Torn Between Two

13. The Breach

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Diana's POV

Diana shot upright, her heart slamming against her ribs as the piercing sound of alarms shattered the stillness of the night. Red lights flashed from the hallway beyond the door, casting everything in harsh bursts. The sound clawed at her nerves, loud and urgent.

Angelo was already moving, throwing the blankets off and grabbing a shirt from the chair beside the bed. "Stay close," he said, his voice sharp but steady. Diana didn't need to be told twice. She swung her legs off the bed and slipped on her boots, adrenaline making her fingers clumsy.

They rushed out of the bedroom and into the hallway, where the others were gathering in confusion. Some had weapons in hand, eyes wide with fear and readiness. "How the hell did they get in?" someone muttered. No one had an answer.

Diana stayed glued to Angelo's side as they made their way toward the entrance of the pack house. She could hear the crashing of furniture, the wild, angry howls—feral and bitter. Rogues. And a lot of them.

By the time they reached the front hall, she saw the destruction in full. Chairs and tables overturned, windows shattered, and deep claw marks gouged into the walls. Her pulse quickened as she scanned the scene for the rogues—scattered across the room like wild animals, eyes glowing with menace.

Angelo tensed beside her, fists clenched, ready to launch into action. But just as he started to step forward, another figure moved between him and the rogues.

Benjamin.

Diana blinked in disbelief as the older man stood, calm and deliberate, between the pack and the intruders. His presence was commanding, but not aggressive—like a calm river that could rise into a flood if provoked.

"Stand down," Benjamin said, his voice quiet but firm. He didn't shout, didn't need to. His gaze cut through the chaos, steady and unwavering. "You've done enough."

The rogues growled low, pacing like restless wolves, but they didn't attack. Benjamin held their gaze, one by one, until their snarls began to falter. The anger in their eyes dimmed, replaced by something else—shame, frustration.

"They don't need to die for this," Benjamin said, glancing briefly at Angelo before turning back to the rogues. "They're not here to destroy. They're here because they're jealous." His words were calm, like explaining a simple truth. "Jealous of what we have, of what they lost. They let their feelings take over. It happens."

The rogues shuffled, some glancing away, embarrassed by their own outburst. They looked less like a threat now—more like a group of lost souls, too hurt to know what to do with themselves. They didn't plan out what to do when we woke up angry.

"Go," Benjamin said quietly. "Before things escalate beyond what you can take back."

For a moment, the rogues hesitated, as if weighing his words. But then, one by one, they turned and slipped away, disappearing into the shadows of the forest beyond the pack house.

Angelo exhaled sharply, tension still thrumming in his muscles. "You let them walk away?" he asked, disbelief threading his voice.

Benjamin nodded, his expression unreadable. "They would have been killed if I fought them. And they would have tried killing you with everything they had. No one wins like that." He dusted off his hands, as if the encounter was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Diana stared at him, her mind racing to catch up with everything that had just happened. "How did you know to talk to them like that?" she asked, her voice still tight with the leftover adrenaline.

Benjamin turned to her, his gaze sharp and heavy with meaning. "Because I've been watching," he said. "Everyone has been talking about you returning with your loved ones and having dinner, laughing like nothing happened. When the real world is worse with rouges than ever."

Her breath caught. There was something in his tone—something that made her stomach twist. "You've been watching us?" she echoed.

"Watching you," he corrected. His blue eyes locked onto hers, and suddenly, the weight of his presence felt suffocating. "You guys are acting like it's another Tuesday. The entity inside you isn't just dangerous for you, Diana. It's a threat to all of us. To humanity."

The room seemed to grow colder at his words. Diana felt Angelo shift closer, a silent gesture of protection, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from Benjamin.

"What are you saying?" she whispered.

Benjamin crossed his arms, his expression grim. "The thing inside you isn't just a curse or a burden. It's a predator, waiting for the right moment to strike. It feeds on chaos, on fear. The rouges coming here could have been the entity calling on them from a sinister place. If it grows too strong... it won't stop with you. It'll consume everything."

Diana's heart pounded in her chest, but she kept her face neutral. "So, what? You've just been sitting back, waiting for me to fail?"

Benjamin's lips pressed into a thin line. "No. I've been waiting to see if you could control it. If there's a way to stop it without destroying you in the process."

The room was silent, the weight of his words settling over them like a thick fog. Diana felt Angelo's hand brush against hers—a silent reassurance, a promise. She curled her fingers around his instinctively.

"And what if I can't?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Benjamin studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Then we'll have to figure out another way."

The unspoken threat in his words was clear: If you lose control, we'll stop you. One way or another.

Diana swallowed hard, her pulse roaring in her ears. But as terrifying as Benjamin's words were, she also felt something else stir inside her—a spark of defiance.

"I won't let it win," she said, her voice steady, even though her hands were shaking.

Benjamin gave her a small, knowing nod, as if that was exactly what he needed to hear. "Good."

Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the night, leaving Diana and Angelo standing in the wreckage of what could have been disaster.

Angelo gave her hand a squeeze, his gaze filled with quiet resolve. "We've got this," he whispered.

Diana looked into his eyes and nodded. We have to, she thought. Because failure wasn't an option—not when the stakes were this high.

We were left with damage to the house but it was a rude awakening to me. That I have been focused on getting my old life back when the future is unpredictable. Things aren't the same anymore and any day now my life could be turned upside down.