Chapter twenty eight ~ edited
It had been a week since Stacy and her mother found out about me. Since we freed the herd. And since I said goodbye to my friends.
I walked over to Midnight with my head hung low. I nickered when I got to him.
"Hey," I said softly.
"Hey, what's up?" He asked. I kept my head low.
"I want to talk to you, privately" he nodded his head and we trotted away from the herd. We stopped by a river. It was calm and flowed gently. Midnight looked at me. "Um, I want to go back home. To see my family." I looked away.
"Fire-"
"I don't want to fight you on this. Please, I need to see my family."
"Look," I looked at him again. "I won't go back. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I know how much you want to go home. So, could you tell mum and dad about Emily?"
"Yeah. Of course I will."
We shifted back and hugged. It felt like the hug went on forever.
This was our goodbye.
My chest ached. I always liked him. We went through so much. And now, it ends here. I leave and he lets me go. No, I didn't like him. It was more then that. I loved him. God. I loved him. I started crying. Seth pulled back and cupped my face, wiping away a few of my tears.
"You go that way, you should get there in about a day." He said, pointing across the river.
I didn't want to say goodbye.
No here,
Not now,
Not yet.
"Why don't you come home with me?" I asked in a small voice. "I hate goodbyes."
He gave me a small smile, looking into my eyes. "I was kicked out remember? I can't go back. Besides, it will be too hard going back without Em."
"So, you're staying here? For good?" I asked. He nodded. I choked out a sob. "Will you ever come visit?"
He frowned, "I don't know. Maybe." He said, wiping another lot of tears from under my eyes.
"I'll miss you." I sobbed. He gave me small smile.
"I'll miss you too. Summer," he paused.
"Yeah?" I asked. He leant down and kissed me. It was slow and gentle. I didn't want to stop.
"I love you." He said after he pulled back. "Be safe. Goodbye."
"G-good b-bye." I stuttered. I sniffled. He shifted back into his black horse form. "I love you too." I said tearfully. He sputtered, shaking out his mane and he walked away, back in the direction of the herd. I listened to the thud-thud-thud of his hooves on the hard ground.
He disappeared and I wiped the tears off my face.
"I love you. I always did." I whispered. I shifted and trotted through the river, cantering when I got out of it.
~*~
It felt like I'd been trotting for ages. I knew I was close to home. My mind kept thinking about everything; going home and seeing my family, and the goodbye with Seth. I heard a growl and my heart began to beat a marathon. Alarm bells were sounded in my head. The panic rushed through my veins and the adrenaline kicked it.
"Oh no." I quickened into a canter, then a gallop. I know that was a wolf. I didn't know if it was a regular wolf or a werewolf. I knew there would be more around somewhere. I could probably outrun them. "I can do this. I can outrun them. I can get away." I chanted over and over to myself. A fallen tree blocked my path up ahead.
As I approached the tree, another wolf appeared and ran next to the other. I cleared the tree with inches to spare. I sniffed the air, the first wolf the there. The other one, a grey, disappeared. It was a werewolf. They both were.
I made a risky decision. I stopped and looked at it. It stopped five metres away. I shifted back.
"Please don't hurt me." I said. It shifted back, he looked about eighteen.
"You the shifter?" He asked in a growl.
"Um... I'm a shifter, I don't think I'm the shifter." I responded.
"What are you doing on my pack's land?" He asked.
"I'm just passing through, to go home." I said.
The guy raised an eyebrow. "Home? Isn't that with your herd?" He asked.
"No. I was turned and I'm going back to my actual family, from when I was human." The other wolf turned up. It looked at me then shifted.
"Summer?!" Crystal asked. My eyes widened.
"Crystal? You're a werewolf?" I asked in shock.
"Yes. You're a horse shifter? That's so cool!" She turned to the guy. "Rob. We were chasing my best friend!"
"Sorry." He said. I shrugged. Crystal wrapped me in a tight hug.
"Where the hell have you been?! Your parents and Jason have been so worried! We all have!" She scolded.
