into the dark - Caroline Swan - 1

I Mean What I Say

Here's a double update to apologize for the lack of scheduled ones lately. I'm currently on vacation so I'm trying to work on this as I'm now winging it. Love this chapter or hate it, either is fine! <3

"What do you mean you're leaving?!" exclaimed Bella, standing distraught in the living room while I shoved clothes in my duffle bag. 

"Last I checked Isabella, the word leaving means to depart, be absent," I said dryly, sparing a glance her way.

"B-but you can't!" she sputtered, throwing her hands around in such a way it reminded me of a drowning bird. "What will mom say! Why do you even need to leave?!" I sighed impatiently, slapping my hands down on the living room table before turning to her as a mother would to her shrieking child.

"That's pack business Bella." I said shortly before tossing the bag over my shoulder. Bella stared at me indignantly,

"SO? I have a right to now!" My patience had snapped and I grabbed Bella's flailing forearms, my eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You are not part of the pack. You are not an imprint." I said slowly and forcefully. "If our job wasn't to protect humans, you would be dead. I'm leaving. You're not going to stop me, or there will be trouble." The underlying threat was enough to mute Bella for a wonderful seven seconds.

As I opened the door, I crashed into a granite chest. Jesus Christ, I just couldn't get out of this house, could I?

"Where are you going Caroline?" asked Edward, confusion evident in his furrowed eyebrows. Not you too! I mentally groaned. Edward glanced between Bella and me, snippets of my thoughts and Bella's pink skin where my hands had gripped her arms. He growled, bending at the knees in a position to attack me.

"No. We are not doing this!" I yelled, pointing outside. "We are going to communicate like functional sentient beings outside! Now!" Edward stayed crouched low to the ground for a few more seconds before nodding. I gave Bella a pointed glare as I closed the front door behind me.

"You hurt Bella," he accused, his voice razor sharp.

"Not intentionally." I snapped back. "And I just put my life on the line for you, leech," I spat, my nose wrinkling significantly. Edwards's body language relaxed more as he must have seen the scene that had played out between the Mexico Pack.

"You're leaving," he stated more as a question. I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. 

"I swear if you do something wrong just to piss me off, I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to Alaska, rip you to shreds, and bury every single, separate part of your body in the snow." I threatened, my eyes narrowing. A playful smirk grew on his face.

"Sure you will." He mocked. "Now get going Wolfy, and don't get in trouble."

"Was that concern I sensed?" I asked in an overly-sweet voice, ignoring the awful nickname.

"Goodbye Caroline." he said dryly, opening the front door of Renee's house and disappearing inside, probably relaying our conversation to Bella. I popped my earbuds in, heavy metal drowning out the world around me as I walked to the nearest bus stop. By the time I got to the stop, it was seven am. I had been walking for about two hours. Edward had been hunting far outside the city which explained why he hadn't been present in the house.

As I was bopping my head along to the music, the smell of another wolf drifted toward my nose. I cracked open my eyes to be met with Corvin. I blinked in confusion once before yanking my earbuds out.

"God Carol, you're gonna bust my eardrums!" he complained, sticking a finger in his ear before wiping it off on his shirt. I stared at him, the disgusting action still processing in my head. "Anyway," he drawled, reaching into his jean pockets and pulling out a small, finely carved, lengthy box, "this is yours." I took it from him slowly, raising an eyebrow as I waited for an explanation before opening it.

"It was Triston's." Corvin said softly, his chocolate brown eyes boring into mine. Instantly my outward demeanor wavered as I opened the box gingerly. Inside laid a simple necklace; a black string with a silver clasp at the end and with a charm. The main piece of the necklace was a wolf howling toward the sky, made of completely black wood. I inhaled deeply, biting back tears.

"He spent hours carving it for you, cut his fingers on accident so many times," Corvin chuckled before sobering up. "I wanted to reach out to you, but it was still so fresh, the pain, his death." I clutched the now-closed box with white fingers as both of us stared at the cracked concrete ground.

"All of us were devastated. Triston was the glue, holding our entire pack together. We all cared for you, really. It was just so hard to reach out because every time any of us looked at you all we could see was Triston laughing with his arm around your shoulders as you leaned your head against him." Corvin took a trembling breath. "I can't apologize for the pack's actions, but I can apologize for mine. And Caroline, there isn't anything in the world that could make up for what we- I - did. But I hope, someday, you could find it in your heart to forgive me." Both of us had silent tears streaming down our faces before I threw myself at Corvin. 

He flinched before realizing I was hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me just as tightly as we held each other. Slowly, we released from each other's grasp. Wordlessly, Corvin undid the clasp on the necklace and slipped it around my neck. As my short hair flopped back against my neck and I held the wolf that was an identical copy to what Triston had been, I nodded to Corvin,

"I forgive you."

The bus pulled up to the sidewalk with a screeching halt, breaking the moment. We both offered each other a small smile before I climbed on the bus and he strolled away. But even with this singular happy moment, death was approaching quicker than ever.