Chapter 08 - Daphne

The last screams I had kept inside escaped when those stone monsters attacked my inert body. I could feel their teeth, sharp as daggers, digging deep into the flesh of my arms, legs, and stomach, drenching me in my own blood. My gasps of pain were almost silent, but even so, I glanced panicked at Rosalind, begging her to help me.

But she just shook her head, annoyed.

“This could have been so much less painful if you hadn’t messed everything up.” Rosie stared at me, watching intently as those things tore me apart, until a smile appeared on her face “It’s a shame. I was really enjoying our time together, sunflower…”

“Rosie!” a shout cut through the air, interrupting her “Rosie, are you there?”

“Those three idiots!” she growled, and this time she sounded furious “They always manage to show up at the worst possible moment. But, it’s okay.” Rosalind sighed, shrugging as if trying to relax “We both know it doesn’t take much for them to do what I want, right?”

“Rosie!” Now I could definitely tell that was Sean’s voice, because it sounded close, as if he were right there “Rosie! Are you alright? We’ve been looking for you both everywhere and… Daphne?!” he gasped, the sound of his footsteps stopping “What happened…?”

Whatever he was about to say was forgotten when Rosalind, who was still right before my eyes, collapsed towards the floor, so fast that she was already lying beside me when Leon appeared to catch her. I struggled to open my mouth and beg for help, but I couldn't. Especially not when she spoke before me.

“I… I managed to destroy the thing that gave rise to them, but…” she slid her eyes in my direction and only then did I realize that the stone wolves devouring me had suddenly become inert “Daphne appeared when I was almost fainting and… She started attacking me.” Her voice wavered, as if she were crying.

"What?!" Leon growled, and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was furious.

Because he believed every single one of her words. It's that simple.

“She… She said something about me stealing her place.” Rosalind continued to lie, her voice so sad that even I would believe her if the circumstances were different “That I had no right to steal a destiny that should have been hers, as princess of her pack. She was so aggressive, so I couldn’t warn her about the monster’s attack and… Oh, Leon, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t protect your sister! Please, don’t be angry with her… Daphne was just frustrated because her magic wasn’t enough…”

“You…!” Leon’s words seethed with pure hatred and he leaned toward me, as if he wanted me to see the depth of his rage “How dare you…?!”

“How could you do something like that, Daphne?!” Sean also spoke, sounding incredulous “How can you blame Rosalind for something like that? How could you try to sabotage her? This could have doomed us all!”

"You damned bitch! How dare you…?"

Once again, I struggled to find the strength to tell my brother that it was a lie, but this time, what stopped me was the thunderous sound of falling rocks. I couldn't see it, but the cave seemed to be collapsing now that the giant was gone, as if his presence was what kept it standing.

“Quick!” Rosalie murmured, alarmed “We have to get out of here fast! Before…”

"Rosie! Rosie, wake up!" Sean shouted, desperately "She fainted!"

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll carry it.” Leon said, looking determined “Come on! We have to be quick!”

"Where are you going?! Do you think I can carry Daphne in this state?! My arm can barely move..."

“You don’t need to carry her.” my brother interrupted Sean, his voice perfectly cold “Because she's going to stay exactly where she is.”

A moment of silence followed, seeming to last an eternity, while my mind churned out what he had just said, refusing to believe what I had heard.

“What?!” Sean gasped “You’re going to let your own sister die buried in this place? What’s wrong with you? What do you think your father will do when we get back without her…?!”

“My father will have to learn to live with the fact that his daughter was a spoiled brat! Practically a traitor, who turned against the Goddess’s chosen one!” Leon roared, his voice almost as loud as the collapse “Besides, what else should we do?! We can’t carry both of them!”

“What are you talking about?!” Sean asked again, and my heart filled with hope that, unlike Leon, he wouldn’t abandon me “We can’t just…”

"And what are you going to do? Carry her on your shoulder with your broken arm?! Because I certainly won't fall behind either, just because you chose to slow down!"

“I’m not saying I can carry her!” He stepped forward, and finally, I could see his pale, restless face “But… We can’t just leave Daphne here! Can’t you carry her? Hold one in each arm or something…?”

“What do you think I am?! A fucking pack mule?! I’ll be charged triple the price and we’ll never get out of this place fast enough! You saw how narrow the passage is! Besides, I’m the only one capable of carrying Rosie! Saving the heroine of our pack depends on me!”

With my heart heavy, seeming to beat slower and slower, I waited for the moment when my fiancé would assert himself. When he would yell at Leon and say that he would never leave me there to die, no matter what the consequences. He was my future husband. My fated mate. I knew I could trust him to save me.

Except that moment never came.

“But…” he stared at me with regret, but mostly with fear “We can’t…”

“We can’t do anything more for her!” my brother said contemptuously, his eyes moving in my direction as if I were a worm crushed on the ground “She’s just dead weight now! And she brought this on herself! Trying to hinder Rosie when she was destroying the beast…! The whole pack could have been doomed because of her envy! She doesn’t deserve us risking our lives, especially Rosalind’s, to save her!”

Again, I waited for the moment when Sean would defend me. That he would realize Rosalind's words were a lie and that I would never do something like that. I didn't doubt for a moment that he would still have faith in me…

I think that's why it was so painful when he shook his head, resigned.

"I know, but..."

What? Why…?

Why was he talking as if Leon was right?