17. Grief

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Death and tension suffocated the town, most of the surviving townsfolk converging into a state of mourning in the days that followed. The hybrid has been smart enough to leave the town before he could find himself being a target of the already bitter wolves. Given the loss the packs had suffered; it would take a long time to get over it. Rebuilding the town itself would take a lot especially in terms of the money and manpower needed. A portion of the apartments in Red Moon's pack territory had been destroyed during the war but that was not what Collins bothered with as the days followed. It was how he was torn about being there for his pack and for Nadia. Not to mention, the suffering the other packs had gone through was now being solely blamed on him. Yet, Nadia worried him more than anything else. The latter had locked herself up, refusing to eat or speak to anyone. She blamed herself for Trina's death. She'd held her as she drew her last pain breath, every memory of that painful moment punishing her brain on repeat. How was she supposed to just move on from that? The worst part was how no one seemed to get what she was going through. She felt weightless and anonymous; her heart feeling with emptiness. She wanted to feel something other than the pain choking her. It choked her in a way she couldn't even cry and instead she sat motionless, watching the days crawl by at a slow speed.

They'd had held a funeral service for Mrs. Heathers and her granddaughter but Nadia had barely shed a tear. She’d sat throughout the ceremony with the same distant look. Collins was getting frustrated with the whole situation. He'd tried everything to get through to her but instead she'd shut him out of completely. Sasha had even put aside her own grief to try and get close to her but it had been a total failure.

On the hand, Drake wished he could drink himself to death but unfortunately for him, he was a freaking hybrid. That vampire part of him would not allow him to get wasted. Instead, it made him feel the loneliness and bitterness more. Now more than ever, he hated Collins. Why did he get to be there for her and he couldn’t? And why couldn’t he just get in his heart to just go after that son of a bitch and kill him? I mean, he obviously was more powerful that that Alpha. Was it because he was scared of the hatred he would see in Nadia’s beautiful eyes? Had she really become his weakness? Did love make him this blind to the extent he could remember the last time he had been what everyone else feared? He should be revered for his powerful and the fear he made every creature whether mortal or not feel and not be whipped by some woman.

“We could have won that war,” Ah! That voice. He sighed, drowning whatever was left of the whisky in his glass without turning to the person who had just sat next to him.

“Well, war can be unpredictable,” Drake shrugged non-chalantly as he refilled his glass again. He had already lost count of the number of bottles he’d consumed so far.

“Why did you do it though?” Adrian questioned, grabbing the bottle and filling up a glass for himself as he added, “The odds were highly in our favor,”

“What are you talking about?” He played dumb.

Adrian chuckled bitterly and the suddenly hit the counter much to the dismay of the neighboring customers who began cussing at him but one glare from him was enough to shut them up. This time Drake turned his gaze to look at the younger man who had an astonishing resemblance to his twin sister. Adrian’s face was contorted into a look of fury, veins appearing on his forehead.

“You stopped the war and what for, huh? We were going to win and make sure there was never a werewolf left alive. Now what? You chickened out last minute?” he demanded.

“Still not following,” He answered casually, making Adrian even angrier.

“Only you would have stopped the war. You are the only one with the power to hypnotize people, make them do what you want even if they are the supernaturals of the highest rankings. My question is why? This was your one chance to get even with the wolves for taking away your entire hybrid offspring,”

“What was the point? We hold grudges, we let them consume us and we get even. Then what?” He questioned, shaking his head.

“What the fuck are you talking about Drake?” Adrian demanded.

“Nadia was right. Revenge doesn’t give you peace. Only innocent people got hurt in the end. People died in that war, Adrian. Maybe what we need is to find that peace instead of shedding more blood,” he said. If someone had told him he would ever feel this remorseful in his immortal life, then he would never have believed them.

“Why would you-wait, were you screwing my sister too?” Adrian asked.

“Oh, I wish but she doesn’t want anything to do with me despite the fact that she is technically my promised mate. For some reason she seems so attached to that werewolf boy when I’m right here. I mean, I could give her the world but for some reason, she won’t walk away from that little pup,” he frowned. What exactly did Collins give her that she couldn’t move on from him?

“Promised…mate?” then suddenly Adrian’s eyes twinkled with a somewhat mischievous look in them, “What if you could win her?”

“What?”

“I don’t like Collins, not even in the slightest. His father led the massacre that tore my life apart. I’m not going to let that cursed family take my sister too. If you love her as much as you claim, then you will know you are perfect her and Collins is not. Just leave it all to me. Soon, she will be running to you. All you have to do is be ready to catch her,”

Maybe there was still a chance to get the revenge he had been preparing for sixteen years. The White family had to be gone if he was ever to find closure.