Breaking the Beast 2
“I shouldn’t have left Springville,” I spat, the words bitter and rough in my mouth. “I shouldn’t have left my parents. At least there, I knew what my life was. At least there, I wasn’t caught up in someone else’s stupid war.”
Why did my mom trust these people with me?
A cold wave of realization washed over me, drowning me further in my frustration. I collided against a huge wall of guilt. What had I been doing? My parents. I hadn’t thought about them—really thought about them—since the night I left Springville.
What had happened to them? Were they safe? Did they even know where I was? I froze, my anger unraveling as the image of their faces rose unbidden in my mind.
My hands trembled, the itching sensation growing stronger. I turned away from Ethan, my vision blurring. For the first time since I’d arrived here, I realized I had no idea if the people I loved most were even alive.
“My parents,” I muttered under my breath. For a moment, everything else faded away, replaced by a single devastating truth. I'd abandoned them in my mind.
“What about them?“ Ethan replied but I could barely hear him in the haze of my mind.
What kind of person forgets about their family when they might be in danger? I left them behind with God knowing what kinda sorceress. The thought tore through me like a knife.
Every one of my concerns and questions felt petty now. A waste of time I should have spent trying to reach them instead of getting caught up in the spiral I was in with Ethan and his pack of secrets.
“I need to see them,” I stated coldly, holding my hands to my chest.
“Are you out of your mind?“ Abigail interrupted this time with a startling question.
“Why haven't I heard anything from them? It's been days!“ I turned to face her. My brows furrowed and my lips curled up in distaste.
“Harlyn that's the last thing that should be on your mind right now, there are people out there trying to kill you,” She reached to touch my shoulders.
I jerked her hand away, snapping “And I left my family behind to fight them!“
I walked past her and headed to the hallway. There was no point talking to them anyway. I lost my phone a while back but if I could reach a phone somewhere, I could call them.
“Harlyn!“ Ethan dashed in front of me. “Stop,” he ordered with his authority.
I stopped right in my tracks. My anger burned right back up. The sheer audacity of him made me saw red.
“Look I understand you're worried but until they contact us we shouldn't contact them,” he continued but I couldn't care anymore.
He used his Authority on me. How could he act like it wasn't urgent? How could he force me to stand in place when I desperately wanted to hear from my family?
I tightened my fists, the itch in my fingers had exploded right into my palms and I could feel nothing but every nerve ablaze in my hand ready to wound him.
“Why? because the Ethan Starrk said so?“ I questioned with a deep growl I couldn't recognize.
He blinked in surprise, seemingly caught off guard. It brought me satisfaction, to say the least. They had been having too much fun telling me what to do. Alphas! I hated them.
“You're just like him, so blinded by your authority you can never stop to consider how unreasonable your demands are,” I spat harshly.
Gone was any voice of reason that could stop me, Gone was my consideration for them. If they wouldn't consider me, I wouldn't consider them.
“Unreasonable? That's rich coming from the child who can't shift to save herself much less save her parents,” he spat back.
I launched myself at him with nothing but feral rage, lifting my boiling hand with every intention to break him. How dare he!
A figure jumped in the way, pulling my hand away and throwing me off balance. I collided against them, both of us hitting the floor with a loud thud. Ignoring the pain in my body, I turned back at Ethan to find him but I felt a body holding me down.
“Take it back!“ a voice so unfamiliar tore out my mouth angrily “Let go of me!“ I kicked and clawed at whatever was holding me down.
The rage coursing through me felt like wildfire, burning everything it touched, including my own restraint. The pounding in my head detached the erratic beat of my heart. I couldn't think straight, all I knew was that I wanted Ethan to be hurt for what he said.
He called me weak! He called me weak!
“Harlyn, calm down!“ Khalid's voice protested from behind me.
“Let go of me!“ I insisted but my efforts at escaping his hold were falling flat.
As if to mock me, he lifted me from the ground, holding me by the waist. His strength was overwhelming, unfazed by my grunts and growling and clawing. I hated it!
“Stop fighting back, Holy moon,” Khalid huffed out, his tone strained.
The more he held me back, the more I burned and every being in me couldn't handle the reality that he was stronger than me. Strength! That was what they desperately wanted me to show.
And I wanted to show them.
With a full swing, I dug my elbow right into Khalid in the gut. A snap echoed followed by a cry out of pain. I ignored it and sharply turned to face him.
Snap it. I wasn't sure what part of me the idea sprouted from but I did it anyway. I reached for Khalid's head and I twisted it with every ounce of strength I could muster.
What I hadn't expected was to hear Khalid's neck snap out of place before he fell dead on the floor.