Just letting you know this story is far from over

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I knelt on the ground as tears dribbled down my face, the only physical sign of the pain I was feeling because the rest of my body was frozen with so many emotions I could no longer define a single one.

Athena cried into her sisters lax hand she held in both her own and my mind continued to claw at me saying how it was all my fault for making the girl so sad. You're a monster... A freak of nature that doesn't deserve to have a family, a home or people to look after and protect.

I felt so broken. How do I even start to recover from this?

Warmth of acceptance and family filled my mind through a bond I thought was broken while large arms wrapped around me from behind. I could feel that he was still really weak but his hold around me made the pain in my heart ebb, though only a bit.

"You're Pack, you're family." He husked into my ear. "We help each other during times like this. I will always help you, Alpha."

I didn't know I leant back into his chest until I felt surrounded by his warmth physically and mentally. I could feel both his human side and wold side trying to comfort me in the shifters way of touch and bonding. Yet, I wasn't a shifter, I could still feel the pain and weight of what I've done crippling me.

I reached out a hand and touched Sylvia's cheek that had the warmth rapidly fading from the soft skin. A smaller hand covered my own and I looked at its owner with renewed pain piercing my heart.

"You must hate me now..." I said sadly. "I took away the only family you had left... I understand if you want nothing to do with me."

Athena, to my disbelief, shook her head and even gave me a slight smile! "No, I don't hate you. I saw the end of the fight, she let you kill her. I think she always was going to let you be the one to do it. I still believe that you're the kindest and nicest Nightwalker in existence."

I couldn't believe her. How could she be so accepting of me like this? I will never be able to forgive myself for this, never.

In a flash of instinctual movement my hand moved on its own. Pain seared through my hand as a small throwing knife pierced right through it. I breathed out a soft sigh of relief while Athena looked wide eyed at the tip of the knife that would have imbedded itself into her temple if my hand wasn't in the way.

"Damn and here I thought I could get rid of the whole family." That annoying voice drawled. I didn't think I was capable of being this mad except for if Enrique was in front of me.

Softly and slowly I placed Sylvia's body into Athena's lap before, with incredible pain piercing my own heart, I pulled out my hunting knife from Sylvia's stomach and dropped it to the ground, unable to touch it anymore because of what I have used it for. I stood up and out of Anon's arms, heavy with pain from my injuries but mostly from my breaking soul. "Protect her." I told him though I knew that he could barely move.

"Of course." He stated obviously, but sagged to the ground beside the girl while I turned to look at Adelle who was playing with another throwing knife.

"Didn't you say that your Hunters would be a match for us?" I asked evenly not showing how much I was going to rip this woman limb from limb. "I think you were thinking much too highly about yourself and them."

Adelle scowled at me while she stopped playing with the knife. I pulled the knife she threw at Athena from my hand. It was able to heal quicker than normal when I placed mana into the wound closing it forcefully and temporarily like the rest of me wounds on my body.

I walked slowly to my sword that was still on the ground and picked it up. It was splattered with human blood from the start of the fight. I looked around for a second to find body's littering the clearing. The death was starting to stain the mana in the air, which was making me feel sick.

I swung it around before facing Adelle with a flat expression. "I'm going to kill you, and it's not going to be quick." I stated, I promised her while mana wove through me with excited expectation. "I will make it slow and I will make it painful."

Adelle grit her teeth together as the mana in the clearing grew denser. I didn't feel powerful. I didn't feel heavy. I didn't feel light. Nor did I feel anything at all really. I just wanted to hurt something, I'd prefer it to be myself as a type of self punishment, but Adelle was better than someone else at the moment to push my anger towards.

I didn't give her a chance to reply or to really react. I was in front of her within a second swinging my sword down towards her. I heard her suck in a breath as she parred the blow while staggering backwards out of the way. I didn't let up. Hit after hit I swung going for her arms, legs and torso, but not to kill, not yet.

I was ripping my own wounds open again while I fought, saturating my leather vest and undershirt further. Adelle let out a hiss as my sword continued to make cuts and scratches on her, deep enough for blood to soak into her clothing as well.

