Loving the enemy

Chapter 18

"How are you doing?" Shane asks as we walk through the trees.
"Everything is exactly how I remember it, but at the same time it's so different." I reply eyes wide as I take in the wilderness. This is where I grew up, where I spent most of my life. We walk under the tree where my home used to be, now the trunk and branches are a charred black. Someone tried to burn it down. My chest tightens and memories of Shane, Dan, and Able start whirling around my head. Oh god.
"Yeah, I guess time has that effect on things." I look up at him, something has changed inside of him. I can feel it in the air that he carries.
"Yeah. I guess so." As I walk my thoughts start to drift, eventually I start to regret not saying goodbye to Sebastian. He's probably concerned about me.
"We are here." He says after a moment. "Just through the clearing." My mouth goes dry, I part my lips to make up another lame excuse as to why I shouldn't go but he takes my hand. A few years ago, that would have made everything okay. But now it was a weird gesture, strange and almost foreign. I want to take my hand away. but I don't dare. "It's okay, Max. Trust me." He smiles at me and I smile back, a unconvincing facade of strength and bravery. He steps through the tree line, and I follow. Unlike everything else, the lake I often escaped too is in no way different, except for the pack of people who now live there. All eyes fall on me and Shane, on our linked hands, on my face. Some of the pack shift into their wolf forms, while others are almost shocked. I notice Dan in the crowd, he stands still looking in my general direction. He can't see me, but I know he can tell its me everyone is looking at.
"I know a lot of you hold grudges against this woman." I look over at Shane, who is speaking out to the crowd of mixed emotions. I start to wonder how many friends and family members I have killed of these people. I wonder how many lives Able has taken too. "But she can help us. The one who is terrorising us, the one who has been killing our people, if he will listen to anyone it's her." I squeeze Shane's hand slightly tighter.
"Why should we trust her! She killed Alpha!" An unfamiliar wolf yells from the crowd.
"My father killed her parents and forced her into a life she didn't deserve. I loved that man, but what he did to her was sick." Shane speaks a little louder: "you cannot tell me that if you were in her position, you wouldn't have wanted vengeance." Silence hushes over the crowd, they all start to look a little guilty. "Max did some things that angered a lot of you. But she is here now, and has agreed to try to talk to her brother." Shane steps forward, suddenly more fierce. "I am Alpha of this pack, and she is my mate. Anybody who tries to hurt her, will pay the price." His eyes blaze red, and the crowd slink back. They start to turn away from us, continuing on with their business. Dan walks through the crowd towards me, the pack parting for him as he walks. He stands in front of me and smiles.
"I'm so proud of you, Max." He wraps his arms around me like a warm blanket and I do the same, hiding my face in his neck.

Fuck, what have I got myself into?

