Emberborn

Oracle

I stopped in my tracks in front of the wooden steps. I felt a sharp pang in my heart when I looked at this tiny, rustic cabin in the forest.

The last time I was here, I was with my family; Beckett, Adrik, Aoife, Feliks, Mama, and Papa.

We would come to Cayden's pack, Metanoia, almost every summer to train and just take a break from our lives.

Cayden was my mother's childhood best friend. They grew up together and once we were born, we were raised with his kids just the same.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching to see their son Zack and their daughter Murphy or Cayden's mate Arden, but everything about this just felt so wrong.

I wasn't the same girl they grew up with.

I've faced a demon and burned his warriors alive. The girl they knew died screaming with tears in her eyes and her own blood smeared on her skin.

The monster that took her place was a silent predator, a weapon.

And weapons don't weep.

I'm haunted by a past that I can never forget; it's written all over my body.

Everything has changed.

Feliks and my parents are dead.

I have no idea where Beckett, Adrik, or Aoife are.

And then there is me.

I'm just a lost soul trying to keep my head above water. Never before had I wanted to go home so badly, but every time I think about going back, I'm hit with the realization that home doesn't exist anymore.

How the fuck do I move on from that?

"Seraphina...?" She whispers.

I snap myself out of my deep thoughts and swipe away a tear that sneaked its way out of my eye. My beast was howling in my mind, but I had to shut her out. We had more important things to deal with.

I wasn't alone, I had to keep little Ronan safe.

I took a deep breath before looking down at her and giving her a weak smile.

"I'm alright. Come on," I said nudging her playfully.

The cabin had vines growing up the sides, a few broken floorboards, and dusty windows that had seen better days. Seeing the cabin reminded me just how long it's been since we've visited.

It's been almost three years since the attack, even longer since I've been here.

"Goddess, it feels like it was just yesterday that Beckett and I were fighting outside here." I thought out loud.

I reached forward hesitantly before turning the doorknob. The door creaked open as a cool rush of wind breezed past us, carrying the scent of my family with it.

My beast whined at the smell of them and it took everything I had not to break down on the porch in front of Ronan.

We both stood in the doorway, staring into the dark, empty room.

"How long is it since you've been here?" She asked softly.

"Almost four years now." I breathed out.

She stayed quiet after that.

I shut my eyes and gained my composure before walking through the little green, rusted door. The dark hardwood floors barely held any dust and the furniture had been covered up by white cloths.

"Cayden..." I thought to myself.

He had been here not too long ago. He tidied up the place in case we came back. I smiled at the thought of all of us coming back here one day, even if it was just Beckett, Adrik, Aoife, and I.