Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
Two

Aiden

The sun was high in the sky and it was hotter than fucking sin in North Carolina, since it was the middle of summer, so Rosa and I made our way South, toward the hidden falls.

It had taken our wolves almost an entire night to get here, but it was worth it.

People would talk, since we disappeared together again, and there would be repercussions for our disappearance, but this was worth whatever punishment my father would have for us when we returned.

Shockingly, the only time my father had mind linked me was to tell me that he wasn’t surprised we’d run off together, and to keep Rose out of harm’s way.

I honestly think that he understood why we took off. We just needed a break.

We'd been so encompassed in our trainings the past couple weeks, that I saw this as our last ounce of freedom together, before we were bound to our stations. Things were only going to get tougher from here. Especially between us, if she didn't feel the connection.

My need to be close to Rosa was getting to be a bit much, even for me, the future Alpha. Especially with her encroaching birthday, and it scared the shit out of me, because if she didn't feel it, what would happen then?

I had resolved myself by thinking that what I felt toward her was because I was bound by my people to keep her safe, but my cravings were just getting worse day by damn day.

Rosa was the girl my wolf wanted and I couldn’t have her, because she was going to be the Queen. Not just the Queen, the Goddess. I knew that eventually, she would be the one wolf that mine would claim, and I couldn’t hurt my people or my Goddess if I failed.

“Stop it!” She laughed as I splashed her, then she swam under the waterfall.

We'd been here for hours, swimming under the falls and bathing in the sun in wolf form, as if her silver wolf's coat would darken in the rays. We had just now shifted into human form, and I started splashing her to lighten my mood.

I followed after her at first, but when she pulled herself out onto the stony ledge, I stopped to tread water.

Nope. I wasn't going anywhere. I couldn’t go up there and sit with her, because I was at full solute now, and needed to chill out before I could go anywhere. This was so fucking embarrassing.

Nudity was a given, since we were shifters, but Rosa was sexy without even trying.

Her skin was tan, but significantly paler than that of the Indigenous. It left her markings standing out clearly, while her nipples were a rosy pink from the chill of the water, and the deep, auburn color of her hair peaked out from between her legs... Fuck! She trimmed it, and just left the faintest bit of red there too.

To think that my cousin had touched her, that he had... Yeah, that was what I needed to think about. It was a good mood killer.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” She laughed again, ringing out her hair, “I didn’t do anything bad, I swear.” She held her hands up in surrender, “Aside from the obvious ditch day, which you're guilty of too.”

“I was just thinking...” My brow furrowed as I swam leisurely over to her, "Why Eli?"

“I don’t know,” She shrugged, “He’s a nice guy.”

“Nice, yes but he’s not worth your time.” I pulled myself into the rocky outcrop and joined her.

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about who I’ve been with, as much as we’re not going to talk about who you’ve been with.” She scoffed, “What is your problem all of a sudden?”

I let out a snort as she pulled her curly hair behind her head and I heard the length slap the skin of her back.

“My problem is that Elijah doesn’t deserve your time.” I snorted.

“And who does?” She gaped at me.

“Look, I’m just saying-” I tried to reason with her, but she cut me off.

“No, you don’t get a say.” She raised her voice. Okay, I'd pissed off the princess, “You sleep with tons of she-wolves. Me hanging with Eli is nothing like that, Aiden Walker Wilson!”

“You’ve been with him a shitload the past couple weeks, Rosa.” I told her coldly.

“We like to hang out,” She snapped, “Just like I hang with Clara, and just like I hang with you.”

“You better not be hanging with him, like you hang with me!” I snapped back, as my wolf peeked through the surface. I knew she saw the amber in my eyes and I mentally cringed.

“Wow...” She shook her head and dove back into the water.

When she came back up, she climbed out of the water on the far end of the swimming hole and moved into the woods.

“Where are you going?” I glared after her. There was no need to raise my voice, I knew she could hear me. Any wolf could, at that distance.

“Home,” She shouted, “And away from your stupid ass.”

***

Rosa

“Do you believe in god?” Elijah asked me as I plopped onto the couch in his sitting room.

Eli lived in the pack house and I’d been pacing his living quarters for over an hour now, complaining about Aiden and this jealousy bullshit, but had just decided that I needed to sit to calm myself.

Eli was my friend, I talked to him about important things. There was nothing sexual going on between us, and even if there was, it was none of Aiden’s business. I saw the types of she-wolves that he hooked up with on a regular basis.

“To be honest?” I scrunched my face, “I don’t even know if I believe in the Goddesses.”

“But you are one.” He snorted.

“Wrong,” I shook my head, “My mother possesses the power of the Earth Goddess, to hand to me when I become the Earth Goddess. Currently, I am no one.”

“And the vampire half?”

“I have no powers as a vampire.” I shrugged, “I may never get them. Who knows... There's never been another like me.”

“The Goddesses know.” He smiled at me, his blue eyes beaming with a point proven.

“The Goddesses apparently have some Devine plan for me.” I snorted. “In the end, what their goal is, I have no idea.”

“I once heard that sometimes you have to make a decision to get to the outcome.” He shrugged, “Kind of like, you have to decide what you’re willing to do to help people, before you see them benefit from your efforts.”

“I think my final decision is going to be if I will die for my people,” I thought as I spoke, “But I’ve already made that choice.”

“You would die for us?” His auburn brow furrowed.

“I don’t know exactly what this war is about,” My head spun with everything that I had been taught and told over the years. My mother's teachings of love and kindness, her support, and my father's teachings of his own people, the sternness, the fight training and the impossible lessons, “I think there’s more to it than everyone realizes."

