32.- Santa and mask

TW: swearing, blood, death

Lupita shot up and grabbed the soft blanket under her while trying to stabilize her breathing.

"You are breaking my hand," came a strained voice from beside her. Lupita let go of MJ's hand quickly and turned to the girl.

"I didn't have control," she whispered as she breathed heavily. "I didn't want to see... blood."

"I know, I'm sorry," MJ said and massaged her hand. "That was incredibly wrong of me to invade your head like that but I had to know about it."

"She will never do it again," Abeba said from behind them and placed a hand on Lupita's shoulder. "You went through all of that?" She nodded and held back tears. Then she noticed someone that wasn't there.

"Where is Ambrosia?" she asked. She wanted to see her more than anyone right now.

"She left, please don't ask more about it," MJ pleaded and Lupita felt a pit in her stomach. "Please don't think about that now. But could you tell us... you are a demigod?!"

"Marie," Abeba said harshly and slapped the girl's shoulder. "She has just been through a lot. Save your questions for later."

"It's ok," Lupita said in a shaky voice. "Fenrir is my dad," she whispered.

"Fenrir is a god?" MJ asked and furrowed her brows.

"With werewolves yes," Lupita said and scratched her arms, remembering the marks there. "A lot of demigods have special markings. Mine are the moons."

"Oh!" MJ said and slapped her forehead. "I remember reading that. And have you met other demigods?"

"One," Lupita said and felt her energy leaving her. She didn't want to talk anymore. "My old alpha."

"Cool and-"

"No more questions honey. She is tired," Abeba said and helped Lupita stand. "Call her father so he can pick her up."

"Oh, yeah," MJ said and stood up with them. "I'm sorry Lupi. I really am."

"It's fine," Lupita said and staggered out the door while leaning on Abeba. She was mad. Very mad. She didn't want to experience that memory again. Her leg stung as she thought about it. But she understood. It was important information.

"You don't have to say it's fine, you know that, right?" Abeba said as she carefully helped Lupita down the stairs.

"I know," Lupita said and fell on the couch once they reached it.

"How was it?" Cass asked and leaned over the couch's armrest from her place on the other couch.

"Your sister is grounded," Abeba said before moving to the kitchen.

"That bad?" Cass said and began rubbing Lupita's shoulder. "You ok?"

"Very tired," Lupita said and rubbed her leg. "And hurting."

"Yeah, the spell can bring back some old wounds. Nothing hurts too bad though?"

"No, just an ache," Lupita said and smiled when the girl began massaging her shoulder, which was difficult considering she was lying on her side. "You are very nice."

"Thank you, honey," the girl said with a wide smile. "I try my best."

"Do you witches have mates?" Lupita suddenly asked. She needed to talk about something else.

"In a way yeah," Cass began. "Not on the intense level that you werewolves feel it, but we do. MJ and Rowan are mates, though, we don't really call it mates, we just call them 'the destined one'."

"Yeah, my destined pain in the ass," MJ said as she sat down next to her sister. "He is out with Ambrosia if you were curious. And John is on his way. I didn't tell him anything."

"Thank you," Lupita said and held back a grimace at the thought of Ambrosia and having to tell John about what happened. Abeba came over to them and handed Lupita a glass of... something. It had a greenish color and didn't have a particular smell.

"It's for the pain," she said and helped Lupita sit up. She drank it and the pain subsided, but the dull ache was still there. "You have been through so much," Abeba said and kissed her head while hugging her close to her chest. "You are such a strong beautiful girl." Lupita smiled and snuggled into the woman. John was right, she would always have people who loved her.

They waited for a few more moments. The sun was starting to set and Lupita felt it tug in her chest. John still hadn't arrived. She was getting anxious.

"Did you give him the address?" Abeba asked as she looked out the window.

"Yeah, he asked for it multiple times. I'm sure that he knows where it is," MJ said. "And he would have called if he was lost."

