Back to the Rakmoon pack

Back to the Rakmoon pack
“What do you mean Kiara went with him?”
Dali woke up after a few hours. The sun was high up in the sky, flowing into the room. Takea’s diagnosis had been accurate; when her eyes fluttered open, the only thing she felt was the pressing fatigue.
She had been completely torn apart after the fight with the vampires. It had taken a lot from her to use the flame she had conjured to kill those vampires, almost losing her life in the process.
She was surrounded by the leaders, and Celyn.
The last thing Dali wanted to do was acknowledge that Celyn was in the room with her. She turned to Alexa, her heart racing.
“Why would Kiara go with him? Does she know how dangerous it is?”
“Do you think danger would stop her from doing what she wants to?” Celyn asked, rolling her eyes, her annoyance clearly targeted at Kiara that she had momentarily forgotten the anger she felt towards the one laying on the bed.
Dali had to agree. Well, she would agree because it was the truth, but not just that, also because, well, Celyn had said it. She could even call Dali a fool and she would agree.
“Kiara has a stupid idea of forgiveness,” Celyn carried on. “But truth is, I don’t think she really forgives him. I think she wants to try. He killed her. She can’t just wake up one morning and forgive him. Forgiveness doesn’t work like that.” Her eyes met Dali’s. “Both sides have to work for it. She is working for it. She just wants to see Chase doing the same thing.”
Dali could feel that not only was Celyn talking about Kiara, she was also talking about herself. Perhaps staying away from Celyn, giving her the space she was told to give her, was not what Celyn wanted.
Perhaps she wanted Dali to try to talk to her. Perhaps she wanted Dali to reach out in any way. Making this village, doing these grand gesture things wasn’t what Celyn wanted. It was simple. She just needed to hold her hand.
Regardless of how angry Celyn felt, she was hurt too, and she was alone. Dali never tried to talk to her; all she did was pretend Celyn wasn’t there. Alexa and Marisol had told her it was best to give Celyn some space.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have taken that advice. All Celyn wanted was for her to be there.
She should have shown effort.
“And to see that effort, she had to follow him into battle?” Alexa asked.
Celyn shook her head. “I don’t know what Kiara is thinking, Mom,” she said. “I just want her back so I can hit her myself.” She groaned and started to walk away.
“For what it’s worth, wherever she is, she’s happy,” Dali said. “I can feel it. She’s not in danger.”
Celyn turned around, a smirk on her lips. “And should I be happy that she’s happy without me?
Why don’t you let her know I’m thrilled as well.” She walked out of the room.
Dali pressed her lips into a line. She had made a very stupid decision blurting that out. She could’ve just shut up and let Celyn leave.
She shook her head, face-palming herself.
“It’s fine.” Alexa patted her shoulder. “We all make mistakes.”
Dali shook her head. “Not like this.”
Meanwhile, the trio had just finished having their breakfast. The fruits in the bag were what they split between themselves. Damon refused to stand up even after hours. He had a piece of clothing laid on the ground and he took a nap.
In his defense, he didn’t get much sleep.
As for Kiara and Chase, they both sat with silence stretching between them.
Kiara ate her apples silently, her eyes pinned ahead.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, descending on them in a radiant glow, spreading warmth. The woods no longer seemed as scary as they used to when it was dark.
“So you were just planning on leaving?” She suddenly broke the silence.
Chase turned to face her, taken aback by the question. He wasn’t a man of many words, so he never expected that after their earlier conversation, she would be inclined to talk to him.
“What?”
Kiara turned to face him. “You were really going to leave?”
He nodded his head, taking his eyes back. “What was the point of staying? These are people I wronged. To have them provide for the person that destroyed their lives would be torturing them.”
“Now tell me, did you just realize this or had it been at the back of your mind for a while?”
Chase scoffed. “I’m not that amazing.” He sighed. “I only got accustomed to guilt a few hours ago.”
Kiara nodded her head. “After seeing Dali defend you?”
“Yes.”
“But I don’t think you should leave like that. If you give them time, if you show them that you really have changed and are working towards being better, I’m sure even Dali can forgive you.”
That was wishful thinking. Although Damon had reminded him that Dali was not him, she was better than he was and so she would be open to actually forgiving him, but he didn’t believe that.
On the contrary, he knew the amount of damage he had caused her and it wasn’t something one could just forgive.
“Forgiveness takes effort from both sides. They have to want to forgive you and you have to beg them and show your worthiness,” she preached.
“Is that what you’re doing here?” he inquired. “You want to see my efforts?”
She nodded her head. “I have seen you in the village. You were cowardly, rude, and prideful.” She tilted her head to the side. “I wonder what you are now.”
“I’m still figuring that out.”
He suddenly rose to his feet, having had enough of the conversation. He loathed talking about his feelings and being the pity party.
He crossed the distance between where they had been sitting and Damon, who was sleeping soundly. He kicked him slightly in the rib.
“Wake up.”
Damon turned and stirred after a while, waking up.
“How far are we?”
Chase looked ahead. “Just a few hours away. We can actually walk this one, and it’s better we walk.”
They resumed their journey, walking through the woods in silence. Damon was half asleep and half awake. It shocked Kiara how completely different these two were. And she was yet to know what could’ve brought these two completely different people together.
They walked the rest of the journey and in a few hours, they appeared at the outskirts of the Rakmoon Pack. They made their way to the pack gate, and before Chase could place a knock on the gate, Kiara pulled him back.
“Do you have a plan?”