Her Human Prince

Aftermath

"It's you." There was no hiding the disappointment in Jacob's voice. He scoffed as he tried to lift his head and meet the eyes of his visitor.

"Yes, it's me. Only me." She never thought she would see her mate in such a state. He looked so broken. His wrists and ankles were bound by silver shackles. The skin tore off, leaving the flesh exposed. There were gashes across his chest and she was sure the same was true for his back. She couldn't fight back the urge to flinch. "What have you done, Jacob? What have you done to yourself?"

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It has been the fifth time that night that Brian woke up thrashing and screaming. There was a heavy weight on his chest that he couldn't seem to push off of himself. His chocolate eyes were darker, wide and hysterical. He was drenched in cold sweat. Keira immediately rushed to his side but her glowing grey eyes terrified him even more. This is evident as the smell of fear in the moon-lit room intensified.

All Keira ever wanted was to stay beside her mate, hold him tight and never let go. She wanted to let him know she was there for him. That it was all over and he was safe... but she couldn't. Instead, she backed up in the shadows and out of sight. Brian eventually calmed down. His breathing started to even out but the air still smelled so putrid... and so Keira remained hidden.

This was exactly it. The thing that Keira wanted to prevent from happening. And  as ironic as it may seem, here they were now. Proving more than ever that a human does not belong with the weres.

When Keira was sure that her mate was fast asleep again, she slipped out of the room. It has been two days. Two entire days since Jacob pulled off that stunt. Two entire days of hysteria and tranquilizers for her mate. It had hurt Keira to give out the order of sending Jacob to the cells in a surge of burning anger. It pained her to know that her best friend was being whipped at least fifteen times a day with a silver scourge. Not to mention the dosage of wolfsbane injected in his system every now and then.

'He deserved it.' It was that voice that had kept her from withdrawing the order.

'He deserved it.' The episodes that Brian had to go through almost every waking moment had caused so much suffering for the both of them. 

'He deserved it.' The thrashing. The horrified screams. She could still see it every time she closed her eyes. She could still hear it even when she was at the borders of the territory.

Keira shut her eyes tightly as the cold air hit her skin. The blackness of the night was just as black as her heart at the moment. If only she hadn't gone to the Crimson territory that day. If only she had let Joshua take care of the rebellion issue over there. If only she had been firm on sending him away.

"We need to get out of here." Brian said as his terrified eyes darted  all over the place."There're beasts in this place. There are monsters here. We're not safe here, Keira."

That scene would be forever engraved in her. He was right. She was a beast... a monster. Who else would he need protecting from other than the big bad wolf? Oh, how effortlessly could she break him! She could hurt him so easily that it scared even herself. A bitter laugh escaped her lips. She couldn't allow herself to get any closer to him now. She had to squash down her greedy feelings over him.

'Is this how it's supposed to end?' She had never considered herself as someone so weak... but here she was going from being an alpha to a helpless she-wolf.

A few cracks and groans, Keira shifted into her white wolf. She willed her legs to move towards the woods. She needed to get away from the pack house for a while. It was a stupid decision to bring Brian back there... but she knew it would be beyond stupid to send him back home in such a state. She still had to wait.  A long, agonizing process of holding up. With that time, she hoped to finally come to a firm decision. Something she could live with. Something she could carry on her shoulders with the resolve of a dying will.

'He doesn't belong in my world. He's different. I am different.'  With her paws hitting the damp earth, she let her wolf take over and drown all her thoughts.