Tauren Knox's Butterfly Effect

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Beautiful Nightmares and Final Breaths (Trenton)

Trenton's POV

DREAM SEQUENCE

"Hey, Dad."

My eyes snapped open as I was now in a dark void, surrounded by endless black save for two dark-skinned young men who looked exactly like my late twin sons Carter and Caden. With them was none other than my late older brother Tauren Knox, him having no sign of being the decapitated and lifeless corpse but he was more and more ethereal as he was dressed in all white.

Ignoring Tauren completely, I turned my attention to my adult sons. "Carter. Caden," I breathed as I started to approach them but was unable to move from the spot I was in. "Boys, I missed you so much. I really miss you more than you ever know."

I heard Tauren huff. "What about me, brother? Do I even matter to you even in death?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes as a gust of wind began to blow from out of nowhere. "You're always craving for attention, runt," I sneered. "Even in death, I will see you as irrelevant."

"Enough," Caden said tiredly. To me, "Dad, Carter and I had a chat with Artemis and Horus alongside the other gods and goddesses. They're not too happy with what you've told us about Uncle Tauren and Aunt Anissa. We know the whole story about what you and Uncle Eric did to Tauren and how you banished everyone who cared for him from the pack. You lied about everything, Dad. Why?"

"Why?" I repeated. "I was doing what was best for the Knox family name. Your uncle was nothing more than an unwanted blemish on the Red Blade pack and the lineage of Betas and Gammas. If he had died when he and I were born, he might've been given a quiet burial as Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted a useless runt for a child. He didn't have a wolf, boys. He didn't deserve to live."

"And that gave you and everyone else who hated him the permission to treat him like garbage?" Carter rebutted.

"Of course. It's the survival of the fittest, you know that. Tauren should've ended his life before he and Eric found out that they were mates. He might've spared everyone the time and efforts of causing unrest and division in the pack. Instead, he stayed alive for Eric to know the truth as your godfather knew that Tauren was worthless as a prospect for a Luna title. So he slit the runt's throat."

I shot a glare at my twin brother, uncaring if there were low rumbles of thunder in the distance as the wind continue to blow  with a fervent passion. "Every second that you were alive was one second too many, Tauren. Mom and Dad should've had your throat slit when you were a mere pup," I said. "Anissa and Elisse should've fell in line with Eric and me, not being your besties. Fine brother and shifter you turned out to be. And as for those claims of you being the so-called son of Artemis and Horus as well as the grandson of Cronus and Rhea, it's all a bunch of fucking baloney. Your existence disgusted me and I am so glad that Eric did what his father should've been man enough to  do in the first place- killing your worthless ass."

"Is that what you really think?" Tauren asked quietly, his gaze trained on me like lasers.

"That's exactly how I think," I replied, granting him a mocking smirk. "Eric did what had to be done. And if I'm wrong for wishing you the exact worst, then may lightning strike me down this instant!"

BOOM!

The last thing I remembered was a bright light shining over me as I felt searing pain crash over me as if my body was caught on electric fire...

"Tauren!" I screamed.

Then the darkness swallowed me...

**************

"Trenton Knox."

I snapped my eyes open to find myself in the void between the life and the afterlife as I was soon staring at a grim-faced Aurora. "Ever your servant," I said sarcastically. "Let me guess, it's time for my ultimate judgement. I'm not dead yet, toots."

The goddess of the dawn chuckled without humor, her shimmering rose-gold gown turning to a dark black. "That I am," she intoned, "but you are indeed dead. Your time on Earth has come to an abrupt end after your confession towards Tauren and your sons. You show no remorse for your crimes and you care little about your twin brother."

"That runt is NOT my twin!" I roared. "He's a twig of an embarrassment of the family name and he deserves to spend his days in hell for being the bane of my family's good name."

"Ah, but he is not in the underworld as you expect," Aurora replied, gesturing to a crystal ball that showed an image of Tauren enjoying a day of picnics with my twin sons, Eric's twin sons, and even the seer and his family. "Unlike you, Tauren's heart was truly pure enough to earn his eternal rest in Elysium after a lifetime of ruthless and relentless torment on Earth. You, on the other hand, will soon join your parents in the same realm where your mother and father are in for your crimes against my sister and brother's child. There is no redemption for you or your parents while Anissa will receive her reward for showing Tauren kindness alongside those who stand against Eric's regime."

Panic flared in my bloodstream as I was soon surrounded by a ring of fire. "You can't mean that," I breathed. "You can't really be serious."

"But she is, boy," Cronus, in his Roman centurion glory, said as he joined his daughter. "Eric's time on Earth will be at hand soon enough, but you will surely suffer for all eternity being condemned to burn for your sins."

"NO!" I howled as two large hellhounds began to drag me down to the underworld where a sneering Norrix was waiting for me with a wicked grin on his face while my body was now caught on fire. "Have mercy on me, Norrix!" I commanded as I watched my parents burn endlessly while writing in pain yet the flames not doing any damage on them. "Send Tauren to cool my skin with water. He has to!"

"Ah, but he's no longer yours to abuse and torture," the keeper of the underworld replied. "Tauren only received evil yet never spoke against you or held no grudge as you continued to live like royalty. But now he is comforted in Elysium while you and your parents will burn in judgement. He cannot visit you and vice-versa. What you have given in life is what the afterlife gives you back tenfold! Now, burn and know that you are getting what you deserve!"

I only cried as the endless torment of suffering continued to rack on me and my parents. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew the truth and I was now paying the ultimate price. There was nothing left to do but reflect on my crimes and burn for all eternity.

As Norrix said, what you give in life is what the afterlife gives you back tenfold. What goes around comes back around...in multiple doses. I gave my twin brother hell...and hell is what my parents and I were receiving.

Game over.

***********************

Gentle reader, Trenton Rowan Knox took his final breath on Earth while asleep at exactly midnight. And when Eric woke up to find his Beta dead...his thirst for revenge would be made apparent. "Gather everyone at the Knox residence!" the disgraced Alpha commanded to one of the female warriors. "My best friend, the head Beta, is dead!"

Cradling the head of the deceased Trenton Knox, Eric sat on the bed and let the tears of grief and anger fall down his face. "TRENTON!"

Damn!

I bet you didn't expect Trenton to bite the dust earlier than expected, did you?! Well, he's dead and in the underworld with his parents for giving Tauren nothing but abuse.

As for Eric? Well, let's just say that there's going to be a lot of dissent against the disgraced young Alpha before he begins his bloodlust campaign! The undoing of Eric Girbaud is about to begin in the next chapter, so don't go anywhere!

This chapter goes out to YourAverageNerd_ and Robokitt for being great writers. Love you both so much!

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