The Other Animals

Epilogue

Things didn't seem to immediately settle down as expected after Adriano's death. Emotions remained high, the energy and adrenaline had been building in everyone's bodies for months, the suspense they had endured in anticipation of the mission- it so quickly came to a head. From the moment suspicion rose about the rogues, to the night before they were set to put their plan into action, every event led up to the moment of fate everyone was bracing for- only for everything to come to a sudden standstill.

It was as though Oliver was standing on a train track, hearing the sound of an approaching train, watching as its bright headlights slowly took up more of his vision as it hurdled towards him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the collision, for the air to still, and the night to go silent. Cracking open an eye, he was face to face with the train, the metal only an inch away from his nose, but somehow, it had defied the laws of physics by coming to a complete stop in one millionth of a second.

He was relieved of course that the train never hit him, but everything that led to this very moment, the pain, terror, and paranoia, it all went up in a wisp of smoke, leaving behind nothing but tense silence. That has very real effects on people.

Nikolai's mind was reeling with rage over the past few days- angry that it wasn't him to tear out Adriano's throat, disappointed that it wasn't him to take the light from his eyes. Ever since Oliver had been taken, Nikolai was determined to bring Adriano down, and selfishly, he always thought it would be him. That was his kill Ruvik had stolen from him, his outlet to release all of his pent up emotions. Killing Adriano was supposed to be his redemption for failing to protect his mate, and now, someone else had intervened, leaving Nikolai feeling as though he had failed yet again.

It would be a cold day in hell when Ruvik was the hero of this story, and yet, cold it was.

Then there was the wolf that attacked them in Atlas, the one that still seemed to have life behind its eyes, a telltale sign that it wasn't a rogue. Its calculated stare knew exactly who it was looking at, knew exactly why it was attacking them. It was a werewolf who had full capability of its actions, and was in full control, not driven by primal instinct, but by free will and intention. It was like a knife in Nikolai's chest, the feeling of betrayal by a member of his own kind was something he couldn't get off his mind. Why in the world would a werewolf choose to work with someone not only as malicious and amoral as Adriano, but someone who was actively working against the werewolves, wreaking havoc and chaos amongst the packs.

The hardest part of it all was the reality that they will never know what that wolf's motives were.

Nikolai could only burn off so much steam by running around in his wolf form, until the adrenaline subsided and he just felt like shit again. Oliver watched the woods sadly from the front porch of the pack house, knowing his mate was out there tearing himself apart. He didn't know what else to do, aside from letting the feelings run their course, and he already had his hands full with his father.

Running a hand down his face with a sigh, Oliver turned back into the building with a wary expression, feeling everyone's eyes watching him and his next move. After all, he was the only thing currently holding their Alpha together.

He had a suspicion on the whereabouts of his father, so he set course towards the recreation room, the door closed with not an ounce of light leaking through the gap underneath. Oliver shook his head angrily, barging through the door into the pitch black room, the only light coming from the flat screen TV up front. The meek silhouette of a man sat hunched over on the couch, head bowed as the graphic images of a young boy blind folded and locked in a soundproof room played on the screen. His disturbing cries and pleas for help pierced the quiet room, begging to see his mom and dad as he hugged himself tightly in a sad attempt to self sooth. Brown corduroy dungarees and a white shirt with little dinosaurs printed throughout- that was one of Oliver's favorite things to wear.