Chapter Fifty-Seven – The lost huntress

Empty. The only word that could describe how Ariel was feeling. Empty. And at a loss. Her surroundings had changed, she knew that. But she couldn’t unsee it. Couldn’t stop seeing Kieran’s body propped against the wall. The blood-soaked shirt and ripped jacket. She’d been too late. Had spent too much time wallowing in her own despair, hiding at her father’s house, and he’d died because of that. Because of her. If she’d only been there. If she’d only gotten there sooner.

There should have been tears, but there were none. She was empty. Just a shell. Sound was muted, and sight was blurry. She could hear mumbling, but not words. See shapes, but not people. But something told her they were there. Talking to her. Asking her questions. Taking care of her.

White upon white, with Kieran’s injured body in the middle occasionally gave way for darkness. Pitch black surrounding her. No sounds, no sights. Just the endless darkness of her own mind. She preferred the dark. When she didn’t have to see him. Hear him. Smell him.

In the light he was everywhere around her. She could see him, hear him, smell him, even taste him. But in the darkness, it was her. Only her. It gave her mind a break. No thoughts. No worries. Just peaceful darkness. And she wanted it to last. Needed it to last. But it didn’t.

Light found a way to banish the darkness. Always.

White upon white. White walls, white light. It was white and bright, and he was there. Wrapping his presence around her. Forcing himself on her.

Her faut. Her fault. Her fault.

His voice on repeat.

It numbed her. Drained her.

The right thing. The right thing. The right thing.

Her father’s voice.

She’d done the right thing – yet Kieran was dead. She should have been dead.

Her, not him. Her. Just her.

The light was too much. The voices echoing in her head to much.

She tried to scream, but there were no sounds.

Tried to move, but her body didn’t listen.

Light. White. Bright.

Too bright.

Darkness. Soothing. Calming.

She could breathe again. No light, no sound, no smell. Just darkness. Calming, relaxing, soothing, numbing.

Mer mind was turned off. There was nothing but darkness inside of her. No forcing images, no sounds, no smell. Nothing trying to make her relive her worst memory.

She wanted to stay. Stay in the darkness, where no one could reach her. No one could bother her. It was just her. Her alone in her own head, with nothing but a cooling sensation of nothingness around her. Pain forced away. Numbed down. She didn’t think. Didn’t feel. In the darkness she did nothing but exist, and that was enough.
–
“Anything?” Adam asked the nurse. She shook her head.

Devan was still sitting in the chair by the bed, watching Ariel sleep. They had to sedated her again. For her own sake. And for theirs.

“This is a nightmare” Devan huffed, rubbing his hands over his face. Even being forced into a deep sleep for hours hadn’t given him enough rest. He looked like he’d been through hell and back.

“Go get some rest. Spend some time with people who make you feel better. I’ll stay here” Adam offered, and Devan wasn’t slow to listen. Giving his alpha a thankful smile, he was out of the room and clinic in seconds, walking back towards the house.

Adam sat down in the empty seat, allowing himself to study Ariel for the first time since she had arrived.

She was asleep, her chest rising and falling at a soft and steady pace. He could hear her heartbeat, it was calming. Her red hair was sprawled out over the pillow, dark red against white. Her face was relaxed, making her look younger. Like this she was nothing more than an innocent little girl. Far from the woman he had met in the woods fighting the rogue, and even farther from the crazed woman that had tried to kill him.

A part of him wanted her gone. Punished for the pain she had inflicted on others. The pain she had caused Talia. Another part of him wanted to help her. Cause when he looked at her now, all he saw was a girl who’d lost her way. And her loved one. A girl who needed help. He could help. Maybe. He just had to find a way to get past the attempted murder.

It wouldn’t be an easy road for any of them. But Katlyn was right. Talia was right. He couldn’t turn his back on someone who so clearly needed help. And he couldn’t hand her over to her father, not with the way Anthony worried.

“How is she?” Anthony suddenly stood in the doorway, a worried expression in his face as he laid his eyes on Ariel.

“She’s out” Adam answered.

“Do you mind?” Anthony gestured to another chair in the corner. Adam shook his head, glad for the company and the distraction.

