Muted

Chapter 18

Still queazy with that sick feeling in my stomach, I walked back towards the pack house.

As I stepped into the gardens I could smell blood. I began to jog to the source picking up my pace the closer I got.

I hoped it was a rogues, or even a deer someone had taken down. Even better if it was the idiotic rogue I met in the cells.

But I was just kidding myself, to cushion the blow when I saw the real source. Rogues and wild animals had a distinct smell to their blood, but this smelt like ordinary.

I could tell myself someone had just cut themselves by accident, or it was only a minor graze, but I never would've smelt it from all across the grounds. No, it would have to be a lot for me to have smelt it so far away.

But when I finally reached the scene I stood in shock. A man I used to know as a kid lay in his own blood. Dead.

Yet just to be sure, I rushed to him and checked his pulse, applying pressure onto his wounds. Which seemed to be his whole body.

In return, not once beat of his heart was felt at all.

I howled into the sky, as a sign of respect and sorrow. People would be here soon enough, as they knew it only meant one thing.

It wasn't hard to guess who caused his injuries. He was a guard. On shift tonight. The knife that had cut through him hadn't healed one bit like a normal knife would. No, these were caused by sliver, at the hand of my father.

He had a collection of the little devils, and the one in Roberts office was only one of many.

Within seconds of my howl, a crowd was gathered round the body I held tight in my hands.

I knew the man as a kid, James, his name was. Good kid, never did anything against anyone. Everyone loved him.

He didn't deserve to die.

I wasn't sure if he had a mate until a woman ran through the crowds screaming his name. They let her pass, gazing upon her with so much sorrow.

She knelt down next to me, and took his corpse into her arms.

"James wake up honey. Please, wake up!" She wailed over and over, rocking his body. But there was nothing left to do. He was gone. And nothing could change that.

I looked to his heart. A dagger identical to all his others still pierced his heart. I silently pulled it out, and closed his eyes with my hand.

We all stood waiting for Rob. No doubt his mind was being raided by a ton of mind-links right now, but he wouldn't need them. That sick feeling I felt earlier, he would've felt it worse.

The pack members would've hardly felt it, and if they did they would've thought nothing of it. These were the disadvantages of being a beta or alpha.

No doubt Lexi had been called too, yet there was no point in her coming. He was long gone.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. Rob came and said a few words, some others made small speeches, many cried.

In shock and sorrow, I just stood and listened, it was all I was good for. I wanted to make a speech, I really did. Even if I hadn't seen him for years, I ha known him the rest of my life. James, he was part of our group. Me, Robert, James and Danny. Never seen without one another.

And I did mean it when I said I wanted to make a speech, even though I wasn't a words person (literally). Yet despite my condition, I felt that I owed him one.

I remember opening my mouth, trying to grasp my voice, yet all that came out were strangled gasps.

Robert patted me on the back. "You don't have to say anything. Where he is now, looking down on us, he knows what you want to say. And that's what counts."

I nodded my head before handing him the knife. He grasped it and turned it in his hands.

He held it up. "Your dads?"

I nodded and he sighed. "I'll have someone search the grounds. You did a good job on patrol tonight, so take a rest." He said nudging me towards my room. "You earned it."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

The thick red blood was all I could see. Glistening in the moonlight. It trailed from the cells, leading towards the forest. Blindly, I followed without hesitation.

Deep in the forest, and I still had no concern who's blood I followed, only where it lead to.

A small area free of trees- yet not big enough to be a clearing- was where the blood led me. My father stood their, with the drunken grin he always carried where ever he went.

Without a word, he pulled James from the shadows, like a magician would with his rabbit. I took a step closer, or tried, because an invisible barrier blocked my path.

My father snapped James wrist, and his screams- I knew- would haunt me forever.

I beat my fists of the barrier, screaming as I watched one of my best childhood friends slowly being ripped apart one by one.

His painful screams tortured my soul as I listened to them all night long.

Once his body was crumpled on the floor, with bits and pieces all around, my father pulled out the last trick up his sleeves. Out from the shadows, came Chloe.

I screamed and shouted, banging my fists as I watching his gruesome mouth on hers. It killed me, worse than any pain I had ever felt before. No broken bone could ever compare to the pain I felt.

Watching my mate forced upon, and then unable to stop the man doing so.

I screamed all night, never lowering my beating fists that never stopped.

"Ætius!" I heard Chloe shout. Years streamed down my face as I thrashed about the wall, trying to find any gap or opening.

"Æ!" Lexi? Oh god no please not her next. I punched and clawed even harder than ever, having a complete breakdown.

"I'm scared." I heard Lizzy cry. No! I felt my shoulders shake for god knows why.

I sat up sweating and panting hard, with four scarred and shocked faces staring back at me.

Lizzy was cowering behind Lexi in the corner, both staring at me in disbelief.

Rob was near the door, frowning whilst leaning on the frame.

Worst of all, my mate looked petrified. Her beautiful cheek was stained with a red mark as if something had hit her. My blood started to boil and my body rack with anger until I realised who it had been.

Me.

It had all been a dream, and I had been thrashing around I must've hit her. My own mate!

"Ætius." She said calmly, edging closer to me. Her voice was shaking though, showing how scared she was.

I raced out of the bed and to the window. I leaped out, shifting in mid air and landing on my paws. I shook my fur and started to run.

I needed to clear my head.

___________________________

I couldn't resist putting some sort of dream scene in there.

Sorry for short chapters but I'm writing it quick for faster updates.

Unedited

Stay Devilish ;)