Chapter 55

The Crescent pack’s compound was just starting to wake up as the first sign of dawn began to show over the trees, the cabins were still dark, the air still felt chilly.

In a small room behind the garage where they kept the ATVs and tools, Ariana sat on the edge of an old AC, her auburn hair tangled from restless tossing about in bed.

The room was dark except for the single light from
a battery-powered lantern.

Her hands shook a little as she ran a blade sharpener along her dagger, the scrape-scrape-scrape sound was something that always helped her keep her cool whenever she was beginning to lose her mind.

The blade was sharp enough now to slice paper, but it wasn’t the edge that calmed her, it was the plan.

Tyler’s face kept flashing in her mind, his evil smile, the way his fingers had dug into her arms years ago, the kind of threats he had always whispered to her, the sound of his voice, she hated everything now, she hated the thought of him.

She had gotten out, fought her way to the Crescent pack, to Eric, to something that felt like safety.

But now Liam was dead, Jasmine was gone, their baby too, and the pack was falling apart.

It was her fault.

She knew she had started this war when she escaped from Tyler, and his revenge had burned everything down.

She had to fix it, or die trying.

Meanwhile
Across the compound, in the open area they used for training, nothing fancy, just a dirt patch with some old tires and wooden dummies, Eric was swinging a machete, his breath coming out in white puffs.

He was in jeans and a see through shirt, sweat already filling his face despite the cold.

Each swing was deliberate, the blade whistling through the air, slamming into the dummy with a force that splintered wood.

It kept his head from exploding with the what-ifs.

What if he hadn’t been away on that stupid scouting run,

Gabe had called it a vacation, a chance to rest after
some rough months.

Eric had gone, and while he was gone, Adele had stuck a wolf’s bane knife in Liam’s chest, Jasmine had bled out, and one of the twins hadn’t made it.

Eric’s dark eyes were filled with anger, his jaw clenched so tight it ached as he hacked at the dummy again, pieces flying.

If only he had been here, he would’ve seen it coming, would’ve stopped it.

The guilt was a hot coal in his chest, burning every time he breathed.

He had to make it right, find Tyler, put him in the ground.

But he couldn’t tell Ariana.

She would look at him with those green eyes, and beg him to stay, and he couldn’t handle that, not when he didn’t deserve her anyway.

Ariana sat silently.

She had been with Tyler for years, if there was anyone who knew him well enough, it was her.

She knew every single detail about him, she knew every part of him.

She looked down at a hand-drawn map taped above the table with pushpins marking old trails and rumored Tyler hideouts.

She had gotten the info from a couple of traders who still owed her for pulling them out of a bad spot years back.

Her finger traced a line east, toward the old mill on the ridge, her heart beginning to beat faster.

She was beginning to feel uncomfortable here, she noticed that the pack still side-eyed her sometimes, because she had been Tyler’s property once, and those looks at the funeral had stung like salt in a wound.

She had brought this mess here, her running had pissed Tyler off, made him target the Crescent pack to get back at her.

The pack had been nice to her, Liam had been nice to her, Jasmine had been nice to her and now they were all gone because of her.

She set the dagger down, her hands steadier now, and started stuffing a backpack, a worn hoodie, a bottle of warm water, a small bottle of wolfsbane she had stolen from the pack’s store when no one was looking.

She would track Tyler down, get close enough to use it, and end him.

If she didn’t come back, at least the pack would be rid of the curse she carried.

Meanwhile

Eric stopped swinging, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm, his chest heaving.

The yard was empty, everyone else still asleep or resting from the hangovers from the night before.

His mind wasn’t still settled, Liam was on his mind, he remembered he always joked around during training, planning barbecues, talking about the future like it was guaranteed.

Eric had been his right hand, his brother in everything but blood, and he had let him down.

The guilt squeezed his lungs, made it hard to breathe, and he brought the machete down one more time, the dummy’s head rolling off into the dirt.

He had to move, he had to hunt Tyler before the pack imploded from suspicion and grief.

He couldn’t tell Ariana or let her know of his plans.

Ariana would know something was up if he said anything, she always did, with that way she read his face like a book.

She would try to talk him out of it, wrap her arms around him, and he couldn’t look at her knowing he had failed everyone.

He would sneak out early the next morning, before she woke, and handle this alone.

Meanwhile
Ariana zipped the backpack, slinging it over one shoulder, her heart beating hard enough she could hear it.

She glanced at the door, half waiting for Eric to knock, his voice came through the door, asking what she was doing up so early.

She loved him in a way that scared her sometimes, the kind of love that made the world make sense.

But it couldn’t wash away what she had done.

