Chapter 17
Kenzie Hope
When we finally walked outside, there were wolves barring their teeth at each other, daring each other to make the first move. On the side closest to me stood the rouges, protecting their families, on the side towards the woods were Kaden's pack, taunting mine. They were taunting my family.
One of the rogue wolves caught our gaze and shifted. After he shrugged on some pants, he walked over to us, but not after sending a nasty look to Kaden and his pack.
"We lost five warriors," He said solemnly. Now, don't get me wrong, it was devastating that we lost any, but I was relieved that the number was so low. Usually, in a battle like this, I wouldn't be surprised if we lost half the troop.
A Winters pack wolf shifted as well and walked to Kaden, "We lost 20." Jordan smirked beside me, proud that his men defended themselves so well, and Kaden glared at Jordan for it.
"Take them back to the pack where we can have a proper burial," Kaden replied at the same time that one of the wolves lunged for Jordan. Jordan didn't hesitate to take him by his neck and snap it.
"Make that 21," Harrison said with shake of his head. Kaden glared at him before turning to Jordan.
"Thank you for taking care of my mate-" He paused.
"Jordan," Jordan filled. in.
Kaden continued, "Jordan."
"Take care of her," Jordan ordered with no room for discussion.
Kaden nodded for saying, "Of course. She's my mate." My wolf and I swooned at his words and I felt myself falling all over again.
I felt someone softly grasp my wrist and turning around, I saw it was Dylan. He smiled softly at me before pulling my in for a hug.
"I'll come visit you in a week's time," He whispered, "Will that be okay with your mate?" I nodded yes and hugged him tight. Kaden growled lightly but I ignored it, needing a hug from my friend.
"Please come, I'll meet you at the border. Tuesday?" I asked.
This time Dylan nodded and said, "We'll all be there." He let me go and I could see little tears forming in his hazel eyes.
"It'll be okay, Dylan. We'll see each other soon," I told him and pulled him in for another hug.
This was a quick one because after not too long, Harrison yelled, "My turn!" He tugged on my arm and wrapped me up. I squealed as he lifted me into the air.
"Our little princess is going away," He cried. I laughed at his high voice and when he put me down I pulled him into a real hug.
"I'm going to miss you too, Harrison. Come see me with Dylan?" I asked.
"Of course, Z," He mumbled on the top of my head. He kissed the top of my head and let me go. I, then, turned to Carter. I knew that he was uncomfortable with touching, so I didn't make a move to hug him, but I sent him a smile. He nodded back at me and that was it.
Jordan was last. He was probably my hardest goodbye. Not only had he taken Brady and I in, but he was family- my family. Besides Brady, he was everything I had. He was my blood.
"Goodbye Z," He sighed, pulling me towards him. I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his fatherly peppermint scent.
"Will you come see me, too?" I asked.
"Anytime," He told me with a kiss on my forehead. "You name it, I'll be there." He let go of me and I wanted to cry. These people were my family.
"Are you ready?" Kaden asked, his voice strained. He was probably upset that I had hugged the guys, but they were my friends.
"Yeah," I said looking at the boys one more time. Brady grabbed my hand after I swung my bag over my shoulders.
The walk back to the Winters pack was long, but don't as long as the walk away from it. At least that's how I felt, but in reality it was probably longer because this time the pack took their time travelling back.
The guys were all silent, but it wasn't a mourning silence, just an awkward one. The wolves stood at a distance from each other and wouldn't even acknowledge that there were other wolves there. They were a pack- a family- but they didn't even know each other. It was sad.
Brady stood tucked into my side the entire time, I kept my arm wrapped around her shoulder. He was scared, but I couldn't tell what about. Maybe he was still scared about the fight, I would be too. The poor boy was traumatized. I just kept him close and threw love through our bond. He was my baby brother.
When we got back to the Alpha manor, and everyone had split their ways, Kaden dragged me upstairs, leaving Brady behind. I mindlinked Brady the directions to his old room as Kaden unlocked the 'Alpha' door with his shinning gold key. He led the way to his room as I followed behind like a beat up puppy.
Inside the room was a disaster. There were clothes strung and thrown everywhere throughout the room, papers upon papers sat on any raised surface. The bed was unmade and half of it was falling on the floor. His Scentsy was overflowing with purple liquid as it was slowing running down the sides and hardening at he bottom. The scent of lavender was overbearing and almost completely covered the scent of dirty laundry.
My nose scrunched up as I took a step back from the shambles that his room was in. The smells killing my heightened sense of smell, and the lack of his scent driving my wolf crazy.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled as he turned of the Scentsy, it probably being too much for him as well.
