The Broken Crystal

Chapter Twenty Four

"What?" Crystal stood still, mouth agape. "W-what-how?"

Wilma looked at the ground almost shamefully, wringing her hands. "Well..." She shook her head a few times, sighing. "It's a long story. I met Blake even before the institution was so well-known among us, werewolves​. At that time he was just a normal man. An alpha, yes, but normal. At least that's what I thought. And then...."

"And then what?" Crystal stared intently at her mother. Wilma's face twisted into a mask of sadness, coated in liquor bitterness.

"And then I let him trick me and... And I ended up doing exactly what he wanted me to: Fall in love with him."

After her confession, the silence spread between them, uncomfortably so. The tenseness felt like it was clinging to Crystal's skin. Suddenly, she realized something. Blake...

"Nice to meet you two," Luke said. "My name is Xavier Miraiah."

Crystal gasped. "That means I'm Xavier's sister!" She couldn't help but be a tiny bit excited. All those years dreaming, wondering about her family, if she even had one, and know she had a mother, a father and a brother! But when she saw Wilma's paling features, her smile disappeared.

"Oh my god, you didn't know, did you?"

Wilma couldn't focus on her daughter's face. He had another child. With Savaine, the very cause of her misery. He had a child with her!

"Mother?" Crystal looked at her with furrowed brows. "Are you okay?"

Forcing a smile on her face, Wilma nodded. "Yes, yes of course. I'm fine. But you should go pack, we need to get everything ready by sunset."

"O-Alright..." Slowly, she walked away, casting worried glances behind her. Crystal didn't believe for one second that she was fine.

When Crystal exited the tent, she immediately saw that it was almost the only one left standing. People were everywhere, packing up their fabric houses, food and supplies. Crystal sucked on her lip, making her way towards her own marquee. While she walked, a thought occurred to her.

"Angel?"

Short silence. Then: "Yes?"

"Do you..." Crystal hesitated for a moment, but forced herself to continue. "Do you know anything about Savaine's plan?" As she spoke, another thought struck her mind. "Did you ever know?"

She felt Angel shift around in her head, and when her orbs flashed yellow, she knew her own eyes were the same color. Crystal didn't understand why Angel was half-transforming just to speak with her, but then her mind went blank. And suddenly, her wolf was right in front of her.

Crystal's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Angel?" But it wasn't really Angel, it was herself. Her eyes were yellow and her hair had a grey tint to it. The way she stood, legs far apart, slightly crouched, hinted at what she really was. "Why are you-" Crystal started saying, but her other self interrupted her.

"I don't know her plan, Crystal. Not anymore." Angel frowned. "I used to, but only bits and pieces. Mostly just whatever needed to will me to take you back to the institution."

Crystal took a step forward, still slightly awestruck. "What changed your mind? Why did you help me escape again?"

Angel moved her head and smiled just a little. "Because I'm a part of you, Crystal, remember?" she said. "Before I was the part that wanted to stay at the institution, because that was what you deep down desired. Savaine was sure that all the trauma would weigh you down, she never thought you would really recover from that place. But you did. And you've accepted me, so now I am accepting your wish. I'm going to stand by your side."