••••••

"How will I find Able?" I ask Shane as we stand in his tent.
"You will walk up to his front door and knock."
"What?" I exclaim, completely shocked, "And you expect him to just invite me in for tea?"
"It's the best way. I can walk you towards his castle, but cannot come to the door with you. That would be bad, you showing up alone shows bravery and puts you in the higher position."
"I can't-"
"You must." He steps forward and takes my hands. "This is the only way. You will be fine."
"What do you expect me to say?"
"Whatever you feel is right." I start to think he's lost his mind. "I will wait in the trees for two hours. If you are not back by then, me and my men will come after you."
"This is crazy. You're crazy." I say, tearing my hands from his.
"Listen to me. You are in too deep to run away again. Don't turn your back on these people. Don't turn your back on me, on Dan." I feel my eyes sting. Confused and afraid tears buzzing in my skull. His hand caresses my cheek and his thumb swipes away the tear. "It'll be okay. I swear to you." I want to tell him he can't promise me anything, but I don't. Instead I clench my jaw and nod.
"I'll do it."
•••••
Shane walks me as far as he can. I kiss him softly, before turning and walking towards the castle. I'm terrified. The castle is tall and sharp, jagged points and dark paint. Tall church like windows are on wait her side of the big red door. Aside from that there is no light. Which makes sense, they are vampires. I walk up to the front door and stand there for a moment, my hands shaking. Eventually I sum up the courage to knock on the door. It swings open. I look back at Shane who is watching me from the trees before I step inside. The air is different, misty and thick. "Able?" I call out stepping forward into the darkness. As I place my foot down it as if I have activated a switch, lights flicker on lighting up a hallway. It doesn't take long for me to realise the lights are in fact candles. I notice the cloaked figure of a man appear at the end of the corridor. The light is not enough for me to see the mans face. He walks towards me slowly with a huge aura of power and I stand almost paralysed. Soon he stands a metre away and he stops, lifting his chin up so I can see his face in the light. My knees wobble slightly as I stare into the face of my little brother. A tidal wave of disbelief hits me. "It's really you." He nods yes and reaches out his arms wide and steps towards me, wrapping me in a hug. I hold him back instantly, burying my face into his shoulder. "I thought you were gone forever."
"I could say the same to you." He replies in a deeper voice than I remember. I pull back from the hug and lower his hood, looking into his face. His jaw is more defined than it was last time I saw him. He has a even beard of stubble making his face seem darker. His eyes still have the same determined spark I remember. His shoulders are broad and his body is more muscular, though it needs to be to survive in a life like this.
"You're all grown up now, baby brother."
"I've been grown up for a long time, Max." He pauses for a moment, his eyes scanning my face. "Come, I want to show you something." He takes my hand and leads me down the dark, windowless, never-ending halls. As we turn a corner I see a pair of glowing eyes, a man stands there with a threatening stance. Able doesn't seem phased, once the man looks at my brother he shrinks away. We continue walking. In a short amount of time we reach a large wooden door. Able pushes it open and we step inside. It's an office, candles lace the walls, the only source of light, and it's not much. He walks behind a big desk and sits down, gesturing to the seat across from him he says simply; "sit."
I do.
"Rumours say you killed the Alpha. The one the got mom, dad."
"If you know this, why are you still attacking more werewolves?"
"Why aren't you?" I know the reasons, but I keep my mouth shut. "I thought you of all people would still be killing them, but then I heard another rumour, one of you getting attached to a certain few. The new Alpha in particular. I used him to find you, Max. I wanted to speak with you. About all of this mess."
He sighs and stands up from his seat, starting to drift around the room. "When I got my memory back, I instantly left my new home to find you. I searched the tree house, our old home, everywhere. I didn't think for one moment you would be living in the city. Working at a bar. That's not really you, at least I didn't think it was. You are so much better than a waitress, so much more powerful. I was out struggling to survive alone in the wilderness searching endlessly for you, while you were making margaritas." He laughs cooly, looking at a dark oak bookshelf in the back of the room. "I was found, half dead by vampires. They must have recognised my fire, because instead of killing me they took me in. Trained me. My pent up energy for staying in the treehouse all day exploded. I was powerful. More so than any of them. They bit me, made me their ruler." He pulls down the collar of his shirt, two bite marks are imprinted in his skin. I let out a gasp.
"You're... You're a vampire?"
"Yes. Ruler of." My head starts to spin.
"Able, why am I here?"
"Those wolves attacked me. Knocked over that bookshelf that almost made me forget who I am. Who you are. I remember him being there. Shane. When I crushed. I remember his face. He used you to get to me, and he will get you too." I shake my head in a confused no.
"Shane didn't push the shelf on you, vampires did. Shane was with me. He helped you. He took you to hospital. You would have died otherwise."
"Lies. He is feeding you lies. Max, he doesn't know you realise he is scum." Able steps close to me, crouching beside my chair with his hand on my arm. "You can take him down, kill them all while they sleep. You have connections. They trust you. If you do this one last thing for our parents, you can join me here. We can rule a kingdom. A kingdom of people who have dedicated their lives to hating and killing our enemies." My mouth goes dry.
"Able... I am Shane's mate."
"No, another one of his sick lies. You know that's impossible, you are human."
"I can't betray them, I already killed the old alpha, isn't that enough?" My brothers eyes ignite with an energy I have never seen before. It terrifies me.
"You are choosing them." He says deathly quiet, slowly rising to his feet and shaking with anger.
"What? No-"
"You are choosing them!" He roars, "over your own blood! They killed your parents! Our parents! Does that mean nothing to you?" I rise, stumbling backwards and knocking the chair over. "Me and my people can take them out ourselves. If you are there when we do, and if you fight for them;" he pauses, quivering in rage, "you will wish that bookshelf had killed me." I scramble out the door, running down the halls to the exit. Behind me I can hear Able screaming "leave this place! If you ever come back here with the same views we will tear you apart!"
As I sprint down the halls I fell vampires melt into the halls behind me, their red eyes glowing as I run back to Shane.

Oh little brother, what happened to you?