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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 16

My knees are drawn up to my chin as I sit in the back seat of Grandpa Keir's car. I'm staring out the window, my eyes red from crying, though I've cried all I can...there's nothing left. He remains silent through the drive, my chest rising and falling as I choke back sobs that rise, though I don't want them to escape.

The pack lodge draws closer into my view, my eyelids closing as I take deep breaths.

I never wanted to come back here...

...though what choice do I have?

Return to school and be harassed and raped by Mercury...Ciarán?

...or return to a pack that one day, my mate will return to during the summer with his child and choice mate?

I'd rather let my heart bleed out here then endure any physical torment from those who use me...

Grandpa Keir glances at me in the rearview mirror...though I only notice when I open my eyelids he's staring at me. The engine is off, the car parked and me silently breaking in my thoughts. It never occurred to me...

...did my parents tell him what happened to me?

Or was me yelling at my dad about what happened the first time he's heard anything about it?

The way he continues to stare at me, I'm going with the latter.

"Acacia, we can talk when you're settled if you want?" His voice is very gentle, his eyes continuing to hold mine. I don't even know what I'm going to say to him, but right now, I want to break down and fall apart.

I slowly nod my head, lifting my chin away from the tops of my knees before exiting the car. I have my bag over my shoulder, glancing up at the pack lodge before I walk across the grass with Grandpa Keir.

After the way I left...

...no one is going to want to say anything to me.

I was supposed to be their luna one day.

I was supposed to be their family.

Now, I feel like an outcast coming back when there's nowhere left for me to go. Regardless of how they'll see me, this is how I feel.

I capture many looks as Grandpa Keir opens the front door for me, dark storm clouds hovering in the night sky closer toward the grounds as we head inside. Many have questions lingering in their eyes, Holden being one of the first to gasp and exclaim with excitement, "Acacia!"

Though, when I look his way, I can't even form a smile. My lips pull into a tight line as I climb up the stairs, watching Holden's excitement being popped like a balloon. With his exclamation though, it's not long before I have Jelena knocking at my door while I'm unpacking my belongings.

"Acacia?" She knocks again on the closed door, though I don't say a single word as I continue to set everything in its place. After a while, she gives up, and I hear her footsteps fade away, my heart beating fast as I try and reign in how erratic it is. It's late, and hopefully, those who saw and know that I'm here will forget what they saw and head to bed.

Once I slip on dark yoga pants and a long sleeve shirt, I open my bedroom door and close it behind me. Making my way toward Grandpa Keir's bedroom, I knock on the door hesitantly. When it opens, I see he's wearing a shirt and sweatpants, a halfhearted smile on his face as he welcomes me inside.

At the foot of his bed, there is a small table set up where I see hot chocolate and slices of chocolate cake. There is a bowl of popcorn and sodas as well; the T.V. turned on as the menu screen for one of my favorite movies as a kid is waiting for him to press play. A fresh wave of tears surfaces, stinging the bridge of my nose as Grandpa Keir doesn't say anything, just pulling me into a warm hug.

We climb onto his bed, sitting at the foot of it as he hands me my hot chocolate and sets the bowl of popcorn between the two of us. When I take a sip of it, I can taste a hint of cinnamon and the way it warms my chest as I glance at my grandpa and he says, "I've added a little cinnamon whiskey to help you relax and sleep tonight."

A small smile finally does form on my lips when I nod, and I take another sip. Grandpa Keir hits play for Ice Age, and we settle in for the evening. Dad would always put this movie on for me when I was sick or I couldn't sleep...but my grandpa knows and understands it's a familiarity that I need and does help me.

We're eating our slices of cake when Grandpa Keir practically misses a piece, and I giggle, "Got a hole in your lip?"

"Nope, I'm just saving some for later," he chuckles, and I release some of the tension from my shoulders.

I don't remember at what point during the movie I fell asleep, but I know I woke up once during the night, crying and screaming. Grandpa Keir held me in his arms, holding me close to him as I released all of my anger, hurt, frustration and sadness into his chest before I finally did cry myself back to sleep.

When I wake up, the morning sunlight streaming into the room, I look around and see that Grandpa Keir is long gone, however, I do find a note that says:

Acacia,

If you need to spend the day in my room just watching movies and shows, you're more than welcome to. If you decide to come out, your friends are going on a hike, and I know they'd love to spend time with you, but only when you're ready.

