CM Punk POV
With about eight days left until the new moon, it's absolutely urgent that I find Sasha and convince her to put off the Pack Master Duel, but I haven't seen her in almost two days. I know she goes on guard duty because her partners have confirmed that they were with her, but she never comes back to the den with them. I don't know what's the reason she won't come back home. As far as I am aware, she hasn't been sleeping here, but she doesn't have any connections to anyone else. I mean Seth hasn't been sleeping here either, but he has Renee who has her own apartment, and, aside from last night, Dean stays over at Kaitlyn and April's place. I could stay at the den and rack my brain all day trying to figure out where Sasha's been going, but I really don't have that luxury. I need to find Sasha, so I'm going to have to track her down.
I go into her room and sniff around. Unfortunately, her scent is extremely faded, but I can still pick it up. Hopefully, this is enough for me to find her.
I leave her room and walk out of the den and into the forest. I lift my nose into the air and take in a deep breath, trying to pick up Sasha's scent, but I can't find it. Ugh! Why does she have to be so difficult? I change into wolf form. My senses are heightened in this form, so I know I'll be able to sniff her out even if the closest sign of her is more than seven miles away. I take in another deep breath, and I'm vaguely able to pick up her scent coming from the south.
I approach the scent and follow it, but it stays vague until I'm almost at the edge of the woods. I look around me and, slowly, I begin to recognize my surroundings. I'm close to where Raquel lives. Has Sasha been staying with her? I don't remember the two of them being so close to one another that Raquel would be comfortable enough to let Sasha stay with her. Then again, I don't talk to Raquel or Sasha about things like that, and who really knows what's happened in the last five years that the pack has been divided?
I move around to the front entrance of the house and change back into my human form. Sasha's smell is definitely strongest here, so even if she isn't on the premises, Raquel won't be able to deny that Sasha has, at least, been here. I knock on the door three times and take a step back, waiting for an answer.
"Just a minute," I hear a voice call out from behind the door. I know that's Raquel, her voice is unmistakable. I stand at the front door patiently, as I wait for Raquel to open up, but I don't have to wait long. I hear a short scuffle of feet before the door just barely swings open, revealing Raquel, and she doesn't look happy to see me, at all. "What can I do for you CM Punk?"
"I'm looking for Sasha," I tell her honestly, not wanting to waste anymore time. "Have you seen her?"
"You know I have. Her scent led you here, otherwise you wouldn't be knocking on my door." Her voice is laced with sarcasm and contempt. Is she mad at me? What did I do to her to make her have this attitude with me?
"Okay, well, can I see her? I need to speak with her."
"What could you possibly say to Sasha that is worth her time?" Why is she being so defensive of Sasha? What the hell is going on?
"It's about our pack master duel. I just learned something that she needs to know, and it's very important that she know this before the duel." Raquel looks at me with a face full of skepticism. She obviously doesn't trust me, although I can't imagine why. Raquel and I may not be good friends, but I always thought that we got along and had a mutual respect for one another. I wonder what's changed.
"I don't know, Punk. Sasha's not in the mood to see you right now, and according to her, neither is the rest of your pack, with good reason." Okay, so Sasha has been telling Raquel what's been going on at the den. That kind of explains Raquel's attitude toward me, although I still fail to see what my pack's business has to do with her.
"Come on, Raquel. It's extremely important that I tell her this as soon as possible." Raquel narrows her eyes at me and doesn't move from her spot. It's as though she's contemplating whether or not she should trust me.
After what feels like an eternity, Raquel lets out a frustrated and exhausted sigh. "Stay here for a minute," she commands me. She closes the door, disappearing behind it. Part of me wants to lean my ear up against the door and listen in on whatever conversation she's about to have, but another part of me, the more respectful and logical part of me, urges me to stay put while Raquel does whatever it is that she's doing. I take a deep breath as the respectful and logical side of me wins out, and I stand at the door, waiting for Raquel to come back.
