The Human In The Wolf Pack
Chapter 41

It was eerily silent for a moment. All we had left were the bodies of our comrades. There was no relief, no joy. It was quiet. Did the living feel relieved that they were still standing, or did they wish that they were the ones who had fallen? I only felt empty as I watched the spot where Tristan had disappeared. He could still come back. I mean, this was Tristan. He made it out of everything. He was smart, and cunning. He wouldn’t have done it, knowing he would die, right? The silence began to break, as names started being called. I turned numbly, watching. The werewolves had shifted back, and along with the Gifted, they were calling out for people, searching. Amongst the call of names, cries began to break out.

Sobs, screams of agony and despair, and I knew that meant that name was gone. That person was dead. The sound of grief, the sounds of relief, the crying, the crippling feeling that was being alive when the people you cared about were gone. I couldn’t stand, my legs refused to get up as I watched. I wanted to call out my own set of names. Eliza, Ariel, Ripley, Rose, Blake, Lilly, May, Theo, Will, Ali, Tristan. Tristan, Tristan, Tristan.

“Vera,” Rider’s voice called.I finally realized that he was shaking me, and my eyes turned to meet his grey orbs. They were red, as if he was holding in tears. He was dirty, covered in dry b***d, but he looked like he didn’t have any major injuries. My face slowly turned back to where Tristan had disappeared. He wasn’t there.

“Tristan,” I whispered, hoping that like the others, calling his name would make him appear. Nothing happened. The space he had disappeared in didn’t pop up.

“Tristan,” I called again, louder. Still, nothing.

“Vera, he’s gone,” Rider whispered, his hand resting on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

“No, he could still come back. He wouldn’t just leave us all behind. He promised. He said he would help me make my dream come true,” I told him stubbornly, pushing away his hands. I tried to stand on shaky legs, screaming this time.

“Tristan! Come back here, it’s not funny. Stop joking around, come back,” I demanded.

The Gifted came forward, Eliza breaking through the crowd and running up to me. She clutched onto me tightly, hugging me to her as she sobbed. I realized then, when Ariel didn’t run out with her. The grief came on rather unexpectedly, but in full force. I gasped, the pain so intense, it felt like I couldn’t breath. The tears started flowing without me knowing. This odd sound started to fill the air. It made my stomach twist when I heard it. I wanted to plug my ears, to block it out. Something like a scream, raw and filled with something past agony, past despair, but then I realized that it was coming from me.

Sobs filled the air as I cried so hard I wasn’t even able to take in a breath. I clung to Eliza desperately, feeling like if I let go, she too would disappear. How could I live like this? How could I go on feeling this pain everyday, knowing I would never see them again. I could have saved them. If I had just been willing to sacrifice myself immediately. They shouldn’t of had to fight. I could have ended it all. It’s my fault. I felt Rider’s hand touch my back, and gently, he drew me away from Eliza.

“I’ll take care of her, go get your wounds treated,” Rider told her, holding me close to his chest.

The sobs became distant, but my own cries remained in my ears as Rider held me tightly, stroking my back as I shook with despair.

“Vera, baby, it’ll be ok. Breathe, baby, breathe,” He murmured, kissing my forehead as he spoke.

“They’re gone. Tristan and Ariel are gone. What about the others? Who else is…” I broke off with a cry.

Rider was wordless, he just let me cry as I stayed in that b***d drenched field, hoping that by some miracle, Tristan would come back through that black hole, but he never did. Even when the sun began to rise in the sky, and a new day dawned, he never left that darkness. After awhile, Rider picked me up, carrying me back to the pack grounds. My tears had stopped, and I was just left empty.

Everything warm that had once filled my heart was gone. I felt cold. Before I knew it, we were out of the woods. Infirmaries had already been set up as planned, and people were getting treated. Rider took me into one of the white tents, and one of the doctors rushed over to me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, everything felt just… too hard. I had fulfilled the task fate had demanded of me, and now I just felt lifeless. I closed my eyes, just wanting to sleep. I wanted to forget. I wanted to wake up, and for all of this to be a dream, but the words of the prophecy just kept ringing through my mind.

I realized that maybe I was wrong, maybe I was never the one meant to die.

A human with the b***d of the Pack

Will give due sacrifice to seal the crack

She will lose what she can’t regain

For love it was given

And it is Death who will take it away.

Was Tristan that sacrifice? Why? I drifted into unconsciousness with that thought, apart of me hoping I would never have to wake up and face that grief again.

————-

I knew I was dreaming, even though the scenery was different, it still had the same feeling as the two from before. Now, I stood inside a large room, in the shape of a circle. Twelve doors filled the walls around me, and as I looked at them, I realized how different each of them were. Where was I?

“Vera?” A familiar voice called.

I turned to see the Goddess. Her beautiful face was downcast, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at me. She stood before me,instead of above me like before. I could see her much better now, and she was even more beautiful, and for a moment, I wondered why she looked so sad, but then it came back to me.

I jerked away from her, almost hyperventilating.

“You tricked me!” I cried out, turning away from the otherworldly woman.

“That was never my intention, Vera,” She spoke softly, her voice full of sadness.

“No, you don’t get to pity me, or feel sad for us. You forced us into this. You gave us these gifts, and sent us all to the s*******r, so that we could kill one of your own. You’re a God! You could’ve done away with him, you all just didn’t want to get your hands dirty,” I yelled, my grief switching to anger as I glared at the woman.

“I wanted to apologize for your loss, and thank you for your sacrifice. The Gods agreed that you should be rewarded for your efforts,” She said, her gentle voice filling the space, trying to calm my turbulent emotions.

“Bring them back! Tristan, Ariel, and everyone else,” I demanded, my tone desperate as I approached her again, my hands outstretched as if I were praying.

“We cannot bring back the dead, Vera.”

Her words made my heart plummet, and the smallest bit of hope I had was snuffed out.

“Do you realize…what you are saying? Tristan had to die surrounded by darkness. He was all alone, and his body won’t even be buried here on Earth. We’ll never get to say goodbye. He took my place, Goddess. That was supposed to be my fate.”

“No, Vera,” She said, looking down, unable to face my sorrow. “He had always been the one meant to die.”

I let out a sob, turning away from her once again. She was quiet for a moment, my own cries filling the space between us.

“What do you want, Vera? Tell me what you wish,” She finally said.

Looking at her, I could see the guilt. She didn’t want to witness the aftermath of their so called fate. I steeled myself, straightening my shoulders as I wiped away the last of my tears.

“I want the Gods to stay out of the mortals’ affairs. Leave us alone, and don’t bother the mortal world. Stop forcing your decisions on us. From now on, we will make our own fate, and you should deal with your own problems yourself.”

She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

“I’m sorry, Vera. You did everything the way you were supposed to, it’s not your fault, and your friends aren’t suffering. They wanted me to tell you that it’s ok, and that they have no regrets.”

I turned away from her. The Goddess who used to make me feel amazed, and in awe only brought about disgust now. She seemed to accept this, and before I knew it, the dream faded away, and once again, I was enveloped in darkness.