Vindicator

Chapter 3

Karma threw the letter and the money back on the table and took off to follow Christina's scent. She shifted as she ran, not caring her clothes were torn to shreds from the physical change. She ran, not just for her mom's life, but her own. Her mom was her whole world, she couldn't lose her!

Her mind was racing as fast as she was. How could her mother have kept the cause of her pain from her all this time? She knew she was suffering, but had never imagined this. She had to hold onto hope that there was a way to save her mother, both from her current plans and from her mate.

She was approaching the sound of water when bile began to climb up her throat. If Christina had purposely chose to hide her scent in water, she might not find her until it was too late. Her scent had been fresh enough to give Karma hope, and she had to keep clinging to that hope. Without it...We'll, she wouldn't let herself consider that. Instead, she bounded through the trees and found herself at the source of the noise.

It was a rushing river, its current brutally hammering the rocks in its wake. The water hurled towards a steep ledge at the end where it dropped down in a crushing cascade. Karma stared at the water with a frown. There was no way Christina would be able to wade through this water to hide her scent. She'd be carried over the waterfall...Unless that was her plan.

Realization dawned on Karma. While Christina couldn't use the water to hide, in her near-wolfless state it would be an effective way to end her life.

"There!" Her wolf's voice bellowed in her mind, snapping her out of her horrified thoughts. Karma turned her attention to what her wolf had spotted through her eyes, and saw the pitiful figure of her mother huddled on the ground by the ledge. If she strained her sensitive ears, she could make out the soft sobs of the woman over the rushing water.

Karma yearned to run to her mother and curl around her to shelter her from the world; but she knew that could startle her into jumping. She hoped that since Christina was still here, it meant she hadn't come to terms with her decision and she still wanted to live. If Karma didn't proceed cautiously, she may force the outcome she so desperately needed to avoid.

Unfortunately, what Karma hadn't considered was that the rushing wind so close to the water was bringing her scent downstream. Although Christina's wolf was weakened, she still had her heightened senses. She had smelled her daughter's approach on the wind, and it was for this reason that she had crumpled to the ground in tears. She hadn't wanted her daughter to witness her death, and felt guilty for what she now had to do.

Christina had made her decision long ago to end her life, and had been counting the days until her daughter's 18th birthday when she could be free. Sadly, she was fading too quickly. She could barely make it to Karma's fifteenth birthday, so there was no point in holding on any longer. After seeing Karma and Alessia bond and grow, she was confident that Alessia would be capable of keeping Karma out of trouble. They could move forward with their lives, and Christina could let go.

With that thought, she wiped her tears and rose from the ground. She smiled sadly, and turned to face her daughter. Karma, who had been slowly creeping towards Christina, froze like a deer in headlights.

"I love you" Christina whispered. She then closed her eyes and leaned backwards off of the ledge. While she careened head-first towards the rocky water below, she felt a sense of peace overtake her.

For Karma, time felt like it froze. She just watched her mother and best friend disappear before her, and the shock had rooted her to the spot. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one here to save her mother. Alessia mentally shoved her aside, snapping her out of her stupor.

The wolf and human side didn't need to communicate as often as two individuals would, given that they experienced life together. That said, they were still mentally and emotionally very separate entities. They were similar to mates in the way that they helped to compliment and balance each other. In this instance, Karma was extraordinarily thankful for her wolf.