"Call him again," Abeba said and closed the curtains. "With rouges out there now you never know what could happen." Lupita's eyes widened and she stared at the woman. "We have protection around this area Lupita, don't worry, and most of them are surely being hunted."

"No answer," MJ said and sighed. "Maybe his phone ran out of battery."

"He always has it in a charger," Lupita said and stood up. She was about to move to the front door but was stopped by a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Please sit back down sweety, you are still very weak after the ritual," Abeba said and pushed Lupita back down on the couch. Her leg began to bounce and she rubbed the scars in her palm.

They waited for a few more minutes, but nothing. Lupita was starting to panic. He was never late. He was always stressing about coming everywhere and doing everything on time. And he knew how worried she was for this, he knew she would want him to be there with her. He was worried himself and had offered to close the bakery for the day, but Lupita had felt too guilty and insisted she would be fine. So the compromise had been too close early as he was still worried out of his mind. It didn't make any sense.

"Mommy, I can't sleep," one of the ten-year-old twins said as she staggered over to them with a small bunny plush in her hands.

"What is it now honey?" Abeba said in a sweet tone, picked up the little girl, and placed her on her lap. "Trouble sleeping again?"

"Yes," the little girl whispered. "Strange dream about a man that looks like Santa and a man in a white mask."

Lupita's eyes widened and she looked at the girl. "What is she?" she asked and moved closer.

"How so?" Abeba said and hugged the girl a little closer to her.

"Just a witch," the girl answered. "But I can see where people are sometimes." Lupita's eyes widened at the girl's words. Her heart began beating faster and faster. Her breathing became labored and her hand burned.

"Santa... and a man in a white mask? Where?" she asked and felt Abeba's hand on her chest to stop her from getting too close to the little girl. She hadn't even realized how far she was leaning.

"In the forest," the little girl whispered as she hid behind her rabbit.

Lupita didn't waste a second and sprinted out the door. She could hear the others call out after her but their shouts quickly disappeared as she sprinted through the forest. Her feet pounded on the forest floor, miraculously not tripping on roots or rocks. Her mind set on one thing. Finding John.

It took a while for her to find his scent, and when she did it was faint. She never once slowed down, not even when she caught a glimpse of his crashed car. He wasn't in there. The scent was too weak. The smoke could be overpowering his scent, but it wasn't that, she could smell him further into the forest. Along with that clean, nauseating smell. He had him.

"No," Lupita whispered to herself as she sprinted to the forest. Her legs ached and her lungs burned. Her clothes ripped and her socks had long since fallen off. "No, no, no, no, no, no," she repeated as she felt the smell of blood getting closer. Her heart was in her throat and her claws and canines grew as she neared the space.

"You simply need to tell me where it is." The snake.

Lupita pounced at the man, having a clear view of his back, but he had heard her. She felt a blow to the side of her face and collapsed near a tree. Her fingers softly graced the side of her face and she felt the warm liquid coat her fingers.

"There you are. My little moon," the man said and turned to her. His mask was cracked on the bottom something Lupita hadn't noticed before. She thought she destroyed it. He had a small, faint scar where the piece should be.

A growl brewed in the depths of her soul at the term. It was an endearment term used exclusively for mates by werewolves. Lupita turned her head and her eyes widened and filled with tears. John lay on the ground, unmoving and covered in blood. She could see his chest move and his eyes were open. He wore a smile, a bloodied broken smile as he stared at her.

"Let him go," she growled at the man and looked away from John. The man stared down at her with a tilted head. Lupita could feel the grin under his mask as he lifted his serpent cane and lodged the teeth into her arm when she raised them to cover her face.

"You think you are in a place to negotiate?" he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close to him by his cane. "You have no authority, dog. You were meant to serve me. You still serve m- oh, I guess you have already been claimed again." He grabbed a hold of her collar and ran his fingers across it. Lupita moved to look at John who was trying to stand. She frantically shook her head as the vampire focused on her. "What a lucky guy that must be. Owning a murderous demigod. What would they even do with you?" he said as he let her fall. The wound in her arm began seeping with blood and it burned. Lupita had never felt a wound burn this much. She held back her screams as the man grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at him. Tears poured from her eyes as she held back sobs. "You only serve for killing. To be punished. To be humiliated."

