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Taking Charge
We huddled in the library for what felt like days, the night grew and swelled above us, and the whispers of lights began to streak across the sky. Leona and I had gone around offering tea to anyone who would need it, encouraging people that needed a distraction to take a book. My mother had gathered up all the kids and was reading to them, book after book, to keep them from getting too scared.
While the atmosphere was tense and troubling, it warmed my heart to see the more vulnerable members of our community band together to protect each other.
After a few hours, once I knew everyone was taken care of and as comfortable as they could be, I crept downstairs to the study to find Mains, a now lukewarm cup of tea in his hands, studying Ronelda's journals like he had for so many weeks. He looked calmer as he read, and despite the raging violence outside he seemed relaxed. His brow wasn't furrowed, his law was unclenched, but he never moved beyond turning a page, h
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As if only minutes had passed since my eyes closed, they were welcomed again by the streaming of early morning light and the Alpha's voice calling out across the link, "Rise and shine, Theo! Time for your first day."I groaned as I rose from bed, not even bothering to dress as I strode out the front door and shifted immediately. I gently jogged into the treeline, letting Sage control my movements, my own mind still sluggish from the night prior. The morning dew was wet on our paws, the mud between the trees sticking as we walked gently through. I followed the link to the border where the breach had occurred the night before, where a few warriors and The Alpha stood. The huge wolf turned as I approached, and padded over to me lightly, the morning sun pricking at his fur."Good morning," I groaned through the mind link."Good morning, Theo, I know it was a rough night but I need you alert, understood?" The Alpha's commanding voice said."Understood, I
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The next few hours were a blur. My mother had, at some point, rushed down the stairs and ran to check for a pulse. I held the back of my hand to his mouth to feel for breath. He was alive, faintly wheezing and unconscious. Kip had come, and we had whisked him off to his clinic. He was hooked up to fluids and machines and a mask pumping full oxygen into his frail frame.I walked through in a haze, my mind and body not fully connected, my legs moving on their own. I sat, cold with fear, grasping the weak hand of my compatriot. His chest rose and fell in measured breaths, wheezing even with the oxygen mask. The beeping of monitors and rusting of papers as Kip came by, checking on him in rotation, blended together into white noise. My blood pounded against my ears, and my mind was blank with worry. I couldn't make my eyes focus, I was fully dissociated from the reality I stood ground in.Mains was my best friend. He always had been. I couldn't lose him, not now
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I jumped out of bed refreshed before my early morning alarm ever sounded, the anticipation of the hunt waking me up and leaving me buzzing where I stood. I showered, keeping it quick but paying extra close attention to my hair and skin. Something told me it may be a while before I showered again, depending on how many days our journey kept us away from home. The close quarters I was promised with the Aloha meant I wanted to soak good scents deep into my skin, maybe that way they'd last longer. I scrunched my curls and hoped they would air dry in a nice pattern, before sauntering over to my closet to choose the day's clothes. Our mission was secret, filled with espionage and high stakes. I felt like the main character in a spy movie, one that Torrance would no doubt swoon over. I grabbed my favourite pair of distressed black jeans and a dark grey long sleeve shirt to go with it, throwing over it all a motorcycle jacket I hardly ever wore. I never wore them, but instinctively I grabbe
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