Roses Wither: Into the Darkness

Rosa

Okay, I can handle this. I thought, as I walked toward our home on the Alpha’s land. It was the only home I had ever known, but I knew that now was the time. I could feel the change in the air, the shifting of my nature.

I had showered, to remove as much of Aiden’s scent as I could, but it didn’t help much. Especially when he wouldn’t say much to me as I packed up and shipped out.

I was on the verge of tears, teetering on the edge, when arrived and my whole family was in the living room waiting for me, including Clara.

“Where the fuck have you been, Rosa?” Clara hissed, “I followed you for miles, then lost you and couldn’t find you anywhere at the pack house for alpha report.”

“I’m sorry.” My face scrunched. This wasn’t the first time Clara had snapped at me for running off, but it reminded me of her age and it stung, just like getting scolded.

Clara had been my teacher of our histories, my friend and confidant. She may be almost as old as my parents, but she was like a sister to me. It hurt when she snapped.

“Oh, I found her,” Marcus nodded thoughtfully, “Her scent was strong, coming from Aiden’s room. One glimpse in those windows and I’m scarred for fucking life.”

“Don’t you, of all people, judge me, Marcus.” I started to cry, "You had your fun in your day!”

“I have never judged you,” His jaw was tight, “I couldn’t care less about that fucking drama unfolding, trust me. I’m still pissed about that call you made against the Beta of your guard. The guard that was created and trained by father and I to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection!” I snapped.

“Says the princess who just mated the Beta of her guard before leaving.” He scoffed.

“Oh, and there it is.” I spoke dryly.

“I see no change to the prophecies. I still see so many unclear paths.” My mother gaped at me like she was shocked. Like, this should have been some life altering thing, where my future changed.

“It doesn’t matter either way, Nitala!" Father snapped, his Romanian accent heavy with anger, “We leave tonight, with you and Rosa! So get your head put on strait!”

"Don't talk to her like that!" I snapped at him And his eyes turned to a flat, deadly silver. A dead giveaway that my actions had pissed him off.

"She is my wife, my bound, I will talk to her how I choose!" He snapped, "You are my family!"

“I know that!” I shouted, "Goddess, why are you such a neanderthal?!"

Why did he always think that I was slacking or up to no good? Why did he always show up and take charge? Why did mother allow it, like she had wronged him? He was the one that left all the time.

“Enough, Rosa!” He paused in front of me, his silvered eyes severely serious as he shouted, "Enough with the talking back, the games and the partying! Enough with the tricks, jokes and this stubborn will! You are done playing with the wolves! It is time to take this seriously! There are more important things happening around you and you need to be more in-tuned to them! Go and pack!”

Once his orders were given he turned and walked away, down the hallway that led to the room he and Mother shared when he actually came home.

“You think I’m not taking this seriously?!” I followed him, shouting with tears in my eyes, when he turned to face me, I continued.

“I know what I need to do!” I pointed to my chest as I cried, “I know what I need to be and what I need to do in my time here! I am doing it with no complaints! I know better than anyone, what I face in my future, and I know exactly what path I will be taking! So, Mom’s cloudy visions have nothing to do with me!”

"Rosa, don't say that." Clara's voice was ridden with tears.

“My decision is made!" I turned to shout at her, "Don't you get that?! It’s all of you who need to decide! Not me! I am ready to accept my fate! I am ready to die so that my people can be free! You all need to accept that I will be the biggest casualty to this war, why? Because of my birth!”

I knew I was ugly crying, but I couldn’t hold it back. This was me, admitting to my family that I knew I was born to be a sacrifice and that I knew the end of my life was starting now, as I left my favorite part of me behind.

I couldn't turn to face my mother. I could feel her sadness and feel her tears in my core.

“I will go with you tonight," I told my father, "But I will not change who I am for anyone. You owe me that much!”

“What makes you think I owe you anything?” When I turned back to face him, his eyes were green again, and his features took on a different note, one of sympathy, but I didn’t care.

“You are the reason I was born this way,” I whispered, "You."

“Rosa!” My mother gasped and my father’s eyes glossed over with silver liquid.

I had never seen my father tear up, and this was new for me. I began sobbing and ran to my room to pack what I could.

Marcus

“You have let this go on for too long Nitala.” I sat in the living room, while Dad paced and yelled at Mom.

We were supposed to leave in ten minutes and Rosa was pushing it by making us wait. Clara had gone to help her piece her things together and it was Father, Mother and me in the living room as Father paced.

I had always thought my dad was a little aggressive and forceful, when he should have thought things through. So, him barreling in and taking charge wasn’t new, but questioning Mom’s methods was a bit much, she had been by Rosa's side since her birth. She never left her.

“The sooner we bring her to the Goddess, the sooner we rush things.” Mom spoke softly, the pain was evident in her voice, “Let her live, Nico. Please. She didn't ask for this.”

“Have you looked at our daughter, Nitala?” His voice was weighted, “She takes nothing seriously, she pulls pranks, destroys vehicles, and dresses like she should be on a street corner.”

“She is a shifter, Nico,” Mom smiled calmly at him, “They do things differently. She is proudly showing her markings to her people. It gives them hope."

"She does good things for her people," I added, "I saw it in their minds. They know she doesn’t want recognition, so they focus on the menial things, the funny and they make jokes of it. They love her.”

“The jeep in the pond was funny?!” He gaped at me.

“Her, Aiden and a few others had pulled in, they heard the sounds of struggles and ran to help,” She smiled up at him, with a warm, infectious tip of her lips, “She saved another she-wolf that night.”

“She never told me that.” I smiled, I knew there had to be more to it, with the way Rosa had just rolled her eyes when Tati said he wouldn’t buy her a new car.

“And the car?”

“Rosa forgot to put her jeep in park.” Mom grinned now.

I could see my sister totally giving up her car freely, knowing she’d saved someone. A car for one of her people? Her people would win every time.

Seeing it in her head, Dad smiled, nodding and softening a little.

“The windows in the pack house?” He whispered, "What was that about?"

“Aiden was in charge that night,” She explained what happened that night, “He and Rosa were teamed, as always. They stopped by the pack house to deliver their findings of a den to the Alpha, when they were all linked by Ben. Caleb had been wounded and they were surrounded. Aiden and Rosa ran to help, they shifted before they were free of the pack house. It was three panes in the large windows. Rosa and Aiden freely took the blame, without explanation and replaced them.”

"They couldn't show the alpha line as being weak, compared to Yuma's wolves." I pulled from her mind and nodded.

"What has that Alpha of yours told her about Yuma?" His red brow furrowed as he asked in whispers, "Does she know?"

"No, Nico." Mother looked him in the eyes, "Taima never speaks of it."

"How do you know he hasn't said a word to her?" He asked quietly, not to be heard by Rosa upstairs, "It could explain her acting out and mating the wolf."

"After all of this time-?" Mother began, but I cut them off before Rosa overheard them.

"I have been in their minds," I told him, "Rosa hasn't once thought of it, and Taima seems to have it under lock and key. He views Yuma as a threat to his people and Rosa. He loves her like his own."

"She is my daughter!" He hissed.

"You know what I mean. You know how the wolves are. He has a mate and a family of his own, but he feels responsible for Yuma." I explained, "Not even Aiden knows. It is something that he will take to the grave."