Hayden's gate

Chapter 11: I found you

Two months prior
Zane
    I cannot believe she has already been gone a month. When father found out he was livid he sent me to find her and now I'm here in the middle of God knows where covering every single reflect surface so I don't see him.
  How could she leave me to see Maxwell on my own? His voice haunts me. He wants to come back. I just want our family back together. Is opening the gate of hell really necessary.
  " yes it is" I hear his booming voice. Even though the mirrors covered, I still hear his whispers. It's like they're embedded in my brain.
  " Maxwell please give me a break. I want you to come home, but I can't do that if I hear your voice constantly."
  " I'm sorry Zane, but it's the only way, I'm trapped here until you sent me free. I'll be here forever"
   " I need a drink" I stand up from my bed. Making my way out of my hotel room making sure I locked the door behind me. I head off to the tavern that I know is in town. I need some to take the edge off, drinking seems the only way I can get them out of my head.
  As soon as I enter the tavern, I scrunch my nose I knew this was a primarily werewolf town seen as there's a werewolf tribe right out side of it however, I didn't know this many of them would be here. I sit down at the bar crossing my arms over my chest, trying not to feel suffocated by the magic swirling in the room. I feel the presence behind me when I suddenly jump.
  A girl leans on the counter next to me facing the bartender. I can't help but admire her beauty. She is a deep rich skin tone and fiery hair to match. it's rare that I find interest in someone. There's something about her presence that calms me. Little to say it's peaked my curiosity. She's absolutely stunning and the way she's paying me no mind makes me want to know who she is even more.
That's when I realize Maxwell's voice is gone. Even if he's not saying words, I normally hear him reciting some things in my head. Normally a repetition of phrases or letters sometimes I don't even know what he's saying at all. It just sounds like far off mutter. but as soon as her presence filled the space next to me, it's quiet, the first time in six months.
That's when she notices me staring a small smirk plays at her lips as she looks at me and then back at the bartender she gets her drink.
" mind if I sit" her voice is smooth like honey.
" no not at all" I tried to drop my formality as much as possible. This is a bar after all. She smiles. she's beautiful.
" I haven't seen your face around here you new to town" she questions while sipping on her drink.
" kind of I'm just passing by"
" what's a guy like you just "passing by"" she put passing by in quotations. I can't help, but noticed the way she eyes my attire. It's far too formal for this town let alone a tavern. But my technicality, I am still royalty. I have to look the part.
" I'm looking for my sister, poor thing is lost She ran away from home being stubborn. I just wanna make sure she safe." it may not be entirely the truth I am looking for her and I do wanna make sure she's safe. However, I know exactly why she's running away. She stubborn for sure, but I know my sister she's not lost. She knows exactly what she wants. At least I hope.
" well, you're the first new face. I've seen around here so." She pauses for a moment " what is your sister look like?"
" she's naturally pale, has light, freckles on her nose and cheeks, she has wavy dark raven hair similar to mine, and we have the same eyes as well. She's actually my twin sister." The woman pauses for a woman.
" I'm not actually a citizen in this town. I grew up here but I actually live in a short town. I had to leave for some family business here however, one of our guards found a troubled girl in a village nearby. They think she was on the run nourished. Perhaps that's your sister" she runs her hands through her hair nervously " she fits the description"
" what's this town called?"
" Hayden gate"
" what are the odds..." I didn't mean to say it out loud, but I'm astonished how two of my siblings possibly in the same town. Maybe it's a two for one bonus.
" what did you say?"
" nothing nothing at all" I smile at the lady wants more raising my glass to her. She raises hers as well, and we clink them together.

————————————————-
Present day
Catrina
Lawrence turn off and I sat there questioning everything. Why would he kiss me like that? Does he seriously have feelings for me or is it just convenient? He flirts, but he flirts with everyone I'm no different plus how would Ambrose feel about this? Maybe it's all in my head, he was drinking emotions were high it's nothing.
