Evaporate

chapter twenty-five.

Grayson's POV

I'm probably 6 miles away from the pack houses, and counting, when I can feel someone desperately trying to mind link me, but I've blocked them off.

7 miles.

8.

12.

The whole time, I'm being mind linked, so I finally let the link come through when I'm 16 miles away, at the edge of our territory.

"Grayson! Thalia, Theo and mom are in trouble, I'm already locked inside the safehouse and I can't risk it, Cam and Dad are on their way." It's Ethan. My heart stills. It'll take me at least 10 minutes to get to them.

"What kind of trouble?" I mind link back, starting to run back.

"Hunters and rogues." He responds. Those three words are enough to get me running faster than I've ever run before.

The trees are a blur and my legs are in pain from how hard I'm working them, but I still have 9 miles to go.

Please be okay, please be okay. I think to myself as I strain to hear anything from the situation.

When I hit 6 miles I begin to faintly hear arguing.

And when I hit 3, I hear a gunshot loud and clear. When I hit 2, there's another. At 2 and a half, there's the sound of a knife piercing flesh.

When I skid to a stop, I'm 10 yards from my family and a line of rogues are stopping me from getting to them.

"He's dead! He's dead!" My mother screams and my blood runs cold as I look paste the rogues.

They've shot my father, and he's dead. I have no time to process what's happening because I hear Thalia yelling.

"Cameron stay with me!" She yells as he holds Cameron's stab wound. Theo's wails are loud and clear as I watch my sister bleeding out into the dirt.

My world comes crashing down as anger fuels my every movement.

Without realizing it, I've shifted and slaughtered my way through the rogues. Their limp and shredded bodies lay behind me as I shift back and grip the leader of the hunters by his throat. All of the epsilon seem to regain confidence and subdue all the other rogues and hunters.

"You messed with the wrong fucking pack." I growl as I slowly begin crush his trachea. My heart is exploding with adrenaline but him trying to speak makes me pause. It could be important.

"Y-you've got a bigger problem coming, delta." He wheezes out with laughter before stabbing me in the gut with a silver knife. My body feels like it's on fire until I pull it out and I see that he's run off. It takes a second for me to heal and regain my strength and they're long gone by then.

"Cowards!" I yell at everyone. "They're cowards! You are all cowards too!" My cheeks become stained with tears I didn't know were already there.

"How dare you call yourselves warriors! You let them do this! You let this happen!" I cry out and shove random epsilons onto the floor. No one fights it, they only get up and allow me to push them back down. They're letting me attempt to cope. I begin to break down even worse as my attention is drawn to the two lifeless bodies before me.

"How fucking dare you." I whisper as I turn to Thalia and Theo's crying frames and pull them close to me.

"I am so so sorry." I whisper. "I will never let you guys go. I will never let this happen again." I promise them through tears. My crying shakes us all. After a few seconds, I get 6 epsilons to escort Thalia and Theo to the safehouse.

I turn to my mother and break down all over again.

"Mom..." My voice cracks as I lay a hand on her thin shoulder. She rips away from my touch as she holds Cameron's head in her lap.

"My baby!" she rocks herself back and forth before she drags herself and Cameron's body to my father's body.

"So much!" She wails as she clutches them to herself. "We still had so much to do!"

My heart breaks more and more as I hear the safe house entrance open and a pair of feet run out but skid to a stop.

I can hear Ethan fall to his knees beside my mother as he mutters.

"Cameron? Dad?" His voice sounds so broken and vulnerable.

"They're dead!" My mother yells. I can't bear to look at them so I stare at my feet.

"Wh-what happened?" Ethan's voice is thick with emotions as he breaks down. I don't have to look at him to see his tears.

"Grayson happened!" my mother hisses. My head lowers as she continues. "His stupidity got us all into this stupid mess because he wanted to impress his mate!" She takes a deep breath and rushes over to me, shoving me.

"They were protecting your mate and your children and now their lives were taken! My mate and my daughter!" Her words begin to falter. "They're gone!" By now she's sobbing. "G-gone..."

My mom holds her face and cries into her hands. Her actions turn her into a child. Vulnerable. I wrap my arms around her and she doesn't have the energy to fight it, so she let's me hold her.

"I am so sorry." I whisper, my voice cracking. "So so sorry."

She couldn't be more right. This is all my fault and I can never fix it.