Blamed

Chapter 19

The trees swayed as the wind blew violently and the leaves swirled around us. The sun was slowly setting and the little heat it did provide was steadily dropping with it. Ophena had to go back to her pack grounds and get something that would help the trackers zero in on a scent. Since then, no one had spoken a word as we made our way to the pack borders and soon as we were there, they decided to change that.

"Where do you want us to start, Alpha?" Reginald asked. He wore an all-black outfit and there was a black hat on his head. The other tracker, Cole, was only wearing a pair of shorts. My wolf grunted at the sight of the young wolf's bare chest.

'He's showing too much skin in front of my mate.' He huffed angrily. It was true, but it didn't seem to catch Crimson's attention. She stood off a little to the side and she was gazing around. Her mumbling had stopped, which made me worry more. She was too quiet.

"Stay alert. We can't afford to lose any more people." I tossed Reginald the shirt of one of the children. It was a pink and white striped shirt. He sniffed it deeply, his eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head. He nodded and shifted into his wolf. His snout instantly planted into the ground and he took off in a slow jog. Ophena picked up the shirt and tucked it under her arm.

"I'm going with him. You guys follow Cole. If you find anything, just mind-link Reginald so he can let me know."

"Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded, breaking into a jog so she could catch up to him. Cole unraveled a different shirt in his hands and took in a deep breath. His eyes did the same and he passed the shirt to me. His flesh ripped along with the cracking of his bones.

'Follow me.' His voice filled the link and I nodded. He started in a jog, his brown tail wagging, and his nose practically in the ground.

"Stay close. I don't want anything to happen to you." I said. Crimson rolled her eyes and followed behind Cole. Leo huffed in irritation.

"Thanks. I'm glad you don't want to see me die." Turner said, walking past me. My face scrunched up at the vampire.

"No, I— Just walk," I growled out. I trailed beside him, looking around. The moon had lifted up in the sky and the light from it was barely visible through the thick trees. It made the woods darker and more sinister. My eyes were drawn to Crimson once again and I could see she was in deep thought. The faraway look and knitted eyebrows gave it away. Her teeth pulled her bottom lip in and she winced.

"Can you please take these chains off of me? They are becoming painful, and for crying out loud. Where is some food around here? I'm starving." He hissed out. I ignored his whining, watching Crimson.

'The scent is mixing in with someone else's. It reeks of wolfsbane.' Cole said. I nodded.

'The scent is mixing in with someone else's. He says it smells like wolfsbane. I believe we're close. Tell my sister that and keep an eye out.' I mind-linked Reginald.

'Will do, Alpha.'

"Keep going. We're probably close to where they are." I said out loud. Crimson glanced back at me as she suddenly stopped walking. I slowed down to stand next to her and she turned to me.

"I have to go back." She whispered, her breath visible in the cold air. I shook my head at her.

"We're already too far to go back. What's wrong? How are you feeling?" I asked, stepping closer to her. Our bodies were nearly touching from how close we were and she shivered. I closed my hands to prevent myself from touching her.

"It's becoming hard for me to control it. I-- I don't want to hurt anyone. Not if I can help it." She began walking again and I followed beside her. Cole and Turner continued walking, slowly trailing ahead of us.

"How about you think about something else? Get your mind off it?" I looked over at her. Her eyes twinkled with confusion.

"Think about what?"

"Like... Tell me about..." I scratched my beard in thought.

"Tell me about your grandmother. What was she like?" Her eyes went wide and she tilted her head down.

"Hey," I smiled at her in encouragement. "It helps to talk about someone you love. Trust me."

She blew out a breath and rubbed a hand down her arm. Instinctively, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her body tensed for a few seconds before she relaxed and leaned into my touch.

"Well, I don't really talk about her. I don't even know what to say." She mumbled. My hand rubbed her arm, drawing circles into the cold flesh. It still amazes me how she hasn't gotten sick in this weather.

"No rush. It'll come to you." I looked ahead of me and saw Turner waving his hands around. He pulled against the chains but was unsuccessful.

'Should I take the chains off?' I asked Leo. He snickered.

'No. Let him suffer. At least for a little while longer.' He said.

"My grandmother," I glanced down at her, "she was a great woman. She was kind, funny, and an all-around wonderful person. She treated me like I was her own child." She spoke softly.

"Did she work at the diner too?" She shook her head.

"She did before she got hurt. A food crate fell off the shelf onto her leg. She mostly stayed at home, but she did try her best to visit the diner. That diner was her pride and joy." There was a faint smile lingering on her lips and I couldn't help but stare.

"There were times where I would have to force her to leave just so I could close up. In those moments, it would be like we switched our ages. Man, I'd love to go see it." She laughed lowly, shaking her head. My heart swelled at the sound. Even though it was dark, I could see the happiness shine in her eyes.

"She made the best cakes too! I would kill to have a piece again." She chuckled, glancing up at me.

"No pun intended, right?" I asked, raising a brow. She smiled, winking.

"Maybe." She teased. I squeezed her shoulder, laughing. Her smile slowly disappeared into a frown and she cast her eyes down. I sensed her mood change and I seized my own laughter.

"Then she passed away. Heart attack. I was at the diner and when I came home later that night, she was sitting in her chair. It took me a few minutes to notice that she wasn't responding. Everything kind of went downhill from there. A lot happened that night." She whispered.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking forward. I could feel her eyes on the side of my head for a few seconds.

"Don't be. Her funeral was nice. A lot of people from town came and helped me through it. Shaw was there as well. If it wasn't for him, I probably would've killed myself."

"I'm glad you didn't," I said as I looked down at her. She bit her lip. The thought of Crimson dying made me sick to my stomach. All those times that I wished for her to die made me hate myself.

"Me too. I would've missed her celebration. It was heartbreaking. She looked great though. She was dressed in purple, her favorite color. It was sad, yet beautiful. Have you ever seen something so beautiful, but it broke you every time you saw it?" She asked, gazing to the side.

My eyes were practically burning from me staring at the side of her head for so long. A whimper escaped Leo as he watched her through my eyes.

"All the time, Crimson. All the time."