Zara

"I know," I forced out, my voice almost hoarse, like pain. "I didn’t know... I didn’t know it would be an innocent human."

"You want to know what pisses me off?" Sophia froze in place, her hands on her hips. Her impassive mask gave way to irritation and anger. Her brown eyes narrowed as she looked at me, and a sliver of regret stabbed me in the stomach. "You were willing to give up your damn life without thinking it through."

"I thought it through." I shook my head furiously, tears stinging my eyelids. "I couldn’t..."

"I know, Zara. You couldn’t let him die," she said sharply, running a hand through her short hair. "But don’t you understand? You can’t be a damn martyr and waste your life without thinking about everyone else." How would your dad feel? What about Ryan and your father?

A million words raced through my head, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. Tears welled up in her eyes, her thin frame shaking with anger.

"Are... are you angry that I didn’t think this through properly?" I chuckled, ignoring the tears welling in my tired eyes. "I killed someone."

"If the shadows hadn’t killed her, what would have happened to her?" Sophia grimaced, as if the words burned her throat. "What would have happened to her during the fight? Would we have spared her? Would we have captured her before she was forced to switch sides?"

I knew what she was asking, and I knew the answer. She would have died or fled back to the brown wolves. Though my heart sank, this wasn’t a happy ending for the innocent.

"She would have died or somehow escaped," she muttered.

"I don’t know," I muttered, my voice hoarse with exhaustion.

Just a mile off the road, we found a small parking lot filled with various cars. A small sign protruding from the ground read, "You can park here if you’re going to catch the bus." The bus stop was on the corner, a few feet from the lot.

The streetlights flickered dimly, and I peered into every shadow. There was no movement, no sweet voice cooing in my ear. Everything was quiet; even the crickets had fallen silent.

Sophia chose a dark brown minivan adorned with at least thirty bumper stickers. One of the family figurines adorned the rear window. The mom and dad figurines stood next to a child and a small dog. Above the family figurine hung another sticker: "My child made the 2019 Honor Roll."

"Not my first choice, but we need to transport seven people, and we need something discreet," Sophia chuckled, catching my eye as I examined the tacky bumper stickers.

I leaned silently against the cold metal of the minivan, watching Sophia fiddle with the wires.

"How did you learn to jump-start the car?" I asked, grateful for the distraction from my own inner turmoil.

"I made friends with people a year ago," Sophia shrugged. The engine roared to life, and Sophia gave me a restrained smile. "They taught me a thing or two."

We returned to the abandoned house, swerving around the wrecked SUV. Smoke was no longer billowing from under the hood, and thankfully, the car hadn’t burst into flames.

Alpha Kane, Carter, Wade, and Ryan stood outside the house, trying to stay out of sight from the road. Sophia turned onto the gravel driveway and jumped out of the van.

"A minivan?" Carter chuckled, glancing sideways at Sophia. "That’s all you could do?"

"Sorry, we can’t fit into a damn sports car." Sophia snapped, "It’s bad enough we stole one car, so let’s not add another."

"Okay, okay." Carter winced, raising his hands in surrender.

Alpha Kane climbed into the driver’s seat, and the others settled into the backseat. I rested my cheek against the passenger window, not feeling the cold glass.

Alpha Kane, Carter, Wade, and Ryan were splattered with blood. The sickly sweet scent soaked into their clothes, staining their skin.

We fell into a heavy silence, each of us bearing the weight of what had happened that evening. Every minute, Alpha Kane’s toffee-colored gaze found my face and lingered there for a few moments. When we were half an hour from home, Ryan spoke:

"Alpha, can I sleep in the warehouse tonight?" Ryan’s voice sounded fragile, as if through the thinnest glass. "Just for the night, I need some time alone before I see Dad again."

"Of course." Alpha Kane nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "I’ll ask Beta to take you to one of the suites when we get back."

"I need to at least call dad." I frowned, looking at Ryan, his haggard and exhausted face. "He... he figured out where we’re going tonight."

"Of course he did." Ryan chuckled, but it sounded weak and forced.

Alpha Kane dropped Sophia off at her home, followed by Carter and Wade.

We arrived at the packhouse early in the morning, but the light in the living room was still on. Yellow light filtered through the sheer white curtains of Alpha Kane’s living room.

The three of us walked inside: Alpha Kane and Ryan were covered in a thick layer of blood. Beta and Alpha Zeke were sitting on the couch, the muffled sounds of a football game playing on the TV.

Two pairs of eyes tore away from the screen and took in Alpha Kane and Ryan’s blood-covered bodies.

"You really did it," Alpha Zeke chuckled, his eyes shining as he looked at the three of us. "Kill a lot of enemies?"

"They knew we were coming," Alpha Kane grumbled, and I heard the weariness in his words. "We’ll talk more in the morning."

Beta led Ryan to the guest bedroom. Before entering, Ryan hugged me. My brother and I were never affectionate with each other, but for a moment, I allowed myself to forget what we’d done and enjoy my brother’s company.

Alpha Kane stood to the side, patiently waiting for me to follow him to his... our room.

"Don’t torture yourself, Zara," Ryan whispered in my heart, pulling his hands away from me.

"If only it were that simple." The words escaped me in a muffled whine, but Ryan had already closed the bedroom door.

My body moved on autopilot as I followed Alpha Kane to our bedroom. I sat motionless on the bed, my fingers sliding over the silky fabric of his blanket. Alpha Kane pulled his bloody clothes from his sculpted body and tossed them into the bathroom trash can.