After a few agonizing minutes, Raquel opens up the door widely and invites me in, where I immediately see Sasha standing in front of the fireplace with the only attitude written across her face and in her stance. It's clear that she doesn't want to see me and is annoyed and infuriated by my presence. "What do you want, Punk," she demands to know, not even bothering with formalities, "and it better be good because I've been avoiding you for a reason."
I don't want to make Sasha any more upset than she already is. She may be level-headed, but she's definitely not one to be messed with. "Listen, I came here to ask you to retract our Pack Master Duel."
Sasha stares at me dumbfounded and snickers under her breath. "Why would I do that? What have you done to deserve to keep your position?"
"It's not about what I've done. I have it on very good authority that if our duel were to take place on the upcoming new moon, the Wyatts are going to kidnap Jojo."
"What authority?" I should have known that my explanation wasn't going to be enough to convince to call off the duel. In a way, I don't blame her. I betrayed her trust when I tried to cover up Corey's indiscretion. Why should she take my word for it? Then again, it also bothers me that my word isn't enough for her. I'm Head Pack Master, and my word should be enough for her to believe me. That's just the way it is. The Head Pack Master should never be questioned, but then, most pack masters haven't abused their power as I have. Ugh, this is frustrating.
I decide to swallow my pride and go into detail of my visit with the sorceress, Vickie Guerrero, and the information that she gave me. Before I tell the story, Raquel invites us all to have a seat. I sit a red cushioned chair while Raquel and Sasha have a seat on the couch.
As I provide further information, I can tell that Sasha isn't happy about the idea of calling off our duel. She becomes physically distressed and brings her hands to the sides of her face as her expression changes from annoyance to frustration. I am worried about her, but I can't help but notice that Raquel is really going the extra mile to comfort Sasha. Raquel puts her arm around Sasha's shoulders and uses her free hand to rub Sasha's thigh. I know girls like to be a little more physical in their relationships with their friends than guys do, but it seems to me this display is a tad bit beyond the realm of friendship. Of course, that's none of my business, and I'm probably reading too much into it anyway.
As I finish up my account of what Dr. Guerrero told me about the Wyatts, Raquel removes her hands from around Sasha. Sasha then takes in a deep breath and leans back against the couch. I'm trying to gauge the reaction in an attempt to discover if Sasha is relenting and will call off the duel. Her expression has softened a bit, which makes me believe that she is considering it, but something about her furrowed brow makes me think that she's still holding on to the hope that the pack master duel can still take place.
"Punk," Sasha speaks up, "let me make this clear. I believe your story." I let go of the tension in my shoulders as relief washes over me. "I know that Bray Wyatt is after an unimaginable amount of power, and, believe it or not, Raquel and I have tried to stay on top of it with little success."
"No I believe you," I tell her. "Dr. Guerrero told me that you had sent a team to stop the problem before it got worse, but it didn't end up working out."
"However, I don't see why the duel needs to be called off completely." Well, I certainly didn't want to hear that. "I will agree to put off the duel in the interest of protecting Jojo and the rest of our pack, but don't think for a second that I will retract my challenge." She stands up and walks over to me, and I stand up as well. Although, I'm disappointed that she won't cancel the duel, I don't want her to think that she's intimidating me. "We will be having our duel during the next new moon. In the meantime, let's work together to ensure the safety of our pack, the defeat of the Wyatts and survival of the world."
I take in a deep breath and look down at my feet before releasing it. A part of me didn't really believe that she would retract the challenge, and I was a fool to believe, for one minute, that she ever would, but in all honesty, I'm just being selfish. I knew it wasn't necessary that the duel be cancelled altogether, but I just hoped that she would go for it anyway. I want so badly to stand here and argue with her until she relents, but I know that would be futile. Besides, if Sasha doesn't challenge me for my position, Seth said that he would, and there's no telling how many others want to challenge me now, as well. At the end of the day, all I'm doing is delaying the evitable. Not mention, that this isn't just about me. If I don't agree to this, my pack will become even more divided, which we can't afford to be right now because the Wyatts are threatening to destroy the world. Whether I like it or not, I need Sasha on my side. She's the one who the pack trusts right now, not me.
