Amoux and Aurora: The Era of Wolves

Chapter 24: The Wolf Within

(Quick A/N: This chapter is a little dark, so I'm just giving you a friendly heads up. Enjoy!)

After Carla emerged victorious against her now deceased, estranged sister, Kayla, the Nightwolves were able to rebuild from Kayla's attack. They would then hold a funeral for Carla's  mother, Carmen, who sadly died by the hands of Kayla while Kayla herself, was too killed during the conflict. Despite things turning well in the end, it caused Carla to fall into deep depression. Her life was in shambles after struggling to accept her mother was gone while also struggling to forgive herself for killing her own sister.

At the Sanctuary, it was a normal day. Everyone was doing their usual activities, spending time with their families. Chris was handling his duties as the alpha of the pack. "Great job, everyone! Were back on schedule with our daily activities!" said Chris as they all cheered. Luna then approached him. "Hey Dad, have you seen Mom? I wanted to see if she wanted to go on a run with me." said Luna. "Hmm. I hadn't seen her since this morning. I'll check on her." said Chris as he returns to the cabin. "Babe? Babe?" called out Chris but there was no response. He heads to the bedroom, where he sees Carla sitting in the bed with the shades closed. "Carla, you okay?" asked Chris. "I'm fine, Chris. I'm just...not feeling well." said Carla. "Should I take you to Mei?" suggested Chris. "No. I just want to be alone right now, okay? I'll come out later." said Carla. "Oh. Okay. Just...let me know if you need anything, okay?" said Chris as Carla remained silent.

Chris left the cabin with questions inside. "What's going on with Carla? She's never like this. I have to talk to Mei." said Chris as he makes his way her lab. "Mei." he said. "Oh hey, Chris. What's on the agenda?" she asked as she was repairing Carla's suit. "When you checked on Carla, was she okay?" asked Chris. Mei stops and turns to him. "She seemed to have a full recovery. Why?" she asked. "Well, I checked on her this morning and...she didn't seem like herself. It was like...she was being distant with me." said Chris. "Hmm. Maybe she's still stressed about her recent fight with Kayla and Carmen's death. Maybe we should give her some space. She'll come out eventually." said Mei. "Alright then." said Chris as he leaves the lab. Back in the cabin, Carla peeked through the curtain as she watched her family outside. "Carla." said a voice as she suddenly turned. "Who's there?" she asked. When she turned, she saw a dark illumination figure. "W-Who are you??" asked Carla as the figure remained silent and continues to stare. "WHO ARE YOU?!" shouted Carla. Suddenly, she threw her blade towards it, only for it to disappear. As Carla's vision cleared, she sees her blade pierced towards a photo frame of her and her mother. Carla gasped as she quickly cleaned the mess. "What is wrong with me?" she said as she held her head. After cleaning the mess, she sat on the bed once more. "I should probably get some rest." said Carla as she would lay in bed. She would soon be joined by Chris. He enters the room as he sees his wife sleeping. He would then lay next to her and soon fall asleep. "Sleep well, Carla." said Chris before closing his eyes.

*Carla's mind*

Carla awakens as she was surrounded by darkness. She slowly stood as she looks around the area. "Hello?" called out Carla. Suddenly, she sees the dark figure again. "Hey! Who are you??" asked Carla. The figure then clears as it reveals to be Carmen. Carla's eyes widened. "Mom?" she said in shock. "Hello Carla." Carmen replied. "I'm so glad to see you. I missed you." said Carla as she slowly shed tears. "Carla...why didn't you save me when you had the chance?" asked Carmen, leaving Carla confused. "What? What do you mean?" she asked. Suddenly, more figures approached Carmen's side, revealing to be Luna and Leo. "Luna? Leo?" said Carla. "Mom, you could've saved Grandma!" said Luna. "But she's dead because of you! Your no hero." said Leo. Carla slowly cried and fell to her knees. "No...no! You don't mean it!" said Carla. "Oh, but we do." said Luna. Another figure appeared, revealing to be her husband, Chris. "Chris." said Carla. "The kids are right, Carla. Even with my help, you couldn't even save your own mother. It would seem Leo is right. You are no hero. Your a fraud." said Chris. Carla was in shock after hearing those words. "Chris...you don't mean that!" yelled Carla in sadness. Then, a final figure appeared as it was Kayla. "Aww, it would seem your whole family is giving up on you. What a shame." said Kayla. "Why? Why is this happening?!" exclaimed Carla as she held her head, unable to bear the pain. "Because your a fraud, Carla. A failure, a disappointment. Even your own husband and kids are saying this. Face it Carla...You. Are. NOTHING." said Kayla. Carla snapped. "SHUT UP!!!!!" she yelled and would leap in the air, phasing into her wolf form in the process with her blade in hand. She forced her down and attempted to stab her but Kayla was holding her off. But what Carla didn't realize, was that she was attacking Chris.