Chapter 4 WEIGHT OF FAILURE

Chapter 4

SERAFINA

The chilling evening air wrapped around me as I raised my arm to hail a passing taxi. Sliding into the backseat, I struggled to maintain composure. "Peace Garden orphanage," I instructed the cab driver, who nodded in acknowledgment before igniting the engine and driving away.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on me as I leaned back in the seat. Despite the turmoil I had endured, I found it impossible to shed tears; perhaps I was unwilling, or perhaps I simply couldn't.

The weight of failure pressed down on me as I thought of Grandma Flora, Danie, and Stella,and all the children .I had failed them, and I had failed the orphanage. The events at the pack house had undoubtedly sealed the fate of my job. Mrs. Gladys would waste no time in dismissing me; I had brought shame and disgrace upon those I held dear.

I should have heeded Mrs Gladys's plea for patience. All my efforts had been rendered futile, discarded like refuse, much like how I felt at that moment.

Lucas, I curse you for the humiliation you brought upon me. Luna Camila, I curse you for ruining my life. I curse the pack and the tarnished image it had left upon me. I cursed them all.

As the cab traversed the streets, I noticed a car tailing closely behind. Initially, I brushed it off as mere paranoia, but as the miles passed, the car remained in close pursuit. My heart quickened, a sense of unease enveloping me.

Could it be Alpha Fenrir? Was his pursuit driven by a desperate need to uncover the mystery surrounding our strange connection?

Such relentless pursuit seemed absurd.

"Could you please increase your speed?" I implored the driver, attempting to cloak the urgency in my voice. Despite my agitation, the driver remained oblivious. When he turned to respond, his professional demeanor clashed with my growing unease.

"Are you alright, ma'am? I have a speed limit to adhere to, please understand," he replied.

This wasn't about rules or his professional conduct. The unease within me trembled as I shook my head.

"A car has been tailing us since we set off. I may sound paranoid, but please, you have to trust me. We need to change our route," I urged. The driver, heeding my plea, swiftly veered onto the next available street.

Before we could drive a mile away, the car slammed behind us, sending the taxi careening off the road. We crashed into a nearby pole, my head roughly colliding with the car's window.

I held my aching head and felt a liquid rush down my head. The metallic scent filled my nostrils. I felt dizzy.

I was disoriented, I shook the cab driver, but he didn't move; he was as stiff as a rock.

"Oh, Goddess." A small whimper left my throat as I thought of what to do.

The car was a wreck, and we were in a deserted area.

Panic set in as I realized I was completely alone, injured, and vulnerable. I took a deep breath to steady myself and get out of the car, but the door wouldn't budge.

Suddenly someone pulled the car door hinges loose and dragged me out of the wreckage. Their stone faces came into view, their scent a mixture of cigarettes and vodka.

The four men rounded on me, their eyes gleaming with a sinister intent. I tried to speak, to ask them what they wanted, but my words were cut short by a vicious slap landing across the face. I fell back, my head reeling with pain, as I struggled to stay conscious.

"H–Help." I gulped down my blood, my voice coming out faint.

"Shut up!" one of them growled, his voice dripping with malice. " Another word from you and you will lose your tongue."

Their words were punctuated by blows, each one landing with precision and force. I was slammed against the car, my body screaming in agony. I felt myself slipping away, losing consciousness, but somehow I managed to stay awake.

As I lay there, helpless and battered, I saw the man holding the crowbar.

His face instantly became a horror show, he was dissected by some massive claw that had sliced through his skin like paper. His eye section, mouth section, and jaw were all divided and slid apart like a grotesque puzzle.

Frozen in terror and I was forced to crawl back to where the taxi was. Suddenly, something shrieked, and Fenrir emerged from the darkness; his eyes were bloodshot, and his claws were stained with dripping blood. With a swift and deadly motion, he sliced through the men's limbs, his hands moving with precision and speed.

Bullets ricocheted off him as he dodged and weaved, his movements almost too fast to follow. He immediately approached one of the men, smashing the man's head against the ground, skull and flesh splattered across the ground.

By his side, a man fought with equal ferocity, their movements synchronized like a well-oiled machine. Together, they took down the men with ease, their punches and kicks landing with devastating force.

Fenrir's companion delivered a crushing blow, sending a man flying across the ground. Fenrir followed up with a swift kick, ending the man's struggles.

In a matter of moments, the men lay defeated, their bodies broken and still. Fenrir turned to me, his eyes locking onto mine with a fierce intensity. He approached me, his movements calm and deliberate, helping me to my feet.

"She's brutally beaten." His lips still didn't move and I confirmed it to be his thoughts.

"If you can hear me, Are you okay? You don't have to speak, just nod."

I nodded regardless, still trying to process the whirlwind of violence that had just unfolded before my eyes.

"Everything will be fine, I promise you will be fine." The voice slowly faded, and I could not comprehend what he was saying or thinking about. I felt my brain sink, and everything turned black as I fell back, unconscious.