"Shut your japp," John said as he got up on all four. "She... is absolutely... amazing."

"You may think that old man," the vampire said as he sauntered over to him after shoving Lupita's head to the ground. "But that little bitch is a murderer. She is broken and she is worthless."

"I would say I'm looking at the bitch," John said. The masked man was quick to shove him to the ground with a quick wack of his staff to John's side. Lupita cried into the ground as she lay powerless on the ground, her body not being able to move and her wolves desperately fighting to get to the front of her mind.

"Please," she pleaded as she watched the masked man tower over John. "I'll go with you. I'll do whatever you want." Tears streamed down her face as she watched John take shaky breaths, blood pooling from his mouth. "I'll do whatever. Just leave him." She sobbed and tried to move her arms but was only able to move her left and she wasn't able to get far before collapsing on the back to the ground.

"No," John whispered as the masked man walked toward her. "No."

"Shut up," The masked man said as he dug the end of his staff in his stomach. "Do you really think, you are in a place to bargain?" he asked once he reached Lupita. "You have no power. The gods have left you. Where is your godly father?" Lupita didn't bother growling. Fenrir was a jerk and didn't deserve her anger. "You are alone." He grabbed her by the neck and slowly lifted her off the ground. Her breathing became labored as she weakly clawed at his arm with her only functional one.

"No, she isn't," John wheezed out as he tried to move.

"John, don't talk," Lupita wheezed as the masked man slowly walked toward the bloodied man.

"Listen to the dog, John," the masked man said as he reached him. "You might survive."

"She isn't a dog," John whispered with a small smile. "You would never let me live after this. I know... who you are."

"Stay silent about it and I might let you live," the masked man said and Lupita felt his hand tighten around her neck.

"I've been waiting for this day. You don't scare me," John said and slowly moved to his knees.

"John, no, no," Lupita pleaded and scratched harder at the arm holding her. "No, no, no, no." the hand around her neck tightened but she continued to struggle.

"Goodbye then, John," the masked man said and placed a foot on John's chest. "I hope you find peace wherever you are going." Then he kicked off.

Lupita screamed as she saw John fall down the cliff in slow motion. He had a smile on his lips as he looked at her before disappearing over the edge.

"No!!" Lupita screamed and felt smoke seeping out of her skin. She managed to twist enough to bite the masked man's hand which caused him to drop her. She landed hard on her left shoulder but didn't waste a second and ran to the edge of the cliff. But she was too late. She saw him on the ground but closed her eyes before she saw any detail. What she managed to see was red and mangled.

"Don't cry," the masked man said and Lupita felt the end of his cane in the middle of her back. "He is not worth it."

Lupita sobbed and growled before turning and trying to attack the man, but he swiftly managed to push her off the ledge as well. Luckily she managed to grab a hold of it with her claws. Her shoulder ached and her sobs were uncontrollable as she hung on. Her right arm hung limp at her side, useless and in agony.

She was helpless.

It was over.

"You know... I don't know if I should keep you around," he said as he leaned over the edge, grabbed the back of her collar, and lifted her before changing his grip to wrap his hand around her neck once they were at eye level. Lupita felt dizzy as her air was being cut off. "You are worthless to me." He extended his hand so she was dangling further away from the edge of the cliff. "You are worthless."

"No, we are not!" It wasn't Lupita's voice, but she was glad to hear it. The black wolf engulfed her and they were swiftly back on the grass.

"You are strong," the masked man said and rubbed his wrist where black smoke was seeping from another wound. "A real pain."

The black wolf lunged again and caught the staff in its teeth. It shook its head before throwing the vampire into a tree. Lupita got her body back and stared at the vampire, the feeling of the shadow wolf in the back of her mind comforting her.

