Chapter 78: The Other Sister's Rage Pt.1

Harlyn’s POV:

When she told me that she remembered her death…that she remembered every waking moment of her demise…to the very last breath…I didn’t know what to say.

“You were right outside the car,” she said to me. “Talking to…to her.”

I could see it in her face…her eyes; that veiled rage that was simmering beneath the surface of her story,

“I…I’m s-I didn’t-” she lifted her hand in a polite gesture to silence me. I kept quiet.

“I know, Harly,” she said and then continued. “They…had me sedated, then they dragged me out to the forest. They fed…” her eye flashed a rageful color before she snapped out of it. “Gorged themselves…” Then cut me open,”

Valene made a swift, fluid movement across her neck and it was only then at that moment that I had noticed something that I never had before. Something that…had I been a truly good sister, I would have. .

There was a slightly jagged line that ran the length of her neck. It was a scar.

“Then they left me to die.” Her eyes went distant. “Scavengers began to come…human…non human. Just as I was drawing my last breath…as I felt the rattling of my lungs filling and giving out on me, I began to feel them gnaw…”

Vali couldn’t finish her sentence completely. She almost choked on her words as she tried to keep herself from crying. It was heartbreaking. I was…heartbroken. I could hardly bear hearing more, but I wouldn’t stop her from telling her story. I had already done so much against her already.

“Gnawing at my flesh,” she finished.

I was hoping for her to say that someone snatched her from death but she didn’t. Valene truly suffered until her very last breath.

“Mum…she saved me, though.” she lifted her arms out as if she was displaying herself to me. “As you can see, good as new!”

There was sarcasm in that remark, but I didn’t bother to address it. There was no bloody use in doing so, I’d have been sarcastic too if I were in her shoes.

“Well as bloody good as one with trauma and mental setbacks can be,” she added.

I watched Valene as she leaned against the wall and stared out of the room window at the gradually dimming evening sky.

“Vali, I…I did not…know,” I emphasized. “I wish I had…this would have ne-this would have never happened to you.”

“Probably would have…eventually, though wouldn’t it?” She looked at me. When I didn’t answer she chuckled dryly. “Your friend…her aunt-they never liked me, Harly. If you’d have interceded then, they would have only found a way to do it later.”

“No, they wouldn’t have,” said I and with the utmost confidence.

“How could you be so sure?”

“Because I meant what I said that day, Vali,” I replied to her. “Had I known…that Penny had it out for you…that she and that twisted wretch were planning to do what they’d done, I would have been coming home to her father in pieces. Both of them.”

“Oo.” Vali grinned with amusement lifting the corner of her mouth. “I forgot how dark you could get.”

“I don’t see how that could be. We did almost fight to the death, once.”

Again, she chuckled. “Bit too soon, innit? Talking about that death fight?” she was still seemingly entertained by what I had said.

I shrugged in response. “You know I never was good with timing and such.”

“Hm,” she smirked. “Right you are, about that one, little sister.”

Silence comfortably filled the void of our conversation after our snicker. I didn’t know what was blooming between my sister and me but…I was glad about it.

“I know that, Penny keeping something like this from you is…I know that this was a lot to hear, Harly.”

“Penny keeping something like this is the least of my concerns, Vali. The fact that she did it, is the problem.” I emphasized.

“Still, she’s your best friend. It…it is easy to talk about killing someone you know…until you have to.”

“Have you killed someone that you knew?”

She smirked. “Unfortunately.”

“Was it intentional?” I asked.

“I don’t think any of my kills have been unintentional since becoming this…way,” she remarked.

“Ha, well,” I sighed. “That’s an interesting bit of information.”

“Is it?” Vali seemed intrigued by my response, but not as intrigued as I was by what she had gotten into while away from home.

“You’ve always been a goody-two-shoes, Vali. Hurting innocent people, well…I guess I just always thought that you were above that sort of thing.”

