Chapter 74


    Chapter 74 Using the Gift


    After theirst ss, Thea and the triplets went with Garret Knight to his pack. His father, Alpha Knight,


    met them outside. He escorted them to the dais, where Xavier sat tied to the silver pole. The closer


    Thea got to him, the more intense the pain became


    The triplets walked away from the dais with the Knights, keeping them upied while Thea sat in front


    of Xavier. The holes where his canines used to be were still oozing blood. They would never heal.


    There was a trail of blood, dried and fresh, all down his front.


    “Xavier?” Thea said, pushing down her revulsion.


    Xavier lifted his head and looked at Thea. He looked gaunt. He had dark circles around his eyes and


    sallow skin,


    “Come to see your handiwork?” Xavier said. He coughed.


    “I need to know why you treated people like they didn’t matter,” Thea said.


    “I’m an Alpha. I take what I want.”


    “And what other people want doesn’t matter?”


    Thea said.


    “Why would it?”


    “Have you always thought so?”


    “Whoever has the power makes the rules.”


    “When you shifted and got your power, you took what was yours.”


    “Yeah.”


    “Your father taught you that being Alpha meant taking care of your pack.”


    –


    “He was wrong.”


    “You believe that?” Thea said. “You’re dying. You were punished in the worst way possible. Everyone


    despises you because of what you did. Everyone agrees it was wrong. You still believe what you did


    was right?”


    He stared at her. “I’d keep doing it if I could.”


    “Why? Have you never cared about anyone in your entire life?”


    “Care about people? Why? They’re no better than toys.”


    “I know you weren’t raised to think this way. What happened that made you think this was okay? Or


    were you born like this? Is it a mistake in gic coding?”


    “I’m not the one with the problem,” Xavier said. More blood and saliva dripped from his mouth,


    “How can you possibly not see the error in your thinking? If the whole world was like you—”


    “There’d be a lot less trash in the world,” Xavier said.


    “You’re going to die. You don’t feel regret?” Thea said.


    “My only regret is not killing you before you made this mess.”


    “Have you killed other people?”


    He smirked. “No one knows half of what I’ve done.”


    “You killed people. Humans? In the city?” Thea said.


    “And unshifted wolves from faraway packs when I got the chance.”


    “How many?” Her voice quavered.


    “Like it matters,” Xavier said.


    “What did you do with the bodies?”


    “Wolves eat meat.”


    Thea suppressed the urge to vomit.


    “Is there anything left of your victims? Bones? Do you have a burial ground where the families can find


    closure?”


    Xavier rolled his eyes.


    “Even dogs eat bones,” he said.


    There was nothing left of his victims. Their families would never get closure.


    This wasn’t normal. Thea wouldn’t ept that Xavier chose to be this way. She needed to feel deeper.


    “ric,e here,” Thea thought. ric joined her on the dais.


    “What’s up?” ric said.


    “Will you sit next to him?” Thea said.


    ric sat down. Thea got up on her knees. She put a hand on each of their heads. She focused on


    their brains. ric felt good. Like a well-oiled machine. Xavier was different. There was less going on in


    his brain. Parts of it didn’t work. Why though? Then it came to her. Those parts had never worked. He


    didn’t get enough resources in the womb. He was a twin. The twin died in the womb and was resorbed,


    but it was toote for Xavier. His brain didn’t develop right.


    “Zoe?” Thea thought.


    “Yeah?” Zoe said.


    “Can we fix his brain?”


    “He’s dying, Thea,” Zoe said. “There’s nothing we can do about that.”


    “I know, but is it possible?” Thea thought to her.


    “Go ahead and try. I guess we can use him as practice.”


    “How?”


    “Feel,” Zoe said. “Your magic naturally wants to help things be their best version. Feel what’s there,


    make the intention that it be its best version, your magic will react to the DNA and know what to fix,


    then push your magic into him.”


    Thea closed her eyes. She opened herself to Xavier’s brain and thought about it being whole, all the


    dead or broken parts being fixed. She felt something build inside her. She imagined pushing it into


    Xavier’s head. She felt a rush leave her. She opened her eyes and watched Xavier as the energy kept


    flowing out of her.


    Xavier swayed and passed out. ric watched with a curious expression. Thea kept the energy flowing


    until it slowed and stopped on its own. She felt into Xavier’s brain again. She coaxed the electrical


    currents through to the formally nk zones.


    “Xavier,” Thea said. She shook his shoulder.


    He lifted his head. He swayed. He opened his eyes, but it took a moment for them to focus. He looked


    into Thea’s. The harshness in his eyes was gone, reced with confusion.


    “What did you do to me?” Xavier said. His voice was different. “Oh goddess. Oh goddess. What have I


    done? What did I do? I don’t want to feel this. I don’t want to remember. Just let me die.”


    “What do you remember?” Thea said.


    “All the people I hurt. I killed. Ugh! Like they weren’t living beings. Oh goddess, What was wrong with


    me?”


    “Xavier, your brain was damaged. You didn’t have empathy. It wasn’t your fault,” Thea said.


    ric scrunched his eyebrows together.


    “Why did you fix me now?” Xavier said. Tears poured down his face, washing away the blood. “I don’t


    want to know what I’ve done. Why didn’t you just let me die?”


    “Are you sorry for what you did?” Thea said.


    “It doesn’t matter. What I’ve done is unforgivable. I can never make up for what I’ve done. I don’t


    deserve to live.”


    “Do you regret what you did?” Thea said.


    Xavier looked up toward the sky. “Goddess, why did you let me do those things? Why did you let me


    live if I was defective? My wolf hated me. You should have killed me in the womb.”


    Xavier crumpled over, sobbing. Thea felt remorse, disgust, horror, and so much more in


    Xavier


    “I’m sorry, Xavier.” Thea said “Let’s go, ric


    nic got up and offered Thea his arm She took his arm and got a feeling of deja vu like she’d done it


    before Something itched inside her brain


    “What was that all about?”* ric said


    “I’ll tell you when we get home,” Thea said


    They walked back to Garret and Alpha Knight


    “I think I reached him,” Thea said. “If you want to talk to him, now might be the time.”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Alpha Knight looked at her curiously


    “What did he say to you?” Garret said


    “I think he got a conscience in the eleventh hour He seems genuinely remorseful. He confessed to


    some stuff You might not want to know If you do, maybe you should hear it from him.”


    Alpha Knight started walking to his son. Garret gave Thea onest look then ran after his father.