Finally I was able to hit her knife out of her hand while she tripped and fell onto her backside. I stepped back breathing evenly but deep. It hasn't been enough yet, I'm still angry, I'm still upset.

"Get up." I ordered kicking her knife back to her. I paced lightly in front of her as she tried to stand up. I looked over to everyone watching and my eyes landed on Athena who was still holding Sylvia's body in her arms.

I scowled at myself as hate and anger at myself intensified. "You should leave." I told Mistress. "Get everyone back to the estate."

Her gold eyes took me in seriously before nodding her head. "You will be back by nightfall won't you?"

"Yes Mistress." I agreed with a slight bow.

A thoughtful look came over her face before a slight smile tugged at her lips. "You don't have to call me that anymore. You have a name now, and it's a bit strange when you're older than me."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise but nodded my head in agreement. "Very well then, I will be back before night fall, my lady."

With a farewell nod she turned around and ordered the train back into motion.

"Stop where you are!" Adelle cried out finally getting to her feet. She wobbled slight but still held up a threatening finger. "I was tasked to kill you! You blood sucking freak!"

I punched her in the face sending her back to the ground. "I suggest you don't disrespect lady Aviva in my presence, you do not want me any more mad than I already am."

She groaned slightly while still on the ground. "My face... My beautiful face." She whined while holding her cheek.

I rolled my eyes at how pathetic she sounded. "Get up." I eyed her impatiently. "Get up cause I don't want to kill you when you're not defending yourself."

Adelle glared at me and I finally got what I wanted, her to get completely angry that she wouldn't hold back.

I was now on the defensive as she quickly got up and used her knives to slash at me. She was slow though so it was easy to duck, dodge or block her attacks and continue to slice her here and there.

I was getting bored. She wasn't strong enough, not like before, not like Sylvia. Sylvia was powerful, this woman was nothing compared to her. So as Adelle went for my throat with her knives, I dodged under her swings, getting within her guard, spun so that my back faced the ground while at the same time swinging my sword up. My movements were too fast for her to keep up.

Spinning again while stepping to get behind her I heard her scream as I watched her hands fall limp to the ground, no longer attached to her wrists. Blood sprayed from the wounds almost comically as she fell to her knees crying out in shock and then pain. It made the bloodlust stir inside me once again but I pushed it away, this wasn't the time to think about feeding.

I'm assuming the shock was too much for her because she was quick to faint and fall face first onto the ground. She would easily die from blood loss within a few minutes. I walked over to her and rolled her over onto her back with a careless kick.

I looked down at her passed out form with her heart still pumping blood out of her open wounds constantly. She looked so pathetic, so human... so weak. Nothing like how Sylvia was. Anon and Athena were still sitting a bit away having declined leaving with the others. I looked over to them and couldn't stop my eyes from going to Sylvia's prone body wrapped in her little sisters arms.

Annoyed and upset I decided to not take anymore time in killing this pathetic Hunter. Swinging my sword around to flick off the blood that stained it. I faced the tip down and was ready to plunge it into her when I was suddenly smacked away by a solid blow right to my chest.

It was incredibly heavy and painful, knocking the breath right out of me, which wasn't helped when I slammed into the ground making the wounds on my back ache even more. I struggled to sit up and saw who had attacked me standing over Adelle.

I was shocked to see that man Anon and I had seen on the rooftops of that town we passed through while going towards Enrique's castle. His black hair and grey eyes were the same as back then, which felt like years ago because of everything that has happened. I thought he was a Nightwalker...

I winced as my head started to pound ruthlessly. "Who are you?" I asked, my voice strained by the pain in my head and the rest of my body.

"You will find out soon enough, but for now I will not kill you, Nightwalker, but the next time we meet I will not let you live." He stated in a smooth voice. I couldn't help but gasp when both he and Adelle's body, including her hands, suddenly disappeared without a trace. I sat there shocked and in silence.