"Alright, then," I finally answer her. "The challenge will stand and the duel will place during the next new moon in about a month." She nods in agreement. "For now, let's focus on how we're going to protect Jojo and prepare for the Wyatts' attack in a couple of days."
"We need to get Jojo out of the house for that day. Roman and Bayley can take her to the West Side of the forest and the rest of the pack will stay at the den and wait for the Wyatts to show up."
"Sasha," Raquel enters Sasha's and my conversation. "What if Bray himself shows up with Natalya?" I'm overcome with confusion. Natalya is dead. I was there when she died. "You guys won't be able to take all the Wyatts and Natalya at the same time."
"What do you suggest then Raquel," Sasha asks her.
"Let me make a few calls. You'll need more than an army of wolves to bring down this enemy."
Corey POV
The moon is almost at it's peek, so I seriously need to find some shelter before the temperature drops below zero and I freeze to death.
My paws hurt from being on them all day, and I can feel them throbbing from all the walking that I have been doing these past couple of days. I need to get off of them quickly before they start to bleed, and then I'll really be in trouble.
It takes me a while, but I manage to find a small thicket. I walk over to it to find it totally abandoned. Good, I don't need to steal it from other animal who is just looking for a place to spend the night. The thicket is really small, I can barely fit into it comfortably, but I'm used to sleeping in spaces like this by now. I lay down, grateful to finally be off my feet. I lay on my side and wait for sleep to come.
Arizona is nothing like New Hampshire, especially the desert. This desert is the cruelest type of environment any living being could ever be in. The days are scorching hot, and there's absolutely no shade to hide from the unforgiving Sun. The nights aren't any better either. Contrary to what I had first thought, the desert is freezing fucking cold at night, and there's nothing around here to warm yourself up. I'm pretty sure this is what Hell is like. This is the physical manifestation of Hell on Earth, and yet I force myself to live here.
I'm in my wolf form most of the time. Considering that I live off the Earth almost completely now, this form is more efficient and durable. I mean, I'm hunting for my own food, now, and I have break into cactuses to find fresh water. It's hard. It's really difficult. This life is so different from the one I led in New Hampshire where I never had to wonder where my next meal was coming from, or where I was going to sleep, or if I was even going to survive the day. Hell, if I were to remain in my human form I would have died by now, although I probably deserve it
I'm insane. I came here for a reason. Humans seems to have this thought that if you spend some time in the desert that you'll eventually figure out your life. I'm sure they didn't mean it literally, but something in the back of my mind told me to come here the moment Punk banished me, and, in all honesty, I'm glad I did.
How did I manage to let myself stoop so low? What I did was… despicable in every sense of the word. Before coming here, I felt no remorse. I slept fine at night. I was so sure of myself, that what I did was one of the many unavoidable things that come with war, but now that I'm living out here, in hell, it haunts me. I can't go to sleep without seeing what happened that night, but unlike before, I don't see it from my eyes, I don't even see it from hers. Instead, I see the scene play out before as though I was a third party in the room that night. I can see her crying and struggling and begging me in every possible way to stop, and I can see me except, I don't recognize me. I hear myself degrading her, and I see myself torturing her and enjoying seeing her weak and vulnerable. I wake myself up at that point. I can't bring myself to watch the whole thing.
How did I end up like this? I want to blame my father for abandoning me, or my brother for treating me like shit, but I know that this is all on me. People have had worse upbringings than mine, and they don't become rapists. Rapist. I never in my life thought that noun would describe me, but it does. I'm a rapist, and nothing that I could ever do for the rest of my life will ever be able to make up for what I did.
