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Chapter 19:

Cara:

I was unaware of what happened next. Stuck in a constant state of shock and dismay, borderline catatonic. My body moved, breathed, lived, but my mind was lost. The world was fuzzy and gray as Tori, Devin, and Helene worked around me.

In my head, however, a storm was raging. Guilt, so thick and intense, warped every thought. It was my fault they'd gotten captured. They were stuck like me too, now. I suddenly became the bad guy in my own thoughts and I wished briefly that I had never moved to La Push because I never would have put them in so much danger. Briefly… before an image of Jake would flash before my eyes and I'd try to remember what life was like without him, and found I couldn't.

Time ticked away. I was mildly aware of being put into a dress, powder blue and lacey. I vaguely remember picking out the fabric.

How could I have let this happen? I thought. Every fiber of being hated itself for not being fast enough to escape on my own, for not being smart enough to come up with a better plan.

Devin yanked on my hair in an attempt to comb it and she paused, checking to see if it'd had hurt too much. I'd barely even felt it. She cast a look at Helene, who was busy fitting a shoe on my foot, who just shrugged in response.

Eventually, the Three left me, alone and dressed for an occasion I wanted no part in. I looked in the tall mirror and saw someone torn. On the outside the girl was pretty… her hair was curled perfectly around her shoulder, her blue eyes ringed with the perfect amount of eyeliner, shadow and mascara, and her skin was turned flawless. The dress she wore was delicate and beautiful, a perfect wedding gown, with a neck v-ed to just the right spot, a train at just the right length. In her hands, she held flowers.

But on the inside…

My emotions were conflicting and chaotic. I could barely keep track of the passing thoughts and memories rippling across my mind. I felt anger, confusion, guilt, sadness. I felt the loss of my father who I was afraid I'd never see again. The loss of my friends, kidnapped and held because of me… the loss of my imprint, my love, who had, not a month ago, been the only future I could see.

There was a nock at the door, interrupting my thoughts.

I couldn't remember how to speak just then, so I settled with not saying a word. After a minute the door opened to reveal Devin again, her meek smile an attempt at comfort. I looked at her for a second, before returning to my reflection.

"It's time, dear" She said. I didn't move. "Come along, Cara. No use fighting the inevitable"

When I still didn't move, she came in, held my elbow and guided me out the door. The halls were as I remembered them, dark and dank, dimly lit by candles along the walls. Our footsteps echoed loudly, almost too loud, against the wood floor and concrete ceiling. I was so wrapped in on myself, my heart didn't even start its nervous fluttering.

"I can't believe you didn't know… I just-"Devin broke off whatever she was about to say. I felt her hand, warm on my elbow, shake just slightly and the tiniest bit of regret fill me. She was sweet, caring. It was a shame.

We walked in silence, each carried away with our own imaginings. I tried to picture David now, what he was doing as I walked through the halls toward him. Then Jake, as I walked away. Every dream I'd ever built up was crushed with those two thoughts, and I felt a big piece of my heart deteriorate.

The grand staircase opened in front of us and Devin paused. I looked over at her, confused, and saw the pained expression on her pale face. What was she doing?

"Listen. It'll all work out, okay? Somehow. You'll see… have faith in you fairy godmothers" She winked at the reminder of what she'd called herself that morning. I didn't feel the slightest bit consoled and without a word, I took the first step.

At the bottom of the stairs, I heard the murmurs, the music. It seemed strange that it was like a real wedding when one of those about to be wedded hadn't really agreed in the first place. It seemed false, fake, mocking. And it forced my heart even further into my feet.

The walk from the stairs down the hall on the right, a way I'd never been, to the back of the house seemed to take forever. A lifetime of me dragging my feet, wanting to puke, trying not to cry… actually, that seemed sort of accurate. But when we reached the end, the back door, I'd reached the end of my life. I wanted to just curl up and never see the light of day again. I'd reached the ultimate form of teen depression.

"Here we go" Devin muttered.

Sunlight poured in through the open door, sounds of the outside world I hadn't fully seen without having to sneak out came filtering to my ears. There was a thrill of excitement at being outside again, feeling the fresh air and sunlight, but that came with dread because going outside meant…

I stood on the threshold, half in, half out, staring out at people staring in at me. It was the entirety of my mother's Pack, all gawking waiting. I saw Scott, the boy who had tried to help my second escape, I also saw the man who had grabbed me during my first escape. My eyes wondered while I stood frozen and finally landed of Jake, way up towards the front, tied down the rest of my Pack, guarded by men.

His face was so broken, so tormented and pain-filled, tears streamed down my own face because of his pain. Those red-brown eyes were flat black, almost glistening as he had to watch me be handed over to someone else. I clamped my right hand over my left and sighed when I felt his ring, his promise still there. At least I'd have that.

