant.
I bit the bile back, knowing that being sick is not something I can afford to do.
Time was of an essence.
"It is," Leon answered calmly, watching my reaction to his words very closely. "When you were out and the others were engaged in battle, the book started opening on its own. Only problem is that the pages in the book are blank. See?"
I flickered my eyes to the blank pages of the book he was showing me and I knew without a doubt that the book opened due to the connection it had with the crimson wolf lying dormant within me.
Let him die. Let Trenton die.
I knew what my wolf was trying to say.
The book opened because my mate was dying. And if Trenton died…the pages will no longer be blank.
Yes, my intelligent girl. Let him die. Let the words unravel in the book and grab onto your freedom.
"No," I said, not letting the voice in my head win again. "Not like this." Never again will I betray someone that is my friend.
We're so close, princess. Don't ruin it. I feel the power. We can escape.
"I said no!" I shouted, thumping my head hard with my fisted hand.
"Ariel, what the hell?" Leon shouted, grabbing on to my arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing to yourself? And who the bloody hell are you talking to?
"Not now," I screamed, thrusting the book in his arms again. I didn't want freedom like this. Never again will I let that voice overrule my judgement.
"What's going on?" Leon rushed out, clutching the book in his hand like it was a lifeline. "Can you see something on the book that I can't? Answer me, Ariel. Stop hiding things from me."
"Put the chains back on the book," I shouted back, running upstairs like my life depended on it.
"Ariel, wait!" Leon shouted, fortunately listening to what I was saying as I heard the chains being picked up from the ground. "Where are you going?"
"To save my mate," I screamed back, without a pause in my step.
You're making a huge mistake, princess. You need me, you foolish girl.
I knew I sounded like a lunatic rushing past the stairs but I didn't care.
Not about Leon's demands.
Not about the voice raging in my head.
And certainly not the pain that my body was in.
Nothing mattered at the moment but the front door that was left wide open for the first time in years. Bright, natural light blinded my eyes as soon as the sun settled on my skin but I didn't bask in it like I wanted to.
My mate needed me.
"Trenton?" I screamed, running outside barefoot. The sight that welcomed me was likely something that I'll never forgot.
"Oh god," I whimpered, seeing my friends injured and bloodied.
My fault. All my fault.
I cried out while running straight to all my friends gathered around the empty field like wounded soldiers after a war.
Oh moon goddess. Please forgive me. Please help me.
Orion's face was a bloody mess with a crooked, broken nose as he continued to engage in a fist fight with the younger Sherman brother, Derek.
Arlo's whole face was swollen as if someone pounded his face repeatedly with their fists.
Scotty and Cameron were are on the ground in a broken heap and I didn't even know if they were still conscious or not, but the worst of them all was my mate.
All my fault.
Trenton's entire left arm was shredded and there was so much blood. So much dripping down that it was a miracle that he was still conscious to begin with.
"Ariel, run!" Arlo shouted, and I cried out when a huge furry body slammed straight into my backside.
I grunted out, shrieking when I went face down flat into the grass. The wolf was crushing me and I felt sharp teeth trying to break the skin around my neck.
"Get off of her," I heard Leon shout somewhere from behind me, but it was too late.
A sharp claw tore through my dress and I felt the wolf's paws dig into my skin like I was his next dinner.
But I didn't care about the pain. After surviving years in this place, I learnt that I could handle any pain as I long as I separated my mind from my body.
Think about something else. Think about someone else.
Jason, Ayden, Adrian...Sharp teeth broke into my neck and I knew that my imagination was failing me as more tears gathered in my eyes.
"Ariel, use it!" Arlo screamed, but I had no idea what he was talking about nor did I have the energy or state of mind to turn those words into meaning in my head.
Another weight landed on top of me, and I knew without looking up that it was Leon fighting with the wolf. Leon's surprise attack helped, because a moment later, I was able to painfully scrabble away from the wolf's grip.
