Chapter 37: Broken
-Rogan-
I was not sure Serena believed me … or at least wasn’t ready to believe it yet. I could see something changing in her, but I wasn’t sure if she would accept the truth, or would try to deny it with everything inside of her. I couldn’t believe she was that child though. She was grown-up now and such a damn tough hunter, but she had become exactly what her parents didn’t want her to be. A manipulated killer.
“I can’t … It’s not …”
“Serena …”
I tried getting closer to her, but she held out her hand, telling me to stop. I stayed in my place, letting her take her time to wrap her head around this. We had had other hunters helping us too. Her parents played a big part in turning other hunters as well, but sadly, they had all been killed now. Punished for siding with us. It was why I needed Julianna to finally take down the last of the hunters. I needed more power because I didn’t have insider knowledge anymore … or that was before Serena. If I could make her see the truth …
“My whole life …”
Serena finally focused on me again, instead of staring at the ground, looking so lost.
“I was told … You were the ones who killed my family.”
“Did you ever see us do it?” I asked.
Serena looked so broken right now. I hated the look on her face, but she needed to realize we were not the enemy.
“No …” she whispered.
“Serena, I know this is a lot.”
“No, you don’t know!” she shouted. “You don’t know what it is like. I was trained to hunt you. I dedicated my life to it! I became a Commander! I was sent on so many missions killing your kind, avenging my family. I was even sent out to kill you! It was my mission!”
A Commander …
So that was what she was. I had a hunch she was a leader of some sort, but a Commander, that made sense, and it had been her team who had been sent out to kill me, led by Serena. I was not that shocked though. She was smart my little mate. Strong. And the hunters knew she had a personal reason to kill me as well. Now she was seeing the truth.
“Are we … Are we the killers?” she asked me.
Shit …
I wanted her to see the truth. Not drown in guilt.
“Serena …”
“Have I …”
“Serena, don’t go there,” I said.
We had all killed. We had all spilled blood. I didn’t need my mate to go lose her mind over the fact she had killed for the wrong reasons.
“This can’t be happening,” she said and looked at the ground as if it would swallow her and take her away from all this mess.
“Serena, let us just go home,” I said.
She didn’t look at me for a while and just looked so damn lost. I wasn’t even sure how to help her. I knew the truth would be hard to swallow, but I hoped to ease her into it. Now it had all just come raining down on her, and she didn’t know how to handle it.
“Let’s go,” I said and held out my hand.
Serena turned to me, tears in her eyes, but it was clear she refused to cry. Eventually, she nodded and walked over to me, taking my hand without fighting.
“Rhys, we will be right behind you,” I said.
Rhys nodded, this time not looking at Serena with hate in his eyes. He heard everything too. He now knew the story too, and it was clear Serena wasn’t the villain he hoped to make her out to be. We all got in the cars. This time I drove mine, and Serena sat beside me in the passenger seat so quiet. I glanced at her once in a while, just to check on her, but even if her eyes were still glassy, she had not let any tears fall. I reached out and grabbed her hand, and she didn’t even fight me. Instead, she placed her other one on top of mine and squeezed, almost like she was clinging to me for strength. It felt good. It felt really good to feel like I was her rock right now, even if I wished she wasn’t so sad.
“We’re here,” I said as I parked the car beside Rhys.
I turned to Serena who was looking up at the house, this time looking like she didn’t know what to think.
“This really is a home, isn’t it?” she whispered.
I looked at her surprised.
“It is,” I said.
“Not filled with monsters …”
“No,” I said.
“Monsters I killed.”
“Serena, I told you not to go there,” I said.
“But it’s true!” she said and looked at me. “Isn’t it?”
I hesitated, not sure what to say, because yes, in a way it was true, but it was more complicated than that.
“Isn’t this what you wanted me to see?” she asked.
“I am not trying to blame everything on you,” I said.
“But you wanted me to see who the true killers are.”
I sighed but eventually nodded.
“I killed innocents, and for what?!” she asked angrily. “Nothing!”
I shook my head.
“You didn’t know,” I said. “You were taught to hate us.”
“I liked to ask questions. I have always liked to ask them, but never dared to voice them out loud … I should have done that.”
“You would have been killed for it, or never have become a Commander. You know this. A soldier doesn’t ask questions.”
“A mindless one doesn’t,” she said, clearly hating herself right now.
There was a tap on my window and I turned my head, seeing Rhys standing outside. I slowly let go of Serena, and opened my car door, getting outside and closing it behind me.
“I can’t believe she is their child,” he said.
I just slowly nodded.
“Yeah, and she is losing it.”
“She can’t,” he said. “You have finally convinced her.”
“I am not pushing her right now for information, if that is what you hope,” I said.
Rhys shook his head.
“No, but don’t lose track of what is important,” he said.
“As long as you remember she is my mate, and I won’t choose someone else.”
He looked at me a little surprised.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Completely. I want her and only her,” I said.
*Oh, fuck finally!*
My wolf was of course over the moon. He had wanted her to be ours from the moment we put our eyes on her. I had not really agreed on that, but I was convinced now.
“Very well then. You do know what might happen.”
“People turning against me,” I said.
He nodded.
“I know, and I can’t stop them if they can’t accept my choice, but I won’t choose someone else, and she needs me right now.”
“She does,” he said, and it seemed like he finally understood what I was saying. “Hopefully she can also help us change this war. It might just make more accept her.”
“Maybe, but not right now.”
“Not right now,” he agreed, before walking towards the doors leading inside, giving us some privacy.
I opened the car door and looked at Serena, who couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They were streaming down her cheeks. I quickly closed my door again, before going over to her side, and opening her door. I helped her outside, and then she clung to me as she cried.