I get cleaned up and make my way to Tias barn. She recently got back from the werewolf tribe and felt like the community needed a party after all that they had been through. We didn't go into much detail just that things were changing here. She completely understood.
I hike up my dress, so it doesn't scrape along the dirt path. The lights on the bar and hung beautifully fluttering like little fireflies. I was about to make my way in when I saw a long leg sprawled out on the grass. I took my head slightly walking over to the side of the barn, where I see Bellamy one casually on the ground, the other laying nonchalantly next to it. With a whole bottle of alcohol in his I shake my head before sitting next to him. I know he already was aware that I was there now knowing he's werewolf.
   " no party for you?" he shakes his head.
   " not really my thing I'm honestly here just to make sure Alice gets home safe" I take the bottle from his hand and take a long drink before handing it back to him. " you shouldn't be drinking." I look at him and then look at the bottle and shake my head.
   " says the man who just halved that bottle" he chuckles before taking another swing of it.
   " fair enough"
   " I don't mean to pry, but I've never seen you drink before. I mean at the wedding, when Alice has wine at dinner, never" he takes a deep sigh.
   " it's mainly so I don't get angry. If today is a testimony of how I am when I'm angry then we both get it."
   " so what makes tonight so different?"
   " I need something not to feel, just once I wanna turn it all off" I look at his eyes they're sad they hold so much anger, grief pain. Bellamy looks like he's in physical pain, even though he's not.
  " are you OK..." I asked him lightly.
  " yeah, I'm fine"
  " I can tell you're not"
  " well, I'm trying to be"
  " Bellamy you can tell me what's going on, if you don't feel like it fine, but I am here to talk when you want to"
  " it's Alice"
  " what about Alice?"
  " she's just so...ugh..."
  " you have feelings for her, don't you?" He looks at me before taking another drink.
  " She has two great guys pining after her already I'd be a fool, if I think I could ever compete with Mr. Knight in shining armor and flirty mc perfect" I laugh at his nickname for Ambrose and Lawrence. Surprisingly knight in shining armor and flirty Mc perfect fit them pretty well.
"do you know Ambrose may have feelings for her, but he's bind by guard code I don't think he'd ever pursue his feelings. I'm not saying that's why you should go for her, but just putting it out there and as far as Lawrence, he is... well he's Lawrence"
  " I've just never had feelings for anyone since..." he travels off, clearly not knowing how to continue.
  " you don't have to tell me if you don't want to"
  " no, it's fine it's probably better you know anyways. Very long time ago I was married. I was young but I was only 18 and we had a kid together. I'm not gonna say I was happy with the situation, but they were my family and I did love her." I stay quiet watching his face morph into some thing more painful " one day I woke up and she was gone. Actually, everything was gone. I started searching, thinking maybe she didn't just up and leave. Maybe she got taken it was forceful. Once, when I was out on one of these searches, the sun started to fall so I made my way home. I saw the entire wolf tribe, and engulfed in flames. The only thing left was a big R." His last sentence is what makes my mouth drop open.
" they said fire to your village..." how could my father warrant something like this? He probably killed hundreds. Destroyed homes. I knew he was cruel, and I knew he hated magic but some part of me hoped that it was just that.
" I'm just glad you're not like your brother, I hated the Romeve family for the longest time but meeting you and Ambrose really makes me see that they're not all bad"
" we're friends, Bellamy, I know you like to deny that you have many friends, but you do every single person in this village is a friend of yours one way or another" I stand on my feet and put out a hand for him to take. " as your friend I think you should go for it with Alice" he takes my hand and stand up, shaking his head.
" no way"
" oh, come on I see the way she looks at you. And let's be honest, we all know you're very smitten with her."
