Marisol stepped out of Leticia's chambers with a million thoughts bubbling in her head. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.
Maybe she wanted to do both. It was so unfair. Her parents had told her she was destined for greatness. Was this fate's idea of greatness? To be made to sacrifice herself without a say?
Why didn't all this happen before she met Cedric? Their lives were far from perfect, but she'd never felt so complete before. This all felt like a sick, twisted joke, and she could feel her guts churn at the thought of it.
Not only was it unfair to her, but it was unfair to Cedric, too. They'd only just found each other, and even with that, they'd gotten a taste of the life they could have together, the happiness they felt in the mere presence of the other. It was unfair to her parents, too. She was their only child for goddess' sake.
It hurt so much to think about it. She just wanted to curl up and cry. But she wouldn't dare because if she felt the tiniest distress, her parents and Cedric would rush to find her.
It was the worst. Why should they have to suffer from such? Her parents left their pack, raging on a mission to find and bring her home, but as fate would have it, they were here now, ready to forgive the past for her happiness and give her their full support, but it turned out all she had to do was kill herself to resolve the whole thing. Her emotions threatened to tumble out, and it felt like she was hanging on by a thread.
In a flash of a second, a hand grabbed her and pulled her back into Leticia's room.
"You can cry all you want. I've cut them off. They will not feel anything." Leticia whispered next to her.
At that, Marisol's knees finally gave way, and she fell to the ground, screaming with all her might. All the pain, the anger, and every emotion burst out without a filter.
It turned out Leticia had been wrong. The spell she put around her chamber was not strong enough to hold Marisol's rage.
Leticia stared wide-eyed as her room and everything in it began to tremble as Marisol's cries turned into a pained roar. Her energies had melded together to form something completely different.
'It would've been worse if she'd kept it bottled in for longer' is what Leticia thought as she conjured a new protective layer around the chamber.
It took a while before she collapsed, exhausted.
Leticia could only stare in wonder. It annoyed her that the world was about to lose such a being so powerful. The untapped and untamed power called to her. She would have loved to see the extent of her powers.
Marisol shut her eyes and locked away all her remaining energy. She was going to mask her inner turmoil with a bright smile. She was determined to keep her promise to Leticia and guard the secret they had discussed, even if it weighed heavily on her mind.
Letting out her rage helped a lot, too.
"Thank you, Genevieve," She said as she climbed to her feet.
Leticia only smiled and quietly watched her leave.
Outside Leticia's chambers, Marisol exhaled shakily before plastering a smile across her face. She didn't need to make a decision. She already knew what she had to do. What she needed was a little more time. She wanted to spend it with her family. She wasn't ready to face the reality of wielding the ancient dagger against Guinevere, but she also knew that time was running out, and the fate of their pack hung in the balance.
She headed towards the door that led to the major part of the pack house when she was greeted with Cedric's warm embrace. His eyes sparkled with affection as he enveloped her in his arms. Immediately, Marisol found herself sighing in content and washed over with comfort.
"Hey! I missed you, Princess. Are you alright? Did the attacks make you nervous?"
A smile spread across Marisol's face as she turned around in his arms to face him. "Nervous? Why on earth..."
"Okay, I was nervous on your behalf." He admitted with a sheepish grin, and Marisol regarded him with a fond smile. "But Leticia was right. When we retreated, they prowled around aimlessly for a while before they left. What I do not understand is why Guinevere wanted to create a distraction. We're safe for now, but it drives me crazy thinking about just what she might've been distracting us from."
Cedric's brows were pinched in confusion at the end of his words, and Marisol smirked, remembering how she felt Guinevere's anger when she'd sent her wandering demons back to her.
"Guinevere was pissed at my intrusion, and she decided to make her first move. She was trying to sow discord among our pack members, turning them against each other to weaken us from within."
Cedric's eyes widened in realization as he processed the words "Ahh..... that makes sense then." He noted, and Marisol scrunched her nose, endeared, wondering just when he'd developed such cute antics.
"Well, it's over now. How are the pack members? Was anyone hurt?" Marisol asked, and Cedric grinned, the sight tugging at Marisol's heartstrings.
"Everyone's fine. Your parents' presence helped a lot."
With that, he laced their fingers together and began to lead them inside. As they walked, an idea came to life in Marisol's head.
"Cedric, would you mind inviting my parents and Lily to dinner tonight? I think it would be nice to spend some time together." Time was running out, and she longed for the warmth and comfort of her family's presence, hoping it would ease the weight of the burden she carried.
Cedric's eyes lit up at Marisol's suggestion, and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! Actually, I have a wonderful announcement to make during dinner. It's about our future together."
Marisol's heart skipped a beat at Cedric's words and the tone with which he spoke. Her mind quickly filled with anticipation about what the evening held. Seeing him so happy made her heart full.