Sabrina’s POV
Three months later…
Describing the cost seems inadequate; it doesn’t come close. I can’t pinpoint the greater pain-losing my wolf, the agony of not knowing where Xander is, or the loneliness without my powers.
I have a little boy is wish to see. I have a little boy I wish to hold in my arms and tell him how much I love him.
My son’s face haunts me, and the absence of my family deepens the darkness. Even my mate’s absence shatters me.
I know he is out there trying to find my wolf and bring her back to me but it has been a while, I wish only for someone to comfort me. To brush my hair and hold my hand…
Maybe to even lie to me and tell me that it was all going to be okay when we know it wasn’t. I would be okay with a lie, as long as I am not alone.
I have never contemplated death. It didn’t even occur to me that the one to live forever would be my wolf and not this body, that it was my wolf that kept me alive.
Now I sneeze, I cough and I have icky stuff coming out of my nose because of the cold. I shiver and shake, this body was not made for suffering or pain.
My parents left me here, no visits. No blanket. No fire.
In the beginning of my prison life, I made excuses for them. They didn’t know any better right? How can they know just how weak the human body is. They have never had to experience a cold or fever… but now I know.
Now I know that love, the love in my heart was different from their love. The way they love is a love I will never know. It is then that I realised that a different man taught me what love is and when he placed me in a cell when I first experienced heartbreak, he did not do it to harm me. He did it to save those around me.
This other father was different.
The harsh realization hits that, despite being there for everyone, I face nothingness from those I consider family. Born to be a light, to bring comfort and love, I dare to wonder if this is my dark end.
Not everyone gets a happy ending, that much I know but this ending? I can never accept that this is how I go out. I was born a great, I grew up to be a great and this, in my form is the only way I get to go out?
Where my bones are meant to still stand. Where my head is still screwed on straight. Where my heart lies in conviction but this is it?
I am aware of so many things, the little tidbits of life and the lessons…
I know that to grasp pure joy, one must endure profound darkness. I… I fear this abyss, the darkness that I must now transcend to…
What of my people? What will be of those that need me, still believe in me and the prayers directed at me go unanswered?
Alone, I seek mercy, wondering who will hear.
Cast aside, it seems the very realm I was made for seeks my end, and those who brought me into the world have forsaken me. In a near-whisper, I question, “How can they witness my suffering?”
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Josey’s POV
“Here you all are, savoring your eggs and bacon while Sabrina suffers beneath you,” I blurt out, intruding on their perfect family moment.
Anthony barely reacts, amused by his sister’s plight.
“Hush now. It’s for her own good. Once she learns her lesson, she’ll do better,” Mother tells me, and I force a smile.
“Are those your words or his?” I inquire.
“Does it matter?” Sabrina’s father replies, and I shake my head.
“I guess not. You’re the world’s greatest dad, and I’m sure Sabrina will emerge filled with love for all of you. Quick question, though: When was the last time you all went to see her?” I press.
Silence blankets the room.
There’s my answer.
“Let me paint a picture for you. She’s lost weight, the beauty that once adorned her face is gone, and her eyes are vacant. I knew the gods were cruel, but I didn’t think it would be the same with family,” I say.
“What you’re doing is torture. It’s evil. She’ll carry this for the rest of her life,
however short that may be but separating a mother and son, when it wasn’t her choice, is an act of evil no amount of good will ever justify,” I assert.
“She says she is dying. That she can feel it coming. I’m starting to believe her and I am brought to shame when I look at all of you. To think I once called you family..” I say before running out.
I can’t bear to look at them any longer.
They won’t witness my tears.
Sabrina needs me to stay strong. I have to be a pillar for my sister.
I run downstairs to see my sister, because I know she needs me right now. She has nobody else.
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Sabrina’s POV
Josey had arranged a bed, my bed. I found a semblance of comfort, cocooned in warmth. At least I could face death wrapped in luxurious thread counts.
“I know you say you can’t keep anything down, but please try to drink water,” Josey insists, placing yet another plate of food and bottled water beside me.
To appease her, I take a sip.
My body has reached a stage of defiance, refusing to cooperate. Eating or engaging in anything that demands energy seems an insurmountable task.
All I do is sleep.
I’ve lost track of time in this confinement, but according to Josey, I’ve endured for an extended period, and she expresses immense pride in my resilience.
“Can you bring my son to me? I miss him dearly. Please… have your boyfriend do one good deed for me. He owes me for bringing him back to life,” I plead, and tears well up in her eyes.
“You want to say goodbye,” she observes, and with those words, my tears start to flow.
“I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. I want out of here; I want to live. But it seems me and this body are at odds, for it wants to give up. I am nothing without my wolf, Josey,” I express in a feeble, elderly voice.
Suddenly, the room warms. It’s as if I have direct access to sunlight, and that same warmth I’ve known all my life when stepping outside now envelops me.
I welcome that warmth, relishing its beauty and how I’ve missed it. As soon as I embrace that warmth, I feel it carry me away. I’m floating, floating away from the bed. Since I feel no pain and weakness, I welcome this sensation.
“Is she asleep?” Aiden’s voice breaks through.
“I think so,” Josey responds.
I gaze into Josey’s eyes, cupping her face. I can’t bring myself to speak, but I let my eyes convey my emotions.
Josey looks back at me.
Without consciously knowing it, I’m bidding farewell to my sister and best friend. My ride or die, this is it.
“No, no hurry! Say the chant! Connect her to the wolf; she’s dying!” Josey shouts, but it’s too late.
I feel a sudden rush before peace takes over, and I’m carried away. I can’t hear them anymore; I can’t see them. All that surrounds me is light.
I’ve met my end. The end.