Mia's Path
Epilogue

MIA

We were walking in the forest again today. Last week, one day or two after the fiasco we had with the weights, Raina made me hug a tree for almost two hours, just to be sure I was NOT a wood nymph. Seriously? Aside from being devoured by mosquitos I had no idea what Raina wanted from me in here. Since I’ve woken up, I noticed that the blood sucking insects had turned up their game with me.

A shudder ran down my spine.

Raina wouldn’t tell me everything that had happened over the month I’ve been missing, and she wouldn’t let me see Seth so I could ask about it. I remembered bits and pieces of what happened, and a few things felt strange and confusing, like the night I was abducted - according to my friends. And I guess I could see images that confirmed that theory, but I also had memories of Seth saving from the scrapes of the car. It all gave me a headache to think about it, so I was trying not to overdo it.

Even Drake wouldn’t talk about Seth or ′the fucker′ as he called him. I did remember offering him my blood so he could heal and satiate his hunger, but not much after that. And all everyone would tell me was that he lost control and hurt me. Yet I couldn’t accept that, I knew Seth and he cared about me. He wouldn’t hurt me like that. No matter how many times I said that no one seemed to believe me. Drake only ever got angry and would leave the apartment for hours. Kyle would stare at me with sad eyes and left me alone too. Sam and Mel would flip and start screaming at me that I was delusional, and I didn’t know what I was talking about, but if I asked them to explain they would shut up or change the subject.

Lilly and Tom wouldn’t help either. They didn’t scream at me or left me alone like the others, but they would simply embrace me in a tight hug and say that everything would be alright. So, I’d stopped asking. There was no point if no one would tell me what really happened.

Although I was trying to keep out of trouble and be a good sport about all of this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to see Seth. I needed to talk to him and make sure he was okay. So, I had planned to escape tonight and go to the dungeons and look for him myself. Tonight, it would be a full moon and most of the pack would want to run together in the forest during the night, so I would have the main grounds all to myself. A few days ago, I had made ‘small talk’ with some people trying to figure out if they really had a dungeon in the first place and two young males had slipped that they indeed had one of those and it was like a rite of passage for young pups to sneak into it to see the scary prisoners. Now I only needed to find the location and break in so I could finally have some answers.

I was completely lost in thought and didn’t notice where we were heading until I finally recognized the place. We were at the lake, the one Drake had brought me a couple of months ago, when we were starting to be comfortable around each other. The same place where we almost kissed for the first time. The same place he fucking dropped me in the cold water. And the same place where I met Raina for the first time. I had some mixed feelings about the lake, to say the least. It was a big lake too, making look at the other side of the shore quite difficult at some spots. I couldn’t be sure, because I hadn’t walked all the lands yet, but I was almost certain that the other shore of the lake was near the northwest border of the pack. Looking all the way across the smooth water I thought that I saw someone on the other side. I narrowed my eyes to try to see better, but Raina words brought me back to her.

“Now would be a nice time to jump in.” She said and smiled at me.

The witch is crazy.

“I’m not going in.” I simply replied and crossed my arms over my chest to emphasize my words.

“Oh, but you are.” She smiled devilish towards me and got closer like a predator stalking its prey.

If she really thought that I would go in, she had really lost her shit. I hated cold water more than I hated anything in my life. Maybe not just cold water, but you know, bodies of water in general. In my past I only had bad experiences with it, some so bad that I almost drowned. So, I would stay away from the water if possible. Besides, I didn’t even know how to swim, so bringing me here with the idea that I would enjoy being in the water instead of just looking from afar was a very ridiculous thought. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t blame Raina for that so quickly. She didn’t know about my lack of abilities, and I was sure that if I told her, she would understand and give up on the ‘jumping in’ idea.

“No, I’m not, Ray. Are you crazy? The water must be freezing.” I said exasperated. “There’s no way I’m going in and you can’t make me.” I put my tongue out to her. I opened my mouth to continue but I thought I heard a twig break somewhere near us, to the left and my eyes scanned over the shore. Nothing. The tree line was quiet aside from the normal hum of insects and small animals. I could swear I saw a body hiding behind a large tree not too far, but it was so fast that I just might have imagined the whole thing. My brain would conjure any and all excuses possible to keep me away from the water. I shrugged and turned back to my friend to continue our conversation.

“We need to know if you are a water nymph or a mermaid.” Raina stated.

“Mermaid? Are you kidding me? That’s not salt water, Ray, it’s a lake.” I countered and she huffed.

“Close enough if you ask me. Besides, I’ve heard about mermaids in deep and big enough lakes.”

“Okay, but that’s not the point. I won’t get in, no matter what.”

