146: Stand and Deliver

Aiden's POV

There was a general sigh of relief and utter exhaustion in the camp as the first light bathed the ground. We emerged victorious, but a pall had fallen over us. The shadow of Ethan took up residence in my mind, a banished killer that was hard to evict.

I made my way through camp, answering nods and halfhearted smiles from members of our pack. Their strength made me proud, but I was finding it hard to shake the ennui of my recent realization. I needed realities from Ethan that would clear his consciousness and ours and way forward.

I crept on the remnants of the battlefield and said softly to Hayley, "Hayley." The Incarnate still throbbed faintly in her hands, a reassuring thickening of the air.

Her eyes shifted towards me, holding a certain fear and determination. "Aiden, are you okay?"

I nodded, though the voice inside of me was anything but calm. "I need to talk to Ethan. And I need to know why he went down this route.

Her hand reached out and brushed mine, the slight contact holding me there. "I'll be right here with you. We'll face this together."

My nerves, however frayed lately, were soothed by her presence. We followed him to where Ethan was being held, encircled by our most trusted pack. His tone was challenging, but for a moment he looked vulnerable.

I finally located my voice as an uneasy calm descended upon me: "Ethan..." "Why did you turn against us? Against your family?"

He met my gaze; his jaw set. "Not like you would, Aiden. Authentic feeling you had everything-here to get your back, love, and family pack

I had nothing."

This is why I took a deep breath-my attempt to find words that would make some kind of connection. "We thought you were dead. We looked everywhere, Ethan. You were never forgotten."

Ethan's eyes narrowed, and for the first time he managed to seem hurt. And whether they had forgotten me or not, alone survivor. You breezed; I struggled for minuscule drops of life.

Hayley walked forward in a calm and controlled manner. "Ethan, we can help you now. So that you don't have to go through it by yourself."

Ethan's eyes darted over to her, a strange blend of emotions flashing in his expression. "Help me? After everything I've done?"

I moved closer, my heart heavy with the sins of our past. "It's not too late, Ethan. We will figure out a way to make it good again.

A bitter smile creased his lips as he shook his head. "Do you even

possible?" This is not a fairy tale ending; that never happens.

The dead quiet grew heavy, sharp, and unresolved. I could feel Hayley next to me offering nothing but support.

I was too glad he had a heart to have time for my anger, not against him or the situation but just that it existed. "Ethan," I repeated more urgently with the first fresh movement we'd gotten in minutes, and though his hand lifted from mine, our foreheads still cuddling so perfectly together now parted as well, leaving us colder than we both should've been at being deprived of each other when all anyone wanted me included was him. Their eyes searched instinctually then shut again, never wanting another distraction ever gaining entrance.". You don't have to be our enemy. We can stand together in a future we might endure.

Stormy eyes, struggling with a maelstrom of feelings found mine. Do you want to go on fighting for a future? Then fight me for it."

The dare was laid, an imaginary glove cast down between siblings. The idea of coming into combat with him made my heart shrivel, as if I could feel myself become the only way out to get near enough to him.

"Haley..." he tried to say, but it was getting hard for him. "Not Aiden. Let me go." She begged faintly into the receiver with narrow sobs dissipating behind her tight tone of voice, "Aiden, not Hayley..." and then she cut off ["not" first] [continuing becoming increasingly difficult]. "There must be another way."

My heart agonized over the decision, and I turned back to her. Hayley, this is the only way he will listen. I have to do this."

She glanced up, eyes imploring houses streaming with bright colors.

This is your journey, and I will be here beside you through it all.

I nodded, grateful for her seemingly unconditional backing. I looked back at Ethan and nodded, accepting his challenge. "We'll settle this, Ethan. Be clear, this fight is about more than just leadership-iit's about you.

A circle of witnesses to the sibling showdown laughing growlingly and hissing with pressure. There was tension in the air, with all eyes glued to the oncoming drama.

I cocked my fists and squared off with Ethan, the earth below us shaking under a long lineage of Kimonos gone before. Behind me, I could feel Hayley standing a few steps away from where she had been waiting for me.

"Ready, brother?" I am not afraid, Ethan taunted with a smirk on his lips.

I nodded; my adrenaline was strong. "Ready."

We strafed, swift and aggressive. Every blow was a dancelike move of precision and strength, the clash of our wills echoing through the clearing. I battled not with force but with the will to find my lost brother.

"Why, Ethan?" In between blows, I begged, 'You mean it?` Bairo was abusing me and still in the frenzy, but he managed to respond with a strained voice. "Why did you choose this?"

My blow missed its mark as he dodged with feline grace. "Since I wanted to grow up and be strong, not vulnerable ever again.

His words broke my heart and, at the same time, fed fuel to keep fighting. The vulnerabilities that he labored, tirelessly angered to pompously embellish, I saw right through it.

"Things don't have to be like this," I said, dodging a strike and making one of my own. "You have a family here."

He hesitated, his facade waning to expose the brother I recognized. Then he hardened his resolve again, an obstinate determination.

"Family?" He chuckled a bit and pouted again. "Somewhere along the way, I learned to make do without one."

Our battle continued; the tension between us animated.

Even in war, people knew each other; they'd come from the same soil, so to speak.

Through the combat-induced haze, my ears picked up Haley, like a lighthouse atop crashing waves. He said with a voice, "Aiden, remember your cause."

The words rang through me; they were the bond that had led us so far. Reinvigorated, I countered Ethan's blow with the prowess of a madman.

Our shared past overlapping with our uncertain future spiraling in a crescendo of fists and fury. Especially when I could feel Ethan giving in, all his own internal battles coming to the forefront.

And I yanked it free, sending his weapon clattering to the ground between us. One last push of effort... I was panting heavily as I stood over him.

"Ethan," my voice trembled with suppressed feeling. And it did not have to end this way.

He almost looked vulnerable; his eyes snapped for a split second. The pack's breath held in tension at what would be the alpha's response.

But in an instant, his eyes sharpened again. "I chose my path, Aiden."

The gravity of his words settled on us like a coffin leaden with invitations for the choices that prompted this meeting. Gave him some room to get up.

The pack moved closer, symbolizing the due diligence we had waged against. Even as a result, our spirits were strong, and it was a bond stronger than blood.

Ethan pivoted as the sun crawled overseen in its chase across the sky, slipping from sight within a nearby shadow. Heavy, I watched him walk away from me, and my heart weighed down as our paths could never quite meet.

Her warmth along my side was a comfort, as Hayley turned to me. Walking up to him, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You did everything you could, Aiden.

I gave a small nod and took strength from her words. I hope someday he figures that out.

The unknown looming, the mystery of tomorrow. But having Hayley at my side, I knew we could overcome whatever got in front of us.

Watching Ethan disappear, we felt a glimmer of hope. The way was unclear, but we would tread a new fate-threaded with strength and love rekindled by the force of our unity.