Chapter 35


    Making my way through the people again, back the way I came, I find James and ask him if we can


    talk. He gives me a worried look and excuses himself before following me back into the corner. "Is it


    about my father?" He asks. "The guards reported back that they saw nothing."


    "No, it''s not. Ava told me about this King of Alphas thing. What is she talking about, James? Howe


    you never said anything?"


    He lets out a breath and rxes. "It''s nothing. It''s just some idea that a few people have been tossing


    around."


    "She told me that it was discussed at some Alpha meeting and that your name was brought up. If it''s


    being talked about at some all-important meeting then it sounds serious to me."


    James grabs my hand, using the bond as some sort of assurance. "If I thought it was important, I would


    have told you. It''s been in discussion for a while, even before I met you, Rae. It''s not likely. And the


    meetings happen every two or three months. I didn''t go to thest one because I was handling things


    with you. They aren''t as secretive or as interesting as they sound, I promise."


    I sigh. "Okay. I just feel like I''m finally being let in on all the secrets, and I want you to tell me about


    everything. I want to learn and grow, so if there''s anything else that I don''t know about, and that


    involves you, I''d like you to tell me before anyone else. We''re a team, right?"


    "Of course," he murmurs. "And I will."


    The night continues on, and after another hour I find myself nodding off. As we stand and talk, I lean


    against James, depending on him to hold me up and not let me tumble to the ground. At one point my


    eyes shut and stay shut, and James gently taps my back to wake me up. "The party is almost over,


    why don''t you head back and sleep," he says softly into my ear while the two men across from us


    babble on.


    "No, no, I can''t go. It''s my party," I mumble, forcing myself to lean off of him, showing him that I''m not


    tired. "I can wait."


    "I promise everyone is leaving in a few minutes. I''ll meet you back at the house after I thank everyone


    foring."


    "No," I protest, "I need to thank them, too."


    I stand for five more minutes before I feel James move. Assuming he''s walking to more people to start


    the ''Thank You''s,'' I mindlessly trail along. "Can you take her home, Theodore? She''s falling asleep."


    Awake again, I quickly mutter, "I''m not. I''m going to say goodbye."


    "Let''s go," Theodore says and grabs my arm, leading me out like a grandmother. I give James a re


    and he smiles and I can''t help but not re because he''s so charming.


    "I''ll be there in half an hour, okay?" James calls as we exit the building.


    I obediently walk with Theodore, but I can''t help but say, "I could have stayed. I''m fine. I didn''t get much


    sleepst night, but I can handle it for a few more minutes."


    "We''re already on the way," he says and I listen, beginning to look forward to my bed.


    It''s dark now, the sky blends with the tops of the trees, and I can hardly tell the two apart. My eyes don''t


    really watch the ground as I walk, but I don''t stumble, and I''m sure it''s because I''m busy dreaming of


    sleep, and Theodore is doing all the work. He pulls me out of the way when somethinges up on


    the path, a tree root or stone that I''d be sure to trip over.


    Thinking of myselfying in bed is easy when I''ve only slept for four hours in nearly two days. I was


    nervous for the party before I had my battle with myself in the mirror, and the anxious thoughts came at


    night. Iid beside James and enjoyed the feeling of it for the majority, finding a simple distraction in


    him.


    Theodore takes me all the way to the front door and I say ''goodnight'' and ''thank you'' before he leaves.


    The house is empty, Gail and Theresa being gone by now. I''ve never liked the feeling of an empty


    house because it feels eerily full when I''m the only one home. All of the stray bumps and creeks spook


    me like a child. When I was younger, and when my mother would be gone at night, I would stay strictly


    in my bedroom with the door shut. Every light would be on in my safe space because for some reason


    children think lights can save them.


    I make my way upstairs and struggle with the zipper of my dress, twisting my arm around and pulling


    down, frustrated and exhausted. It eventually gives in and I abandon it on the floor, a ck puddle for


    me to identally step inter.


    I groan and slip on a pair of pajamas before crashing to the bed, toozy to do anything else. I stretch


    out like a cat, letting the nkets absorb me fully, pulling the edge to my chin. All is well and I drift off


    within minutes, expecting to wake up when James gets home. Sounds prod at my sleeping head, but


    nothing wakes me, not until I hear the bedroom door open.


