Chapter 56 : Shadowed Hearts: Love and Darkness

Carolina

The sun began to rise into the blue sky, chasing away the darkness once again with its bright rays. Birds began to chirp as they awoke, the forest came alive as the fears of the night were erased by the new day. Fears laid to rest for another night as the predators of the night fell into a deep slumber until the darkness called them to rise again.

The animals may not have been too afraid on this bright morning, but a dark brown haired girl looked out of the window of a small, uninhabited old house, unfazed by the promise of a new day, for even in the light, darkness remained.

Pale, long fingers smoothed her silky hair, the tips touching soft ears that twitched at the light touch, while her brown eyes watched the sunrise. Her mind was in turmoil, as it had always been.

His head rested on her lap, her legs tucked underneath him, while she stroked her lover's hair almost absentmindedly. No, it wasn't. That wasn't true at all. Not anymore. Rylan was neither hers nor her love, for how could something that was dead be love with a heart that didn't beat?

To be honest, Carolina didn't even have a heart. Her body was nothing but a shadowy, empty shell. She had known from the moment of her birth that she didn't belong in this world, but it wasn't until Uma and her undead accomplices came along that it really dawned on her.

She stopped her hand, sternly reprimanding herself for her foolish, romantic gesture, but if she didn't have a heart, why did she feel like it was breaking?

Her hand continued to caress those fine strands of hair, unable to control herself.

It had been two long days since the fight with Uma and her dead accomplices. The image of that creature flashed before her sightless eyes, so horrible, yet so similar to herself. An animated corpse. An abomination in this world, because although her own face was that of a beautiful young girl, she was not a mortal woman. She was as dead as a monstrous figure that had been assembled from several corpses and brought back to life.

Why was she here? How could the gods be so cruel to her, not only in life, but also in death? Had she not suffered enough? And what about Rylan? His life had been nothing but one hardship after another.

But there was one light in his life - Karenina. The girl loves him, she knows it. She really was her cousin, like her own twin, in love with the same man she was. It was painful to admit, but she knew that Rylan loved the girl as well. She should have let that love blossom and let it go.

But she couldn't.

Despite her immortality, it seems that Carolina still has the selfish nature that all humans have. She loved Rylan. She could not bear the thought of him being with someone else, even a woman who was still her blood and kin, a woman who was her cousin. But even if she allows Karenina to take her place, doesn't she still care and love Rylan?

The heart she no longer has doesn't care about that logic. It still dies every time Carolina thinks of him with someone else, even her cousin.

A bitter, self-mocking smile curled her pale lips as she continued to stroke his hair, to stroke the ears that proved his bloodline. Never had Rylan allowed her such freedoms, not until Karenina... Pain stabbed her chest at the thought of them together.

It was a cruel world they lived in. Life meant suffering, but so did death. Her thoughts continued to spiral downward.

"If only I hadn't come back, then Rylan would be happy... with her... all I ever gave him was false hope, pain and sorrow," she wailed silently.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Though Carolina did not know how her shadow and soul's imitation of the body whose soul had been recalled could produce tears. Dead shadows do not cry. She wiped the tears away with the edge of her sleeve, the rough fabric rubbing against her smooth cheeks.

When she had quickly regained her strength and power after Rylan's rescue, the influence of the black witch was no longer there. She looked into his peaceful face and fell asleep. Rylan was still wounded, but not as badly. He healed quickly, his wolf blood aiding his recovery. He would be fully recovered by tomorrow.

He wanted to follow Karenina as soon as they rested the first night, but Carolina knew he was still too weak and injured, so she begged him to stay here with her while she recovered, using his weakness to give her time to heal. There was no way he would listen to her reasons for insisting that they rest for his sake.

There was more to worry about. The night of the new moon would come tomorrow night. If Rylan pushed himself, his human body would suffer. Another ugliness that constricted her non-existent heart. It was another thing Carolina must not know, the weakness of a werewolf, but Karenina knew. He had entrusted that knowledge to another woman, while she had discovered it a year ago when she visited his pack with news of Nathaniel.

"I don't belong here."

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, her body tensing as the realization seeped into her mind. Slowly moving her knees from under his head, she placed him gently on the wooden floor and rose, bow and arrows in hand, as she walked out of the small house.

She took up a position in front of the door, nocked an arrow to her bow, and drew back the string as she took aim at her guest. "What business do you have here, wolf?"

Despite her confused thoughts, when potential danger threatened her lover, all self-doubt was cast aside, pushed aside, and strength and strong will seeped into her. No harm would come to Rylan, not while she walked this earth.

The man wore a light blue robe with a darker shade of blue with sparks on the hem and sleeves. His clothes were white, while his pants were pitch black. The sword at his hip remained in its sheath, but Carolina did not relax her posture.

"I'm looking for Rylan Westwood. Step aside, woman, for I have a message to deliver." His voice was deep and masculine, expressionless and non-threatening, but Carolina remained as she was.

"Who sent you?" She asked calmly.

His eyes swept over her, over her shoulder, as he spoke. "Alpha Xavier has instructed me to find you and to tell you that you are welcome to enter the Westwood Pack, where the Moonstone Guardian, the hybrid girl Karenina Mason, is the guest of honor. I will be your escort."

Before she could answer, she heard Rylan speak from behind her. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."