Chapter 84 - How do I tell him

EMMA

The town is different from what I remember. I’ve always thought of Aldea as a cute little town with lots of green. People mingled in the streets for small talk. They took care of their gardens and took pride in it. The place used to be full of life.

Now the plants have died and weeds have taken over. We walk past houses where dust coats the windows. There are no lights on inside and it doesn’t seem like anyone stepped into the house in years. Weeds have even overgrown the path to the doors.

“Many of the houses were abandoned when we came here,” Dex explains as he follows my gaze to the empty house. “The town suffered a lot from the attacks.”

*I remember.*

The moment the werewolves entered Aldea feels like yesterday. The vivid images are painful to think about. I’ve suppressed them for years. It still burns fury in my body. The fact that I now know who was leading the attack makes the anger just so much brighter.

“When we started the rebellion, some of the people started to return.”

Dex points to the lights in the distance. “We only live in the center and keep the mask of an abandoned town."

The streets become more lively at the center of the town. Houses are occupied and lights are burning inside. The gardens are simple, but no weeds are growing on the pavement. People who linger on the streets stop what they are doing to look at us. There’s curiosity in their eyes.

“Is this her?” A large burly man asks with a deep voice. He carries a large bag of fifty pounds of rice on his shoulder. The man has a broad face and plenty of facial hair. His eyes light up and have kindness in them.

“Sure is,” Dex says as he retrieves his pack of cigarettes from his pockets.

The man laughs a full-bellied laugh and he seems happy about this piece of information. “Welcome home, Emma.”

Many eyes are cast my way and my skin burns under all the attention. I scratch at the flush on my wrists and fight the urge to cast my eyes down.

“Emma?” A familiar voice calls.

My throat constricts when I spot Lucas. He watches me with fear like I just stood up from the dead.

His eyes are red from strain. His sandy-colored hair is wet and disheveled. His shirt is rumpled like he quickly threw it on. He seems a lot broader than the last time I saw him, but he’s definitely my brother.

“Lucas,” I shout and my feet sprint his way. My tired legs carry me with a new wave of adrenaline. It pumps through my veins and invigorates my muscles. I jump into his arms and cling to him like a sloth hugging a tree.

Tears stream down my face and I sob when Lucas hugs me back. *I made it.*

“Don’t let me go.” I choke out and my voice breaks into another sob. I clutch the fabric of his t-shirt and it soaks up all my tears.

“I would never,” Lucas whispers. His arms are familiar and comforting as they hold me. “You’re my little sister, remember.”

————————

They bring me to a gray house at the center square. The house is three stories high. It has a balcony and a large front yard with neatly cut grass. It smells fresh as if they cut it today.

Inside there is a large living room with a U-shaped sofa that fits at least ten people. There are some empty beer bottles and a stack of cards spread out on the coffee table. Circular rings stain the lacquered wood. I sit down on the sofa and I take in the room.

The sofa faces a wall, painted in dark navy. On the wall hangs a bow and a leather case of arrows. The rest is decorated with maps and circular straw targets. There is a masculine energy to it with no feminine touch.

Dex hands me a large glass of water and he nods at me when I thank him. He offers Lucas a bottle of beer, but my brother refuses the drink.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Lucas interrogates me as he sits down next to me. There is still fear and apprehension in his eyes.

“I’m fine, just tired.” I drink the water until there is not even a drop left. My body has been deprived of any necessities. My only goal was getting here and now my body screams in neglect. The cold liquid flows through me and I shiver.

Lucas casts me a grimace and takes the empty glass from me. He gets up to get me another and a bunch of salty crackers. “You can sleep in my room tonight. We’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

I drink the second glass of water and munch on several crackers. The room is silent, except for the tick of a clock hanging on the wall. Lucas and Dex both have different looks on their faces as they watch me eat. One with intrigue and one with apprehension.

When I finish the crackers, I follow my brother out of the living room. I turn to the man still sitting on the sofa. My manners won’t let me just walk away. “Goodnight Dex.”

He sits back on the sofa and sends me a lopsided smirk. “Goodnight Emma.”

Lucas guides me to the second floor of the house. There are two doors on either side of the hall and one in the back. Lucas opens the door to a bedroom with a twin bed. There is a window, but the view is obscured by the darkness of the night.

The room is cozy and nothing like the magnitude of the Royal rooms in the palace. Even though it never felt like home, I do long to wake up surrounded by silk sheets with the lingering scent of Hadrian.

Or sleeping in his arms with his warm presence surrounding me during a cold night. I never really managed to stay on my side of the bed. My body was just drawn to him.

My limbs tremble and I sit on the bed. The stabs of grief are piercing my chest. They are wounds that will never heal. Gaping gashes are left and it makes it hard to breathe.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Lucas asks as he stands near the door with his fists clenched.

I shake my head because it hurts so freaking much. “No, I’m not.” I clutch my chest as the pain forces me to deal with what’s lost. Everything I never knew I wanted was ripped away from me in a single day. My nails dig into my skin and I grit my teeth. “but I’ll be fine.”

I’ve gone through worse. I’ve suffered the pain of loss before and I did it as a little girl. I can do it again now.

Lucas sits down next to me on the bed and leans his elbows on his knees. “I can’t believe Dex was right.” His knuckles turn white and his face turns grave.

“I shouldn’t have let you stay there.” Lucas is not one to easily lose the bright look on life, but now there is anger simmering under the surface.

I place my hand over his and clutch it tightly. “You did the right thing.” I cannot have my brother suffer with me. I need his light and positivity. I need to know that everything will be fine.

“What did they do to you? Did they torture you? Did they…” he swallows as he can’t finish his sentence. His eyes show the pain of all the scenarios going through his mind.

I fervently shake my head. “No, nothing like that.”

My brother exhales a breath of relief. His chest visibly sinks in and I wonder how long he has been torturing himself with these ideas.

I squeeze his hand. “Really, I just need some time to process.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lucas offers.

*How do I tell my brother that I fell in love with a werewolf? *

I pull my hand away and shrink in on myself. “No.”

Lucas runs a hand through his damp hair and rises from the bed. He hands me one of his t-shirts from a dresser and keeps his head down as he walks to the door. “I’m here if you want to talk.”

I clutch the blue fabric in my hands. The color reminds me of a clear blue sky.

“Em…”

“Yeah?” I look up to see my brother clutching the doorway with a hard grip. He runs a hand through his hair again and roughly over his face before he turns to look at me.

“Your eyes are freaking me out.”

I gasp as I realize that my blue eyes match his now. His are red and fear is evident in them.

*How do I tell him about everything that has happened? How do I tell him that our mother is alive? How do I tell him that he’s half-werewolf?*