I coughed out blood, each release of air, a painful reminder of the damage done to my body. If only I could use Spirit on myself to heal my injuries so I can be stronger to heal my friends.
"That's it," I muttered, recalling the last time I was outside the fateful day years ago. Even though it was for a moment, I was able to build up fire at the palm of my fingers. And what's more, Arlo said that the reason why we couldn't shift into our werewolves and why my powers were blocked was because of something that's in the house.
Hope flared within me because at this very moment, we weren't physically inside the house. And despite the exhaustion I was feeling, I knew that it was now or never.
My friends were depending on me. My mate's life was on the line.
I was never more ready in my life.
"Angel, use it!" Arlo shouted, and I did.
Thrusting my arms out, I flung out a gust of wind towards the wolf, sending both David's wolf and Leon into another direction.
The attack not only surprised them but me as well. After so many years, using my powers felt magical.
"Ow, Ariel. I'm on the same side as you," Leon muttered, but there was no missing the awe in his voice.
"Keep going," Arlo demanded, and I turned my attention to the werewolf who was struggling to get up from the floor. Focusing all my energy on the palm of my fingers, I used the nature around me to gather fire into my hands.
"Do it," Arlo shouted and I threw the fireballs straight into the wolf, watching in horror as the fire engulfed the animal into never ending flames.
It was working. The need to help my friends fuelled my power to a level that I never succeeded before.
"David!" The younger brother shouted from the distance and I turned to seeing him being pinned down by Orion. "You bitch, what the hell are you doing to him?"
David's screams were restless but I couldn't summon any sympathy for him. He and his brother were the reason for my friends' suffering and pain.
Breathing harshly through my nose, I watched Orion and Derek roll around in the field, both struggling to dominate the other. However, unsurprisingly, it was clear to anyone that it was Derek who had the upper hand in this.
Mustering up more energy from the nature around me, I tried something new. Placing my palm on the field, I tried to connect with the Earth, using my powers to connect with the roots of the plants.
"Come on, come on," I muttered, and I watched in astonishment as the plants grew taller and taller, reaching high up to fifty feet in the air. Thrusting my hands in Derek's direction, I watched the plants follow my movement.
"Amazing," Orion muttered, watching as the plant curled around Derek's legs before sending him flying in the other direction, far away from Orion but closer to Leon.
"Leon, finish him!" Arlo shouted, and Leon didn't waste a second. Picking up Derek's fallen sword, Leon charged towards him, the sword poised ready for battle and death.
Just when I thought Leon would render our enemy, Derek sprung out, shifting into a large werewolf himself.
"Run!" I screamed, running towards Leon as the wolf pounced on him. It's teeth tore right into Leon's leg and even though I was running as fast as I can, I knew I wasn't fast enough like I used to be.
If only we were stronger, we could've forced ourselves to shift into our werewolves. And because we couldn't, we were going to lose.
"No," I cried, running with Arlo right on my heels before coming forcefully to a dead stop.
"Oh no," Arlo muttered, and my blood ran cold realizing that my body was frozen. I couldn't move a muscle and I felt his presence nearby.
You should've taken the chance when I told you to.
Looking around the field, I noticed that just like me, everyone was frozen solid. Including Derek's wolf, whose body was frozen in mid air.
You could've ended Trenton's life and been gone by now, you foolish girl.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Lucius shouted from behind me, his anger chilling me deep into my bones.
But then again, you might still have a chance. His life is ending, princess.
"Trenton," I whispered, moving my eyes towards my mate. He was on his knees, gasping for air, blood spilling out from various wounds on his body. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to him princess?" Lucius sneered, abruptly standing in front of me. I wanted to step back, if not for the frozen state I was forced to be in, I would've stepped back. He looked so angry, so strong and all the negative energy surrounding him was directed towards me.
"Well this is certainly a surprise," Lucius' father spoke out, his voice coming somewhere from behind me. "Who let the kiddos out?"
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