"The branding may not hold Bane, she's too young", the voice had whispered, light as a will o' the wisp. "I don't care if it holds or not", the monster replied harshly. "She has my blood flowing in her veins and that is power, enough power to finish the process".
"But Bane", the voice tried again. "Enough!!! I've had enough", the monster shouted. "Start the process or I might just decide to start the process on you, how about that for motivation". "I'll start right away", the voice whispered agreeably.
"You!!!", I screamed right in her face, slapping her cold hands off my face in disgust. She only kept her hands to her side and stared apologetically at me. I almost believed it, but I had been on the receiving end of her brutality enough times in one week to know all that façade was a lie.
"You did this to me", I accused fiercely. She didn't flinch, didn't even look the least bit surprised, "I see you still remember". "What are you talking about?" Aunt Maia and Xander asked at the same time.
"How the heck am I supposed to forget?" I yelled vehemently. "I went through the pain for weeks, I lived through the horror you and that bastard put me through, or you think I just walked out of that dastardly place sane as I was before you snatched me from my family and put me in abject misery?"
I was full on pissed now and I desperately needed to expel all that I was feeling if not I'd explode. How could she even think to come to my house, how the hell did she even locate us, Jesus does this mean that bastard knows where I live now?
I was about to launch into a fresh tirade of my desire when I heard my mom's voice and real fear gripped my heart. "Asha, what's going on?" She asked softly as she made her way to the drama currently playing out right on her doorsteps.
I didn't want her going through this shit, not again. She was just finally getting her life back in order and this witch turns up on our doorsteps. Like seriously could this life not hate me so much?
"Asha?" She asked again. "It's nothing mom", I replied hurriedly. "Well if it's nothing why does Xander look like he's about to rip something apart and Maia looks as if she's seen a ghost, Nat here is looking pretty much lost", she replied jokingly. If only she knew.
We all tried to get our emotions in check while my mind raced with plausible explanation for the bitch, witch standing on our doorsteps. "Ummm… it's just, we have an unwanted guest and you know security is high around here these days", I replied foolishly.
When my mum finally made it to my side and saw the unwanted guest, her reaction blinded me. "Diya", my mom exclaimed with a full blown smile, sweeping her into a big hug. "It's been such a long time. How have you been?"
"Uhh mom you know this bi…person?" I asked incredulously. The smile she gave me broke my heart. "Of course I know her", mama replied happily. "She was the one who called me to inform me of your location when you were kidnapped".
"You said what?" I exclaimed. "Yeah", she replied. "And she was also the one who got me connected to your Aunt Maia, since you had a hard time with therapy and relating with other people".
The joy I saw on her face just shredded my heart every second because I knew within my heart that there was no way my mom knew about what she did to me and still smiled with her this happily, meaning this bi…person had been deceiving my mom all along and now I have to break her heart.
"Did she also call you to let you know that she was the one who helped that bastard perform all his experiments on your daughter", I asked coldly. You know how you think you'll be able to predict a situation based on certain variables and constants you know, well fuck that theory.
My mom went mute for some seconds and I don't think I ever dreaded anyone's words as I dreaded the ones that would come out of my mom's mouth next. "She did tell me", she began gently and whatever else she had to say flew out the window for me.
"You're telling me now Ma that you knew about every kind of torture she put me through and yet you, I don't know, kept a close or whatever the fuck kinda relationship this is with her?" I asked in shock.
"Asha please be patient and listen", she pleaded but I was far gone. "There's nothing I need to be patient for", I replied brokenly. If anyone ever told me a day like this would come I would've told the person to keep dreaming but this shit was happening right before my very eyes.
"Whatever the reason for this", I said pointing between the both of them. "It should've never happened. I don't care what the excuse was, but you should've never let her in". My heart was ripping with every word. A woman I thought I knew, one I was almost certain would die for me, only to be holding hands literally with the enemy.
"SHE BROKE YOUR ONLY CHILD!!!", I screamed at her, tears running down my eyes. "How could you ever be okay with that, how?" "Asha", she tried again but it was too late. "I don't care what you have to say", I replied tearfully. "You sided with the enemy that's all I see right now and I want none of it."
Without another word I dashed right out of the house, my tears blinding me, my heart ripping to shreds whatever was left, my wolf howling its pain in my head and my whole world crashing down on its hinges around me. "What a great way to start the week indeed".
*******Xander's POV*******
"I'm going after her", I said immediately Asha left the house. So many things have happened this morning that I didn't bargain for but seeing my mate in tears topped the list of those things and as much as I wanted to rip this witch to shreds for whatever part she played in the horrors that plagued Asha's life, I knew answers were needed before any decision could be made.
Her mom was in tears too and though I knew she was family to Asha, I couldn't help but take her side on this. In a haste to go after my mate, I gave Nat a quick command, "stay here and keep an eye on things until Canaan gets here."
