Yorick;
I had just lived the best night of my life.
For the first ti, everything felt aligned. I had found my mate, and she had accepted as fully as I had accepted her. We had marked each other, sealing sothing that felt permanent and real.
I was no longer playing the roles my parents had written for . I was choosing my own path.
And it felt right.
Clentine was safe too.
By now, Troy must have handed her over to Ian.
"It would hurt when she fully understood what had been done to her, but with her mate beside her, she would learn to survive it."
My wolf tried to soothe the guilt that still lingered in . There was nothing we could do to undo what had happened.
The only rcy left was distance.
Otherwise, seeing us together would wound her even more.
"Did you see how Mariana didn’t judge ? She just understood," I said quietly.
I was filled with sothing new. It felt fragile and powerful at the sa ti.
Almost like the beginning of a honeymoon phase.
I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to. The Dark North gate needed to be checked, and I had taken the files with .
The files listed every monster ever recorded. Reading them made sothing clear.
My parents had the formulas. They created the substances, the dicines that were really poisons.
But it was Ian’s grandfather and great grandfather who had been creating these monsters with their imaginations.
That was the difference.
As I reached the station, I had to fight a few monsters ahead. Seeing them again pulled back into reality, into the ugly world my parents and the other alphas had created.
I stepped inside and followed the path. Nothing felt different, and I had a feeling the subway door was locked. When I reached it, I confird it was sealed shut.
I let out a deep breath, my hands resting on my waist. Curiosity crept in anyway. I had heard these were the deadliest monsters, and I had the files with . I wanted to see what they looked like up close.
I had seen the monsters from the northern outskirts, the less violent ones. These were different.
Before I could stop myself, my hand settled on the door handle.
"It’s fine. I’m just going to take a peek."
I tried to convince myself as I tightened my grip. Then I unlocked it.
The door creaked open, and I ca face to face with sothing towering over . It was hunched low, its back bent and its head tilted forward, staring straight at while having no features.
And it was big.
"Fuck," I growled as recognition hit . It was the hollow man. The tall, hollow fucking man. He must have heard the door and co straight to it.
I slamd the door shut at once. His fingers grazed the tal just before it closed, but I had already locked it.
"What, you didn’t like it?" my wolf mocked, laughing at .
"What the fuck was that?" I shot back, pressing my hand against the door as I drew in slow breaths.
"Well, they call it a hollow man. Do you not rember?" my wolf remarked.
I nodded, keeping my jaw tightly clenched. "Yeah, I do. Damn it."
I forced myself to breathe slower, steadying my pulse.
"Anyway, I think we should head back ho now," my wolf suggested. "This place is new to Mariana. I don’t think it’s right that we leave her here by herself."
I agreed with him. I missed her.
Maybe that was just an excuse to see her again. To be with her again.
It was strange to think we were starting our life over in the North. I was going to train her properly. Then we would slowly make this place better for ourselves and the generations after us, and fix the mistakes of our ancestors.
Of course, our plans do not always unfold the way we expect, especially when monsters are not wiser than the so-called good people like my parents.
I was heading back when I saw my father rush into the woods, carrying several bags. Not just any bags. They were mine.
The mont I saw them, I knew they had not realized I was there. But I had seen enough.
My thoughts went to one person only. Mariana.
If they had the bags, they had her. Otherwise, how would they have gotten inside the mansion?
"Fuck," I muttered as I moved after him in silence.
Fear tightened in my chest at the thought of what they might have done to her. If they had touched a single hair on her head, I would not be patient.
I snuck up on them and found them in the woods, near the sa spot where we had been before.
But sothing had changed.
My heart dropped when I saw Mariana bound to a tree. Charles was on the ground in front of her, stirring awake. He was just beginning to rise.
I had arrived at the right ti.
One mont later, and I did not want to imagine what my parents would have done.
My fists clenched as I watched my father drop the bags and chuckle at my mother.
"It was quite easy, huh?" he remarked. "It seems our son cannot take care of his mates."
The words struck hard.
You trust your parents with everything, and they use it against you. They expose your weakness by hurting the person you love.
"Now, co on, Charles," my mother urged. "Feed on this one. Do not worry about your brother. He is too powerful. He will find another mate soon."
The mont she finished, my brother growled and pushed himself off the ground.
Mariana’s eyes fluttered open. She looked at him and gasped.
I did not want to think about what she felt.
My parents had done this to her. They had traumatized her. I would never forgive them.
"No," I shouted, stepping forward.
They all turned toward except Charles. His gaze remained fixed on the sacrifice.
Whether he was hungry or not, I could not tell. The way he howled and lunged at Mariana made it clear he was ready to take her as food.
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