That's not the only thing that haunts me. I genuinely miss my pack. I miss the troublemaking triplets who taught me how to fight and stand up for myself. I miss Sasha who's been a both a disciplinarian and a makeshift mother to me. I miss Layla, who is the most understanding wolf I've ever known. I miss Charlotte and her ability to heal even emotional aliments. I miss Bayley's enthusiasm. I miss Sami's wisdom. I miss Sheamus' live and let live attitude. Hell, I even miss Punk's "I'm better than you" air of confidence. Most of all, I miss Paige. I've had a crush on her for as long as I can remember. She was always so strong and independent. I always found that really attractive. I finally worked up the nerve to ask her out and we started dating when she was 16. We had to keep it a secret though. I mean I was 19 at the time, so there was no way anyone would have allowed us to be together had they known.
Paige and I had a really good relationship. It was really healthy, and we took things so slowly. We were just two kids having fun together, and the first year and a half of our relationship didn't even consist of sex. I mean, the both of us wanted it, but we were both virgins, and we wanted it to be special. When we did decide to consummate our relationship, it was everything I had imagined, and I did my best to make sure it was everything that she wanted too. Of course, I hadn't expected to hurt her and make her cry when I first penetrated her. I almost panicked, but I managed to keep my cool because I knew that I had to be there for her and help her through it. I hugged her, kissed her, whispered sweet words on encouragement and comfort into her ear, until she pulled through the pain. It was beautiful. It was everything that a first time should be.
A month later, my father abandoned me, and something in me completely snapped. I was really hurt, and it made me think that if I couldn't even trust my father, then I couldn't trust anyone. I broke up with Paige that night. I still remember it like it was yesterday. She cried. She cried so hard. She screamed at me and asked me why, but I couldn't give her an answer. I walked away from her, leaving her to cry by herself.
That was my first mistake. I could have stayed with her. I should have stayed with her. Why did I push her away? I needed her the most at that time, and I cut her out of life anyway like she didn't mean anything! My life, my mind, everything went downhill from there.
If I ever got another chance to make things right with my pack, with Renee, with Paige, I would take it, but they don't want to see me, and I don't blame them. I've done nothing to deserve a second chance. I might as well get used to the desert. This is my life from now on.
"Corey," a faded voice brings me out of my thoughts and startles me. I lift myself up and just barely poke myself outside the thicket to identify the owner of the voice. Immediately, my eyes fall upon what appears to be a human female with short black hair. How does she know my name? "Corey, can you please change into a human? I need to speak with you." I'm suspicious of this human. She already knows way too much about me, but I'm curious to find out what she has to say and how she knows me.
I step all the way out of the thicket and change into a human before her. She's shorter than me. People always look taller when you're forced to stare up at them. "So you know who and what I am," I tell her in a firm tone, "who and what are you?"
"My name is Vickie Guerrero and I am sorceress."
"Sorceress, huh? What does a sorceress want with me?"
"This isn't about me, Corey. It's about you're pack."
"You mean my former pack. I was kicked out of the pack and banished from the state."
"I know." She knows and yet she still talks about it as though I'm still a member of the Gilford Wolf Pack. She needs to get it together. "I'll make a long story short, because we can't afford to waste time." Okay now she's starting to make me nervous. "Your pack needs you."
"They don't need me for anything."
"Yes they do, Corey. They are up against something very powerful, and if you're not there they won't survive."
"They don't want to see me."
"That point is irrelevant and you know it." Her body starts to evaporate. "Do the right thing Corey. Your pack needs you." Before I can get another word out, she disappears from my sight.
What am I supposed to do? Nobody in Gilford wants to see me, and I have no doubt that they'll be furious if I go back after being banished for barely a week. On the other hand, Vickie seemed pretty concerned about this imposing power that is threatening my pack… What do I do?
OH MY GOSH! It's been like a freaking month since I updated! What the hell is wrong with me?!
No in all seriousness, my job has been hectic, and they've been adding unscheduled hours to my schedule which is cool because they pay me more, but it also stops the creative juices :/
Anyway, here's chapter 38 part 2. I hope you enjoyed it. gave you a little insight to what Corey is going through right now. Part of me feels bad, but part of me doesn't, either way you have a better idea of his entire story.
Until next time, I love you all!
-J.