The Huntress

Part 29: Lost souls

Two weeks had passed since Laurel had returned from Irkalla, and she wasn't herself. She barely slept and ate, and her eyes weren't full of life. A part of her soul had stayed there, and the rest of it was fighting with guilt and regret.

Her friends tried to make her laugh and walk outside, but nothing seemed to cheer her up. Rakel was cooking for her, and Chloe read her stories with her beautiful voice. Zach, even though he didn't know her very well, had realized long before the others that all she needed was some peace. He was there when she woke up and when she slept. He was there when she needed to stare at the sky without thinking, and he was the person that made her calm down because he never asked or questioned her, and he let her take her time.

Zach was the seventh child of an Alpha. He was never meant to rule or lead his people, and the age gap from his older siblings was big enough to create distance between them. His mother died when he was a baby, and his father was too busy to look at the child that reminded him of his lost mate.

In a house full of voices and sounds, Zach had learned to be silent, never to interrupt, and to always obey the rules of his older siblings. He developed an interest in computers and technology, and his passion made him dig further into silence and cutting him off further from his family. He soon realized that his family didn't need him and that he was feeling unhappy in a house that never provided him with safety or happiness.

So, he fled away and never looked back. He used his intelligence and his abilities to do good and help others but, still, something was missing.

The missing part was found when Laurel woke up from her deathbed. He saw inside her soul fire and will, even if she was at that time, a shadow of her true self. He saw that all this girl wanted was the silence he had conquered and claimed as part of him. At first, they would sit on the ground, touching the grass and letting their lungs fill with fresh air without speaking or moving. A few days later, they would exchange some words. Two weeks later, she made the first full sentence, and they went for a walk.

Thomas, Lena, and Rakel were impressed and extremely happy for his influence on her.

A month had passed when Laurel laughed. Was it hope the sunlight that brightened their world? Was it a message that things could go well? Or was it their love that they now shared that had started healing their wounds?

A year after Laurel's return, the six of them had created something unique and special. They were a family who cared for all its members, and a team that worked in unison and harmony and protected the world. Laurel was back in full force physically, but her soul remained wounded.

They were tracking Charles since he had fled that day and never returned. He was dangerous, and they had to get rid of him. Zach tracked him down somewhere in South America, and the team got ready.

It was a trap. Dozens of werewolves and vampires, all Charles' supporters attacked them and left them wounded. That night, Thomas fell into the flames to save Rakel, and his back never recovered from their brutal touch. The marks would always be there to remind him of the incident.

Laurel kept training, and slowly, but methodically, they took down one by one the most cunning followers and allies of Charles. They were sure that next time was their lucky charm, and they would be done with him once and for all.

It was early in the morning when Chloe woke up from some giggles that sounded outside her room. She got up and opened the door and saw Rakel and Thomas hugging and smiling with joy.

"Hey, what happened this early in the morning?"

"We have something exciting to tell you after breakfast," Rakel announced, but the announcement never came.