"I was going to see them." I said. "Now I mean, I was on my way home."
"So are you going to tell me where on earth you have been?!" She asked.
I laughed, "With Midnight's herd mostly."
"Midnight?" She asked.
"Seth."
"Seth?" She asked again, not following.
"My friend from next door, Crystal." I said. "You know, my horsey friend?"
"Oh." She said. The Rob guy said something about having to leave soon, their Alpha wanting them back. I stood, listening to their bickering. "But what about Summer?" Crystal asked.
"She's going home right?" Rob asked. Crystal nodded. "Then she'll go home."
"Um. Hello? I am right here you know." I said, feeling excluded from a argument, that was about me!
"Huh?" Rob asked, clearly he didn't listen to what I said. I rolled my eyes.
"I said there's an alien invasion and we're all going to die." I sassed.
"Very funny." He said, not in the mood for jokes. Well, who got out of the wrong side of the kennel this morning? Jeez!
Crystal and Rob finally shut up after I said I was coming and he couldn't say shit. We all shifted and ran to my house. I asked if we could go there. Eventually Rob said ok and followed us. He was getting used to me. I could totally tell.
We got to my place at about five-thirteen pm. I got Crystal to get my family to come outside. I wanted them to see me shift back. I wanted them to see what I was.
"Where are we going and why?" I heard Jason ask. My mood lifted straightaway after hearing my brother's voice.
"Outside and you'll see if you have one bit of patience in your persona!" Crystal said. I mentally laughed.
"Crystal?" My mum asked. They walked outside and I mentally smiled. They all look the same. I walked from the trees and over to them, standing in front of them. They looked at me with no emotion what so ever. Jeez, what happened to these guys? Was it because I just disappeared?
"A horse? Is that what you're showing us?" Dad asked. I snorted.
"When you're ready." Crystal said. This was it. It was time I showed my family what I was. And tell them why I was gone for so long. To stop their pain and worry.
"Well, I guess she looks pretty. I've got stuff to do." Dad said.
"Same with me." Mum said. They both started walking to the house. Jason stayed and looked at me. He walked over.
"Why do I feel like a know you? You're just a horse." He asked in a whisper, petting my muzzle. "Summer would love you. But still, I feel that I know you."
"Jason, are you coming?" Dad asked. Jason looked at me with sad eyes, said goodbye to Crystal and followed our parents. I shifted.
"That's because you do know me." I said. They stopped and turned around. "Thanks for calling me pretty. Beautiful would have been better." I said. No one said anything. The silence was awkward. "Well, I thought there'd be hugging, questions, fussing over the fact I'm back. But hey, this will do perfectly fine." I said. Still, the silence continued. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Please. Someone say something."
"You're a horse?" Jason asked, breaking the awkward moment my family and I shared.
"Horse shifter." I corrected.
"How?" Mum asked.
"Uh. Let's go inside and I'll explain everything." I said. Mum nodded and all five of us sat in the lounge room. I told them everything, with help from Crystal. I told them about how the herd was captured and the farm we were at. I told them about Caleb, but not that he was a werewolf; the fire and then about Stacy and her mother. I told them about Midnight but left out that it was Seth. I couldn't tell them that Seth and his family was like me unless they gave me the OK. And considering Seth was against telling Stacy at first, I decided it wasn't a good idea telling my family.
"Crystal are you two done yet? We need to..." Rob trailed off when he entered the room, seeing my family. "Uh, hi." He said.
"Hi." Dad said, narrowing his eyes at Rob. I bit back the laugh at how a werewolf was nervous of my human father.
"This is Rob." I said.
"Why do we have to leave so soon?" Crystal asked.
Rob looked at my family. "We are wanted back." He said.
Crystal snorted. "Oh for Lupa's sake! Just tell Alpha that we'll take as long as we want. We'll come in our own time."
"Alpha?" Dad asked.
