Dead Lines

23: Your Path Is Forward

Unedited.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I was about tired of being banished fireside. Granted, Andrzej hadn't said, "Go sit by the fire" but there wasn't anywhere else to go around here. He'd obviously forgotten he told me not to go anywhere by myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here, by myself, without him.

I leaked a sigh and dropped my head into my hands.

Maybe it was the weight of everything setting in but I suddenly felt very tired. My new normal had become how to capture Persephone and Chris, finding long lost weapons, and plotting the downfall of one of the original Gods before he destroyed the world. I wanted my old normal back where all I had to worry about was finishing my homework, working at the coffee shop, and wondering if Cecil was going to actually talk to me.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait to go home and get back to my "human" life. I wanted and needed to fix things with Schylar. The fight with him was still looming over my head and I had no idea if things would get better with him. I couldn't tell him the truth and he always knew if I was lying. He wasn't about to back down and I wasn't allowed to tell him anything. The situation was not pleasant.

"Uncle named you pack leader. It was his wish-"

"I don't care what he wished. It's not happening. I came here for one thing and one thing only. I have it and now I'm leaving and I'm never coming back. Choose. Someone. Else."

My eyes slowly lifted and I looked over to found the pair of wolves heading in my direction. The chest was being carried between them with my bag slung over Kye's shoulder hap hazardously. Andrzej's hands were bandaged up, each finger individually wrapped with gauze, showcasing his injury without actually showing it. How he was able to carry anything as heavy as a solid wood chest was beyond me. But he was and there was no sign of strain on his face.

"You should care what he wished, Andrzej."

They set the chest down and Andrzej curled his fingers at him, motioning for Kye to hand something over. That something happened to be a cloth packet he'd been carrying I hadn't noticed and he did it with a dissatisfied expression on his face.

"Why?"

"Because it is your destiny to lead this pack..."

"This hasn't been my pack for years. Not since my family was murdered and you people sat back and let it happen." He shoved the packet into my bag and then suddenly, I found his finger pointing in my direction. "She's my pack, my only priority."

Kye's eyes barely shifted in my direction but my skin was burning from everyone else's stares.

"She's not wolf..."

"She's the only one who gives a damn about me. You and everyone here only care about what I can do for you. That is not how a pack should be. What impacts one, impacts all. You've forgotten that, all of you." His eyes darted from one face to another. "You want my loyalty? You want me to lead?" He glared at Kye. "Earn it. Don't expect it because you think you deserve it or believe it's mandatory. It'll be the end of days before I give it to you. The Oracle is my duty, my destiny. As far as I'm concerned, this pack can go to hell. Rakli."

I popped instantly to my feet. "Yeah?"

"We're leaving."

I headed in his direction, wanting this trip to come to an end but knowing he wasn't getting away this easy. This pack had finally claimed him, whether he liked it or not, and they weren't giving up without a fight. If I'd learned anything about anything, it was when you were claimed by something, it was never letting go. Granted, I had no idea where this was all coming from but I had a feeling it had something to do with the funeral I hadn't attended.