"Vaden?" Someone asked tentatively and I have to admit, hearing my name spoken out loud after so long made my heart ache, in both a good and bad way.

I looked towards Athena who was the one who called me. "Yes?" I asked suddenly feeling really tired.

"Do you have the strength to help me bury Sylvy?" She asked softly, pain that the words caused to us both making her voice tremble.

I no longer felt anger, at myself or the Hunters or even at Sylvia herself for making me kill her. Now I only felt sad, so incredibly sad and tired.

"Yes, I'll help you bury her. But I don't want to do it here." I groaned while standing up. My head was still thumping. "Are you okay to wait here Anon while Athena and I go and do this?"

"Of course." He nodded his head seriously before staggering to his feet and then slumping down under a tree, still completely naked.

I walked over to him and laid my sword beside him. "Just in case." I told him.

"Thank you Alpha, for everything. For saving my life and for calling me family." He said while I felt how grateful he was through our bond.

"I will do anything for you Anon, just like you would for me." I stated before placing a kiss to his forehead and then headed over to Athena.

Squatting down and ignoring my pain I picked up my hunting knife, disgust from touching the thing making me frown, and sheathed it before I lifted Sylvia's body up into my arms. "Where will we bury her?" Athena asked quietly never letting go of her sister's hand.

"If it's okay with you, I want to bury her next to my parent's graves. I think their spirits will meet and I know my parents will look after her wherever they are now." I told her while also sounding like I was asking permission since it was her decision since she was the only remaining kin of her family. Thanks to me and the creatures of my kind... I scowled at the thought and hated how true it was. Monster...

"That sounds really nice. I think Sylvy would like that." Athena agreed with a barely there smile.

"Okay then." I agreed and since Ruddy also refused to leave me behind I helped Athena up onto him before placing Sylvia back into her arms and sliding up behind them both, my arms and legs wrapped around them so they wouldn't fall.

It didn't take us long to get back to my family's cabin and soon we had buried Sylvia beside where my parent's bones lay. I held Athena as she cried and cried until she passed out in my arms before I allowed my own tears to be shed once more.

"I keep on being reminded by others that I am not a monster, but for what I've done to you, what I've done to Athena by killing you... I will never forgive myself." I told her spirit seriously. "You will always be my first true companion and I know that I was unable to love you in the same way you did me, but I did love you, in my own way that meant I would have done anything to protect you. Yet I went against my love and now we're here and you're gone. I'm sorry Sylvia... I'm so sorry."

I couldn't stay for too long after my words, unable to stand being in such a beautiful place when I felt so disgusting and unworthy. So I quickly carried Athena up onto Ruddy's saddle and headed back to Anon. I helped him up to sit behind me, his arms around my waist and we headed back to the estate, tired, drained and destroyed.

***

To say I was surprised by who greeted us at the gated entrance of the estate would be an understatement. Two people I have grown close to and another I can tell will become a lifelong friend as well stood waiting at the entrance.

"Purple!" I couldn't help but let out a soft, tired, smile at the ecstatic waving and the shouting of the bright red haired beauty I wasn't expecting to have woken up just yet.

"Mercy." I greeted back to her glad to see her awake and healthy. Though under everything the constant hole of loss still weighed me down.

"Hey, who are those two? And why are you all covered in so much blood?" Mercy asked worriedly as Ruddy came to a stop in front of her.

Athena was still asleep in my arms and Anon had passed out with his head on my shoulder halfway here. I then just realised that Mercy hasn't actually met Anon yet even though we had rescued him before she was changed.

"This is Anon and this is Athena. Anon's a wolf shifter and Athena's human, you should be able to scent them now because of your heightened senses." I groaned softly as I carefully slid out from between the two while making sure neither fell off Ruddy in their unconscious states.

My knees buckled when I touched the ground and I hissed as I felt more blood trickle out of my slowly healing wounds that Sylvia's arrows made. Maybe I should have trained with her instead of Galen before all of this. If we weren't friends and she didn't allow me to land the finishing blow, I'm sure I would be dead right now. She was incredibly powerful.

