Chapter 132: Shouldn't Have
Chapter 132: Shouldn't Have
Sylvia's pov.
The trees raced by like time was nonexistent to them, no matter how hard I tried to keep up, just to keep my mind occupied, I still failed miserably.
My mind was like a shattered cocoon, webs flying all over the place. My heart longed for something more than just retreating in defeat and fear.
They probably haven't figured out that I was gone yet, I was sure Peggy would definitely run this up with her family. And there's a high possibility that…
A sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head once more, massaging the space between my brows because they have been knitted for quite some time now and I was having a very intense migraine.
The car ride was silent until we arrived at the pack house shortly after, stepping out of the car, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia with the scent of the air, devoid of a large population of humans.
My heart relaxed, only for a brief moment. I've made my decision, there's no going back now, hopefully it was for the best.
We all made our way to the emergency pack meeting called by Alpha Jonathan. I had an inkling of what the meeting would be about.
The pack looked the same, a wretched entrapment that intensified the anger inside of me. Merely the sight of it had me seething inside.
I hated it.
I hated everyone in it for what they did.
Most of all, I hated myself for not having the power to do anything about it.
At least now I did.
“Welcome back everyone,” Alpha Jonathan greeted, a stoic expression on his features.
“The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree,” quoting a rather insensitive Isaac.
Alpha Jonathan's eyes scanned us all, “I know you all are exhausted from the journey but this is important, the others in the pack have already been briefed and so I would do the same with you all.”
Sucking in a deep breath, he continued, “Following your visit to the human college, there have been some changes in the pack,” not a positive change I'm guessing from the tone of his voice.
I could see it in the slight tension of his jaw and the way his eyes lingered on the faces gathered before him. He was worried.
He just couldn't afford to show it.
A leader must not show his weakness in the face of his subjects, something I learned from my father before his passing.
There was a short pause, the room filled with a strained tension.
“The hunters are evolving."
"They are more…agile. More relentless. More aggressive in their pursuit of our kind that what we once considered safe territory is no longer safe.”
His voice tainted with a hint of anger, “They have adapted their tactics, and hunt vigorously. Their purpose? We do not know exactly, but we can all assume they seek for our complete annihilation.”
Alpha Jonathan paused briefly before continuing.
"I will not lie to you." His gaze swept across the room, "The situation is worse than any of us anticipated."
The blunt honesty hit harder than any comforting lie ever could.
“I'm sure you all are aware of the incident with the Horres hay pack. It is unfortunate, but what's done is done, no one knows who will be next.”
A knot formed in my throat. For a moment, pain flickered across his features but it was gone in a second.
"The reason I called you back was not out of fear." His voice hardened, "I called you back because divided, we fall."
This sounded more like a speech for soldiers, his gaze sharpened as he continued. Alpha Jonathan has always felt deeply for the pack, and he would stop at nothing to protect it.
Even if that meant cutting his friend off. To be a leader comes with the responsibility of making hard decisions, even though they are the wrong ones.
“So rest up, it's going to be a bumpy ride from now on,” his speech came to an end at the same time the Beta stepped into the picture.
Prudence's father. Sanders
For a known reason, I disliked the man, he had taken up my father's position and his daughter wasn't any better. He gave a satisfying nod like he had watched and heard the Alpha's speech.
With that, we were all dismissed.
Somehow, Sander's eyes met mine briefly, and a shadow of a smile rugged at the corners of his lips but the next second it was gone.
What the hell?
Maybe it was just a figment of my imagination, perhaps the exhaustion of overthinking things. It bothered me a bit but I let it go as there was only one thing I anticipated more than anything.
My family.
My heart sought for them, yearned for them even, it had been such a lengthy period since I last saw them. Yes I had spoken to them over the phone but that was not the same.
Propping my bag further along my shoulders, bounding down the alleyway to get to our house and when I finally arrived, another wave of nostalgia hit me.
Standing before the door, I froze in place, a sense of failure easing over me. I had made a promise to myself that I was going to make things better if I left.
That I was going to find a cure for my mother, that I was going to get us all out of this toxic pack.
And I couldn't even do one of those.
Returning as a disappointment, would she even want to see me again? My chest rose and fell and the initial excitement I had earlier slowly faded.
What remained was a feeling of dread, staring at the wooden door intently, my fists curled around my bag tightly until my knuckles turned ashen white.
I took a careful step backward and another until I was two feet away from the door.
I shouldn't have come back, at least not yet.