- I thought it might be fun to do a quick little Epilogue in the point of view of the two werewolves who ran. You don't get much info on them in the story but they have a lot of stories of their own. (I wrote this for me because I don't want the story to be over yet lol) -
"Calm down! There's nothing we can do right now. I know you're upset but getting yourself killed accomplishes nothing." Ryan held Willow's arms tightly, expecting her to bolt again.
"I have to do something. You saw what she did to my father! The little coward, attacking us both from behind." Willow shook in anger, her face twisting into something ugly. Deep down, Ryan pitied her but he couldn't let her risk his life or his position in the pack. Her lips curled up into a sneer as she looked him straight in the eye, trying to stare him down. She had never respected his superior rank.
"Thomas was careless. And so were you. She's just a human. We wasted our chance and now we have to face the consequences. You know the rules," said Ryan, his voice low and careful.
She struggled against him, kicking out in her frustration. Only a hard slap across the face calmed her down. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. She licked it slowly, all the while staring at him.
"Don't ever, ever, talk about my father. You're practically human yourself. You don't even come close to comparing to the wolf he is. The wolf he was. This isn't over no matter what you say. The alpha will agree and then we'll see. I'll never let this day go. And when I'm done with them, I'll come after you. You'll see what my father taught me."
Her tone chilled him. He shivered in spite of himself at the hatred in her eyes. Her rank was less than his and yet something about her terrified him. He was too weary to argue, nothing had gone as planned. The girls were still alive, still protected, the one werewolf female who had ever successfully bred healthy shifters was dead and the alpha's prized fighter had been killed by a human teenager. It was a disaster. He had nothing to worry about; the alpha would kill him before Willow could even try. Ryan let her go, shaking his head. Willow stayed against the wall, hunched over slightly, her blonde hair covering most of her still blood stained face. She seemed almost feral, ready to leap at him if he gave her an excuse.
"Willow. It wasn't my fault. It was his idea. I wanted to wait. Pick them off one by one. But you're right," he tried to placate her knowing he needed her story to back him up. "A cowardly attack killed your father. A fluke. He was unlucky. She'll pay for it but first we need to let the others know what happened. If we stick together, we'll be okay." He brushed the hair back from her face carefully, hearing a low whimper.
She sucked her lower lip and sank to the floor, holding her knees and rocking herself. Her thoughts were black and wild but she was shut off from the world. Her eyes were blank. She was lost in her own mind.
Ryan sank down next to her, his forehead creased in worry. He had seen Willow's "episodes" before, leaving her be and waiting was his only choice. She had always been unstable but now that Thomas was gone, it would be worse. He had often wondered how badly damaged her mind really was. Mating didn't work for them so what made the Evans family so special? Now the one female they really needed was dead, they might never know the truth for sure.
Willow whimpered again. He stared at her, sympathy mingled with repulsion. She was a poor excuse for a wolf, despite the boasts of her family. He wasn't sure how he could control her now she was so intent on revenge. But more importantly, he didn't know if the alpha would spare his life and give him another chance.
"I'm tired of this, Willow," he whispered to the unresponsive shifter, knowing she couldn't hear him. "I don't want to die. I don't want to kill. I sure as hell don't want to babysit a werewolf with mental problems. How did we mess up so bad? They'll never let me go home now." He groaned, frustrated. All they had done was give the Evans family an excuse to want them dead. Things were going to get messy. He could only hope he survived the next fight. The Evans family would never forgive him for what he had to do next.