" fine, but if this sounds badly, and I look like a fool and blaming it on you"
" I will take full credit for whatever happens now go ask her to dance" I pushed his arm slightly, making sure he actually heads towards the dance before chaperoning him in. The barn is just as beautifully lit on the inside as the outside I smile at all of the familiar faces as my eyes fall to Alice's. Bellamy seeing her first really helped my search. " go get em tiger." we both walk over to Alice and I gave him an encouraging smile. " hey guys." I say enthusiastically.
   " Oh hey Kat Bellamy glad you too could finally make it" Alice looks pepper then normal it must be due to the party " you haven't met Tia yet" Alice turns the girl with the red hair standing next to her " cat, Tia Tia this is cat".
  " you look just like him" the girl looks far off into my eyes. Sadness washes her face, but only for a moment.
   " just like who?" I raise an eyebrow.
   " Zane" she says it like it's the most obvious answer in the world. How did she know Zane? Is he here at the party? I panicked look around to see if I can see my brother's face but there's nothing.
  " Tia how do you know Zane?" Alice's eyes bulge out of her head as she stares at the girl.
   " he came to the wolf village. He was looking for his sister. When you and Lawrence brought a new girl into town and matched her description, I figured it was worth a shot to tell him she was here" all three of us go silent. I gulp loudly, not being able to find the words. Maybe it's the hysteria from the alcohol but I can't believe this is how Zane found me.
   " cat" Bellamy says, slowly, staring at my shocked face. I clamped my mouth shut and shake my head a little.
  " I'm fine, it's fine"
  " did you not want to be found?" The girl seems almost scared to ask. The truth is she has no clue What she did. The danger the villages in. It's not her fault though she was trying to reunite family.
  " no, she didn't" Alice says lowly putting her head down. Seeing everyone's party and happy mood disappear within an instant made more anxiety rise in my chest. I lean over to Bellamy, whispering in his ear.
   " ask her I'll be fine" he straightens a little more and nods.
   " Alice, would you like to dance?" he looks nervously between me and Alice before adding " with me, I mean" nervously I can't help but chuckle and smile. This big wolf is nothing but a softy.
  " yeah, I would love to" Alice shakes her head of the situation as I give her a little nod of approval making sure she knows I'll be OK. soon enough, Bellamy sweeps are on the Dancefloor.
  " it is lovely to meet you, Tia, but I'm actually going to go find Lawrence" I give her my farewell and try to control my breathing as I scan the room for Lawrence.

Soon enough, I see him and Ambrose sitting at the makeshift bar in the corner. I didn't mean to listen in but their conversation caught my ear.
" so who is the new occupation?" I hear Ambrose taunt while giving Lawrence a look. I stop in my tracks watching the back of their bodies.
"Occupation?" Lawrence says confusingly.
" yeah, you know the new girl, your new conquest, the reason you're not obsessing over Alice"
" stop making my life sound so horrible. And there's no girl"
" oh, come on you're my best friend you you think I don't see you when you are not pining over Alice. I mean you've looked over at her and Bellamy once since they started dancing. And that was just to make sure she was OK."
" Fairpoint, so there might be a girl"
" I knew it, so where did you meet her"
" met her through my sister, she's pretty great but I'm not sure, so keep this between us"
" fine I'll keep your little secret but you know eventually everyone else is gonna find out" he has someone. Of course. I feel the alcohol in my blood a tear slips from my cheek. How could I be so stupid? The one guy everybody in town warned me about and of course that's the guy I had to start having feelings for.
I rushed my way out of the barn as fast as possible skimming my way through the crowd. I didn't want to be by anyone I didn't want to see anyone I just wanted to be alone. I run past the unoccupied village gates, finding myself next to a plush tree. I quickly crouch behind it, letting my head fall to the bark behind me. Maybe it's alcohol maybe it's the fact he kissed me less than two hours ago, but it hurt, it hurt like hell.
Rustling in the far distance, pulls me from my cry. I popped my head up from my crossed arms looking over at the noise.
"Who's there?" I whisper softly.