My Heart To Hold

Chapter Sixteen

The moment I felt my heart stop was the moment I felt the most alive. It didn't take long for my heart to regain its strength and then some. It was pounding in my chest as I put my hands underneath me and began to push myself up. 

My body ached everywhere. They reminded me of what my mother would call growing pains. But this was different. It radiated throughout my entire body. 

I looked down at the billowing water. I willed it to calm down because the reflection it was portraying weas not my own. It wasn't even human. 

But before I could make sense of any of it I heard a voice, Are you just going to allow them to hurt our mates like that?

Glancing around I found that Iwas completely alone.

That's it, I'm taking over.

Before I knew what was happening I was running through the forest at full force. Not even slowing down for low tree limbs. I gracefully hopped over them or slid beneath them.

That's when I heard the snarls and growls.

When we were a few feet away from the clearing we stopped. And what I seen was the most horrific thing I have had to whitness in my seventeen years.

There in the center of the clearing laid my mate with Leo standing over him. 

That's all it took. My eyesight clouded over with red as my paws struck the ground with such force I was sure an earthquake would follow.

It only took seconds to come up on Leo and he went flying. I wasn't far behind as I landed on all fours right over him.

I felt his body tremble, heard his heart race and his low whimpers as I glared into his remorsful eyes.

But none of that mattered. He tried to kill me, he tried to kill my mate, and he had killed my mates brother. He had to pay. The cost? His life.

I could see it in his eyes. His deepest fear. I had broke him of his ego, of his allies. He thought he was invincable, he thought he could take down an Alpha Male and kill his Alpha Female. He thought wrong.

His biggest fear wasn't dying, it wasn't losing. It wasn't me. 

It was himself. He had been in denial of his lower ranking. He knew he wasn't cut out for the Alpha role. Fear was his only way to get the respect that he desperatly needed.

Laying here on his back with me over top of him was the lowest of the low. He was waek, he was defensless. He was dead.

I could hear someone calling my name from behind. Telling me not to do this. That it wasn't me. That I had to fight it but it was me. I had to do this. For me. For him. For us. For them.

I snarled loud enough and agressive enough for him to close him eyes and turn his face away from me. Giving the right amount of exposure to his neck.

Without thinking twice I clamped down on the base of his neck and began to tear his throat apart. The whimpering ceased. The blood flowed. The heart rate slowed.

He was dead. We were safe. That was all I could think of when my eyesight began to shift and narrow. The next thing I knew everything went black and I was out cold.

***

I woke up the next day in my bed. The memories flooded my mind as I struggled to comprehend them. I couldn't tell if they were my own or someone elses.

I tried sitting up and my body protested. I was in pain- everywhere. Dragging myself out of bed I made my way to my bathroom ready to take a shower when I heard voices.

The voices belonged to my parents and Ryan. They were hushed, but I could hear every word clearly.

From what I could tell, they were talking about my 'need to know'. Ryan was against it, my parents for it. 

Enought said.

I looked into the mirror as I brushed my teeth. Listening into their conversation was beginning to get on my nerves. I just kept staring at my reflection when I saw the faintest glow radiate from my eyes. A glow that only lasted a second. Considering what has been happening the past few months I couldn't ignore it.

Slamming my tooth brush down I slipped out of my room and down the stairs before giving it another thought.

"I want answers. Now!" my voice came out stronger than I felt. I was ready to roll up in a ball and cry. Ready to crawl under a rock and die. My life had gotten so complicated, I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear this. But I did know that I need to hear this.

"Sweetheart," my mom tried to comfort me.

"Don't sweerheart me. You guys knew something was up. That much is clear," my parents visably flinched at my words.

"Jewels," Ryan tried.

"No, no. Just tell me what the hell is going on!" I yelled over them. I couldn't stand the childish looks I was getting.

My parents exchanged glances before turning to me, "It started the day you were born."