Loss

Loss
Romain
Getting to where the other rogues are hiding and announcing that this war is over is the easy part. 
Thanks to Brent's influence—remarkable for someone so young—all the Gammas had been pulled from the city so we slipped past undetected. 
We're now headed to the mountains, where Emmalee and I will say our goodbyes before we head our own way. I promised these men an end to this war and it finally happened—they will no longer have to deal with an Alpha who's out to get them, and I doubt that Fang will try anything against Iron Claw now that Brent will be the one ruling the pack. 
It's safe to say that it's over. 
For now. 
I would've felt more relieved if Emmalee were happier. I can sense her sadness and it's eating at me. I know that she's devastated about Brent and in many ways, I am too. 
I thought that we'd have more time together—that I'd be able to make up for all the years we spent apart. It's a fantasy I entertained in the recesses of my mind, whenever I hoped that I would survive this war. 
But we're going our separate ways. Brent has no room for me in his life. 
And Soren was right when he said that I would only blemish his reputation. 
For this whole plan to work, I have to stay away and Brent must remain Soren's son. It's the only way. 
Right before we reach the hideout, I sense trouble before I even see it. My steps slow as I take in the scene before me. There are literal bodies on the ground, and I spot Fang in his ruby-colored robe, lying on the ground with someone in his arms. 
Em goes running, and I follow her along with the others in our group. My heart is thudding in my chest and the closer I get, the clearer my view of him gets.
I slow to a stop entirely when I see that the person Fang is holding in his arms is Sybille. 
She's dead.
Emmalee has already reached them and she howls in pain, the sound echoing. Slowly, I move toward them. My body is stiff with shock. What the hell happened?
Fang looks up slowly. Blood is splattered all over his face. I'm not sure if he recognizes me in wolf form—chances are he doesn't. I shift back, not caring about my nudity. Amidst all this chaos, it hardly matters. 
"What happened?" I ask in a low voice, crouching next to them. The sight of Sybille's lifeless eyes will stick with me for a long time. I wish Fang had at least closed them. 
"That bitch," he grits out, his voice so low and gruff that I can barely make out what he's saying. I'm not even sure if I heard him right. His eyes return to Sybille's face and a single tear rolls down his cheek. It mingles with the blood streaking his face and when it drops onto Sybille's pale skin, it stains red. 
I decide to stay silent and wait for him to volunteer information. Em presses her muzzle against Sybille's hair, soft whines escaping her. 
What a tragedy. 
I look around, hoping to spot a familiar face. Some of the rogues from the prison are running around, picking up bodies, and carrying them to the mountain. The blood on the dirt is dark red and a haunting sight. Nobody approaches us. 
I'm still in the dark about what happened and I'm worried about Em. 
What if whoever did this returns?
Could it be the Gammas from the city?
No. There were none this close to us and if they'd discovered our hideout, they would've swarmed the place. No, this has to be something else. Something more sinister. Something—
Fang cries out, the sound startling me. His face is turned to the sky and he cries, cursing the goddess and the stars in the sky. He wails for a long time. 
"That bitch!" he repeats, caressing Sybille's face. "She took my girl. My sweet girl. The best part of me."
Tears burn my eyes. I hadn't known Sybille for long, that's true, but she was blood, and the short time I spent with her was enough for us to get a little close. I feel Fang's anger deep inside of me, and for a moment, I see not my sister, but Brent. Dead. Cold. Eyes cloudy and wide open. Unblinking. It scares the living shit out of me. 
The pain of losing him would be impossible to bear. Even now, it burns, and I'm merely imagining the whole thing. 
"You need to help me," Fang says, dragging his wet eyes to my face. "It's the only thing I'll ask of you."
I nod right away, throat tight. "Anything."
"Help me track them down. The bitch who did this. I'll rip her apart."
"Who's behind this?"
"Sasha's mother," he answers. It takes me off guard entirely and guilt crashes into me. 
Sasha. 
I can tell by Em's reaction that she wasn't expecting to hear this either. It never even crossed my mind. I run a hand down my face roughly. 
It's one fuck-up after the other. 
"Help me," Fang repeats before the words transform into sobs. "Please, help me."
I exchange a look with Emmalee. This is something I have to do—there's no way around it. 
This only happened because of me. 
Moments later, many rogues come toward us, some in wolf form, others not. They form a circle around us, their eyes on Sybille. Fang pays no attention to them—he's in his own world, one riddled with grief and despair. 
It takes a long time for him to look up. His face looks different; he's aged ten more years in the space of minutes. He's always so cold. Distant. An asshole. I never would have guessed that he'd react this way to anything, really.
I don't know him. Plain and simple. 
"We need to lay her to rest," I say to him in a low voice. I close my hand around his arm and feel it shaking. "Whenever you're ready."
Fang nods slowly before kissing Sybille's cheek.
What a fucking tragedy. 
Fang refuses to throw Sybille into the pile of burning bodies. It's a means to keep the land clean even though we prefer to bury our dead individually. There's just no time. We need to gather and figure out what to do about Sasha's mother. She's in the run now but couldn't have gone far. 
In the meantime, we can't leave them to rot. 
We bury Sybille. Fang insists on digging the grave himself. Em and I, clad in clothes, stand right beside him the whole time. I keep a firm arm around her and she's resting her head on my shoulder. Em's distraught.
"We'll search the woods," I mention. "It could be that she's hanging around to watch what we'll do. She has stability here in the mountains. In the woods, things tend to be uncertain and they'll most certainly be exposed. These searches should be strictly in wolf form in case you find something and need to get away quickly. We'll start on the other side of the mountain."
People start to gather and I look down at Em. "Go upstairs now. I don't want you to be a part of this."
She wipes her face with the back of her hand. "Not a chance. I'm going with you. She was my friend, Romain. You have no idea how much she's done for me. You couldn't possibly imagine."
I don't have time to argue with her. Emmalee won't listen—she never does. So, I nod and say, "You stay with me, alright? We'll find her."
By the time we leave to begin the search, Fang still hasn't left the gravesite. 
I leave him where he is.