20. Like old times

"To the what?" Angelina had gotten up without knowing

"We're having an international goodwill event," Elise told her happily "All the Supreme Council's are sending at least one member to participate. And three additional people so it doesn't get boring. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Yes, it sounds fun," Angelina told her "But why would I be going?"

"Because it's a match-making event, and you fulfill the criteria by being pretty and single, that's why." The Luna Supreme told her in a duh-tone

Angelina pinched the bridge of her nose "Elise, I get where you're coming from, but have you considered that I don't want to go?"

There was silence on the other side for long enough to almost make her regret saying that.

"Damn, I got a bit carried away," Elise finally said "Sorry. I'm just, I want you to be happy."

'I was happy three days ago, when I still had my ring and was back at our old pack', Angelina told ruefully.

"It's alright though! You can chose whether to go or not!" Elise added hurriedly

The bad part was, she knew Elise was only doing this for her sake. She meant well, and she was going out of her way for what she thought Angelina would want.

And she was going to vanish as soon as she got the chance.

Angelina took a deep, deep breath "I'll think about it."

"Really?" she could almost see Elise perking up

"I went to dinner today," Angelina diverted the topic "Penelope told me about this."

"Oh, what'd she tell you? We haven't told anyone all the details yet!"

Angelina told her as much of her night as she deemed safe, and Elise was tell her whatever details had been finalized about the Luna's Gambit.

By the time they hung up, Angelina's mind was wide awake. The amount of energy she had left to spend was almost painful. She'd gotten used to not having this much energy.

She glanced at the windows, which gave a view of the tree line.

Something about it tugged at her. It extended in concentric circles, the trees lined perfectly. It felt… unnatural.

Before she knew it, Angelina had changed out of her dress into a pair of jeans and a loose fitting shirt, putting on the boots she'd worn when coming here.

She was here to investigate.

When better to do that when there was no one around to get in the way?

…

Getting to the tree line proved harder than she'd anticipated.

Angelina had basically scaled rooftops the entire way here. Guards stood alert and took rounds around every street and corner. She'd almost gotten spotted twice.

It didn't make sense. Why did this whole pack act like soldiers? Why weren't they at ease within their own borders? With walls that high ensuring no one else got in?

She leapt off a house at the edge of the forest, and dashed straight inside.

The smell of wet earth and fresh grass almost made her sigh.

Almost.

The air was heavy, with a touch that almost felt metallic on her tongue.

If she hadn't been exposed to magic for so long with her ring, Angelina would've been doubtful, but with the experience she had, she was certain.

This whole forest reeked of magic.

Angelina made a note of her position, and started ahead. Oddly enough, no guards seem to patrol this area.

She walked in a gigantic circle.

Angelina tried again, twice, only to end up right where she'd started. It couldn't be. All her sense told her she'd been walking straight, but she still ended up right at the starting point.

"What are you hiding?" She murmured to herself, brushing her fingers along the bark of a tree

There was nothing in the whole forest, nothing of practical value that made sense to dedicate such a big piece of land to simple forestry. In fact, from her window, this place looked to stretch on for—

Angelina sensed it before she saw it, reacted before she understood what'd happened.

Her fingers closed around the knife that would've priced her neck with a moment's delay.

Before she could blink, she was blocking another blade with the one in her hand.

"What are you doing here?" Tyler narrowed his eyes "How did you get in?"

"Talking a walk," Angelina could feel her arm straining to hold him off "This is no way to treat your ambassador."

Surprise crossed his face, there and gone. Tyler did not make any move to remove the dagger from her face.

Angelina had known it was only a matter of time before she ran into him. She'd expected her encounter with Tyler to be bad, just not enough to be a head on fight.

His other hand flew up, and it was the adrenaline of the fight that helped her shift his aim. Her timing was off, and the second dagger had sliced across her cheek. Angelina felt a thin stream of blood form on her skin.

Whatever restraint he'd had during their last encounter was dead and rotting. He was coming at her with the intent to kill.

"Why are you really here?" He seethed, arms shaking with the effort to move

'Why does everyone keep asking me that?' Angelina thought distantly

"Now that you know I'm alive," Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, chilling with contempt "I must remove you."

He shouldn't have been surprised, but his grip faltered still. She took advantage of his surprise, and kicked him swiftly across the side. It was brute strength that sent him flying back, his back hit hard against a tree, shaking it to the roots.

"Why so surprised, Tyler?" Angelina stared down at him, the cut across her cheek had already scabbed over "Isn't that the answer you were expecting?"

He stood to his feet with the grace of a predator.

Tyler chuckled coldly "How do you kill something that's already dead?"

"You'd be surprised by how many times the dead can die," Bitterness tainted her voice

He approached her like an enemy. Angelina's feet started moving on their own. Blood had already been spilt, violence hung heavy in the air. They circled each other like hunters waiting for the chance to pounce.

"This reminds me of old times," He said, quiet rage in his voice

Nothing those words reminded her of was going to be helpful.

Angelina breathed in a slow, deep breath. She stopped moving, dropping her stance, the dagger in her hand thudded to the earth.

"I don't want to fight, Tyler." Whatever feeling tainted her voice was long gone

"That's a first."

He didn't hesitate.

His next blow knocked the breath from her lungs, she heard a crack from one of her ribs. Angelina stumbled, didn't get the chance to brace herself for kick to her stomach that sent her flying back. Instinctively, she dug her heels in the earth before she could crash into a tree.

"Why don't you fight back?" He snarled

Angelina huffed for breath as she straightened. He wanted her to put up a fight, he wanted to beat her fair and square, to defeat the villain of his story.

A part of her did want to knock his teeth in. Who did she get to blame for the tragedies that had swallowed her life whole? Who did she get to fight to feel righteous?

She was choking on anger that filled her all the way to her throat, clawing at her neck for escape.

There was nowhere for the anger to go.

"Fighting me," Angelina breathed out, cold to her bones with every truth she couldn't tell "Killing me, even. It won't bring anything back."

Tyler sucked in a sharp breath. There was a riot in his eyes, questions and questions he wouldn't ask but she knew anyways.

"You ruined everything." He said, so quietly, Angelina didn't know if he meant to say the words aloud

In another world, she was the sort of person to tell him everything, to apologize, to give him closure.

But this world was cruel, and that sort of person would not have survived it for so long.

Instead Angelina looked at him dead in the eyes, schooled her features to disdain.

"Our whole pack is dead," She felt nothing as she said those words "And we are still alive. The sooner you come to terms with that fact, the better for us both."

Tyler stilled. Angelina watched whatever emotion was on his face bleed off into a mirror of her own expression.

The dagger in his hand thudded into the trunk of a tree just behind her. Angelina held her breath.

The wound that had scabbed over was open and bleeding again.

"Only you're alive, Vandor." Tyler turned away from her "I died a long time ago."

He left her standing on the battle ground, just like he used to after he lost on their sparring matches, stomping away angrily.

Only this time, he'd won by a long shot.