The minute I dashed out of the house following Asha's scent, I quickly mind linked Canaan with a simple command to get to Asha's house as fast as possible. With every other thing settled I could finally focus on locating my mate.
She was fast, I'll admit, because it took me twenty minutes before I finally located her. She had zipped through the forest surrounding her house only to end up on the cliff overlooking the Seers Lake.
I was so shocked she had been able to find it that I almost missed her sitting right by the edge of one of the huge trees surrounding the cliff. When I found her though, I got pissed all over again.
She looked beaten, eyes red rimmed from crying, hair roughened by her run and from the few leaves I saw in them, a few falls. Her knees were bruised and she had them raised up to her chest while she rested her chin on them.
Without a word, I made my way to her and sat beside her on the forest floor to wrap my arms around her as she cried some more. In that moment I knew I would hurt the people who put her through this, family or not, she didn't deserve this.
We stayed like that for a while, me rocking her while she silently cried until she finally passed out, exhausted beyond belief. I didn't move from there though, simply adjusted her so she was comfortable and then proceeded to mind link Canaan to know what was going on back at her house.
"Things aren't looking good here, X", Canaan quickly responded. "What do you mean things aren't looking good?" I asked, sitting upright. "Her mom has been crying since I got here and nothing has been able to stop that", he replied sadly.
Canaan was the softy among us and I knew he was already feeling sympathetic towards Asha's mom. "What else?" I asked impatiently. "I spoke to Maia and some painful information has been revealed that I think you'd wanna know but you still won't be happy about", he responded carefully.
"Well tell me already", I implored impatiently. "It's not my place and I can only tell you just what I know, the rest you'll need to hear from Asha". "Just spit it out", I commanded. "Asha was kidnapped when she was younger by her biological father and experimented on and Maia's twin was the one who helped him out", he replied gently.
"By twin you mean the witch that showed up unannounced", I asked carefully. "Yes", he agreed. "Okay, what else?" I queried. "She's also the only one apparently who can help Asha come into her full powers because she was the one who bottled them up within her in the first place", he stated with finality.
"What makes her so certain, that her magic can't be undone by another witch?" I asked skeptically. "I asked her the same thing", he replied gently. "And what was her reply?" "Only her sister Maia could do that", he explained. "But she doesn't dabble with forbidden magic and so has no clue how to help Asha."
I needed answers and needed them fast but first certain things need to be settled. "Keep her there and mind link Lilith to find out how true her words are", I commanded immediately. "I'll send Keith your way soon enough, he'll know what to do to get the truth out of her."
"How is Asha doing though?" he asked worriedly. "She's asleep right now", I replied warmly. "What should I tell her mom?" He asked gently. As much as I really wanted to interfere, I knew it wasn't my place and I didn't have all the information needed.
"You can tell her Asha is fine and she's with me", I replied calmly. "Tell her I'll bring her home when she wakes up". "Okay", he replied in relief. "Thanks man". I knew it must have been pure torture for him, watching Asha's mom cry ever since, such a softie.
The minute I closed the mind link with him, I mind linked Keith and updated him on everything. He had a few ideas what to do and since Asha was starting to stir, I gave him the go ahead with his plans so far as he promises the witch will still be alive by the end of his session with her.
A minute or so after I closed the mind link with Keith, Asha woke up looking so weak and defeated, a sight that broke my heart. I didn't have the words to make her feel better instantly and I hated that I was limited. It was not a feeling I was used to.
"I'm sorry", she whispered tiredly. I was still berating myself in my thoughts that I almost missed her words but the minute I heard her I corrected her, "you have nothing to be sorry for". I placed my finger beneath her chin to bring her face level with mine. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for", I emphasized.
I could see the battle in her eyes and I recognized the struggle to believe me that was present there and it broke my heart that she would rather beat herself up for something she had been put through instead of blaming anyone else.
With her eyes locked on mine, I could see the tears begin to form again in her eyes as she whispered words I would never forget my whole life. "I'm sorry I'm so broken that its one different shit each day", she apologized brokenly.
"I'm sorry that I'm not the best and simplest of people to have for a mate. I'm sorry I'm such an anomaly that my existence itself should have never been orchestrated, I'm sorry I'm so weak all I do is run from my problems just like you said", the tears were running freely from her eyes now and no matter what I did to stop her she just kept on going.
The fact that she thought all that was her fault and she had to apologize for that told me she had been through hell and had only been braving through it all and I knew I would never forget the part I played in helping her get to this point.
"If you're sorry for all of that", I began softly. "Then I'm sorry for failing you as a mate. I'm sorry I said such things to you without knowing the whole truth. I'm sorry I failed to keep my promise to protect you and I'm sorry that I am completely helpless to help you right now when you need me the most."