"How so?" He asked.

"I have two prophecies, Eli," I sighed heavily, "One for my Vampire and one for my Wolf. Two Goddesses had me in the making. Why? They are complete opposites, but they came together to combine their species in me, for what purpose? Why am I supposed to be almighty and powerful?”

“Damn, Rosa," Eli gaped at me in shock, "Do think something drove them to feel the need to create a being to combine their powers? More than Yuma and his evil wolves?”

“Think about it," I told him, "They created the wolves and vampires, then combined their powers by linking my mother and father. I think something happened, even before their time, that caused this war that they want to end.”

“But what could it have been?”

“I don’t know, but I believe Yuma is a small part of the bigger picture.” I shook my head and leaned in, spilling secrets I had only shared with Clara, who was like a sister to me.

“I think I get what you’re saying.” He gave a nod, “Basically, Yuma is someone's pawn?”

“Exactly, that's why both prophecies start out exactly the same.” I grinned and looked at my arms, reading the two different prophecies together as one.

“She will rule with dignity, grace, bound to her people by love.” I tuned to my other arm, “”She will will reign with the highest guard. A king of his lands. Once united, her people shall be free.” “She will unite enemies and bring forth sunshine and beauty in all realms. A peace that will bind all.”

When I stopped, I looked back at him as he gaped at me.

“What?” I looked behind me. Nothing was there, what was he looking at.

“Oh, my Goddess!” His jaw fell open and he smiled, “Why the hell do you play so stupid all the time, Rosa?”

"What?" My face twisted as he continued to stare.

"You always act so ditsy and careless, but this?!" He grabbed my arms and looked from my prophecies to me, "You take this seriously, why don't you show them?!"

“I don’t need people taking me seriously all the time.” I rolled my eyes as I pulled my arms away.

“There’s more to it than that,” He searched my eyes for a moment, “I see you with Clara. She’s a witch. I can put two and two together. I know you’re up to something and you're trying to hide it.”

We actually had been up to a lot, but now and here, with this company, I didn’t feel right exposing my plan.

Eli and I kept our secrets between us, but this was something that seemed to trump every other secret he and I had. Something he may not be able to hide from his Alpha.

“These people have been at war for hundreds of years. I mean, just look at my mom. Battle is all most of these people know, if I can be the end to that, and help them move on, I will gladly do whatever it takes.”

“Because you have such a big heart.” He grinned.

“Absolutely not.” I scoffed, “I lied to you about something."

"About?"

"My vampire powers," I swallowed hard, "At least, I think."

"Do tell." He leaned on the back of his sofa and grinned wickedly at me.

"I have more Dracule running through my veins than anything else," My face twisted, "I can feel the power in me and I know I have the speed and strength, it’s all just beneath my grasp, but no one knows how to show me how to use it.”

“So, that’s why you’re not afraid to die for your people.” He snorted, making a joke of it, “You’re just a crazy Dracule.”

This is why I liked Eli. He made jokes about the serious things. It made me feel more at ease.

“A little, yeah,” I smiled, but it turned sad, “I do fear for my family though.”

“They’re strong, Rosa. They’ll survive the war.”

“That’s not what I’m afraid of.” I shook my head, “Aiden is... Something... But my mother, Clara...” I stood and looked out his window as I began to tear up, “I fear that when my time comes, my fellow shifters won’t accept it.”

“No one will. We all love you.” He came up behind me and enveloped me in a hug.

“I know, but when my time comes, I need to go. It’s the only way I can bring the peace.”

“But what if you have a mate?” He kissed my cheek, “What if-”

“It can't happen,” I turned in his arms and smiled sadly at him, “Don’t you understand? I was born to fulfil a destiny. I will not allow myself to mate, have children or leave anything behind, but peace for our people.”

“Even you said it yourself, there’s more to the prophecy... There has to be-”

“Eli, I tell you this, because I know I will be able to trust you in the end, I have seen it.” I looked up into the loving eyes of my friend, “I cannot be brought back to life. I was born dead. There is nothing anyone can do when my soul leaves my body on that battlefield. Once my vessel is gone, I need the people that love me to accept it. I need them to remember me as a silly, flighty little girl, not morning over my death.”

“Rosa," He gasped, "Is that why you act all stupid? You can’t be serious.”

“I am.” I gave him a nod, “Clara and I are working on something, but you need to understand, if we don’t succeed, I need them to remember me as a bratty, mischievous, airheaded girl.”

“Why do I feel like you’re asking me something?” His brow furrowed.

“Because, you will be an ally when that day comes and I have a feeling that I will know exactly what to ask you, when the time is right.”

“You see things?” He smiled down at me.

“Only in dreams.” I returned his smile, blushing a bit, “But, then again, I mostly dream if a tall, broad man with hair so blonde it’s almost white.”

“Oh, please, send him my way.” He teased and I laughed.

"I'm serious here," I tried to right our conversation and get back on task, "I only see things in part, and I don't know if any of it is a real vision or just a dream."

“That's okay. We can leave the visions to your mom and your brother.” He sighed feigning sadness, “Is he ever coming back? He was so cute with that red hair and those big green eyes.”

“He’s been gone over three years this time.” I felt the tears welling in my eyes.

“He’s doing it for you, Rosa.”

“That’s what they all say,” I swallowed hard, “But it still hurts. Marcus isn’t the only one who left.”

“Your father.” He gave a slow nod.

“I have no idea what’s going on over there.” I sighed, "Ever. They tell me nothing."