Despondency

Chapter 34

Aiyana laughed at something Delta Allen whispered and suddenly her hands changed into another's. Alpha Mikhail flawlessly danced her into the outside world. He held her hand and she stared openly at it. No one had held her hand so gently, actually no one she thought of in a romantic way ever held her hand. A faint frown danced past her lips.
"What is it?" Mikhail asked leading her away to the forest.
"Nothing," she said. "Hey! Maybe we could go for real fishing sometime?"
"I hate fish."
"I don't think I've ever had fish... what's wrong with them?"
"Nothings wrong with them... I just don't like them."
"If you liked them then there wouldn't be anything wrong with them." She replied simply, keeping inquisitive banter alive between them.
"Is that what you think?" Mikhail felt shame wash over him. Her thoughts of the past were being voiced to him."Well, I'll have you know, they smell too strong and always make me think of cats. I'm more of a dog."
"Aw, that means you must be a good boy then."
"Hmf, as much as I'm a brown noser."
"Good one" Ai smiled broadly. She stumbled slightly as the warm hues on everything had disappeared and her shades took away all trace of light in the night. She was purely blind now.
"I'll hold them. I have a pocket."
She hesitantly passed him her protection during the day. How it had flown by so quickly. The sun never there long enough for her to enjoy it.
"Wow, I always forget how stunning you are."
"Yeah, my eyes look like the moon."
"No, I mean... you by yourself, with out the magic-y moon stuff, you're beautiful."
Did she accept the compliment? Reject it?
"Thank you. You're alright yourself."
"I'll keep that in mind, my lady."He faked a bow. "C'mon, let's get you in bed."
"Everyone is like that now. Babying me." Her white eyes flashed with a twinge of hurt.
God, her eyes. They shown so brightly in the dark.
"No, I want to sleep too, but I first need to know that you're safe."
"Oh," she smiled quietly to herself. He really did care about her. She went inside willingly, happy with how the Alpha gently kissed her hand. If either of them paid attention they would have noticed flickering sparks that slowly wavered onward. The bond, resurrecting itself from the dead.
"Good night my wife."
She giggled.
"Good night Mr. Fisherman."
Jordan sat with haunted eyes watching the way the other Alpha tore into his trophy. He would have her eyes. She needed to have eyes only for him.
Riley dragged his tired body back to the small hut he lived in. It was the size of a large bedroom with a couch, tv, bed and bathroom. Nothing more. He had moved the couch by the door incase someone tried to get in. They would have to go through 250 pounds of pure muscle before touching his sister.
Jordan left and committed to come early and catch her in the morning before the other Alpha was awake. The two dogs fighting over a bone. He didn't plan on loosing an inch. It was his prize at stake. He scowled and went to bed.

Aiyana was in the forest later that night. Something flickered just outside her window, it was watching her before it fled from her gaze. She had to follow it's incessant call. Her blind gaze led her into darker and darker parts of the scarce forest. The leaves grew closer together and the branches started to twist and strange angles. She knew these trees... they were pine trees. Some one grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around to face them.
"Hello, miss me?"
She stared into the dark green eyes of Constantin.
"Too stunned to speak to your dear lover? Or are Mikhail and Jordan your new toys? You cheating snake. Vitally will never take you back."
"How - how do you know? How!?" Constantin couldn't know Vitally was her mate! How did he know? If he knew then... was Vitally even alive?
Constantin just cackled and cackled until he nearly bent over in his maniacal fit. His hands dug into her shoulders turning into black angry claws.
"Tell me!" She cried gasping as his claws pierced deep into her muscle.
Tears streamed down her face. Where is Vitally? Where was he in the mess? She went to the ocean. She came all the way to the shores of the sea and he's not there. She would die in Constantin's arms wondering about her mate in agony.
"Ai! Wake up for goddess sake! Woman! Are you okay?!" Riley had her by the shoulders. He stared into her eyes.
"What? What happened?"
"You were crying in your sleep."
"It was just a bad dream." She sighed in obvious relief. "Just a dream."
"Aiyana, please, tell me what's wrong," he pleaded with his sister. She was suffering from some kind of mania. It was unsettling to wake up up with your younger sibling silently screaming standing above you. Her eyes hollow and white like blindness. Blindness to the world and only focused on the world in her mind. She was sleep walking.
Riley understood he wouldn't be sleeping very well for a while when his sister didn't respond.
"Aiyana, I'm the same Riley you left." He tried to break her wall that she didn't even know was there.
"Riley, we're both tired... let's get back to sleep." She walked shakily toward her bed. She couldn't help the urge to look in the mirror in the bathroom for the mark. Once Riley was resettled on the couch she crept back into the bathroom. And stared in the mirror. His mark was there. The black stretched tight against her shoulder. She blinked once.
It was gone, as if she never saw it. She crawled back to the covers of her bed. It wasn't real. It never was.