What we could use, we kept. What we wanted to remember them by, we saved. Their clothes were brought over to Hayden’s Home. It’s where paranormals who need a place to stay go. Or ones who are leaving abusive relationships. No matter the case, they are welcomed to the home to stay for as long as they need to.
Mom and Dad would have loved it. Taking their clothes there was the right thing to do. I hung on to items that were sentimental to me. Anything I wanted to remind me of the loving parents I had. No, my mom didn’t do things right in the end. She did things I can never excuse, but she was still my mom and I loved her dearly.
Caspian follows me into my room and closes the door. We both go to the bed and I settle with my head on his chest. He knows what I need without having to ask. That’s how good of a friend he is to me. My best friend. Someone I don’t take for granted.
Even with the door closed, I hear Camden’s cries. Super hearing will do that. I could block it out, but I choose not to. He’s hurting and I’m hurting for him. I’m sure others in the pack are as well. He’s not alone. I hate to think of how he’d be if he didn’t have us around him.
Sol teleports into my room a few minutes later. He walks over to the bed and sits on down, facing us. “He’s going to need you,” he says in my mind.
“I’m not going anywhere. We’re here for him.”
“Not them, Whit. You.”
“There’s nothing between us.”
“That may or may not be true, but there aren’t many who know what he’s going through. You can relate to him in a way no one else can. And while you feel like you’re not strong, you are. You’re one of the strongest paranormals in the pack. Lend that to him. Be there for him.”
“He’s not going to want it.”
“There’s no way to know until you try. I hate that I had to deliver the news to him, but he had to know.”
“Why did you wait? Why not tell him after everything happened?”
“I wanted him to enjoy the Halloween party. I wanted everyone to have a night with no pain. Just happiness. It didn’t quite turn out that way, but the end result was joy. No one we cared about died. So that was a plus. The fun’s over, though. You have to step up and talk to him.” The Halloween party was one I’ll never forget. So much happened in such a short period of time. Good and bad. Although, Sol’s right. No one we loved was killed.
“I don’t think I can.”
“You can and you will. He needs you.”
3
Camden
A week has passed since finding out my brother had betrayed me and every other shifter out there. It could have been worse. He could have been the one to kill our parents, but that wasn’t true. Sol would have told me. Besides, I remember how much Caiden loved them. What made him go with the ones who killed them, I’m not sure. At the moment, I don’t want to know. Caid could have killed those who murdered our parents for all I know.
Ariane offered to deep dive into Sol’s memories so she could see them then transfer the memories to me with that weird ability she has, but I didn’t want to see them. The words hurt enough. Actually seeing them may put me over the edge and I still have a job to do. One that helps keep me out of my head.
I’ve been running with the pack patrol every night. Going longer than I need to. Pushing myself harder than I have to. All in an effort to tire myself out so I can sleep. Tonight is no different.
The air around me is calm. My wolf’s ears twitch to listen for any movement. I’d welcome a threat at this point. Something to give me a way to channel this mixed bag of emotions inside me. Even after I heard everything, I couldn’t hate my brother. How sick is that? He hunted others. He was part of the plan to rid the world of shifters. He pushed his wolf down and doesn’t acknowledge it. There’s no way I can imagine doing that. My wolf is a huge part of me. I rely on him. We’re one.