Chapter 17 Long Distance

Eric’s POV

I found myself back in the music room, sitting behind the piano but not playing. Just staring at the keys alternating from black to white.

I ran my fingers over the smooth texture of the key, but I can’t find the courage to press.

There was really no sense of not doing it, nor was there any sense of doing it.

I sighed and pulled away from the piano.

“You ok?”

I looked back and saw Siam leaning on the doorpost, watching me.

“Yeah.”I sighed.

“Don’t lie to me, Eric.” he stepped into the room, “If I was a hunter and you were that deep in thoughts, I would have killed you….” I raised a brow, “fifteen minutes ago.”

“Fifteen minutes?” I asked. He nodded.

He has been standing there for fifteen minutes and I didn’t even notice or caught his scent.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked.

I shrugged and closed the lead of the piano. “I’m not really sure.”

“Hm, that’s different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Often, you will tell me that you are disturbed of what Serenity’s feeling, or that you miss her, or how much you regret not doing more…” he pointed out, “But never had you given me that answer.” He sat beside me, “Now, tell me what’s wrong?”

I sighed, “I can feel her,” I started, “I can feel her presence in the land. She’s so close, but….” I shrugged again.

“Frustrated, I see.” He teased.

I chuckled, “I think that’s an understatement.”

He laughed and sat beside me.

“She’ll be home soon, Eric.” he says, “Just a little more patience.”

“I know, I’m trying my best,” I said in almost a whisper, “but I can’t keep it in anymore. I need to see her, to make sure that she’s safe and alright.”

“And she is,” he said, “we have done quite well to cover up our attack on the hunters. So far, none of the alphas had found out about it or Serenity’s whereabouts. She’s safe as long as we keep track.” He then reached for my shoulder, “And that’s what you are. Your bond with her is what tells us if all is well with her or not.”

I nodded, he gave me a light slap on the back.

“You’re such a brat Eric.” he teased, “Demanding for what you want.”

I laughed, “This is your sister we are talking about, Siam. It isn’t hard to yearn for her.”

He made a face, “I’ll let that slip right now, yearn for her in your own time, please.” He says making me laugh, “Anyway, I came to tell you that your uncle is on his way back, and that he has quite a lot of news for us.”

“News from the hunters?”

“News of how hunters had kept Serenity far too long.”

I nodded as he stood up and walked toward the door.

“Siam?” I called. He turned around, waiting for me to continue. “I’m scared.”

He gave me a questioned look, “I’m scared that I might not be able to keep my word of not hurting her.” he frowned. “Once she’s home, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the heart to keep her out of my sight, I want her always to be at my side, never leaving the safety I can provide for her, but you know your sister. She’s free spirited.” I paused, “And the child, god Siam, what if she is pregnant? What if the link of that child strengthens her link to the human? I don’t think I can give her up….”

I ran my hand down my face and kept it over my eyes, fighting away the tears that had been finding their way out of me again.

I hear Siam’s footsteps walk back at me, “Eric?”

I looked up at him and saw him smiling. “If you are to hurt her, at least you are hurting her through your love, I can’t ask for more than that, and I know she’ll see the same way and would not complain.” Then he drew in a deep breath, “As for the child… I’m not really sure. All I know is that, thinking that it was Anna in the situation, I would do exactly what you would do.”

I gave him a look.

“Remember what you said?” he grins, “That that child will have something of Serenity, and that meant you will love him no matter what, hearing it now may sound mean- loving him only because of her mother. But think about it, if this is a child of Serenity, and she raises him- won’t you love him grow up with you and Serenity as his parents?”

The image that Siam painted in my mind with his words melted away the doubts and troubles that had been running through my mind since the day that uncle had sent news of her escape.

“Now come on, they’ll be here in a few minutes.” He stood up and walked toward the door.

While I look back at the keys, I pushed down one key, breaking the silence.

We all sat in silence. None of us were happy with what we’ve seen in the past hours or what we’ve heard.

“I don’t understand…” Siam shook his head. “How…”

There were no words for us to explain our surprise at how near the hunters had been to us the past few months.

I looked at the three boys beside me, who were still in shock. I knew what they felt, but finding this, whether the snoop was still out there or not, I will not have anyone hurt within the walls of my house again.

“Jared.” I called to my beta, “I want every guard to surround the house. No one comes in or out without us knowing about it. Send the female fighters to Anna’s room. Cam and Jean are not to leave her side either, am I clear?”

“Yes, alpha.” He bowed and ran off.

I turned around and saw Siam, with his head in his hands.

“Siam…” I called.

He turned to me, and in an instant, I knew he was mad.

“How could we be so careless?” He snapped. “They were watching us the whole time, using us as leverage to Serenity.”

“Siam, calm down-“ Uncle Luke says.

