Night Flame

Ch. 22 - Family By Blood - pt. 1

Here's another chapter for you and I'm sad to notify you that we may be reaching the end pretty soon, just another couple of chapters. We're already at 74.000 words for this story which is quite a lot in my opinion and I'm a little proud hehe (;

Hope you enjoy this chapter, tried my hardest, have to warn you though: A lot of dialogue.

Chapter 22 – Family By Blood - part 1

June of the Shadowwolves

My uncle is thrown off me before he can do any damage. Graham has pulled me up from the ground and pushed me behind him so he's forming a barrier between me and my uncle. Cain has my uncle by the neck and slams him so hard into the old, rundown packhouse walls that they shake tremendously from impact.

"Careful now, wouldn't want any accidents to happen," Cain snaps in my uncle's face who in turn doesn't seem fazed with what's happening. Instead of paying attention to his assaulter, my uncle shifts his gaze to me and holds eye-contact. He snickers in amusement before speaking, "I see you've found yourself some loyal watch dogs." The words he spoke were chosen carefully to insult my friends and to get a reaction out of us.

Even though I'm aware of this, I can't help but growl and my uncle starts coughing so I know Cain has put more pressure on my uncle's neck.

"I warned you for awaiting accidents," Cain reminds him.

"Guess I don't care, boy."

"Don't talk to my friends that way," I finally find my voice to reprimand the man who has scolded and reprimanded me more times than I can possibly count – or remember.

"You're delusional if you think these scumbags are your friends, little June," my uncle sneers.

"But they are! They've showed me nothing but kindness and they care for me more than you ever could."

"Nothing but deceit, don't you see?" His tone of voice is begging now, almost desperate to convince me, to make me open my eyes. "They are doing it to corrupt your mind and you're letting them."

Cain slams my uncle against the walls once more, "watch what you're saying!"

From my peripheral vision I see Alpha Timothy and Mackenzie sneaking away from the scene and towards the entrance of the packhouse.

I try and make my way around Graham, but he grabs my arm when I want to walk towards where Cain and my uncle are standing against the wall. 'Don't get too close, Rue.' Is Graham's warning. I nod my head in acknowledgement and cease my approach.

"They would never do that to me, uncle, they're my new family," I tell him softly, hoping he sees it from my perspective. He doesn't.

"That's where you're wrong, little June. My father always told me to be cautious because no one is to be trusted, no one can be trusted, can you not see?" He still looks at me with despair evident in his fearful, blue eyes.

"He was blinded by fear, people can be trusted. I know they can."

"I already told you this but you won't listen; they're corrupting your mind with lies and false promises. Rather sooner than later you'll find out they've betrayed you."

"You're wrong–"

As if I hadn't spoken, my uncle continues, "that is why you should take your life into your own hands and end it right now".

"And how would I benefit from that? How would any of us benefit from that?" I question him.

"The outside world is a cruel one, little June, I'm sure you've noticed. Everyone is only out to hurt you. Even now, our pack is attacked and we all know we won't stand a chance against The Five. Therefore, it is better to just end our lives by our own hands instead of waiting for someone to do it for us in the most prolonged and painful way possible. And they will find that way, June."

"But if dying is the only way out, why did you still go and attack the warriors?" I frown.

"To buy us time, of course. Have you not listened to what I just told you? You should end it by your own hands."

'The packhouse is completely deserted, no one's inside anymore. There's no sign of unit A.' The voice of Alpha Timothy sounds through my head and I have to stifle a gasp and a sob. Where are they then?

Cain obviously has had enough of our endless dialogue and slams my uncle against the packhouse – hard. "Where are the warriors you've captured?!" He yells. My uncle flinches but laughs a little sinister.

"They've corrupted my pack, they upped and left as soon as they heard your comrades were breaching my borders. I should have known taking hostages would only result in my pack being polluted with wrong thinking and wrong-doings."

"They left?" I ask in astonishment. How could they have gone? I don't understand, if they're physically healthy enough to make a run for it, why can't they mindlink us?

"Two of them, yes." My uncle nods. "The others were unreachable even to my warriors. No one's able to get close to the building we put them in."

We keep quiet, this kind of story sounds quite familiar to our ears. Perhaps those warriors weren't lying then?

"My guess is those wolves are already dead, they've been there for weeks without food or water. The ones that escaped are no strangers to our pack, perhaps you know them, June? Steve and Jonathan, both as tainted and impure as their fathers were."

I can't help but gasp and tears gather in my eyes. Adam's been without food or water for weeks! Yet I'm glad at least two of my friends made it out safely.

Graham takes me in his arms, he's been awfully quiet through all this but I know he was never far to support me. Yet he probably knew I needed to face the cause of my nightmares on my own. "Trust that they're okay, Rue, we haven't found any evidence they're not alive," he reminds me to stay positive.

"Aww, how sweet," my uncle coos sarcastically, "the long lost siblings finally reuniting finding comfort in each other's arms, your parents would be elated."

Graham and I turn to each other, can it be? Warily I sneak a glance at my uncle who is looking back at me in amusement. "Don't tell me you didn't know yet?" he taunts us and raises his eyebrows.

"We- I didn't know..." I trail off.

"Yes, it never came up I suppose," my uncle agrees. I look at Cain who still has my uncle against the wall, but has butted out of the conversation completely. He's got a stoic look on his face, how did he take the news of Adam and the others being unreachable?

"I guess I can enlighten you with the story if your dog frees me." Cain growls at the name calling but refrains from retaliating any further.

'It's okay, Rue and I will handle it from here. You can join alpha Timothy and Mackenzie in their search for unit A. Cain releases the lunatic alpha and runs off into the forest.

"Now that we're finally alone, I guess it's time for a story." And so he begins.