"Go on, Cara" Devin's reminded me that I had to actually walk on my own now, toward David, who I now saw stood in the front. I looked at him, tried to plead, but he barely seemed to see me himself. His face was shadowed, his body tense and I could almost believe that maybe… he didn't want to do this either.

But no. He'd said so himself. Nobody forced him to do anything he didn't want to. Which meant he wanted to… which meant I had no choice.

I'd imagined my wedding day, but it had been different. The dress, the flowers, the aisle had been the same but still… so completely different. I was happy, for one thing, filled to the brim with love for the man I was marrying. My eyes would be locked on him as I walked, the same way I did now in real life, and I wouldn't be able to look away. He'd stand there, beaming, his eyes so light the brown had almost been completely replaced by perfect, warm red.

When I blinked though, his eyes were suddenly black. I couldn't remember that part of my dream. I blinked twice more and realized that while I'd been walking, I'd been looking at Jake, who looked at me walk to someone else. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling, but I knew he was tearing himself apart. It hurt me to think of him doing that to himself when it was really my fault. For everything.

I reached the front, reached David and I bit my tongue to keep from bursting into tears. One quick glance at David and I was surprised to find him not looking at me but at Diana, his eyes the darkest, angriest green I'd ever seen. Unhappiness rolled off of him just as mine rolled off of me.

What's wrong with him? This is what he wants, isn't it? I thought. Just then, his eyes snapped to me and I flinched, looking down at my feet. I could feel not only his eyes, but the Pack's, everyone's eyes on me. My cheeks burned and face flushed.

A man dressed in all black came stood before us, a thick black book in his hand. Oh my god. I felt sick, I almost swayed on my feet and there was no way I was going to be able to look at David.

"Dearly beloved…." The man began. My hands started to shake, I felt so cold I could have been stuck in the stone age.

"You don't have to do this" My head snapped up at the quiet voice. Had I imagined it? I looked up to see David, staring intently at me, his green eyes so clear they could have been made of seaglass. "And neither do I"

"What is going on?" Diana's voice filled the sudden silence where the priest's voice had left off. She stood from her seat in all her intense glory and looked at David with such venom she could have given a viper a run for its money. A murmur ran through the crowd as I took a deep, slow breath.

"We don't have to do this" David said again, his voice louder, clearer. He looked at me as he spoke with a look I'd never forget. His eyes seemed to shine with a light they'd never had before and I'm not sure he'd ever looked more handsome.

"Of course you do" My mother stepped forward as her Pack shuffled around. I saw Scott in the back smile, the Three somewhere in the middle almost sighed with relief. "And if you think-"

"No. If you think you can force us into this your wrong. You've always been wrong and she's just been the first one to point it out" He jerked his thumb to me. The girl with the stunned face in the wedding dress. "She doesn't want to marry me and I don't want to marry her, so I won't"

"Oh, shut-up. You have as little say as she does in this matter and if you don't cooperate, I will force you to" With a flick of her finger, four men descended of David, tackling him to the ground and in that instant, complete chaos broke loose. I let out a startled shriek when the first punch flew towards David's face.

The Pack saw their chance and leapt to their feet, jumping right into the growing fight. Jared took down two grown men with one charge. I stood up there, watching it all with a stunned expression, still not really sure what had just happened. People surged from their seats, almost eager to join the battle, throwing punches at anyone in their way.

"Wha…?" Had I finally lost my mind? Was this real? I saw familiar faces fighting unfamiliar ones, my pack against hers and mine was actually standing a chance. There was her pack against her own pack, those who thought this was wrong too. I was shell-shocked, stunned, and barely felt the grin spreading across my face.

I was jostled, shoved a few times as bloodthirsty men ran to join in the increasing uproar. Some ran into the forest, only to come back out covered in fur seconds later. Now there were wolves fighting wolves, wolves fighting men. Stuck in the middle of the throng, all I could do was watch, wide-eyed and try not to get hit myself.

"Scott!" I heard someone yell above the growing roar. My eyes darted toward the sound and I saw a girl with dark, shoulder length hair, almost like mine, wrap her arms around Scott, who beamed and hugged her back. His sister maybe?

A hand clamped around my wrist, hot and strong and it whipped me around with so much force I yelped in surprise. But before I could get a good look at the man who had grabbed me, I was crushed in an embrace so tight, so perfectly fitted it could only be one person.

I held on so tightly, I could have been drowning. Every place my body touched his was on fire, electric charges pulsing through me. His scent washed over me- heady and intoxicating. Like summer rain and pine cones. My heart soared and hammered, those butterflies erupted in my stomach and I finally felt whole, for the first time in I wasn't sure how long.

"Cara!" Someone shouted and I whipped around in time to see David fall, right in front of me. Complete silence numbed my ears, strange compared the maddening roar from five seconds ago. All eyes turned to stare at David, clutching his side on the floor, one huge bite in his side.

