Chapter Chapter Twenty-Three: Crane
Author's Song of the Chapter: Feels Like Falling Apart by Unsecret
I nash my teeth as I look into the empty hospital room, the dark strains my eyes but I don’t care. The room is empty exactly like Danny warned me it would be, mom was just a distraction. The Hellhound was really after those two humans the whole time. I am starting to wonder if there is a more concerning reason then what they were suffering from, in my heart I know there are more of the children of the black-furs left. These two were some of them right underneath our noses the whole time, we could have used them, tortured them even for information.
“I did warn you.” Danny’s voice comes from the shadows behind me causing me to whip around and face me.
“Why, why did it come for them?” I babble as Danny raises an eyebrow at me.
“You already know that answer, Crane,
” Danny replies cooly, his eyes flicker around the room.
I catch his nose twitching, I know he is taking in the scents of the room. I did it as well long ago myself. The action is something we shouldn’t do as members of the pack, yet, we both do it anyways.
“What do we do about this?” I growl while clenching my fists, damn this Hellhound.
“You don’t want to hear my answer,” Danny whispers just loud enough for me to hear him, he catches my eyes as though he is challenging me.
At this moment my heart thunders in my ears and I pale. I can see in Danny’s eyes the way he is looking at me. He knows, he knows I am no alpha, he knows something more about this all then I do, and he isn’t telling me because I am no alpha to him. I am nothing more than meat, a kill waiting to happen. Danny is smarter than that, he will live through this.
“You’re not telling me something,” I state in a thin voice that has Danny turning away from me as he goes to the open window.
Danny stands in front of the window looking out into the night far off into the distance. He doesn’t say anything for a long time, I don’t like his silence. He has power, information, over me.
“My parents are not really my parents Crane. I’ve learned a lot about myself and our war lately and I don’t like a lot of what I’ve learned. My real parents were one white-fur and one black-fur, my mom was your aunt. I am technically your cousin which is why I’m telling you to look into your parents and our history.” Danny sighs, I attempt to process his words, so he knows.
I step back and away from him, stumbling a little. Danny always was smart, but I didn’t know he was this smart, smart enough to figure out a secret my parents worked hard to hide from the world. Of course, he would shove that doubt into my heart about my own parents. I should be mad, I should be angry and not showing weakness, not show the truth. Instead, my eyes tear up and I turn away because I know the truth and have for a long time. I’m adopted, my parents are not my birth parents like they claimed they were. I killed my real family, I killed many people’s real families and helped brainwash those who were left. Now I must live with this, it is the only option I have, and it is the only option that will not get me killed. Even though they aren’t my real parents I did love my fake mom, I loved her even though she lied to me. In the beginning, she had taken me in as her own son even if it was for the wrong reasons, we had a real bond.
“I know I killed my real family Danny, I know everything. What is there for me to do about it now? I can’t take any of it back, it’s too late for that. I can’t live my life as an omega, I wouldn’t survive. So, I do what I have to do to ensure my own survival.” I finally say, my words have Danny looking at me as he turns his head his eyes full of disgust.
“You know, of course, you do,” Danny whispers as he looks at me and I nod trying to avoid the tears that fall from my eyes.
I look anywhere but him, I can’t help it as my eyes are drawn back to him. He is technically the only family left that I have. I feel a clench in my heart that I am the one who has chased him away for so long, that I didn’t let him in sooner. Suddenly he steps up to me pulling me into a long-overdue hug.
“You should come with me Crane, talk to the Hellhound. I think it will go differently than you think it will.” Danny tells me his hands grasping my shoulders before he lets me go pulling away and heading for the door.
“I can’t do that Danny, it will kill me. It will probably kill you too. Besides, I have a part to play.” I reply my voice holds no coldness to it, instead it is wide open and raw.
“I’m sorry then,” Danny replies as he turns from me, I feel an impulse to grab him and shake some sense into him, instead, I drive home the stake in my heart.
“If you leave Danny, if you do this I can’t save you or them. I must play my part, I’ll have to run you out. You’ll be an omega. I won’t tell about the other two but I can’t save any of you.” I whisper and the way he looks at me rips out my soul, he looks at me like I’m the lost one like I’m falling ever deeper into the darkness that is my life.
“I’ve always been an omega Crane, we all have been. Don’t worry about me I’ll be just fine.” Danny gives me a half-smile, my heart kicks in my chest because now I know he knows more than me.
Danny knows more than I even thought, he might even know who the Hellhound is and where to find it. Heck, Danny’s smart enough he might even know how to kill it.
“Do you know who it is?” I call out to him just before he leaves me in the hospital room.
“I do, and if I can figure it out then I’m sure you can too,” Danny calls over his shoulder as he leaves me, and his words haunt me.
I stand in the hospital room trying to piece my act back together as I try to figure out the meaning behind Danny’s words. I need to know what he knows or else I’m doomed. I’m probably already doomed. My head begins to pound and liked the asshole I should be I call Caroline and tell her I need her now. Maybe it will be good for me to be distracted, maybe it will clear my mind enough to allow me to put all of this together.