Blood (Book Three of the Dark Lycans Series)

Chapter Nineteen: Alone

"Raven?" I hear Shade ask and tear my eyes away from the frozen lake.

"Hm?" I gesture with my head for her to continue. She takes a deep breath before replying.

"You probably already know... about that day," she says shyly and I slowly nod. I know exactly what day she is talking about, she's talking about the day I almost killed her.

It is night, with just a crescent moon overhead. Flames illuminated the darkness, casting ghostly shadows across the forest.

My eyes scan across the line of trees, searching for any remaining life. My ears catch rustling in the nearby house, belonging to the High Ranked Wolves.

I jump down from my tree, completely silent. The only sound in the forest was the crackling of the flames and the rustling of the wind.

I creep through the forest and smile at the door left ajar. I slip through the opening and smell the air. Fear fills my senses and I follow it through the house until I reach the living room. I see two silhouettes, one male and one female.

I sneak up behind the male, who can't be much older than a teenager, and slowly slide my dagger out of it sheath on my thigh. In less than a second, I have one arm wrapped around his neck and my dagger under his ribs. He gasps, blood filling his mouth.

The girl next to him screams and stares with fear-filled eyes. I drop the boy to the floor and watch his body convulse as blood slowly fills his lungs. The red liquid drips down his lips, and makes small streams of crimson down to his chin.

I look at the frightened face of the girl and grin. Her eyes widen at the sight of me and recognition passes across her face.

"Raven?" she whispers in disbelief, and I feel a sharp pain in my head. I clench my jaw tightly against it and focus on the girl again.

"Why are you doing this? You would never hurt me, right?" she whimpers as I stalk closer to her. I hear exactly what she is saying, but the meaning of them doesn't make any sense.

"You promised you would never hurt me," she mutters, tears streaming down her face, leaving streaks through the ash that covers her skin.

Her back hits the wall and I keep moving closer to her. I lift my blade, the shine of silver obscured by red blood.

She whimpers once more before I plunge my dagger into her neck.

"Yeah. Ira made it obvious that I was the one who gave you that scar," I mutter, standing up and staring into the forest. I almost want to get rid of the dagger I used, but keep holding onto it, promising that I will use it to kill Blake. I realize that I have shifted and guess it was from all of the emotions from my flashback.

"I just want you to know that I forgive you . . . and that you don't have to feel bad or say sorry. I know what the Hunters did to you," she says carefully. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to hold back the emotions that are threatening to show. But you don't actually know, Ira growls and I know she is right.

I never told anybody what they did to me, not even Shade. After seeing my mother and realizing that she has been alive this whole time, I started to get my memories back. The same memories that the Hunters stole from me.

I remembered my mother, Shade, my Aunt Lily. I remembered everything the Hunters did to me, everything that I did to other people. I remembered all of it, and I wish I could forget it all again.

"I think . . . that I should go," I hear Shade whisper quietly and my head snaps towards her.

"I need to get back to my mate, and this pack, well, they have you. They don't need me," she mutters and I sigh. I walk towards her and feel my shoulders sag a little.