38 | Blame

The air inside of the woods was dense. There was a mindfulness to it that I had never experienced before. It set my teeth on edge, my gaze darting to the empty shadows that hung between the trees in the distance. Alec kept a steady pace a few feet in front of me, changing direction a few hundred feet.

"How's it going? You still catching her scent?"

He glanced back at me over his shoulder, nodding. We had not said much to each other after we got into the car together. There were a million things that I wanted to ask him, but I couldn't decide if it mattered anymore. I had failed to protect Mary-Beth, knowing all the minute details wouldn't change what happened or make me feel any less responsible. All that mattered now was finding her, and bringing her home safely.

"This is my fault," Alec said, his voice thick with emotion.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She asked me to help her." His shoulders drew together. "I warned her to stay out of it. That it was dangerous, but I knew she wouldn't listen to me. I should have helped her—protected her."

I watched the way his feet appeared to glide over the ground soundlessly, trying to focus on anything but the dark imagines plaguing my mind. "That's not your responsibility, Alec."

He turned toward me, his face a mask of agony and shame. "You should hate me."

Even if the words came out soft, it's as though he yelled them. I stared at him silently, waiting for the anger to rise. Nothing came. Alec wasn't responsible for his father's sins. A part of me wanted to hurt him simply to return the pain I felt to his parents a hundred-fold, but I knew it wouldn't change a damn thing.

I dropped my head with a heavy sigh. "Just keep walking. I don't have time to waste on hating anyone."

"You're right," he replied, but I didn't miss the wary tone of his voice.

It was annoying to find myself caring about this kid in any capacity. What did it matter if he had guilt about the predicament that we now found ourselves in? He was Bradford's son. And yet, the urge to soothe him existed in me, which was nauseating.

"You said that Mary-Beth came to you for help, what was she trying to do?" I asked as I tried to repress my sympathy.

"I'm not entirely sure. We argued about Cal--"

"Cal?" I interrupted him.

"Yeah. We argued about the alpha claim but she told me that Cal only did that to protect her."

"That's right," I said with indifference. It was the truth, there was no reason for me to deny it.

Alec paused at my response, one of his hands curling into a tight fist at his side. Then he was walking again, increasing his pace. I wasn't going to argue against the sudden urgency but it made me suspicious that there was something I was still missing and he knew what that was.

"So you argued and then?" I pushed a low hanging branch out of my way.

"Then I warned her that it was dangerous to get involved and that she should let Cal and...my father settle things." He stopped and began to sniff at the air, turning his head one way then the other. "This way."

I followed the change of direction, breathing heavier as my body began to take note of the work I was putting it through. All those years living in a city weren't paying off now. "I doubt she took that well."

He threw a heavy glance over his shoulder at me and said, "She basically told me if I tried to stop her she'd put me in a hospital bed next to Avery."

It was the wrong time to grin but I couldn't help myself. My little sister's mental state had been a worry since our father died. Our relationship was in constant flux, me trying to get through the barriers she had built to protect herself and her trying to reinforce them anytime I found a weakness. I had only realized in the past week or so that it didn't matter if we were close or how she saw me. It only mattered that she was alive and happy. Knowing that she was fighting to do what she thought was right, no matter how stupid, it filled me with pride.

My grin quickly faded as I recalled the condition of the boy we had left behind with Cal's cousin. It was clear that he had fought his attacker and I was willing to bet that Mary-Beth wasn't in any better condition. But I was going to cling to the hope that her fighting spirit would keep her alive until I found her.

"Was this part of the plan?" I asked. There was no reason to feign ignorance anymore. Despite Alec being Bradford's son, there was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to save my sister.

Alec didn't respond to my question for a long moment. The sound of my heavy breaths and footsteps clogging up the silence.

"I don't know," he said in a soft voice, but it was impossible to miss the sincerity.

"But you do know something." It wasn't a suggestion or question on my part. It was a fact that we both knew to be true. I wasn't sure how involved the kid was, by the distressed responses he had given at Tamara's house to now, I'd wager to say his father might have neglected a few details.

"He never told me anything. I just overheard stuff here and there, and pieced it together myself."

That made more sense. Alec had seemed like a sweet kid from the moment we met. It was too bad he had such terrible parents. I heaved another sigh and pulled my jacket tighter around my body. "It doesn't matter anymore. Let's just focus on finding my sister."

We walked for a while longer in silence, it was hard to know exactly how much time had passed since we entered. The sun was blotted out most of the time, it only became easier to navigate when the trees began to thin out and Alec appeared to move with more urgency. It was something I took as a good sign. My thoughts had only grown darker the more time we lost searching for Mary-Beth.

God, I hoped that she was alive. If something terrible happened to her I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know if I could survive that. The thought alone made my heart clench tight in my chest until it was hard to breathe.

