Chapter 25

Cirilla's point of view

My heart was drowning with so many emotions. Rage, hate, and pain. It was deeply rooted in my chest, spreading mercilessly to my bones. I couldn't stop the hot tears that kept rolling down my eyes as I tossed all my belongings on my table carelessly into my bag that was open on the bed.

I head to the small wardrobe at the corner of the room, grabbing the little clothes of mine standing on the hangers while ignoring the sharp piercing in my soul. I tossed them carelessly into the bag, moving to the edge of the bed where I perched down. I pulled my hands to my tear-stained face, burying my pain and frustration in them.

Yes, I was packing. I was planning on leaving, more like running away from this hellhole. But I doubt if it could be termed running away. I will be eighteen soon and I'll be in control of my own life and be responsible for myself. I had had enough of everything, and the only thing that clouded my mind was just leaving, going as far as I could from Mum. From everything that made me feel this way, including Asher.

Just at the thought of his name, I felt my entire body still, and my breathing began to rise in an uncontrolled manner. The pain in my chest suddenly grew stronger, crippling me to my knees. I felt a burning sensation deep within me, igniting from the mark on my back, blazing my soul on fire. My breathing was ragged and the voice in my head was screaming, struggling for freedom. My hands reached the floor for support, as the pain brought me to my knees.

What the fuck was happening to me?

I was about to pull up on my feet but a sharp pain ran down my spine. This pain was different from the one that I had been feeling since my heartbreaking encounter with Asher. This pain was new and it kept feasting on my bones, as if wanting to break me. The persistent screams in my head were making it worse as I felt the bones in my body begin to contort in the worst painful ways.

I felt like I was about to die. I couldn't stop the sharp scream that vibrated from my throat and in an instant, my door burst open and Mum rushed in, stopping abruptly in her tracks. Her sandy brown eyes widened in shock for a second, before she hurried to where I was writhing in pain.

"No. This can't be fucking happening now!" She grabbed me harshly by my hair. "You've seen what you've caused?" She pulled my face up to hers, and the next second I felt a sudden sharpness at the back of my neck and my vision went black.

*****

I woke up to the numbness of my body against the cold floor. I groaned from the weakness that devoured me, and my mind was all fuzzy. It took me some seconds of fluttering my lashes before I could steady my vision. I was still on the floor of my room, but Mum wasn't there and there was a splatter of blood on the floor. I tried to get up but my head was spinning like a hamster on a fucking wheel. I had to momentarily lean against the wooden frame of my bed to stop my swirling vision.

'What the fuck in hell happened to me?' I asked myself out loud and got no response from the psycho inner me. I had never felt so much intense pain as I did earlier. I swear I could have thought I was merely hallucinating everything, but the pain I had felt was something even my fucked up mind was incapable of making up.

I pulled a hand to the back of my neck where I felt a slight pain, and to my horror, I had been bleeding from there. It wasn't deep, only a scratch. I think. I was suddenly jerked from my thoughts at the sounds that were coming from outside my window.

I forced myself up, stalking to the window. The darkness that still lingered outside made it hard to see anything from here.

For a second, I shuddered at the cold breeze, glancing up at the gleaming full moon. I forced my gaze from it, pulling at the windows. I was about to shut it close when a huge figure jumped in front of me covered by the darkness, and as usual, my instinct kicked in and without hesitating, I threw a punch at it, sending a quick one again, but my hand was caught in the process.

"Shit! Ci, it's me!" I heard a low whisper-yell. The voice was familiar.

"Dorian?" I pulled back into my room as Dorian stepped forward and the lights illuminated his bulky frame. "What the heck are you doing here?" I yelled back in a whisper. I was momentarily shocked for a quarter second, and soon that shock turned into a nerve-wracking fear.

Did something happen? Is Asher all right?

I wanted so badly to ask but I gunned those stupid questions down in my mind, sealing my lips shut. I tried reminding myself that whatever happened to Asher was none of my business, especially after what happened last night between us.

Suddenly the unexplainable rage I felt since last night by Asher's words and coldness towards me was back, and the murdersome pain wasn't lagging.

"I am sorry to break in like this, but I couldn't exactly come in through the front door this late," He rushed on quickly, while I took a second to carefully take in his hazardous state. He looked like he had run a marathon here and his black tee was inside out. The fear inside me skyrocketed.

"Did something happen?" I asked hastily.