“Calm down?” he screams. “Serenity was kidnapped, beaten, forced to kill, and raped! And it’s all because she was trying to protect us when it should have been the other way around!”

“She’s on her way home-“

“No!” he tips over the chair he was sitting on, raged. “She’s not supposed to go through any of that! She’s supposed to be here with us now, laughing. Fooling around with Anna, buying baby clothes and thinking of baby names, or crying with Anna for all I care! But not like that…” he dropped on his knees, his shoulder shook as he released the tears that he had been keeping back since the death of the king and queen. “She’s supposed to be with Eric, pregnant and safe. That’s what I want.”

I stared at him, never- not even once- had I heard Siam speak of what he wanted for himself. It’s always what he wants for the pack and all the shifters.

He should have lost or at least weakened when the elders had stopped him from saving Serenity, but no. He waited patiently and played his card right.

He acted like a king first before being a brother.

Like Serenity, he was selfless. Sacrificing Serenity must have eaten his guilt whole.

“I just want her home…” he said.

In an instant, the door opened, and Anna, along with the others, came in. Anna walked toward Siam and wrapped him in her arms.

“Shh…” she whispered, “it's ok, love….”

At that moment, reality hit me. I looked around the room and saw the loss of everyone the moment Serenity decided to sacrifice herself.

I lost my mate. Siam lost his sister. Everyone else lost a good friend. I was not the only one hurting.

I stepped up and knelt beside Siam and reached for his shoulder, squeezing it.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears. His face reflects regret and pain.

“She’ll be home soon, Siam,” I said the same thing he said to me, not knowing if it will have the same effect on him as it did on me. “Just a little patience.” He just stared at me, then I smirked, “You’re such a brat.”

With that, he chuckled and let Anna wipe away his tears. “Eric’s right. She’ll be home soon.” She whispered, “None of us wanted those things to happen to her, she did all that to save us, and I’ll be damned if you boys go off and waste all her sacrifices just to get in trouble or worse, dead.”

“Way to lighten the mood with you snapping at us, Anna,” Jake says.

We all stifled a laugh.

“Everything will be alright.” I hear Siam say, more of to himself than to anyone.

“That’s right.” Aaron says, forcing a smile, “if Serenity were here, she’d be calling us pansies for crying. Reminding us of how much she humiliated us with her hiding expertise with her score of three out of six.”

“Six.” I corrected, they all turned to me, “she won again this time, didn’t she?”

Aaron grin, “Three out of six.”

“You boys suck at hiding and seek,” Jean says, making some laugh and start an argument with Jake.

I looked back at Anna and Siam, who was now sitting on the sofa, Anna on Siam’s lap, as he was lost deep in his thoughts. Anna glanced at me with a smile and mouthed thank you.

I just smiled back.

The others left to rest after Siam’s outburst, and I decided to stay behind.

I dig through the photos, papers, and notebooks taken from the hunter’s house. The videos were locked safely in the vault. We didn’t want the girls to see it, especially the one of Anna and Siam.

I sighed as I massaged my eyes before continuing to look through the photos.

Deciding to continue, a package caught my eye, a sealed box hidden between log books. I pulled it out of its hiding place and checked on it.

I frowned, seeing that it had my name in front of it.

I quickly opened it and spilled out its content. Another tape fell on the table and a couple of brown envelopes.

I frowned, staring at the tape, scared of what horror it will hold.

I took a deep breath and quickly moved to the VTR and played it.

After a few seconds, Serenity’s familiar laugh broke the silence of the room. I stared at her as she shook her head-slapping a boy's hand away from the board in between them.

“Stop being stupid, Rham!” she laughed.

“Am not, I’m telling you there is such a word.”

“No, there isn’t.” Serenity argued, “You may be a doctor, but I don’t think scientific terms of whatever is allowed to be used on scrabble.”

“That’s not fair….”

The scene gets cut, and another came in, the door opened, and Serenity was still on the bed, reading, then the same man came carrying a tray of food.

“Lunch is served, milady…” the man said.

“Why, thank you, fine sir.” She said. “That is very sweet of you.”

“I aim to please.” He bowed down.

I frowned, seeing how comfortable she was with the man on the video.

“I said no one is allowed in here!” the man screamed. The video was now inside the room, probably in a keyhole.

Serenity was on the bed, duvet pulled up to her chin, crying. She was practically shaking in fear.

The man sat beside her in bed and pulled her to a hug. The moment she rested her head on his shoulder, she broke down.

I looked away, seeing her in tears, but I knew that the sound will always be tattooed on my memory.

I looked back at the video and saw the man lying beside her in bed, arms over her waist. He ran his hand through her hair; Serenity was obviously deep in sleep.

“I love you….” I hear the man say.

