His Revenge

10.

Tears are a manifestation of the emotions that churn within us, whether it be sadness or joy, when one has no tears, they lack the emotion, just a sense of temporary tranquility.

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Carter.

Pouring over different maps in the one place I never thought I'd find myself in for a while wasn't a reprieve, it just made me want to speed up whatever I was doing and get out. "Cherry, what exactly are you looking for?" Sterling questioned as he brought in more maps, from where, I do not know, but I was grateful for them, I had already made out half of Kholis Bay's underground tunnel system, train and mine shafts. "For any place that could house a large facility underground." I replied whilst taking maps from him and going back over to the table in his cozy little office. "Why would you need that?" He asked, stunned in place. "That's for me to know, I already told you too much." I asserted and he groaned, he whipped me around roughly and held me by my shoulders.

"I know I fucking messed up—" I raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, I know you hate cussing, but I know I hurt you and what I did can't just be erased overnight over a cup of coffee, but I need you to know that I can help you, that I could atleast try be back up for whatever you're doing, please just let me." He asserted slightly shaking me, I had never seen a grown man beg to be included much less by the person he betrayed, sometimes the beds we make ourselves are too hard to lay in huh. I not so gently pried his arms off my shoulders and sighed. "You can't help anymore than you already did, once upon a time I came to you for help and you stabbed me in the back, me being here means youre just a bit necessary in finding what I want, that's the kind of help I need from you, when I need real back up, the kind that would do anything for me, you'll see it, now I think you have someone at the door listening in on this conversation, and I'd like to finish up and get out of here." I replied in the best way I could, Sterling's eyes were filled with remorseful tears and all I wanted was to wipe them away and tell him it would be okay, but that was the old me, it led a lot of people to betraying me.

How I knew there was a wolf at the door, I myself was a wolf with heightened senses, plus I could feel the turmoil in their being, this particular wolf had feelings for Sterling. "What do you want Erik?!" Sterling growled as I turned back to the map, this was their problem not mine. I grabbed the nearest lamp and overturned it, making it shed light beneath the maps, lo and behold I had the complete underground system. Taking a marker by Sterling's desk I marked out places I already knew housed some sort of bunker in pack territory and outside. Taking pictures of the map, I sent them to my husband for safe keeping, he would go over them too. As I kept looking, one no two places stood out in particular, my grandma's lab and the space east of it, there used to be a hospital there before the pack grew big enough and alpha Harrison bought the land for the pack, something in me told me there were secrets there, but I'd have to check it later.

I chanced a glance at the door and Sterling along with the equally large Erik weren't there, looking in his cabinet cases I found a lighter and fluid, with a metallic bin nearby, I placed the marked maps, doused them in the fluid and lit them on fire, no map, no evidence, no trail, once it was completely burnt out just like the smoke, I leapt out the window without a sound,  then fell down to the ground, I wasn't a cat but I landed on my feet, luckily no one was at this side of the building to see me do that, I was wearing typical cat burglar black if you looked at me like that, moving on, I made my way to the library, I knew my rental car was still good for a few hours before it got towed, so I waited, the library closed at five pm, I got in with fifteen minutes before five, the lady at the front desk squirmed in her seat as she saw me then proceeded to get up and walk away, yeah, run little piggy.

With her gone I looked for the perfect spot to hideout, away from the cameras, as I waited thoughts began to come back to me, only six left, alpha Harrison claims he didnt kill her and at the rate I was going at, it was bound to be true, but I couldn't let him off the hook just because he was a willing participant, I had to find out more and in doing so, I hoped it didnt have to come to what happened to Irina, I truly hoped so. The lights suddenly went off, it was closing time, I made my move just as everything was silent, making my way toward the darker parts of the library I knew I would find my answers there, my wolf and I were one even if I didn't shift I saw with my wolf's eyes and the dim blue luminescent glow came back. "What did you want me to find granma." I whispered as I traced my finger on one particular book that had a cobalt blue spine, pushing it downwards it seemed a latch opened by the far wall where the lines crawled on, with my wolf guiding the way I found the opening and the door creaked open with a low thud, I was awestruck.

The small dim lines changed into a bright mirage, they connected and wove around each other until they met at a singular bookshelf by the wall, it was a small room, a table in one corner, eight chairs around it, a fireplace that had burnt out a long time ago, cobwebs and dust had gathered on the small trinkets in the room, time had truly passed by with this room untouched. I made my way to the bookshelf cautiously because all aroud me, I could feel her, she had spent so much time in here and I was sure that if there was a trigger to my powers, it was in here, how I wanted to see her in here and just like I wished, when I touched the book shelf images bombarded me. "We cannot risk the pack knowing about you, your linage or others like you in the world." Grandpa Carter argued as he held granma in his arms, he always knew about his mate's gift and had always tried to make sure no one knew or they would abuse it. "The future is always untold, at some point they will find out, what will we do then Carter." She argued as he held her close. "Not today my love, and we will make sure that they will not know, our children will have to leave the pack, for their own safety, little Carter can't be abused for his gifts, we can't allow it." His words finally made my tears fall.

Grandpa Carter knew, they knew we would be exploited if the pack knew, I always resented how they made me and my parents leave the pack and away from them, now it made sense, it was to protect us, but the pack still found out. "If they find out you kept this from them, they will kill you, and come after our children." Grandma argued, I could see it in her eyes, she knew it was inevitable. "Then we will leave a way for our children, and grandchildren to know why and how everything happened, why it seemed we did not love them, its the only way." Grandpa Carter answered wiping her tears away and they held each other in an embrace so tight I felt it and just as the memory was triggered, it faded away. My heart and my being was hurting, they had been killed for the gifts we were given, and it truly hurt knowing there was nothing any of us could do at that time except watch.

There were several books on the shelves, but I knew what I was looking for because most of them were useless and only a Defray wolf could see it, a symbol unique to our family, in total I found six books, with the symbol, as I laid them out a quietened sound made it to my ears, someone was close and waiting. I picked up the books, secured them tightly in my hold, silently I made my way out of the room, put the door and latch back in place, the book I had moved to open the latch like a matrix puzzle had shifted its position, I didn't want to stay long enough to investigate whatever it was and how it worked so I found a window that had outside access and minimum risk of exposure and jumped out, I really needed to stop doing that.

Making my way to my car, I felt uneasy but also comfortable, I had what I needed to find everything I had questions to, as I drove home I knew I had a lot of work to do and it needed to be done quickly, what I didn't expect were several wolves at my house, and that's when I remembered, a wolf had died.

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Saint_Jay