"Why lavender?" I asked with a confused look. The smell was fine but if it were up to me I wouldn't have put it in my Scentsy. I would prefer a more woodsy or spicy smell.
"That's a story for another time," He mumbled quietly, if I wasn't a werewolf, I wouldn't have heard it. I nodded my head in reply and took another step into the room, careful not to step on anything.
"I'm sorry it's such a mess," He mumbled.
"It's okay," I reassured him.
"I didn't-" He cut himself off, "McKenna?" Kaden looked at me with that look in his eyes, that child's painting subdued green look. He took a breath in and held it as he looked at me. With a blink of his eyes, it looked like there were tears forming. I thought it was a trick my eyes played on me until a single tear rolled down his face.
When he cried there was rawness to it, like the pain was still an open wound. He clasped onto the wall for support and then his whole body shook. The sobs were stifled at first as he attempted to hide his grief, then overcome by the wave of his emotions he broke down entirely, all his defenses washed away in those salty tears. When he turned his face to me, he was a picture of grief, loss, devastation. It was the face of one who had suffered before and didn't know if he could do it again.
I ran to him, tripping over clothes and papers in the process. I hugged his large torso with all my might, willing him to stop shaking and to be okay. With one hand, I rubbed his back up and down; with the other, I touched his face and rubbed circles with my thumb.
His crying was both ferocious and noisy. He blinked briny tears from bloodshot eyes, his thick lashes stuck together in clumps as if he'd been swimming. The tears made wet tracks down his face and dripped from his stubbled, wobbling chin. Clear watery snot streaked from his flaring nostrils down his red mottled skin to his open quivering lips. His hands open and closed, rhythmically clenching as if there could be some violent solution to his pain if only he could find it.
Finally, he wrapped one arm around me, the other one still stabilizing himself. He grasped the back of my shirt in an attempt to ground himself, to help himself be okay. His legs wobbled back and forth as he fought to keep his balance. I led him to the bed and when he hit it, he completely broke down.
I'd never seen Kaden sit like that, so deflated. His loose shoulders shook, his hands hanging low, making no attempt to conceal or even wipe away his own tears. Aside from his reddened face he was so grey looking and his hair was as disheveled as the park under fall leaves. I had seen others cry like that and in every case it was a transition from a person with hope to one without. It was how Dad cried when he lost Mom; it was how Brady cried the day we lost Dad. It's a kind of crying that shows the child underneath, that the hurt has cut right back through the protective layers acquired in maturity.
I gathered him up in my arms, his large frame curling up into the smallest ball he could make himself. I rocked him back and forth, his sobs eating away at my soul. I never wanted to hear him cry again, it shattered my heart.
I took his face in my hands and looked at him with a gentle gaze. Then I whimpered, "What's wrong, Kaden?"
His sobs dwindled down to sniffles and his sniffles into hiccups before he spoke, "Everyone is leaving." His crying started to start back up again and I wiped the loose tears.
"I'm so sorry," I told him honestly, "I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again."
He smiled a sad smile at me and tears continued to flow down his beautiful skin. "It's not just you," He whispered. I looked at him confused before he began again. "My-" He cut himself off and wasn't able to speak again as the sobs found their way back.
"It's okay, sweetheart, get it all out," I told him as I rubbed his back soothingly. He clutched my shirt and buried his face in my neck the same way that toddlers do when they get upset. My poor mate was devastated and I couldn't help him.
"It's my Dad, Kenzie," He said, his voice raw from emotion, "My dad died." My heart dropped at his words. He was going through so much and I wasn't here to sooth him like a good mate should be.
I was at a loss for words. I mean, what do you say to a guy that's mate left him and who's dad died in the same week? When my dad died, there was nothing anyone could say to make me feel better, nothing no one could do to take the pain away. So, I just sat there and let him cry on my shoulder until eventually he fell asleep.
I placed him down on the right side of the bed before getting up. Quickly, I changed into my shorts and tank top before running out of the closet to check on him. For some reason, my wolf and I needed him in our sights at all times, maybe we were afraid that he would just crumble away.
After tripping on a pile of clothes, I decided that I should clean up for him. Stacking all the papers on the desk and putting his laundry into the basket wasn't difficult. I scraped the excess wax from the bottom of the Scentsy into the trash and poured the liquid inside of it into the container, in hopes it would dull the lavender scent.
The cleaning took maybe a half an hour, but after I was exhausted, it had been a long day. So, I crawled up in bed and took my place right next to Kaden's sleeping form. He instantly pulled me into a death grip cuddle as I pulled the blanket up to us.
That's how we fell asleep, tight together and never letting go.