I frowned and sat back.

The scene changes again. This time the same man was sitting by the foot of the bed. Serenity was reading a book, legs under the duvet, leaning on the headboard.

“Serenity, please, just say something.” I hear the man plead, but all Serenity did was flip to the next page of the book she was reading.

I scanned her thoroughly and saw that she was covered with bruises and scars.

The scene then changes into another one where she was in an argument with the man.

"Maybe he's with someone..." I hear him say, "I mean, if the emotion is this strong, unlike the past few months, someone may be triggering these emotions, don't you think?"

"It's possible." Serenity says sadly, "But I don't think it's anything for me to be worried about."

"Yes it is." The man stepped closer to her, "For all we know he can be meeting a new shifter now, not able to wait anymore-"

"That's not how Eric is."

I frowned, realizing they were talking about me.

"That you think." He says again, "You said it yourself, you were just together for a short while and-"

"And the bond between us is stronger than normal." She snapped.

"But he is still a man Serenity." he now stood up, setting the mug down, "He is a man with needs and-"

"He isn't like that!" she shouted.

He was talking against me, brainwashing her. I felt my hand closed into a fist and glared at the television as I continue to watch the drama unfold.

"What's wrong with you, Rham?! First, you tell me that you can help me escape but can't bring me back to my family, now you tell me that my mate is cheating on me?" he frowned, "Are you planning to turn all my remaining hope into dust?"

"Serenity-"

"I thought you were my friend-"

"And I am!" he snapped, "I am the only one you can trust here! The only one that has the ability to save you and your kind!"

"And yet here you are doing nothing!"

The glare he had at her was making my wolf go crazy, wanting to rip him from limb to limb. If only we could. I say to my wolf.

"Everything has a price, Serenity." He says.

Serenity gives him a disappointed look as she shook her head, "You are just like your father. You may have a heart and a bit of goodness in you, but you are as selfish as he is."

And as if Serenity were hitting a button, he closed the gap between them and shouted, "I am not like him! I will never be like him! If I were, then you would probably be still in the cage, half dead and all bond with your pathetic, cowardly mate gone!"

Serenity was all red and shaking with anger as she slapped him and pointed at the door. "Get out."

I kept my eyes on the man as he storms out of the room. I decided that the moment I do see him, I will kill him.

I sighed as I have seemed to reach the end of the homemade video.

When I suddenly hear skin hitting skin.

“Please, Rham…” I hear Serenity plead.

I looked back at the moonlit room and saw a man silhouette hovering in the bed, moving in a way that was only to be shared between lovers.

“That’s it Serenity, tell me what you want.” He groaned.

“Stop…” I hear a whimper from her. “Rham…”

But instead of stopping, the man banged on her harder, making her moan. I just can’t distinguish if it was pain or pleasure.

“C’mon baby, I need you to c*m for me…” he says, but she whimpers, and she hits her harder making her groan. “C’mon!”

She gives out a cry and a scream of agonizing pain as he shook over her and grunts, finishing off what he started. He then pulled her up, still not pulling out of her from the looks of how he was being careful of lifting her hips, leaving her body limp on the bed.

He pushed into her again, obviously pouring everything in her. He threw his head back in satisfaction. Then he bent down to kiss her.

“Let’s see if your mate still wants you, after all, that.” he said, “That’s like what? Thirteenth?”

She was raped thirteen times… was the only thing that was running in my mind. Thirteen times and it was all to get rid of our bond… of me.

“Thirteen c*ms in you would assure me of a child, wouldn’t it?”

I frowned. He did it on purpose. He was getting her pregnant.

“Hush now, princess.” He says, “You should have just enjoyed the ride like I did, seeing it was inevitable.”

I hear more crying soon after until there was nothing else to see.

I sat there staring at the television, not knowing what to do.

What to think.

It was my fault, after all.

That man wanted Serenity to himself and wanted to get rid of me, so he took her. He raped her.

Then I remembered the envelopes inside the box and ran back to it, and I tore them open one by one. Each held photos of Serenity either injured, bleeding, bruised, unconscious, or with that man.

And now more than ever, I wanted to kill all hunters who harmed her.

If that man wanted him away from Serenity, it would take my death first before he can have her.

Suddenly the door burst open.

I turned off the VTR and turned to see Jared.

“There’s another murder.” He said. “They killed one of the elders.”

I stormed into the library where the others were. Inside I saw the two remaining elders and the boys.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Felix was murdered,” Jon said.

“Jared informed me….” I said, “what’s the news?”

“He was meeting with his friend, and they were both killed,” Greg says. “The leader of the rogues and Felix were killed fighting.”

“Numerous rogues had been reported dead by other alphas as well all over the country.”

“Rogues…” I pushed the lump the built on my throat, “Siam?”