“I’m trying to understand why this happened. Why was Kieran attacked and killed in his own home? How did the person get in?” Anthony said, his voice unable to mask the frustration he felt. He’d finally found his long-lost sister, or who he believed to be her at least. And they would get answers soon enough. And he was happy about that. But then he looked at Ariel, and felt nothing but sadness, and a nudge of responsibility. Like somehow, he was responsible.

“I’m sure the police will have answers soon enough” Adam didn’t know what else to say. And he had confidence in the police, and especially Jasper. He was one of the most thorough officers in town.

“You’re right” Anthony sighed.

A silence fell over them as both men got lost in their own thoughts. Adam couldn’t help but wonder how it was all connected, and when helping Ariel would come back to kick him in the teeth. From what he had been told it would look like an animal attack to the untrained eye, making Adam think the woman had been interrupted in her plan when Ariel walked in. And then Katlyn had showed up. The thought of what could have happened if she didn’t made Adam shudder.

Then it wouldn’t just be Kieran dead in that apartment, but Ariel as well. Considering the state she was in he wondered if that in some ways would have been better for her. But then again, Adam didn’t wish death upon anyone, even those who tried to kill him.

*‘She’s just a pawn. A weapon for others to use’* Damir spoke softly, the wolf surprisingly forgiving compared to the human counterpart.

Adam looked at Anthony. She’d worked for him, as some sort of huntress – but for what reason? There hadn’t been any attacks in the past decade, maybe it was for leverage? Just in case. Anthony knew about them, the pack.

“Why did you send Ariel to deal with the rogue?” Adam asked suddenly.

“What?” Anthony had been lost in his own thoughts.

“The rogue. Why Ariel? Why not me? Or any of the other wolves in the pack? You knew about us”

“Oh, that. I didn’t know you knew about that” Anthony confessed.

“I was there” Adam simply stated, making Anthony nod.

“I see. Well – I figured it was better? A better solution than having to call in a favor with you lot. Wolf chasing wolf, it could have turned messy” Anthony answered.

“It could have been messy if the rogue had attacked her first” Adam replied.

“I had faith in her abilities”

“I don’t buy it” Adam crossed his arms over his chest, now suspicious of the hybrid before him. It didn’t matter that he claimed to be family, he had some sort of role in the bigger scheme of things.

“Did you know it was a werewolf?” Adam continued.

“I had my suspicious, but nothing concrete until Ariel showed up with a dead girl instead of a dead wolf” Anthony answered. He’d been genuinely surprised.

“So, it was more of a test?” Adam asked after mulling over the answers for a moment.

“Maybe, in a way. To test loyalty, and to see if she shared the same views as her father. He’s racist, you know that, I know that. Nothing but humans are good enough. He was shocked when Ariel showed up with the young girl, a dead werewolf. And if I could go back, I would have liked him not to be there. Cause it has complicated things. But what’s done is done” Anthony got out of the chair and walked over to one of the windows, cracking it open to let in some fresh air.

“How did she react? When she realized it was a were and not any ordinary wolf?” Adam couldn’t help but wonder.

“Surprised. And I believe she felt remorse” Anthony answered.

“I believe her father’s words got to her” Adam countered. Though perfectly healed and free of scarring he could still remember the pain, and shock, of being shot. He hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t sensed it. Too blinded by the quiet moment to be on alert.

*‘I said I’m sorry for being distracted’* Damir said in his head. The silly wolf had been so lost in his mate he’d not paid attention to anything but her. The way she walked, how her hand felt in his, how the scent of morning made him feel lighter, quicker.

“I hoped they never would. But I’m inclined to agree. If I had known, I’d never would have shared the information about you, or the pack. I just, I had to know if it was safe” Anthony felt a little guilty. If it hadn’t been for his chat with Ariel, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Nothing to do about that now” Adam rose from his chair. The fresh air made him want to stretch, run.

“I’ll be back later. Keep an eye on her?”

Anthony nodded, and Adam left the room, asking the nurse he passed on the way to keep an extra eye with the two of them. She promised to keep him updated and let him know as soon anything happened. It was the only thing he could ask for.

Once outside he made for the tree line, ducking behind a large trunk to discard of his clothes before shifting, letting Damir out for the first time in days. It felt good.

The golden wolf took off deeper into the woods. Running at nighttime was a risk these days, but no one would be out looking for any wolfs or shifter in the middle of the afternoon.