Alec made a sound in the back of his throat drawing my attention. He threw out his hand to hold me in place and I froze a couple feet back. I followed his gaze, looking through the break in the trees toward the cabin that stood about two hundred feet in the distance. There was a car in the driveway but it didn't appear familiar to me in any way. I didn't notice signs of life as I scanned the area before us.

"I'll go first."

I nodded at his comment, it wasn't my favorite plan, sending a kid out into the unknown but it made sense. He was a werewolf and I was a human, he would definitely stand more of a chance if the kidnapper was hanging around. I watched him as he made his way toward the cabin, body tense and ready to be attacked at any moment. Honestly, my own heart was ready to burst out of my chest, waiting alone in the woods was making me paranoid. Coming here like this was beyond stupid on my part, if something happened what the hell was I going to do?

Thankfully, Alec gave me a wave before I could spend any more time dwelling on those thoughts. I raced out of the woods towards him, my legs carrying me as though the devil was following.

"She's inside somewhere," Alec said with a firm tone. He looked ready to break down the front door.

I gave the front of the cabin a quick glance, knowing going through the front was a terrible idea. There was no way the kidnapper would leave it unguarded. "Let's check around the back."

Alec took the lead again, it was safer to have him as a shield against any potential threats. I spied a window and spoke in a hushed tone, "Look, a window."

He walked up to it, footsteps making barely a sound. It was annoying to notice how loud I was in comparison despite my attempt to step lightly on the ground, avoiding anything that might alert someone to our presence.

"There she is!" he said in an urgent whisper.

I pushed up on my tip-toes, grasping the edge of the window sill and pulling myself up enough to see inside. It took a moment to get a good enough visual of the dimly lit room. But once I spotted the huddled form on the bed my eyes focused. It was definitely Mary-Beth and she appeared to be unconscious. There was visible bruising and swelling on the left side of her face. It made me more concerned about the rest of her condition. I dropped back down from where I was grasping the tiny edge of the window.

Alec wasted no time in checking to see if it was unlocked, it slid open with ease. I didn't have a chance to think about what was happening next before he grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up. My movements lacked all the grace and efficiency, reminding me how human I was compared to most of the people in my life currently. Either way, I made it into the small bedroom with Alec coming in through the window behind me.

We both stood in the room, trying to calm our breathing and listen for any other movement. Alec was the one to give the all clear, approaching my sister with hurried steps.

He reached out for her, hand trembling as he brushed some hair away from her face. "She looks so small."

I glanced toward the door that led to this room, paranoia creeping up my spine like the legs of a spider. Something was wrong about this situation. Was this a trap? And if so, for who?

Alec carefully gathered Mary-Beth up into his arm, and a small pained whimper escaped her lips. I reached for her, fingertips grazing her a bloody cut on her cheek. Something inside broke then, and a familiar sensation rose up from the depth of me. A numbness settled into the marrow of my bones. All this time I was fighting and raging against the inevitable.

"You take her and go. Send help once she's safe."

"What?"

I brushed more hair away from my sister's face, doing my best to memorize it. "It's obvious that if we both go, we'll be followed."

Alec's voice shook as he continued, "Then you should--"

"You think that I can carry her? I'm not nearly as fast or strong as you. Plus, I'm likely to get lost out there on my own." I shook my head, certain that this was a stupid idea but the best solution. I woke up this morning with hope in my heart completely unaware of the death flag waving in my face.

"What can you do here? It's suci--"

"It's okay," I said with a weak smile. "Don't feel bad. This is my choice, and it's the best choice."

He looked like he wanted to argue with me, eyes shifting around in a panic, jaw clenched tight. It was oddly endearing to see someone scrambling for a way to save my life. I reached out and placed my hand on top of his head. It was a bit awkward considering he was a bit taller than me, but it seemed to do the trick in grabbing his attention.

"You're a good boy." His gaze fixed on me in surprise as I gave him a couple gentle pets before I dropped my hand. It was something I remembered my dad doing when I was young, something that calmed me when I was afraid. "Now do what I say."

He hesitated a moment, gritting his teeth but offering no more argument as he pulled Mary-Beth closer to his chest. I stared at her cradled in his arms and a million memories and wishes rushed through my mind. It was strange, to think that this might be the last time I saw her. I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump of emotion rising in my throat.

"I don't plan on dying here." I said, hoping that it convinced him as much as it did myself.

"I'll keep her safe," he replied and I smiled at his words. I knew he was trying to comfort me.

My eyes fluttered open, vision blurring slightly. "You better. Now, get out of here."

He turned away from me, shifting Mary-Beth in his arms a bit before he leapt through the open window. It was almost terrifying how easy it was. I crossed the window, watching as Alec crept from the cabin and darted into the woods.