Sabrina’s POV
Days have passed…. weeks even.
I told Josey that it was my doing.. I made the decision to bring back Anthony’s mate and we can’t blame anyone else.
I promised him.
Did she listen? No.
Every chance she gets, she makes it known to the family what is to come.
“Mother, you know we have lost you more than once. Do you think we can survive it again..?” Josey asks, the family all sitting down for breakfast.
Including the new addition, Simon.. except for me. Not like they noticed and if they did, nobody offered to bring me a tray of food to my office.
I mean they can’t even check to see if I’m eating.
“Enough!” Hunter slams his hand on the table, just enough to rattle the crockery.
“What? I’m trying to mentally prepare myself and I suggest you all do the same. It might be all balloons and roses right now but we will soon mourn the death of a loved one.” Josey responds to the outburst, giving Anthony and Simon the stank eye with their endless PDA..
Mother stays quiet.
I’m watching all of this from a distance, just listening in. I can’t play happy family right now.. not with everything going on.
“Don’t torture yourself. Come on, time to go hunting and I feel like earthling meat.” Xander says to me.
Someone’s been trying to get me to eat but I just can’t seem to…
“Bring me some? I’ll have Evan take you. I have so much work to do.” I say, not lying at all but using work as my escape never fails me.
Burying myself in work seems to help with Adrastos gone to Max’s pack for some time. He is growing so fast and with everything going on here, with what’s to come, I thought he’d need some time he could get with his dad. I’ll fetch him soon, Max gets half a day but to me, I lose years..
Xander nods in understanding, knowing not to push me and we watch on as new Evan approaches.
“Please take Xander to his pack and stay there to bring him back when he’s done with his duties.” I say before kissing Xander on the cheek and walking away from them.
Have I given Xander an answer? No.
I’m a marked woman.
I want to be with Xander but I can’t do that without dealing with Aiden. He messed up but my heart still beats for him, I can’t fall out of love for him.
Xander wants to be there for me and I really don’t know why I’m fighting it. I want to say yes, rid myself of all this doom and gloom but what if after saying yes, I lose him?
I walk in to my office, locking the door so Josey doesn’t barge in and sit on the floor.
This has been my hiding place. I work then I cry and get back to work again. The world still needs me, I’m told…
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Josey’s POV
“So, are we all going to keep pretending we have achieved world peace?” I ask, looking curiously at Anthony.
“Of course not! We are giving Sabrina the space she needs to deal with her issues.” Mother finally responds and I chuckle.
“Her issues? Giving her space?” I ask.
“I believe what mother is trying to say is, Sabrina is going through a lot and she needs the time to figure things out.” Anthony tells me, voice chipper as ever.
“Since I’m the only one that has been checking in on her, I’ll tell you what she is quickly figuring out..” I say, Hunter growling at me and I roll my eyes.
“She’s finding out that her efforts and sacrifices mean shit to all of you.” I say, pointing my finger at each one of them.
“That’s absurd! We care about Sabrina.” Mother screams out.
“And giving her space is you caring? Not one of you went to check on her! Anthony, how about a thank you for saving my mate? No? Hunter… be a dad for crying out loud. This hard exterior shit won’t work on an empathetic mind of which your daughter has.” I suggest.
“Josey, her mate killed mine. It was the right thing to do.” Anthony tells me.
“You can’t be serious? A grown man killed your mate you dimwit and you put that on your twin sister? How fucked up are you? All of you?” I ask looking incredulously at my family.
“Josey, we are doing what we think is best for Sabrina.” Mother says to me.
“Well I’m telling you it isn’t.” I say, coming to the realization that I wasn’t getting the reaction I needed… I won’t get anything from them.
“You both did not raise her, so I get it. You know how to comfort the one child and celebrate his new love while the other suffers, not knowing what to do with her so you do nothing. I won’t bring this up again after today because I see that it won’t go anywhere. There are people that really know and care for Sabrina, the family that she needs so it’s cool. Enjoy your bacon as a family of 3.” I say, standing up.
“Stop it Josey. We hear you okay?” Mother says to me.
“I don’t think you do. I don’t have to tell a mother, her child is suffering, you should pay more attention. Goddess woman, you can never stop being a parent! There is no clock in and out as a mother, you made that decision when you birthed all of us and don’t you think you’ve abandoned us enough? Come on mother! We have the scars to prove it and judging by Sabrina dealing with all HER ISSUES alone, she really isn’t expecting you to step up because you won’t… she’s smart enough to know that and I’m stupid to think that this time you will. Although… You are ever present in moments of great celebration, choosing our dresses for us and getting people to glam us up but when the time comes to really step up and play the parent, you’d rather eat your plate empty while your daughter starves herself to no death. You don’t hear me, because I’ve been going on and on about Sabrina for days. You read minds mother, read your daughter’s.” I say, tears falling with the events of parental heartbreak.
Hearing my father’s footsteps approaching, I turn around to wait his arrival and there he is…
Father wraps me up in a hug before quickly pulling away.
“Where is she?” My father asks, looking around the room.. CJ walks in.
“Josey, what did you do?” Hunter asks me and I smile. I turn to face the lovely family sitting on and drinking their freshly squeezed orange juice.
“This is the family that will drop everything for Sabrina. The family that couldn’t possibly understand the heavy crown she has to wear every damn day and even if she tells us what is weighing her down, we still wouldn’t get it because we suffer earth like problems but we will stand by her and offer comfort, no matter how small.” I say with Cj coming to stand by me.
“Go on, enjoy the day. The people Sabrina needs are all here. From her very first heartbreak, we were there so we’ve got this. Give her the space she never asked for mother, you believe that to be the right thing to do so I’m not going to stop you.” I say.
I walk away and my family follows. My dad almost walking ahead of me in pursuit of his first born, or so he thought some time ago.
Pushing the locked door open, I let my father in first. It was time to bring Sabrina home…
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Sabrina’s POV
“Father?” I sit up from the floor. Eyes red from crying and my hair… gosh..
Father runs to me and pulls me up before pulling me in for a tight hug. Josey and Cj all join in as they suffocate me with the love I know I needed.
I am all out of tears but this moment right here, this told me everything will be fine.
My father’s scent, how I missed it so much, enveloping me with all his warmth and love.
We finally pull apart.
My father kissing my forehead…
“Let’s go home. Take a break from all of this and come home. Besides, as the moon goddess, you have to visit your children on earth from time to time.” Father says to me, with Cj nodding in approval.
Home.
It breaks my heart that I can’t feel the love or find solace here, in my new home with my parents or twin brother. I feel like they are keeping their distance from me, like I have the plague and they want none of it.
I guess I feel abandoned. Unappreciated.
Undervalued.
Overused.
My parents should at least check in on me… but I guess one parent is here and I can’t ask for more.
The father I’ve always known, taking me home to help me heal. I guess we will see how this realm fares with my absence. Hunter and Anthony can finally start putting in their hours and carry their weight plus mine.
I look at my siblings, then my dad before smiling.
“Please. Please take me away from here.” I say…