I know you've been marked by a vampire. I don't know if you are ready for others from the pack to know this, so I've left you some concealer in your room.

Love,

Grandpa

I hold the note tightly in my hand, thinking it over for a bit and deciding that getting out and having some fresh air will be better. I don't want to be trapped within my mind while I remain inside, at least if I'm outside, I can clear my head.

Leaving Grandpa Keir's room, I head back to mine, getting ready for the day. After pulling on my coat and boots, I close the door to my room silently behind me...only to come face to face with Dexter. His eyes grow wide for a second as if he sees a ghost, but he soon regains his composure and asks, "Are you coming hiking with us?"

I nod quietly as he zips his coat up and we head down the stairs. Jelena and Holden are waiting at the front door, their eyes scanning me as I walk with Dexter. Jelena's features soften, and she's gentle as she asks, "Did you want breakfast first?"

Surprisingly...

...no.

"I'm not hungry," I reply very flatly, and I see Jelena glance at Dexter before we all leave through the front door. It's very quiet at first, the further we get into the woods and on the familiar trail. Dexter and Holden go off ahead, and Jelena pulls back a bit until she's walking in step beside me.

I catch it though when she adjusts the collar of her coat...

...there's a mark on the soft spot of where her shoulder and neck meet.

Furrowing my brows, I ask her, "You found your mate?"

Jelena lets a small smile creep onto her lips before she nods and responds, "Dexter."

"We all saw that one coming," I offer her a light smile.

She giggles and nods stating, "He's been my friend for my whole life growing up, and now I get to be his mate for the rest of my life."

"I'm happy for you," I genuinely am, because those two deserve each other so much. For someone to label Dexter for his rank in the pack and for Jelena to never even use that against him...she truly loves him for him, and it makes me happy that true love does exist out there and that some bonds do work...that is...

...between two werewolves.

"So..." Jelena starts off as she kicks rocks on the pathway leading up to the hill, the muddy banks providing some slipperiness as we adjust the way we walk, "...can I ask you something?"

Breathing out calmly, I nod and reply, "What is it?"

She questions me first with, "I thought you'd never come back...after...well..." she glances at me, almost afraid to rip off the scab and let the wound bleed fresh again. I release a sigh and nod my head, giving her permission as she continues, "After Taron chose the alpha way...I thought...when your dad came to get you, that was the last time I would ever see you again here at the pack lodge."

Dexter and Holden are much further up ahead, and I suddenly slow my pace, even more, coming to a stop, and Jelena furrows her brows when I do so. I turn to her, inhaling a deep breath before finally telling her, "I was raped," my voice cracks...when I believed I'd be able to tell her, I feel weakness in my heart.

Jelena's features turn sad as I see her wolf surfacing. Her hands are out of her pockets, her arms wrapping around me as I also wrap mine around her back. She's hugging me tightly and whispering, "I'm so, so sorry. Acacia...I...I don't even..."

"I don't feel safe at school..." my voice is hardly above a whisper, "...I'm scared. I don't know what to do because my life and Marcus' is being threatened if I speak out."

Jelena pulls back away, both of us at arm's length before I see tears in her eyes. She shakes her head and asks, "You're being blackmailed?"

"Yes...and there's nothing I can do about it. My blood memories...they've let me down before and shown me to be a liar when I've said nothing but the truth," the tears fall down my cheeks as a sob leaves my trembling lips. I shake my head and say, "I don't know what to do...I feel helpless and now...there's a wall that's never been between my dad and I that I don't think will ever come down..." my voice trails off as I finally admit, "I'd watch my mate live his life with someone else and raise his child...then to return to my life outside Grandpa Keir's territory."

Jelena is crying now just as much as I am when she states, "No one wanted to see you go. No one wanted Taron to make that choice. Sophia doesn't deserve him, nor the title of luna one day," she pauses while I see her irises completely shift to a golden color while she tells me, "the packs choose you, Acacia...they choose you. They see you as their luna because you are...your soul...you might not be a wolf, but your heart truly is...you will always be my luna." Her voice is breaking as she cries, tears beading off her chin and onto her chest.

Dexter is only a few yards away, knowing he must feel the hurt and pain his mate is...

...for me.

Dexter walks straight up to me, seeing his golden irises before he hugs me tightly. He then brings Jelena close to him, the three of us just standing in silence as everything seems to be weighing down on us...

...that is until we hear Holden screaming bloody murder.

💫--To Be Continued--💫
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