"Dad. I'm a horse, Crystal and Rob are wolves." I said. "I'm moving to live with them and their pack. I will stay here a lot though. So expect me to bring Crystal. But I'll be here until Mr Alpha gives the go ahead for me joining his pack." I said. "But either way, I'm spending at least a week or two here with you guys first. Then I'll move to the pack." I said. They stayed silent. I looked at Crystal. The next thing I had to do was the hardest for me. "Now I need to go tell someone some bad news. I'll be back later this evening. I'm checking out the pack." I said, standing up. They followed suite and I gave them each a hug.
I said bye and gave them an approximate time that I'd be home, before Crystal, Rob and I ran to the pack house, getting Rob's car and driving to Seth's place.
I sucked in a breath when Rob parked out the front of the Bailey's place. I unbuckled my seatbelt with shaky hands and fumbled with the door handle. Crystal didn't come with us, she stayed back to help her parents with something. Rob was kind enough to take me still. We were becoming friends, quite quickly too.
"Are you okay? Are you sure you're up to doing this?" Rob asked.
I nodded. "Yeah." I said quickly. I took a few deep breaths in and out. "Yeah. It's something I do everyday, you know? Telling old friends that their daughter was killed. Totally okay with doing this. It's all normal." I said with sarcasm.
"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked. I looked at him and gave him a small smile.
"Thanks, but no, I'll be alright. I have to do this on my own." I said, getting out of the car.
"Ok, take as long as you need." He called out from the car window. I nodded and walked up the porch stairs, knocking on the door. I breathed deeply; in and out. In and out. Susan opened the door and gasped, pulling me into a hug.
"Summer! It's so good to see you! Everyone thought you ran away! What happened? Have you seen Seth? Emily?" She threw question after question at me.
"I need to talk to you and David." I said. She pulled back and gave me a worried look.
"Ok. David." She called, she let me in and we walked into the lounge room. They sat on the couch together and I stood in front of them.
"Before you begin, it is so good to see you again. Have you gone to see your folks?" David asked. I nodded.
"Yeah," I said with a sigh, dropping onto the couch across from them. "Um. This is the second time I've had to give this news. And it made me break down in tears. Then... Then I had to tell Seth this," the tears formed in my eyes again. "When we were at this ranch, we were trained. My trainer, Caleb, was a werewolf but he didn't find out about me until not long ago. Seth and I got sold and Emily and Damon were left behind. We found out a few months later, only a week ago, that, while t-trying to escape, Emily and Damon w-were shot by Rangers w-who were d-doing a c-cull at the time," their faces fell at the same time and Susan's eyes shone from tears that formed. "They were s-shot again to be put d-down. Caleb t-told me this just b-before our owners found out about us." The tears spilled from my eyes and Susan's. I got up and gave them both a hug. "Seth's safe. He's with the herd still, about a days way from here. I'm sorry. He said he couldn't come back without Em and he asked me to tell you."
Susan got up and gave me a proper hug. David did the same, hugging both of us.
"Thanks Summer. For telling us." David said. Susan let go of me and hugged David, breaking down in tears, just like I did.
"I should..." I trailed off. David nodded.
"Thanks. If you ever need anything, just ask us. You're one of us. You're family now." I smiled sadly and nodded.
"Yep. Bye." I said tearfully. David hugged Susan and whispered things to her. I walked out the door, closing it behind me. I still heard her sobs. I cried even harder and jogged to the car. I slammed the car door. "Go." I choked out to Rob. He started the car and drove back to the pack house.
By the time we arrived back at the pack, I calmed down and stopped crying, sniffles were the only thing that came from me. Rob shut off the engine and sat back in his seat, sighing.
"Summer, are you okay?" He asked softly. I sniffled and said nothing. "Do you want me to get Crystal?" I shook my head.
"Can you take me to her?" I asked in a shaky voice. Rob nodded and got out of the car, walking around to open the door for me. I slowly got out and he led me to Crystal's house on the pack grounds. Crystal hugged me and the three of us went back to my place.
Mum and dad asked what was wrong. I stayed silent and walked to my room, closing the door and walking to my bed. I dropped down on it and let more sobs escape me.
"I miss you Seth. Already, I miss you." I whispered and cried myself to sleep.
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