"Truly," he said and staggered to his feet. Lupita growled and fell to her knees, unable to stay standing. "Too bad you are just. Too. Weak."

"Fuck you!"

Lupita was only able to catch a glimpse of white before the man was thrown off the cliff and disappeared into smoke.

"Lupi!" North came running toward her and softly embraced her. "What is going on?"

The reality of it all came crashing down on her. John was gone. He was dead. No. No, she had imagined it. It couldn't be real. None of it was. She swiftly moved away from North and crawled over to the edge of the cliff. North quickly pulled her back and hugged her from behind. She struggled and eventually managed to look over the edge, wishing she hadn't. It wasn't a dream. Everything had been real. There he lay, in a pool of his own blood. Broken and mangled.

Lupita sobbed louder. Her heart crumbled and North slowly pulled her away from the edge. She hadn't been able to save him. He was dead. It was her fault. He was gone. Her father was gone. She wouldn't be able to wake up to the smell of his cooking or laugh at his idiotic jokes. Her sobbs grew and she screamed as her body burned.

"Shh, calm down, it's going to be ok," North whispered in her ear, but the shifter's words fell on deaf ears as Lupita continued to cry her heart out, her throat raw from the screaming and dirt piling under her nails as she clawed at the ground. North desperately tried to contain her, but it wasn't helping. She couldn't breathe, she was trapped. Lupita threw back her head and let out a howl. The howl wracked her body and she felt North shake behind her. All her sorrow and grief was put into that howl.

"North, what-?" Valeria said as she came behind them, panting. She wasted no time before she kneeled beside Lupita and placed her glowing hands on the sides of her head. "Try to calm down," she whispered as she had tears streaming down her face. Lupita continued to sob, the kitsune's magic doing little to soothe the agony in her soul.

"Shit, what... oh fuck." MJ had managed to catch up to them and with her came her mother and sister. "Is she ok?"

"What do you think Sherlock?" North spat at the witch as they tried to hold onto Lupita who was trying to free herself from the shifter's grip, feeling the walls close in on her as breathing became difficult.

"What happened?" MJ asked and moved to the cliff. North motioned for her to look over it and the witch did. "Oh no," she said and covered her mouth with her hands. "No." She looked at Lupita who was softly sobbing but still trying to get away from North. "You should let her go."

"I don't trust her at the moment," North said and tried to adjust her grip on the broken girl.

"Ok," MJ said and moved back to her mom.

Lupita sobbed and just looked at the ground, feeling her soul break piece by piece. The calming effect of the kitsune only helped so much as the mental and physical pain barred through her body. North's grip was also starting to become too much. She felt trapped, helpless, weak.

There was too much happening. She was constricted. Everything was touching her. The world was too loud, too bright, yet so quiet and so dull. Her breathing was coming in gasps and her heart was beating out of her chest. The others around her became mush and nothing they said registered with her. The only thing she could think was... she failed. Her father was dead, and yet again, she couldn't save him.

"MJ," she heard a familiar voice. The boy sounded concerned. A smell followed him. Lupita didn't get to register what happened before she threw herself into the arms of her mate.

"Hey, hey," she said and carefully began brushing her hair. Lupita felt her move, getting in a better position and slightly lifting her before wrapping her arms around her. "It's ok. You are safe," the vampire said and hugged her close to her chest while very carefully running her fingers through Lupita's hair. "We'll get you out of here."

Lupita sobbed and took in her mate's scent, feeling herself relax and calm down, all the while the shadow wolf growled at the girl in the back of her head. It would continue to be like this for a while.

"Please relax. I'm gonna get you away from here. Somewhere safe." Ambrosia's voice soothed Lupita and she relaxed into the vampire. She felt herself slowly being picked up before falling asleep in her arms.

AN:... I'm sorry. This will have a purpose. Please don't be too mad...

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