Katherine:
I kept my eyes on Enzo for a moment, watching, in silence, from a distance as he walked around the forest grounds.
He often did that when he was annoyed. It was a habit that I grew used to seeing when the two of us were together, and I had to admit, to know that he was here, I couldn’t help but find myself being curious of what he could be thinking.
“If I am not killing you now, it is because your son lost his father today, I don’t want him to lose his mother too.” Enzo said, making my heart drop. I tensed, and he turned to face me, our eyes meeting from a distance before I dared myself to approach him.
I knew not to challenge him, it was something that I would be considered stupid for doing, but what I also knew was the fact that I couldn’t let him get away with what he did. I should have been the one to do it.
“You killed Jacob.”
“He would have killed us instead, and not to mention the fact that you kidnapped Yasmin. I salute you, I never expected you to go as low.” I said, and she gulped. “I am curious about what you were thinking when you did that, because I am sure that the woman that I knew and was with did not and would have not harmed a teenager…
“Oh, please; the woman has been going around about how she wasn’t a kid. She is being treated as so right now, and the fact that I showed her that she wasn’t…”
“You knew that an eighteen year old is a teenager, no matter whether or not she is legally considered an adult, she will remain a teen.” I said, stopping her.
“Your point is?”
“You’re really asking?” I asked, astonished by the way that she was responding. “When did you become so dark? Or was really that blind that I couldn’t see you for the woman that you really were?”
“You never were blind, but if I am who I am today, it is because YOU created this monster. Had it been up to me, trust me, none of this would be happening, and the two of us would be living the happily ever after story that we always were living through. It seems to me that you made your choice in things, and you are not accepting the fact that you are suffering the consequences of your actions.” I said, and the man looked around, clearly reminding himself that we could be heard by passerby people who were walking around. The last thing we needed was the fuss of humans. They tended to like causing one when finding out about us.
“You know that the two of us could have been something. You chose to not only use me for your own power, but to also lie to me about a son that we both never had…”
“You were foolish to even believe the lie that I gave, I have to admit that much. You could have thought twice about it, but you settled with the DNA test that I gave.” I said, knowing that it wasn’t true. For years, I knew that he still doubted me, and I knew that he often wanted to do something to try and prove me wrong. I would just eventually shut that up and muffle it with random excuses.
“I am curious, though, how far do you intend to go with this?” He asked, shaking his head in question. “Your games, and the way that you are dealing with things. How far do you plan on going? Because it seems to me that you are crossing more boarders than you can truly go through, and I am curious about whether or not you are ready for the consequences that will follow your actions considering that you are technically alone.”
“And who tells you that I am alone?” I asked, raising an amused eyebrow at the man.
“If you think that Damon would really support you after all the bullshit that he’s gone through and after the games that you and Jacob have been playing, you are wrong. The death of his brother is going to teach him a lesson, and the faster you learn how much of a coward the man really is, the better it would be for you. You know, you are going to spare yourself a lot of disappointing moments.” He said, and I frowned.
The fact that he was looking at Damon that way told me that he was most likely right. I knew that the man wasn’t one to be depended on, but I didn’t think that things would be taking that path of extension. Nevertheless, I knew not to make him suspect Ezio just yet. I needed him to be the one to enter the pack. He was my one way inside for now. I couldn’t risk him getting caught as easily.
“If I ever see you again…”
“You made that threat before, and I am still standing.” I said, and he nodded before grabbing my hand. His eyes were fixed on mine as I was taken off guard by his action, and it wasn’t until he ripped my finger off my hand, making my eyes widen as he handed it to me.
I had to force myself not to wail out in pain as I looked at the man. He leaned in toward my ear, his voice above a whisper as he spoke his next words. The deadliness in his tone told me that things were coming to an end, he was going to be sure that they did. And that was something that I was going to need to be ready for.
“Now you got your first, actual, warning.” He said, making my heart race. “Now, I suggest that you go back to your son and pack. You know, that is, if you still have one, especially considering that most of them would be dead by now.”
He looked down at his bloody hand and mine before smirking. “And I suggest that you take care of your wound. I wouldn’t want you dying out of an infection just yet…
Alaria:
“Hey,” I said, smiling at Yasmin, who was laying on her bed.