And from there, we turned to stare at the source… a wolf, tall and lean and graceful with fur as pure and white as my own. My mother.

Fear and panic rushed through me at the sight of the blood seeping through David's fingers and I was afraid they would just let her kill him but to my surprise, another wolf leapt in front of him, protecting him. Then another after the first, and more, until it was almost the entire Pack versus their Beta, their leader.

She growled and snapped her jaw, as vicious and venomous as her eyes had been minutes before. I hadn't even seen her phase. But it turned out her pack liked David better and without any hesitation they rounded on her, turned against her to protect him.

Jake's hand wrapped around mine in the silence, the stillness. I knew I would never, ever, let that hand go again. When I looked up in to his eyes I knew he was thinking the same thing.

A howl. It ripped through the air, angry and defiant, and seconds later when it was clear they chosen a new leader of her, Diana raced past us, faster than I'd ever seen anyone move, faster than maybe me. She disappeared in seconds, vanished practically before our eyes. For a few minutes, it was deadly quiet…

"Quick! Someone get the doctor"
"David!"
"He's hurt… oh, my God"

They snapped into action around us and it was suddenly like we no longer existed. My Pack came out of the woodwork, gathered around us, me and Jake, still defensive against this "other pack". My heart was still racing and Jake's hand was heavy in mine. I couldn't look away from him for anything, I wanted to memorize him all over again. After so long it felt strange that he was really there, that Quil and Embry and Paul and the others were there too, smiling at me as they had in my daydreams.

"Go, Cara… run before they remember your still here" We looked at David, who had incidentally saved me a third and fourth time. I felt a sudden, intense rush of gratitude. His green eyes locked on mine and I tried to convey how sorry, how thankful, how everything I was and I think he understood.

"Fine with me" Quil muttered. He ran without another word into the trees, followed shortly by Embry, Leah, Jared… Sam grabbed Paul's elbow and half dragged him but he pulled away, ran a few steps, his eyes searching.

"Wait… no, we promised… Meghan! Meghan!" He shouted, hands cupped around his mouth. Someone shouted his name back and seconds later, I could see Scott's floppy hair and the girl who'd ran up to him coming toward us.

"Paul…" Sam's voice had that familiar warning tone but Paul shot him possibly the dirtiest look I'd ever seen on Paul's kind face. The girl, Meghan, and Scott reached his side and I noticed a few spiteful eyes dart my way from the people around David. One man took a step as if to stop us but another grabbed his arm.

"You promised her, Sam. Jake. They can come back with us!" Paul said, his eyes sparkling in a way I'd never seen before. Meghan couldn't take her eyes off of him, the look between them way too familiar. "We can't leave them behind"

"You need to hurry" David groaned, his voice growing fainter.

Sam looked at him, then at the two kids whose lives were now in his hands, then at Jake, who nodded without any hesitation. With a sigh he nodded too and they darted into the forest before anyone could notice us still there. Jake tugged me a few steps, following them, but I stopped. There was something I had to, something I'd least expected myself to ever do. I turned to David, who watched me with a smile. He looked like a completely different person, one I almost wished I could get to know but I never could. I wasn't sure, but I think I might have missed his green eyes.

"Thank you" I told David, because it needed to be said. My throat tightened and tears stung my eyes for the third time that day but for the first time for real joy, real happiness.

"Don't let… anymore mysterious strangers… in through… your bedroom window" He panted. The doctor was on his way. "I think you… learned your lesson. Now, go"

Jake's hand locked around my wrist, his impatience obvious, and without another word, we ran. I kicked off my shoes, pulled up my dress and ran as fast as I could alongside the one person in the world I wanted to run with. The sounds of my prison slowly dimmed and then vanished, the twisted roots and gnarled branches couldn't even slow us down.

When we passed a certain point, the Pack not far ahead now, he yanked us to a stop, whipped me around, pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

It was the single most perfect, beautiful, gentle, intense, passionate kiss I'd ever had, his lips moving so easily with mine we could have been one. My fingers twisted into his hair, his hands caressed my cheeks and neck and in that one instant I felt more loved than I ever had before. There was nothing left in the world but him, his body pressed against mine, our breath mingled together and the hot, electric currents running between us.

"I love you… oh, god, I love you" Jake panted when we broke apart, his voice cracking on the end. His eyes bore into mine, reflecting the world back to me and my heart sang inside my chest.

"Let's go home" I said and his smile was enough to outshine the sun. My heart fluttered, my eyes watered, and when we started running again, I realized that this was what it felt like to really be free.

With my Pack around me, circled tight and close, my imprint beside me where he was going to stay forever, we ran through the dense trees and forest, ran until the sun disappeared behind the moon. Without stopping, we ran. Until finally we were home.