Chapter 64

I try to get up to stop Chris before he does something he’ll regret. Each time I try I drop back to the bed. I try shouting, but my words are drowned out by Misty’s high-pitched screams.
The door is thrust from its hinges and crashes to the floor. Amelia, Michael, and my grandmother rush into the room, while others stand in the doorway with their mouths agape.
There is nothing I can do to stop the scene unfolding. James spins around as Michael tries to separate Chris from Justin. James lashes out at his father, kicking and punching with skill. Michael fights back, defending himself. Amelia shouts for them to stop, but her plea goes unanswered.
My grandmother backs up to the door and opens her hands out before her, then clasps them together. The men and Misty fly back in two directions. Misty, James, and Michael crash through the left wall, leaving a huge hole in it, I close my eyes and then open them again. I’m afraid to watch but my mind won’t let me block out the new nightmare. Chris and Justin crash through the right-hand wall, the external wall, and fall several feet to the ground outside. As I hear the sickening crash, an involuntary scream escapes my lips.
With as much strength as I can muster, I climb from the bed and crawl to the new opening. I look down at the sight below. Justin lays in half wolf and half man form. Blood smears his face, the scarlet color leaving him unrecognizable. Chris lies with his head at an odd angle, and a pool of blood surrounds him.
The room falls silent. My ears buzz from the previous racket and my lungs tightens I look down at their lifeless bodies. Amelia is the first to move. She disappears and lands crouched beside Chris. They both vanish, and my heart speeds up. Misty sobs silently. James glares at his father, who scowls before he too vanishes.
Grandmotherstands in the doorway with her hands on her hips, blocking the people behind her. She takes a small step into the room, eyeing each of us. “I demand to know what has gone off in here?” She says the words calmly, but her eyes betray her. The untamed anger glows. No one speaks. The only sound is Misty’s quiet sobbing.
She takes another step into the room. Slowly, she turns around and looks at the people gathering in the doorway. “Leave us!” Grandmother demands. The people scatter quickly, disappointment showing on their faces.
My legs wobble as I fight the fatigue my body is feeling. I dare not move.
“Explain, now!” she yells. I flinch at the raw anger in her tone. We all stare at her. Her mouth twitches slightly and her nostrils flare.
“Why don’t you ask Justin, or maybe my father can explain,” James answers flatly before he turns to blue lights.
She looks at me and Misty. My legs can take no more. I crash to the floor as everything turns black.
***
As a child, when I woke from my nightmares, the first thing I wanted to see was the sun. Now, with sunlight streaming through the broken wall and loud, agitated voices coming through the open doorway, I just want sleep to take me to the never-ending darkness where I feel no pain.
The voices become heated, and I place a pillow over my head to block them out. A scene plays out in slow motion in my head—Chris and Justin crashing through the wall.
I throw the pillow on the floor. I need to find out if they’re okay. My mind runs wild with agonizing thoughts as I follow the sound of the continuing argument. The first thing I notice is that I don’t pass a single soul. The cabin is quiet except for the yelling coming from the living room.
I stick my head around the door and see Amelia by the fireplace with James and Misty at either side. Michael stands by the kitchen door with his face rigid and his narrow. My grandmother stands against the far wall.
“You think I would have my own child murdered?” Michael asks Amelia.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” she whispers, bowing her head to hide her tear-filled eyes. My heart bleeds for her. She looks broken.
Justin barges past Michael and stops in the middle of the room. He looks in the direction of Amelia, there is something in the way he looks at her. Like he is doing so much more than just taking in her form. In a way that his own face starts to look like a mask, in order to gain a response from her. Six unknown men have appeared and are following him. All of them have the same strange smile on their faces. A chill runs down my spine.
To my delight, Chris appears. My heart dances with happiness that he’s okay. James pulls him back. Chris’s head tilts to the side. I know they’re communicating telepathically.
Justin faces Michael. “You ordered my brother here to attack your daughter then you banished our pack from England.” Justin points to a muscular man with a scar down his left cheek. The sight of him makes the hairs on my arms stand up. “The Almighty Michael couldn’t stand Amber. What a disgrace she was to the Michael name.”
“If you don’t shut up…” Michael’s words trail off as Justin pulls out a light blue sword with ancient writing on the handle. Michael’s face floods with fear. He jumps back as Justin waves the sword in the air.
“Do you want to try your luck, Michael?” Justin asks. I look around at the pale faces. Whatever that sword is, it’s not good.
Chris and James look to be in deep conversation, their heads nodding and tilting. Misty stands frozen, looking sadly at Justin.
“You see, you took everything away from us. Therefore, it is time you paid the price for your actions. Don’t you think, guys?” The other members of his group nod in eager agreement.
I stare at Justin, the young man I once called my friend, who I trusted with my life. I’m not sure who he is anymore.
A hand covers my mouth. I try to struggle but whoever has a hold on me pins my arms by my side. “Don’t scream,” a familiar voice says. “I am going to let you go.” I nod my head. His hand moves slowly away from my mouth like he’s expecting me to scream out. I spin around and look into Cole’s black eyes. He puts his finger over his lips. “I need you to come with me. Do you trust me?”
I look over my shoulder at the unfolding chaos. Michael is nowhere to be seen. Justin and his people quickly change from men into wolves and charge at the Michaels. My grandmother waves her hands around frantically, some of the wolves fly backward.
The scene disappears. A rundown building stand before me. The plaster on the walls is cracked, and paint is peeling off.