She didn’t say a word for a moment, but then she forced herself to sit up and look at me. Her eyes, which held more pain than she could describe, tried to avoid mine as she looked anywhere but into my eyes.
“Hi,” she said, finally responding as I approached the chair beside her bed.
She watched as I sat there, and I smiled, shaking my head in question.
“I thought that you would be coming to dinner? You know, the pack doctor said that you would need to eat to fully recover.” I said, and she looked away from me for a moment.
“I didn’t feel like eating. And it is not like I want to be recovering quickly. I am tired and I just want to go to bed. I want to rest for a while, and I really don’t want to be dealing with anything more than the conflict that I was forced to deal with and the…”
“You went out without your father’s notice.” I said, and she looked away from me.
“You’re here to scold me too?” She asked, and I shook my head.
“The last thing that I am going to do is scold you, Yasmin. I know what it is to be scared and in pain, but what you did could have gotten you killed. And you know…”
“I didn’t think that this would lead to that. I just wanted to go out and get some air. I was upset and in pain and I didn’t want to keep going through that pain alone. I didn’t want to keep being treated like a kid. I am not one.” She said, and I nodded.
“No one ever said that you are.”
“He did.” She said, looking away from me as tears fell from her eyes. For a moment, I had to admit, I was curious about who she was talking about. But it didn’t take me long to realize that it was Leonardo. It was the reason why the two of them argued, it seemed. The man saw her as nothing more than a child. “That is all he will ever see me as anyway.”
“He?” I asked, and she looked away from me.
“It doesn’t matter.” She said, and I took a deep breath. I knew not to press on the little girl. She was already upset as it was, adding salt on the wound wasn’t going to do me any good. And it wasn’t going to have her open up to me.
“I know that you are upset and that things have been hard on you; but you need to understand that when you are treated with love and protection, it doesn’t make you any less. If anything, it only means that you are loved, even more than you might think that you are.” I said, putting a hand on hers. “Sometimes being the pack’s teenager is the best thing that can happen. You are an adult, somehow, when you’re eighteen, but you are also being protected.”
“When can I be free of this ‘protection’? Because it makes others thin of me as a kid, and I am not.” She said, and I smiled.
“Sometimes I wish that I was treated as a kid. It would make the responsibilities that I have a lot less hectic. But the older you grow, the more you realize that this protectiveness is an act of love. You are your father’s only daughter, the light of his day, and the one reminder of your mother.” I said, reminding her of the fact that though the man stood strong, he also lost someone dear to him. “Don’t break him with that. He might not be showing it, but it would hurt him dearly and you don’t want to find your father breaking inside because you are refusing to understand how much he and the whole pack value you.”
“What if the man that I love doesn’t love me back?” She asked, and I smiled.
“Sometimes love has different meanings and aspects. He might not love you the way that you love him, but it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. While I understand that being in love is hard when it is not mutual, it doesn’t mean the end.” I said, my voice softening as I spoke to her. “It is only the beginning, and you are young, and you have the right to find yourself falling in love over and over again. Eventually, you are going to love someone so deeply that you are going to forget all the heartbreaks that you’ve been through.”
“It is what makes love worth it.” I said, smiling softly at her.
“Does it count for both you and the Alpha?” She asked, making me smile. I put my hand on her cheek, and she leaned in toward my touch.
“You are one nosey girl, has anyone ever told you that?” I asked, and she laughed. “With Enzo things are different, but I know one thing, whatever happens, I don’t regret anything that happened between us.”
“Despite the two of you being divorced and the pain?” She asked, and I nodded.
“That pain made me who I am today. It made me stronger for myself and my son. It made me know my value, my worth, and capability. Yes, it broke me into pieces, but these pieces healed with time.” I said, looking away from her for a moment. “And I know now that the two of us have matured. We have our choices, and we are going with our lives based on that.”
“Do you think that you can get back together? You know, if…”
“That is not something that I will answer,” I said, and she smiled. I got up from the chair and kissed her forehead as a sister would to hers. “Get some rest tonight, but I expect to see you at the dining table tomorrow morning deal…?”