Wolf #2: The Beast Within [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Today marks a month.

"Amelia, can you change his bandages?" Nancy asks as she reset a woman's arm, "Don't have anything on them. He's recovering from a burn."

I work through the rest of the day like this, following Nancy's instructions methodically and robotically. None of the Wolves speak to me. None of them even look at me. I'm fine with it like that.

My parents had been murdered a month ago.

It's a hard pill to swallow, one that wouldn't go down easily. Every time I think I'm beginning to accept the idea that they will never come home from a business trip, or I would dance with my mom or get yelled at by my dad...I suddenly wake up to the reality of my grief.

I will never speak to them again. I will never have the chance to nurture the relationship we had all begun to work in the recent months. My mother will never help me get ready for my wedding. My father will be never be there to see me grow up into who he had wanted me to. They will never get to understand what I truly am...or why they had to die.

The last time I spoke to them...I'm haunted by what I could have done different. I should have hugged my mom longer. I shouldn't have lied to my dad about Jace. I should have told them more often that I loved them.

The is the hardest part of it all. Why? Why did he have to go after my family? I clench my jaw tighter as the image of Orion crawls into my mind.

Nancy's hands cover mine, making me pause, "Amelia, take a deep breath."

"I can't," I whisper, staring forward at my work. I'm in the back room tying up bundles of smudge sticks for a cleansing ritual later this evening.

"I can't imagine the kind of pain you must be in. But," She pulls me into her arms, resting her hand on the top of my head protectively. Gently, she speaks, "You cannot expect to heal others if you refuse to let yourself heal. Take a deep breath."

My hands are shaking. I clench them into tight fists. I understand what she's saying, but I can't let go of this feeling so easily. I'm filled with so much hatred and darkness today.

Iphigenia is pacing inside of me like she always does, but today it feels like her steps are licks of lightning against my chest. Her gums are frothing with the desire to tear Orion up. She is Death today.

"I'm sorry," I murmur, though it isn't entirely directed to Nancy. I glance over her shoulder at Steph, who stands quietly in the corner, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about—not as long as you don't give up," She draws back and holds onto my shoulders, "Their deaths will never be in vain if you keep your head up and live your life to its fullest, Amelia."

I nod. The words sink in, but I don't think it truly applies to me. My life isn't my own to live.

We both jolt as a scream reaches us from the other side of apartment. It sends us both rushing out, to a scene I'm not entirely sure what to make of.

Two female Wolves are dragging in a third, all of which look scraped and bruised. The girl they haul in is the one who is screaming, and I can see why. Her femur has been snapped in half. One side is protruding out, having broken through the flesh and muscle.

Her eyes are scratched up and her face is bloody. I notice several shallow puncture wounds along her naked body. Teeth.

"Amelia, help me get her onto the table," Nancy rushes to take the girl from the others' arms, glaring at them both as she does, "Amelia!"