Sovereign (Silenced Part 2)

Part 26.

"So which one would you rather focus on then?" Emily asked. She folded her arms in front of her and glared at Aaron.

I raised my eye brows, glancing between them. There had to be some underlying argument I was missing that made Emily suddenly upset like this.

"Em..." Aaron sighed shaking his head.

Emily face scrunched up and she opened her mouth to tell him off about something when someone else came into the kitchen. We all looked up at the warry and defeated man towering over us and my stomach cramped with grief. Alex's eyes looked as haunted and empty as mine had only a few months ago. I couldn't take the pain that his eyes reminded me of. I dropped my eyes back to the floor and blinked to push away the pin pricks of tears.

"We've got a problem." Alex said softly.

"Of fucking course, we do." Aaron threw his hands up in the before shoving one back into his hair.

"What is it?" Matthew asked. He was the calmest out of the four of us and I was relieved not to be the one asking. I wasn't sure how I could ever face Alex again after what had happened. His mate was dead and it was my fault.

Alex nostrils flared and his jaw tensed just before he tilted his head toward the right. We all followed his gesture. My feelings of self-hatred and guilt were replaced by blind rage as my eyes landed on Thomas. I barely spared a glance at Aaron as my fingers closed around the knife he had used to cut me earlier. I don't even remember standing up or lunging forward. In the blink of an eye I had plunger the blade into Thomas's stomach all the way to the hilt. He gasped and choked on the pain but I felt nothing for him. No remorse, no pity, and not even a sliver of pleasure.

"Rylan!" Aaron yelled. He moved forward as if to pull me away but I clinched my freehand. He stood frozen just like the others.

Emily hadn't moved. Alex had taken a step back and now simply watched with wide eyes. Matthew had both hands up as if he wanted to step forward but Aaron was faster.

~He's a traitor and he deserves to die.~ I told them and released them.

No one moved.

"They're here." Thomas gasped out before sinking to his knees. I followed and jerked his head back by his hair.

~Who?~ I demanded at the same time Aaron did. Even with the double command Thomas only managed to shake his head. He couldn't form words even if he wanted to. His incompetence only seemed to anger me further. I reached out to him both physically and mentally. If he couldn't tell me what I needed to know then I would take the information myself.

"Rylan don't!" Aaron warned.

He must have caught on to my intentions but he wasn't fast enough to stop me. His hand closed around my wrist just as my fingers touched Thomas's forehead.

Pain surrounded me along with a flood of different emotions. I couldn't tell which pain was my own and which was his. Just like the whirlwind of emotions, I could feel the knife in his gut, as if they were my own. I clinched my teeth and focused past the pain. I needed to go deeper and I did.

Breaking through his mind reminded me of diving. The memories surrounded me. Flooding in from every direction and angle. I was completely engulfed. I couldn't breathe. The on slaughter of thoughts and pictures burned their way into my own mind. I could see everything that I needed and more.

Thomas's betrayal ran deep. I could see every instance of our interactions. How our first 'date' had been his attempt to take me back to the facility but thanks to Cassy it had been a fail, how every interaction after had been on Devlin's command, how he'd tried to manipulate Silas into a jealous rage and simply failed on every occasion, and how now he had assisted in surrounding our pack house with a militia that would ensure failure was no longer an option.

I tried to pull away but unlike swimming or waking there was no surface for me to break through. There was no way out. It was an less stream of consciousness that I couldn't escape from. Instinctually I knew the longer I stayed the harder it would be to get out. Never mind that I couldn't breathe and my mind felt like it was on fire.

"Somnum." I heard the Latin command for sleep. Aaron's deep voice was unmistakable as it called out to me through the pain.

But I fought his command.

I couldn't go to sleep. I had to get out. I had to warn them. Any second now we would be under attack.

The lack of oxygen and the pain were too much to with stand. Aaron's command weighed heavily on my weakened consciousness and the all to familiar darkness crept into my mind and took over.