A sad frown took the place of her amusement. “So did I.” she exhaled with a seeming disappointment. “I’m trying to get back to that version of myself.” Silence followed her statement. I didn’t break the space between her last statement and now, knowing that there was something else that she wanted to say. “Harlyn,” said Vali as her gaze found the view outside of the window again. “I did not solely tell you this because I wanted you to know my story-not even because I had hoped that it would garner some sort of sympathy or a truce between us.” she faced me again. “I am telling you this because I thought I should give you the courtesy of knowing why…I am going to kill your friend tonight.”

“Vali, I-”

“And her aunt.”

“Vali, you do this…and you will start something that cannot be undone. Everyone will come after you!”

“I’m not worried about everyone. Penny and Agnes cannot be trusted. People like that should not be a part of a pack. They shouldn’t even exist.”

“And that is for you to decide?” I asked.

“Do you think that they should live?”

“No.” And I was unmoving on that opinion. “They should be executed just as they executed you.”

“And you really think that will happen to them if I go about this the right way?”

I knew that that wasn’t the case. Of course they wouldn’t get the punishment that they deserved. Vali was a human when she was murdered. Our kind didn’t think high enough of humans to actually get justice for them. But….

“Then again…” I said as something came to mind. “Maybe it’s not impossible.”

Vali laughed. “Now you’re sounding really bloody naive, Harly.”

“Vali, your the Alpha’s daughter. They have committed an act of treason by doing what they did. Death is the only suitable punishment for it.”

“And you really think that our bleeding heart father is actually going to carry out that plan? Killing his Delta’s daughter and sister?”

“Well, it is the code of our kind. The law. And it’s justifiable.”

“Maybe,” Vali replied, then she stared at me for a few seconds. “Why does doing this the “right way” mean so much?”

“Because, Shadow Veil is in a crisis right now and we can’t afford even more of one which is exactly what it will be if you carry through with this plan. It’s just not the right time to be causing an uproar. That is exactly what you’ll do if you kill Penny and Agnes right now.”

“I get what you’re saying, Harlyn,” Vali countered. “But…as I stand here…telling you what happened…reliving the tale of my death…I…am so…absolutely filled with rage. I crave revenge for what was done to me.” With a sigh, Vali further added, “The last thing that I want to do is cause more trouble for dad, Toran, you..” she shook her head. “But what would you do…if you were in my shoes?”

There was no need to answer because we both knew what I would do. In fact, I wanted to do it right now.

I didn’t trust Penny as far as I could throw her and I most certainly hadn’t forgotten what she did to me that night when we overrun at the beach. She abandoned me that night. Left me for dead and seemingly without a second thought. Truly…what good was she?

“To be honest, Vali…had you not come back when you did…distracted me with the miraculous fact that you…still live…Penny would probably be dead by now.” I looked at my elder sister. “She abandoned me without hesitation that night. Left me for dead instead of fighting…having my back until help arrived. Had you not come when you did…I’d….I’d probably be dead.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I was there then, huh?”

“That's an understatement.”

“Maybe,” Vali replied. She took a deep breath and shrugged. “We’ll tell dad first and Toran. Depending on what they say is how I will proceed. You’re right, we don’t need this hell right now. But she and that wretched aunt will get what they deserve one way or another.”

“You going to tell your mother?” I asked.

“Oh, no.” Vali headed out of the room and followed behind her. “My mother would kill her without question. Right now, I say we stick with telling dad, and Toran. At least for now.”

“Okay.”

“Harly,” she stopped us before we could get out of the door.

“Yeah,”

“You know…none of this was your fault…right?”

I scoffed. “Sure, it wasn’t.”

It was. I should have sensed Vali in that car. I should have known something wasn’t right that day, and I missed all of the signs; signs that seemed so blatant to me at this point as I thought back on that afternoon.

Penny and Agnes had taken something from me that day, and it could have been prevented. Maybe not all of what was going on now, but what happened to Vali could have been and it was because I had too much pride to be a good sister to her and a sensible wolf.

I missed all the signs that day. I gave Penny and Agnes the opening to hurt someone that I was finally starting to realize I cared for more than I had realized. It wasn’t going to happen again.