Smoke and Mirrors {Completed}

Chapter Eleven: Shattered Fortress

Sapphire Nightborne

The dull throbbing pain in my head caused me to wince, I had heard the crack it made when Damien slammed it into the wall and I knew that it was my skull had probably caved in. Nausea built up in the pit of my stomach before I vomited bile all over myself. Anger overcame me and I screamed. My anger was not directed at Damien but at myself. I was the greatest warrior that my pack had seen in over a hundred years and now look at me, helpless...vulnerable... too weak to even support myself that I had to vomit all over myself like a new-born.

I stared at the fire in front of me, it crackled and burned not knowing that it was burning a part of me. My hand instinctively raised to feel my throat as I always do in dire times but the shackles stopped me. My hand closed into a fist as I remember that I could not go to my mother for comfort anymore, the only piece I had of her was that necklace.

"This is for you, Sapphire. Your mother wanted you to have it, she was adamant that you would have sapphire blue eyes, so she got this for you before you were born."

My hands instinctively reached out for it, my house was devoid of any trace of my mother and the only possible appearance I could craft out of her was through scraps when people talked to me about her. The one thing they would always mention was her eyes...her sapphire blue eyes and how it was a shame that I did not inherit them. My father never talked about her, so I never asked as he was probably still grieving over the death of his mate.

I stared at the gem, this was what staring into my mother's eyes would probably be like and now she could watch over me.

This is the first time in years that I have felt so helpless, so broken and so alone. Even when I was on the run with Antony, I was still so sure that we would make it to the settlement, at least I had him... a piece of home, of my old life.

The glassy eyes of Ryder stared right at me, his features deformed and twisted. I might not have believed that it was actually Ryder had it not been for the chipped right incisor and canine, something that I had given him during one of our arguments regarding the security measures of our pack's borders.

I clenched my jaw as I stared right back into his empty eyes. He had committed the worst betrayal known to our kind and now to me at least, was no longer worthy of the right to be called 'brother-in-law', 'Alpha' and especially not 'mate' or 'father'. He did not even have the balls to stand up for his family even though we would have died for him because that is what families do.

It all made sense now, the late-night disappearances, the fact that just before the fight no one could find him, it was all crystal now. I had been suspicious that he might have been having an affair as I would have never expected him, as an Alpha, to have committed such an act of treason and betrayal.

The first tear fell as I stared at the red lump of brain matter, skin and hair that was once my nephew, the consequence of Ryder's betrayal.

That first tear caused the dam to break as more followed, it slowly dripping down my face and neck. I was not related to my nephew by blood as he was adopted, but I loved him like he was my own, I promised him that I could protect him. He was so young and yet had so much faith in me to believe every word I said and yet, I failed...I failed all of them. I took the vows the day I chose my path as a warrior to protect my pack with my life and now look, I was alive while they were somewhere dead. They were probably not even given a proper burial/ and were most likely just tossed somewhere like garbage to rot. I could not help but let out a small chuckle as I remembered better times, the memory coming to me in bits and pieces.

"Aunty Sapphy you have to catch me!"

I smiled as I easily ran towards Antony before pouncing on him, he giggled as he pulled on my fur requesting a ride which I obliged. I laughed as I watched my sister fuss over him, scolding him for getting dirty while her husband playfully argued that we are wolves and thus, are not meant to stay clean for long, Antony used that opportunity to sneak away from his mother to join me as we watched them continue their playful banter.