    The scent fogs my mind and I struggle to get up, feeling like my body weighs ten times heavier than


    normal. "James?" I croak.


    Everything is quite a blur until I am yanked up by my arm. Like being sshed with water, I panic into a


    state of alertness, my heart shooting forward along with my body. The grip is tight and unfamiliar, yet


    the scent grows familiar so I look up. It looks like James, but some odd version of him. My eyes


    struggle to focus and everything seems to vibrate. It takes a second or two until I realize it''s his father,


    but by then he''s forcing me to my feet.


    My legs refuse to work along with my head, but his father doesn''t stop.


    "What are—What are you doing here? What are you doing?" I grumble, regaining my body back.


    "James isn''t here."


    He attempts to take me into the bathroom, but I hold back. "James isn''t here," I say again, my


    conscience returning. "You need to leave, now."


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    His father is rushed with his movements and he grabs me again, jerking me into the bathroom and


    letting me fall to the tiled floor. Nearly hitting my head on the bathtub, I frantically attempt to get up, but


    he pushes me back down then grabs something out of his pocket. I catch I glimpse of the de and my


    heart plummets, screams leaving me as soon as I can muster. He blocks my sudden run to the door,


    wrapping his arms around me. I kick and kick and try to break free, blood rushing to my face.


    Hot tears stream down my flushed cheeks as he shuffles towards the tub. My throat is dry and strained


    but the cries and screams continue to erupt from within, bringing him to tighten his hold each time.


    He pulls me into the tub with him. My feet shoot up and down, my heels hitting the porcin, and I try


    to make as must noise as possible. James'' father''s hand covers my mouth, his nails digging into my


    skin, and his other holds up the thin de. Not letting him get ahold of my arms, I keep moving. "We''re


    gonna have to do this the hard way, huh?" He grunts, his hand falling from my mouth for only his arm to


    wrap around my neck. The hold isn''t too hard, but I still can''t breathe, and I know it''s because he


    doesn''t want to leave a dark mark. Tears continuously fall, and the panic grows into a dense cloud


    around me, suffocating me.


    "You didn''t finish the diary, did you?" He says near my ear, my face turning a deeper red. My hands


    w at his arm and the logic for survival settles in, my animalistic side taking over my brain. As he


    wants, I go limp. After a few seconds, he lets go and I fight my body to not take a deep breath or


    cough. I don''tst long though, and I spring to life, managing to slip from his grasp. Scrambling from


    the tub, Ind hard on my side, my hip already feeling bruised. My head is heavy and my throat is tight,


    but I crawl for the door and tug on the handle, falling with it as it opens.


    He''s quick to grab my legs, but I look back and kick again, causing him to lose his hold. I get a good


    shot at his chest and he lets out a violent cough.


    Sweat rolls down my forehead and I get to my feet, running down the hall as I cry out. It''s an inaudible


    mix of ''help'' and ''James'', but the ground seems to wave and my head bes dense with a harsh


    dizziness, the pressure pushing me down the stairs. I slide down and cry out again, this time from the


    extra hits on my hip. My hair sticks to my face, and I scratch it away and I struggle to get up.


    James'' fathers pounding footsteps be louder and louder, and I contemte running to the kitchen


    for a knife or running for the front door. Knowing that I have to shift, I dash for the door and manage to


    get my hand on the handle, but he grabs my hair. I yelp and whine as he pulls me back, my hair


    knotted around his fingers. He attempts to wrap his arm around my neck again, but I quickly duck, my


    hair ripping out. In a sh, the handle is mine again and I yank the door open, hitting him and sprinting


    for my life. With my hip screaming, I nce back and nce back, only hearing my heavy breaths as I


    power on.


    Thest thing I see before shifting and running into the woods is arge wolf tackling his father to the


    ground. All the movements blend into one blur, but I swear that his father stopped moving. I swear the


    man is dead in the grass, facing the moon.


    The Goddess stares down at him.


    The truth follows me, and I cannotprehend anything that has just happened. His voice ys over


    and over in my head, ''you didn''t finish the diary, did you?''


    I bury myself in the trees and I don''t look back again.