Chapter 4: A Runaway

RIO

It was a struggle but I was finally able to open my eyes after some time. It had felt like scales had been used to seal my eyelids such that they were heavy to lift.

However, after a few trials, my eyes fluttered open but I soon shut them because of the sharpness of the sun's rays. The sun was facing me directly and its lights hurt my tired eyes.

Groaning loudly, I brought an arm to my forehead, trying to shield myself from the harshness of the sun, but even that was difficult because my arm felt like a weight. It was suddenly too heavy to lift.

As if this was not enough, my head was aching badly, like someone was pounding it with a pestle. As I lay there, I wondered what had happened and why I was in so much pain.

My entire body hurt. I could not tell where exactly was in pain but it felt like I was swollen everywhere. My body did not feel like mine anymore; it felt so heavy and this scared me.

Opening my eyes again — this time, shielding my face from the sun — I looked to the side and my eyes fell on corpses: a whole lot, lying just beside me.

Alarmed, my body shot up from the ground and I sat up immediately, ignoring the terrible pain that had consumed my entire body. The violent way I had pulled myself up had caused my body to weep in pain.

But that was the least of my problems now, not when I had just woken up to corpses all around me. I could not believe I had been lying with corpses. How was that possible? It was as though someone had dumped us all like garbage without checking for a fact if we were truly dead.

My eyes fell on the closest corpse beside me and I gasped loudly, recognizing him as Joe, my beta. It was then that realization dawned on me as the event that had led to this death flooded my mind. How could I not remember?

How could I have forgotten so soon about my stupidity and foolishness? How could I have forgotten how I had allowed myself to be deceived by that bastard named Jared, thereby destroying my pack and bringing great misfortune to my people?

Countless questions filled my head as I kept staring at Joe. His eyes were wide open but blank. His neck had a deep gash which was now coated with dried blood. The sight was horrible and my heart squeezed in pain as the events from the battle replayed in my head.

No one had told me that the battle would be that tough. No one had warned me to get prepared. That stupid Jared had filled my head with lies and flattering words, about how we could defeat Aiden and bring him to his knees.

He had drawn me to his side with his well-painted and sugarcoated words. I should have known the moment he ran away from his pack that he was up to no good, that he was just the trouble my father had warned me to avoid.

But no. I was so stupid. I had allowed myself to be blinded by my quest for revenge.

However, rather than have my revenge, I got myself scarred right where it would hurt. . .

Adelia!

She was gone. I had lost her. I killed her with my own very hands.

Instinctively, my eyes dropped to my palms which were bruised and covered with dirt. A tear I did not know was hanging on my lashes dropped onto my dirty palm and I sniffed. Why had I let this happen to us?

Why had I allowed jealousy and envy to rule over my senses? Right now, I see how Jared had preyed on my vulnerability.

He knew how jealous I was of Aiden and he had preyed on it, using it to his advantage. I should have known that that bastard did not care about me or his sister. He cared only for himself.

I could not even see his corpse anywhere. The dead warriors lying in the dirt were mine and Kappa's. Could it be that Jared had escaped death? Could it be that Jared was somewhere alive after leading us to our doom?

Had he taken Adelia along with him — because I could not see Adelia's body anywhere too?

"That pig!" I spat in disgust. My hands balled into a fist as the words left my lips.

I was evidently shaking with rage as I sat in the dirt. There were dead bodies everywhere: all having nasty cuts and deadly wounds. Dried blood left patches on the sand and body parts lay scattered on the ground.

It was like I was in a butcher house and the sight sent shivers down my spine. It was too eerie to look at: I was wrong to underestimate the power of those barbaric werewolves; they were more ruthless than I had thought.

Kappa's body was lying face down at a distance. On his head was a nasty wound and in his stomach were three arrows: arrows I had personally ordered to be shot. I did not feel bad that Kappa got killed by those arrows.

My only regret was that those same arrows claimed Adelia's life. Would I ever be able to forgive myself for bringing arrows to a fight that was meant to be fought fist to fist? Would I be able to live with this guilt, knowing how my decision had claimed the lives of many people?

Truly, I got burnt by the fire I had lit up.

"Will you forgive me?" I found myself asking my dead beta who kept staring into space as though he was beholding the most beautiful specimen in the world.

I tore my eyes finally from his gory body and looked up to the sky despite the sun. The sky seemed like the purest place to look at: it was not a bloody sight.

Then I chuckled, finding it funny how the sky was so bright despite the gruesome murders that had occurred. It was like nature did not seem to care for whatever went on on earth.

But it was funny or wasn't it? How that the sky did not share in my sorrow, how that it did not even hint to the world the occurrences of something this grievous.

Rather, it was shining at its peak. Birds were singing happily. Nature was busy radiating beauty when my life seemed like it had lost its value. There was nothing to console me. It suddenly felt like I was all alone.

What was I going to do now? How would I return to my pack after this defeat? What would I say to them? How would my people view me?

My long black locks were all over my face now due to the breeze and I struggled to push them away so I could concentrate on the sky.

I had always maintained my status as a powerful alpha, one whose presence commanded fear. But I was not sure if my presence would command fear anymore after this shameful defeat. News must have spread like wildfire.

My pack must have been very disappointed, seeing how they had left me and the warriors to rot in the woods without a befitting burial.

Already suffocated with the sight before me, I rose to my feet — though with much difficulty. My legs were shaking badly and my entire body was trembling but I remained on my feet, trying to catch my breath.

My dark-coloured breeches were torn, revealing a wolf's bite on my knee. It was impossible to tell which wolf had done this because I had been attacked by many at once.

I did not even want to think about it.

From the way my stomach was churning, I knew I was hurt there too. My back was aching too and my neck felt stiff. I must look a mess now.

This thought made me laugh and in no time, I was laughing like a maniac, my voice echoing in the woods. Of course, nothing was funny and that was why my laughter sounded so dry, like a painful cough hanging in my throat.

Then I stopped laughing just as suddenly as I started. With one last glance at the corpses, I made a vow. We had lost now but we would have our revenge one day.

"I promise you all."

With that, I limped myself away, having no destination in my mind.