A Pained Goodbye
Emmalee
The coast is clear, which is just what Brent promised.
I'm so proud of him even if I am terrified.
We race through the gates in no time and cut through the woods to join the waiting group of rogues. But something doesn't feel right to me, for some reason.
It's like leaving Brent behind again, and I don't want to do that.
So, I halt, and Romain does the same. He gives me this confused look and I simply stare back at him. I can't leave my son. What if he comes looking for us? What if—
I see him racing toward us, in human form, and my heart soars. I thank the goddess that I trusted my guts on this. I move closer to him, and when he sees me, he exhales in relief.
"You made it out," he claims.
And you, I want to ask.
Will you come with us?
Brent seems to read the question in my eyes. He lowers his head before rubbing his forehead and for a moment, seems so much older than his fifteen years. I see the man he'll become; like the goddess grants me a vision of him.
"I can't go," he finally says, and it breaks my heart in two. "I have to stay here and fight. It's the only way that this nightmare is going to end. If I leave now, the pack will have no leader."
I look around desperately for something to cover myself in so I can shift and argue with him. There's no way I'll leave my fifteen-year-old son here.
Brent is too young. He might have his heart in the right place but lacks the experience and level of maturity required to lead a pack.
And who will be his placeholder? Luna Ana? That bitch would kill him just to spite me!
"Everything is arranged, Mom," he claims. "If I stay, I promise you that I'll make this pack a safe one for rogues all over. I've trained for this my whole life. Let me do it."
No! I refuse to go along with this. I look over at Romain for help and see him perfectly calm.
I nudge him and he glances at me before moving closer to Brent. The two of them make eye contact for a handful of seconds before Romain inches even closer, close enough for Brent to wrap an arm around his neck.
They're saying goodbye to each other.
Growling attracts their attention. Brent arches a brow at me before turning around, and that's when I shift. "If you think I'll let this happen, you're mistaken! You're just a kid!"
"A kid who will be Alpha, Mom. It's different."
Romain shifts right away. "He's right, Emmalee."
I shoot him a glare. "I can't believe you're saying this to me!"
"There's no future for me where you're both headed," Brent claims. "I'm sorry to say that but it's true. I'll just be another rogue, on the run for Soren's death. These packs moving here from the east and west will most likely take control. What then? Should we be on the run forever?"
I part my lips to speak before sighing instead. "That doesn't mean it's alright for me to leave you like this!"
"You're not abandoning me, Mom," Brent assures me. "I know it. There's no space for you here. Both of you don't belong here. But I do. I didn't go through all that to quit now. No, I'll rule this pack. It's what I've always wanted."
I fold my arms and look at Romain once more for help but find none. He nods reassuringly, then says to Brent, "I support your decision. You could be the change we need. The end to this bloody war."
"I will be."
"Think about it," he says to me in a much lower voice. "The war could end now. We wouldn't have to keep fighting. Brent would be in charge. It'll be the solution to everything."
I breathe in slowly, coming to terms with all this as
quickly as I can. Yes, this would be the solution, but I'm his mother. How can I just leave him?
"You can come visit anytime," Brent adds. "The doors to my home will always be open for you. Both of you."
"We appreciate that," Romain claims. He wraps an arm around my waist and we both stare at the back of Brent's head. I want to fight him on this but know I'll lose. Brent's always been stubborn—I know this about him. Only, this time, I can't go around in circles with him in hopes of making him see my point of view.
It's done. This is his life we're talking about.
I can't force him to do what I want, knowing he'd be unhappy.
"You're just about the best thing I ever made, Brent," Romain tells him. "I'm proud of you, so proud that I don't know what to do with all of it. You saved my life back there."
Brent's silently for a beat and he turns his head slightly toward us, not enough to see us, but enough for us to see more than just the back of his head. "It was nothing. I couldn't let him have his way when you came here to save me from him."
"Brent," I whisper, my voice cracking. "I don't want to be away from you. By the goddess, son. How am I supposed to cope?"
"With the knowledge that I can take care of myself," he says. "Always have. I've had things going on that you never knew about. I'll be fine, Mom."
"You're only fifteen."
"The youngest Alpha in history was sixteen."
I scoff. "That was a hundred years ago!"
"Times might have changed but people don't," he shrugs. Romain chuckles and looks away for a few beats. Brent continues. "Just go, alright? I'll be fine."
Blinking away tears, I approach him before wrapping my arms around him, careful to keep some distance between our bodies. "I'll miss you. By the goddess, I'll worry about you every day."
He takes my hand in his and squeezes it. This goodbye hurts.
It cuts me deep.
"We have to go now if we want to spare the others," Romain mentions. I feel his hand on my waist.
I nod and press a kiss on Brent's head. I back away from him and he remains rooted to the spot, as silent as ever. Roman shifts and I take it as my cue to do the same. I look back at Brent one last time before shifting and taking off at full speed, so quickly that the air dries my tears before they even fall.