74

Blake

I sat and wallowed in the memory that Aurora brought forth. Their prayers as the imminent time appeared. The forgotten ache in my chest grew. As I heard the teary ballad of a 12-year-old filtering ghostlike in my head. I sniffled before losing myself to grief I hadn’t felt in years. But it felt clean, it felt enlightening. I heard a hitch in her breath as her unique eyes shed soul-drenched tears. “There is more to all of this than me or you, or them, even more than the future of this pack. We still have mountains to climb and Devils to destroy,” she sobbed. I nodded. She stood walking off wipping tears from her eyes. I felt like an ass a total douche of a brother for making her relive it once more I sat staring at the water for a long time before she found me. My wife, Whinnie was always a breath of fresh air to the smoke that clouded my lungs.

“What’s going on?” she asked knowing that talking shit out was the only way to get me out of my head. “Whin, I left a little girl with so much, it was too much, She was alone in the world and I just assumed she was better off without me because I didn’t want to face the truth. It had been easier to shut it out. I was a terrible brother. I just left her with , well all of it unaided.”

“Blake!” she said. Getting my attention. I glanced up at her. “You had the strength to allow her to be with someone who was the only option to keep her physically whole?” I nodded, accepting the truth of that. “I was too weak to even acknowledge what happened, I just wanted to disappear, and I knew Aunt Bess would ‘take care’ of her ‘specialness.” I sighed. “It’s not good enough Whin, you would have to see and feel it all for yourself, but I wouldn’t wish that on my enemies. My parents were killed. I’ve seen the logo on the truck that took them off the road. It was the council, someone knew something or was trying to take my dad out to level the playing field we were next for all I know. They thought I was in the car. Rory always put herself off as being somewhat unremarkable. Her lineage alone would have pushed her into being the priestess. Aunt Bess got her out at the right time. She was just a kid with a target on her head and no one to look after her. Aunt Bess is a good person, but she made it her mission to keep Aurora under lock and key. She stopped caring about the girl and only cared about her mission of propelling her gift and keeping her hidden. Aurora sat on the sidelines of childhood while I was free, she was drowned in ancient texts and exercises of control since she could read, which she was forced to do early as well.” I was venting my feelings about my younger life, something I never shared, even with my parents, and a life I was forced to cover for to hide and protect and I forsook her for calm and comfort. I abanded her not just for you, but of my own cowardly selfishness.“

"I have a brother very much like you Blake, mistakes were made and loyalties fell to the sidelines. I still love him as Evander and I still love you. She still loves you, you cannot change the past whats important is how you reclaim your future.” She sat on a boulder, radiating, true calm and patient. “I don’t know his story Whin, Rory was," I said, cocking my head to the obvious, “the epitome of purity, she has always and will never be doubted by me for what she truly is, it's in every fiber of her being, and I will never allow anyone to berate her. She is exactly what you see Winifred, an extension of the goddess herself.’ he expressed. “And I failed her.” The weight in my heart rose heavy as I shared it with my mate. Whinnie considered for a moment.

“My heart, you have kept her safe for so long, had she disappeared before now they would have seen through the guise, and they may still, there is a long road to travel mate, those rogues in her dreams? The forsaken? We are ground zero for rehabilitating these people, that our council has wronged,” She growled out. Whinnie was a being filled to the brim with spitfire and common sense. I sighed, pulling her to me and letting my hands rest on the splay of her luscious hips. “My head knows, but my heart still hurts,” I said before letting out a sigh. “I know, give it time Blake,” she said, staring back at me and searching my eyes. “You have both suffered enough, It's time for you both to live. Those words sunk in deep and rooted. I nodded, rubbing my hands up and down her back. “As usual you are right,” I said as I pressed my forehead to hers as we stood in the clearing by the water.

“So why did you bring her here?” she asked, looking around at the scenery. “The elements and nature calm her extra senses. Whenever she struggled Dad used to take her near as many as he could, sometimes she would sit and focus on one for hours, feeling it mastering its natural design. Other times she would just sit and be still with it and the surge would quell.” I told her as we came up to the log and I gestured for her to sit. And we sat with nature in honor of my sister, who had always been my Luna at heart. The girl that bore too much, and the woman with far too much left in the world expected of her. And the doves they cooed, overhead.