"Ci, it's…." he paused abruptly, his eyes falling on the open bag on my bed, and then to my empty wardrobe. "Are you going somewhere?" His eyes connected with mine, holding an emotion I couldn't decipher as he waited for my response.

"Not important, Dorian. Did something happen?"

"Fuck," He cursed under his breath, probably realizing why he was there. "We need your help," His sudden words were shocking to me. He moved forward grabbing my hand hurriedly. "It's Asher—"

"What happened to Asher?" I felt as if my whole world was on the brink of collapsing and an overpowering emotion crawled into my chest, dissipating the rage and pain I felt.

"He…he…" He started as if struggling to find the right words. "He has lost it and he's about to do something terrible. Right now, you are the only one that could help us, Cirilla,"

I was crippled with another round of shock at his words. "Me?" The words rang loudly and even echoed in my ears.

"Yeah. We don't have much time, moon pie. Asher could kill us all. Please, come with me," He pulled my hand, pulling me from my frozen spot but I hesitated briefly, causing Dorian to turn to me.

"I don't understand, how will I be of help?"

"I promise I'll explain everything on the road," he said in a rush, and without hesitating, I followed him through the window. Mum would kill me when she found out I left. But if I said I cared, I would be a fucking liar. And for the record, I wasn't doing this for Asher. I was doing this for everyone else and Lyra.

We reached the road up ahead from my apartment, and my eyes scanned around, but there was no sight of Dorian's car.

"Fuck!" He groaned in frustration. Pissed at himself. "I am such a fucking idiot. I had to get here as fast as I could and I forgot to come with a car," He grabbed a handful of his hair.

"We could find a cab, Dorian," I said and his face lit on me as if just realizing we could actually do that. It made me wonder how he got here, although I had an answer for that already, judging from his appearance.

We had to run down to the main road before we could see a cab. Dorian made directions and soon the cab halted literally in the middle of nowhere.

As we paid the driver off, he sent a worried look my way, before actually speeding off. Even I would have been worried as well if I didn't trust this wolf with my life. Fuck. That sounded so weird.

"What now?" I asked, looking at the lone path that led into the woods. I couldn't hide my fears that now rushed in with the memory of that night I was attacked in the woods and was saved.

"There's a narrow path here, it'll lead us to where the others are," he said, looking so sorry for the discomfort he seemed to think he was putting me through.

I nodded and I took Dorian's hand, and we began walking into the woods. He moved so fast, and surprisingly, I was able to keep up. Soon, I began to see faint outlines of buildings come into our view. I took another step, halting immediately, when a loud beastly growl echoed into the night air, rippling through the trees. I froze.

Fuck. That was Asher. I don't know how, but I knew it was him. Before I knew it, my legs moved like they had grown a mind of their own, and they began navigating their way out of the woods. I heard Dorian call behind me, but I didn't stop moving until Dorian reached for my hand.

"Ci, wait up!" Dorian caught up to me. "Whatever happens, please don't freak out," he said as I took the last step out of the woods, and my blue eyes were greeted with the most gruesome sight ever.

Another round of growls broke into the air. It was coming from Asher. He was fighting against some wolves. No, he was ripping them apart.

I moved closer, and closer to where the fight was going on. Now my eyes managed to get a good look at Asher. He was shirtless and looked completely different. His hands had sharp pointed claws. I could see dark lines pop on his veins, and blood smeared on his body. I didn't know I had completely zoned out until I felt warm fluid splatter on me.

I came back to my senses, realizing it was blood. Asher was attacking one of the wolves viciously, and wouldn't stop even as Wren, some wolves, and the other warriors with glowing red eyes tried pulling him away, but instead, he ended up tossing them aside. He was going to murder that wolf.

I placed a hand on my lips in horror as the wolf on the ground shifted into Stefan. Stefan's blood covered his sharp claws and kept splattering on Asher's face and Asher was still attacking him. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Asher, please stop! You're going to kill Stef!" Lyra was crying profusely, but it was as if Asher wasn't even listening, maybe he wasn't, and he somehow relished pleasure in what he was doing. It was terrifying, but what was more scary was that Stefan could lose his life at the hands of Asher.

I didn't know when my legs moved with haste and crossed the large meadow to where this disaster was taking place.

"Asher!" I stopped right in front of Asher as he was about to dive his claws again into Stefan. "Asher stop!" My sudden yell caused everyone to stop moving, including Asher.