She went to the window, pushing it open, the cold slapping her face as she looked out at the woods, the trees standing silently, it made her feel even more out of place, she didn’t belong here.

A flashback hit, Eric holding her the night she had shown up at the compound, half-dead from running, whispering that she was safe now, that this was home.

She had bought it then, but now, with bodies in the ground, it felt like a lie.

She climbed out of the window, her boots landing softly on the frost, and dropped to the ground, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

The map was drawn in her brain.

She knew Tyler and knew the kind of places to find him.

She would kill him or let him kill her, either way, the debt would be paid.

Meanwhile
Eric removed the machete, his hands still buzzing from the impacts.

He headed to the storage shed, unlocking it with a key he kept on a chain around his neck.

Inside, under a tent, was his bag, a rope, a spare knife, a folded map with Tyler’s rumored camps circled in red.

He had overheard enough from patrols to know the eastern hills were hot.

He would go solo, keep the pack clear, keep Ariana out of the crossfire.

He thought of her, her laugh when she was tired, the way she would trace his scars without asking questions, how she had rebuilt herself piece by piece.

Losing her would finish him, but staying here, doing nothing, was worse.

He picked up the bag, his legs sinking into the gravel as he walked toward the main gate, the sky just starting to get lighter, he could see a pale streak on the horizon.

Meanwhile
Ariana pushed through the underbrush, her hoodie pulling on branches, the cold entering through her jeans.

The woods were quiet, too quiet, the ice breaking under her feet was the only sound.

She closed her eyes, remembering the torture she faced in the hands of Tyler, the bruises that lasted weeks, the way he would laugh when she fought back.

She thought she was finally free but how stupid was she to forget that freedom came at a cost; and now the cost kept piling up.

Her dagger bumped against her leg, reminding her of what she had to do.

She hit a small clearing, and looked down at her phone, this was the spot one of her contacts had sent to her. She looked up and spotted a note nailed to an oak tree, the paper fluttering in the wind.

“Tyler would be at the mill tonight, eastern ridge, don’t be late.”

It must have been from her old contact, the trader who’d smuggled her information before.

Her stomach flipped, but she pulled the note down, striking a match from her pocket and watching it burn, the ashes drifting like snow.

She kept moving, faster now.

Meanwhile

Eric slipped past the gate, nodding at the sleepy guard who barely looked up.

His breath clouded in front of him, his bag carried neatly on his back.

He smiled a little as he pictured Ariana still asleep in bed, her hair all over the pillow, peaceful for once.

He had to leave without a word, it sucked, but telling her would’ve been worse, she would fight him on it, and he couldn’t risk her following him.

This was his mess to clean.

He slowly entered the woods, the path was familiar from years of patrols, but everything felt off now, heavier.

He didn’t notice the faint boot prints in the frost, didn’t realize Ariana had gone the same way not long before.

Eric paused, guilt filling his heart, Ariana didn’t deserve it, at least he wanted to give her a goodbye, one that she would cherish.

He paused and turned around, one more night with her was all he wanted.

Meanwhile
Back at the lodge, dawn light slowly entered through the windows, picking out the mess in the main room where Gabe had crashed out, his head on the table in the middle of empty bottles.

He hadn’t slept, the whiskey did nothing for the pain that filled his chest.

He slowly sat up, his eyes red, he remembered Clara’s face at the funeral, she had looked so empty and lost, and he wondered if she was holding it together any better than he was.

Eric and Ariana had also been weirdly quiet lately.

It was all his fault, if he had been there to protect Liam and jasmine, he angrily smashed a bottle on the floor screaming in anger, he raised his hand to his mouth when he realized the baby was still in the room.

“What have I done?” He whispered as he hurried over to the baby.

The pack was tearing apart, and Gabe felt like the last thread.

The baby let out a small cry from the sling, and Gabe gently picked the baby up, murmuring.

Shh, buddy, I’ve got you.” His voice cracked. He was trying, God, he was trying his best.

Meanwhile
Ariana finally got to the ridge, the old mill coming into view, it was a sagging building with boarded windows and a rusted roof, that looked like it could collapse any second.

Her heart raced, the dagger felt heavy in her hand, she took a deep breath, letting her guilt and rage mix into something sharp.

She had to finish this for the people she had hurt.

She took another deep breath adjusting her jacket and walking slowly towards the building.

She paused as she got to the doorway of the building, a part of her knew she wouldn’t come out of this alive, even if she got to Tyler and killed him, the goons would never let her leave alive, she missed Eric, he was the only man that had ever made her feel truly loved, she wanted to be with him one last time, she slowly turned around, one more night with Eric was all she wanted, after that she would come back for Tyler, she would take his life.