Libby POV
It had been well over six months since I made contact with the werewolf community, since I saw Evelyn, Reuben and…Pierce.
I just needed to escape, I couldn’t be what they wanted me to be. I couldn’t be comfortable with a wolf inside of me, living as a second entity, as part of me…when they had an entire childhood to get used to their culture. It spooked me out.
I just couldn’t be what they wanted me to be.
Was that so bad? To go from only knowing a human world to being forced into a world where werewolves were actually real and not something from books and movies?
A world where they seem to be attacked every other day just for living.
With every more inch power my wolf gained on me, I felt like I was losing control, losing the real me. I know I left when they needed me, but they didn’t need me, not really.
They just thought they did. I didn’t leave until I knew Evelyn was okay, until I knew Cassandra and the children were out of trouble.
The lake water freezing cold as I pulled Evelyn’s lifeless body out of it, as I started to perform CPR. I showed Rex what to do as soon as I heard Reuben returning.
He would have locked me up, he would have tortured me like he did Malcolm, surely? I had caused all that trouble.
Why should I get a free pass just because I am his sister and his best friend’s supposed mate…
I knew they were out of danger.
As soon as I saw Vicky’s dead body descend into the watery grave and Malcolm’s already dead body lying on the decking, I knew the twins were safe.
I couldn’t stay, I couldn’t face Reuben and I certainly couldn’t be…what was it …marked? And forced to live a life with a mate I didn’t even know, no matter how strong the tingles were.
Far better for me to remain off the grid. That is what Father wants, for me to remain off the grid.
I don’t care about the money, I would trade it all in tomorrow just to have a day back with Mum. Living as I have for the past six months, it proves that you don’t need to be rich to enjoy the joys of life. I don’t need all that money to be happy. I just need to be alone.
Alone where nobody can hurt me and I can’t hurt any body. Because that’s what happens, you love someone…and then they get taken away from you. So what was the point in falling in love? In having family near you, when you would lose them anyway?
I hadn’t heard from Father, he was still in hiding, as was I. But when I do see him again, I won’t go against Reuben and his family. No matter how much pressure he applies, I know I couldn’t hurt them, I wouldn’t want them to be put in danger. If Father expects it, he’ll have to make other plans because I wouldn’t be helping him.
Things here were noisy in the day, just as I liked them. But quiet at night time, which I didn’t like as much…being alone with my thoughts at night has never been a good idea.
That’s why I used to watch so much television in the safety of my apartment, but there is no television here.
I truly am off grid.
All I have is an old fashioned top up mobile phone that I make a phone call on every now and again. Nobody else has any way of contacting me.
I think it was better that perhaps I wasn’t in communication with Father as well. My anger at his actions had only started to lessen in the past few weeks.
The self loathing of being the daughter of a man that could treat his own grandchildren in such a manner completely disgusts me.
I loved working on the farm. I worked and lived on a farm, completely off grid.
I had my own caravan that was my sanctitude every night after a hard day of labouring.
It actually helped with my sleeping, with a part of me wanting Pierce.
I dreamt of him a lot, I don’t know a lot about this mate bond but I would say it was calling out to me, trying to return me to him. In my sleep is the only time my mind had a chance to think about him. I kept myself too busy in the day.
I had been living on this farm for the past six months. Nothing here would lead anyone to me, everybody here was off the grid. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder, I didn’t need to worry about letting people down.
Here, I could do what I want…as long as the Head Farmer approves of it. And he was a softy anyway. He saw how hard I worked, how quickly I sowed the fields.
I had friends here. Friends of my own. Friends that were nice to me not because they had been paid to be, or that I was the sister of a powerful man. Friends that were mine.
It was a beautiful spring morning. I was up early to feed the farm animals and make sure the farm equipment had been warmed up for the morning.
It was 6am…the best part of the day to be up and out.
I didn’t last past 9pm nowadays, my eyes calling for sleep as soon as I entered the caravan. Sometimes I didn’t even bother with dinner, the farmer’s wife making sure we all were well fed each morning knowing how hard a day’s labour can be on the body.
“It’s my turn today…” A voice calls out to me by the cows, as he opens the barn door to let them out.
“No, I’m on rota…but you can help me with this tractor…”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t know, its not starting up properly…maybe out of fuel?”
“Is that your professional diagnosis, its out of fuel?” He tuts playfully.
“Well…what else could it be?”
“A thousand things…I’ll have a look at it. Go close the cow gate otherwise they’ll terrorise the chickens.”
I do as he asks, his poor excuse of getting the roster wrong not the first time. And it only ever seemed to happen when I was on morning shift.
I walk over to the gate, shooing some of the cows out of the way. As I lift the gate, it doesn’t budge…the gate door stuck in mud.
“It’s stuck…” I call out to him.
“Use your strength!” He calls out to me.
“I am!” I shout back, the cows mooing at me for being so loud.
“Try harder….” Is all I hear him moan back.
I try…trying to lift the gate. My strength not as strong as it was, like back in the apartment. It isn’t moving and now the cows are trying to push me out of the way to get into the other field.
“Anwir, will you just come and help me!”
The End