Now I was annoyed and wanted nothing more than to wipe that determined look on Raina’s face right out. I had to tell her, otherwise she wouldn’t stop. So, I started to inhale a deep enough breath to tell her why I was afraid of the water so much, but I guess her patience had run out, because with a wave of her hand I felt a hard push to my chest and my body went flying. Before I could register what the hell was going on, my lungs were filled with ice cold water and my throat burned with the wrong thing filling my lungs.

My body was submersed in the damn lake. Panic started to settle in as I tried for the life of me to swim to the surface, but I had no idea how to move my arms and legs to do just that. I could see the sun shining above the water, but I had no idea how far away that was. I had no oxygen on my lungs to help me fight to swim up, I could feel the energy leaving my limbs rather quickly. FUCK! After all the shit I went through that was how I was going to die? Because I didn’t know how to fucking swim. Fate could be a bitch. It made me think about Max again, how many times he had tried to teach me how to swim and I had refused. I laughed internally; my fate was just ridiculous. I could feel I was sinking more and more, and my eyes started to close on their own as my lungs were flooded with ice cold water again.

I felt something moving by my side, but my eyes were so blurry right now that I couldn’t really make shapes and faces out of what was there. Whatever or whoever it was, it was helping me. I felt hands embrace my waist tightly. The moving towards what I thought was the surface was now filling my brain with hopes that I might get out of it, but my body was tired from the lack of oxygen, so if I would make it, I certainly wouldn’t make it totally conscious. To my surprise I was aware enough of my surroundings to noticed when we broke to the surface. But no matter who much I tried to breath, my body was still limp and wouldn’t obey me. I heard voices screaming and yelling and it sounded like a fight was going on.

I was carried out of the water and put on my back on the shore.

“Breathe for me, Mia.” I heard someone say.

Strong hands went to my chest and pressed it to try and push the water out of my lungs. I thought that might help and I would come back to my sense - well, normal senses - soon enough. But out of nowhere the pressure left my body and I heard more yelling, some growls and some punches. What the fuck was going on? I wanted to open my eyes and yell at them to stop and help me, but I was useless right now. The fight and struggle went on for a few more moments before the pressure on my chest came back again, with a new urgency. I felt lips on my own, blowing air to my poor and exhausted lungs, the familiar sparks warming up my body. Not long after that, I finally coughed the water out and my eyes fluttered opened.

The sun assaulted my eyes, making my vision blurry again. I could see a shadow over my head. With a few more seconds passing by I could start to make Drake’s features come to focus. A tired smile spreading on my lips, I was glad he was here with me now. Even though he promised Raina he wouldn’t interfere in her ways of trying to figure out what I was anymore.

“You crazy bitch! She can’t swim. Why did you push her?” I heard a furious voice call out to Raina.

Wait, what?

I knew that voice.

I knew that voice all too well.

It couldn’t be real. It shouldn’t be real.

I struggle on Drake’s arms and put myself in a seated position fast. I had to look at him to be sure. My eyes scanned the shore around us and there he was, standing a few feet away from me, completely drench in water, breathing heavy. Sun kissed blonde hair frame his face perfectly, even though it was dump and sticking to places. His bright green eyes were boring into my soul, and I could feel his worry for my well-being. His pointy nose seemed crooked, and it was dripping blood. So, I hadn’t imagined the fighting and punches going on. His bottom lip was split and covered in blood too, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes only scanning my body and face to make sure I was okay.

Max.

Max was alive!

My heart skipped a beat, joy and so much more powerful emotions taking over me. Relief, guilty, longing, fear. It all came like a tide wave and hit me hard. I had no words; my mind was blank. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt tears pooling and starting to fall from my face when a wide grin graced Max’s lips.

That was it for me. My body moved on its own and before I knew it I was on his arms again. It didn’t matter how cold the lake water was, his embrace was always so warm and inviting. Always so comfortable. I didn’t even notice that I was sobbing into the crook of his neck, trying to inhale his familiar scent of verbena and summer, until he started to whisper in my ears.

“It’s okay, Mia. I’m really here. I finally found you. Shhh. It’s okay, honeybee. I won’t leave you ever again.”

My heart ached with that thought. Could I really believe that everything was going to be okay, and I had my best friend again? It didn’t matter, I wanted to believe it and right now there was no evidence that contradicted his words.

The world was finally conspiring in my favor. Things couldn’t get any better than that. I had all the people that matter to me in my life again.

My heart swelled and I felt like I could conquer it all.

But then again, why would life be easy, right? I spoke – or rather thought – too soon. Little did I know that things would take a dark turn and everything I thought I knew would get upside down. And soon.

But for now?

Right now, everything seemed just perfect. Except for the cold. I would have to get back at Raina for that little stunt she pulled.

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