"Are you okay?" Lady Beatrice asked hurrying to my side. I hissed again when she touched my back. She flinched away from me while her hand came away sticky with blood, a mix of mine and Anon's from where the blood from his chest wound had mixed with my own on my back.

"You're wounded." She stated. "You both are."

"Yeah, I thought you would have been told by lady Aviva about what has happened." I husked, pain making my voice strained. Ashwini who was also standing at the entrance rushed to my side helping lady Beatrice stand me up with one of my arms over each of their shoulders.

"You look like you went to hell and back." Ashwini stated almost jokingly, though I know it was true.

"Trust me... I'm still there." I panted and couldn't help myself but to lean my weight onto lady Beatrice instead of Ashwini, both because Ashwini was basically human and because my body reacted on its own to lady Beatrice's proximity. "Can you two get the other two to bed? Anon needs to heal and Athena needs a good rest because of what she's been through."

"What about you?" Lady Beatrice asked cautiously.

I didn't answer right away as I looked at the blood on my hands. "I will never forget about anything that has happened to me during the past few days. I don't know if I'll ever fully heal, but I know I'll never forgive myself." I whispered darkly and more so to myself.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" Mercy asked with wide eyes as she carefully pulled Athena down from Ruddy's back, who stood there patiently. "Bloody hell! She's so light and skinny!" Mercy commented quickly looking down at the girl in her arms.

"I know." I grimaced with a nod of my head that made my vision spin and my head thump once again renewing my headache.

Mercy handed Athena over to Ashwini who also gasped at the lack of weight Athena had in her body. But she couldn't start heading into the mansion because the girl suddenly woke up with a panicked start.

"No! No! let go of me!" Athena cried out suddenly in hysterics. "Vaden! Vaden help me! Please!"

With strength I didn't know I still had, I had Athena in my arms and away from the others within a second. "Shh, I got you Athena. I've got you. No one's going to hurt you here."

Athena suddenly had a vice grip around my body that was making it ache but I knew I'd waste every drip of strength in my body to make sure Athena was okay. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me too." She cried into my neck ripping my heart and soul even more.

"Hush darling, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you. I'm never going to leave you, I promise. I'm here." I whispered to her with a hand to the back of her head and petting her slowly, comfortingly.

I turned around to see the shocked faces of my friends and I almost felt like blushing at their stares, but I just turned my face and pressed a kiss to Athena's temple, feeling an endless pool of protectiveness for the girl well up inside me.

"I'm sorry, Vaden..." Athena whispered once she calmed down.

"It's okay. I understand, but you don't have to feel like you're in danger okay?" I told her quietly. "I want you to meet the people I've become close to since I was Changed."

I felt her nod her head but she didn't let go of me even when I let her down. I placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't suddenly be shy now Athena." I chuckled lightly when she didn't even look at the other women.

"Sorry." She blushed and stood up straighter but kept her eyes on the ground.

"This is Athena." I introduced the girl to the three women who were looking at her almost adoringly, which made my hurting heart hurt just that little bit less. "Athena, this is my lady, lady Beatrice, she's lady Aviva's younger sister and the one who taught me how to use mana. The red head is Melisande or Mercy. She was just Changed not too long ago and was the one I told you about who started calling me Purple because of my eyes. And last but not least, the beauty with earth for skin is Ashwini, she's a witch that we saved."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Athena bowed low to the three of them.

"She's so freakin adorable!" Mercy gushed making Athena blush even more. "Hello, my dear." Mercy greeted suddenly squatting down in front of the girl, which made her rear back into me, nearly toppling me over because of how weak my body was feeling. "Oh sorry! I still haven't gotten control over my speed and strength yet." She apologised embarrassedly while rubbing the back of her neck.

"I-It's okay." Athena stuttered while still partially inching behind me and away from the energetic woman.

"You guys are way too loud." Anon groaned grumpily still up on top of Ruddy who was getting antsy to get his own rest. Anon must have felt the horse's restlessness because he slowly slid from the beasts back.