Dernier ─ Theo Raeken ²

19| HAVOC OF THE COALITION

❝We have walked through the darkness of this world, that's why we are able to see even a sliver of light.❞

➣

IT was dawn when the three of them arrived at the Argent's household. Cora and Hayden were fast asleep in their room and Cassandra couldn't help but was jealous of them. How could she not? They needed a lot of rest to gather strength inside them for war, but unfortunately, Cassandra dreaded to sleep. The nightmares she thought had drifted away from her, suddenly showed up again and this time, disseminated pure terror to her. It was not only blurry spectrums of the dead, the wailing woman's screams and the sound of clashing swords anymore, but herself in the puddle of blood with a gaping hole in the right side of her abdomen.

Everytime Cassandra recalled the dreams, she was always trembling with fear. Not because she was afraid to die, but she was just afraid that if she had not finish her part in the war and she was already swept away by the fuscous of death, it means she had brought death to Hayden, Cora and Kira.

"Hey." Kira's voice rang in her ears, causing her reverie to be interrupted as the Kitsune took a seat across her.

Cassandra looked up and smiled at her. During their trip back home, Cassandra felt that Kira was somewhat distant. The moment when they got into the car, Kira wasn't even bothered to ask about Scott or the others, instead she only asked what she had to do to make her useful for Cassandra and her alliance. And after the youngest Argent explained everything, Kira didn't talk much anymore, instead the brunette girl did most of the talking. The tension between Theo and Kira were also immensely trenchant, but Theo knew the situation and for the sake of Cassandra, he didn't bring the topic up to the surface.

Somehow, Cassandra had the feeling that Kira was well aware of what happened to Beacon Hills and the pack. However, the brunette girl didn't want to question it because she considered it a taboo discussion, especially about Scott.

As if the Kitsune knew what she was thinking, she began to speak. "I know everything that happened. My mom visited me almost everyday, and the Skinwalkers also told me the latest situation here. Each detail that once was a part of me."

Noticing the forlorn in her eyes, Cassandra instantly reached the conclusion that she knew about them. And Cassandra couldn't help but looked at her sadly. "Are you okay with that?"

"I know the risks when I chose the Skinwalkers." Kira admitted, staring down on her lap. "I don't even know how long I'll be with them, and asking him to wait for me is definitely not an appropriate idea. The moment that I walked away from him, also included I let him go for good. Honestly, I don't want to go back here anymore, one day when I finished dealing with the Skinwalkers, I've decided I will not settle in this town ever again."

It was sad actually – how things changed considerably rapid without them knowing. Cassandra was used to seeing Kira's eyes exude hilarity, innocence and ferocity, but right now, all the brunette girl saw before her was a soul that lost her true identity. The sparks in her eyes dimmed into something unreadable and suddenly, the feelings of guilt for bringing Kira back here assaulted her mind.

"You don't have to do this, then." Cassandra gave her a tiny smile. "I can drive you back to New Mexico."

"You need my help, don't you? How can I leave a good friend who needs me?" Kira questioned quietly and escaped a breathless laugh. "For the record, I came back not for Beacon Hills or Scott – I came back for you."

"What?"

"You're dying, Cassie." Kira pointed out blatantly. "You build this alliance for a reason, and that is one of the reasons. In all honesty, I don't know anything about the connection between you and the Anuk-Ite, but I'm willing to fight for you. You have a good intention to slaughter them one for all. And here, my part is not only to fight them next to you, but also to prevent any hazard coming into your way. I still haven't recovered from that night, and I strongly do not want another tragic death of a friend of mine to happen before my eyes again. That's why I came back, I broke the rules of the Skinwalkers because I wanted to help you."