Beyond the Pack’s Law: My stepsister or nobody else

Aiden’s POV

The truth about Ethan refused to leave my mind, hanging around like a dark cloud. That statement hung in my mind, and as we walked back to the pack, I felt like a tidal wave of emotions were pressing on top of me from behind while forces unknown nudged me into an arms way. Ethan reappearing had stirred up a storm of emotions, and I could not make it all out.

Her presence was nice, though, like having another warm body to walk beside and keep me sane amidst the chaos in my mind. She looked over at me with real concern in her eyes. “How are you holding up?”

I exhaled deeply, slowly parsing my words. “I don’t know. I feel like all the things I knew do not make sense any more.

She nodded, understanding in her eyes. All of which they’d touched up on along the way, in subtle ways, but enough for Grace to get that it was a lot. “It’s all I can do-just find out my brother is alive and connected to these cultists.”

I paused, gazing at the forest I had lived in for years. Memories of Ethan washed over me-our youth together, the connection we had before he vanished. The loss felt deep, and here he was suddenly back, as if moving the floor underneath my feet.

‘I can’t believe he’s been behind this the entire time’ frustration started to seep into my voice. Why had he not contacted me earlier?

And Hayley ended up resting her hand on my arm. One of the answers was that he “just wanted to protect you, maybe. I said, “Oh wow-to an undercover cult-that’s pretty risky.

I nodded; the explanation did little to settle the storm still swirling inside of me. We have got to talk to him some more. Get answers.”

“We will,” Hayley assured me. “But first, we better find the rest of them. Then, we need to plan our next steps.

The elders and some of our most trusted allies were already waiting for us in the meeting hall, their faces inheriting the struggle that grasped all our hearts as we approached. Elder Samuel raised his eyes and pinned mine with them.

Is there anything additional you learned? He asked.

I sucked in a deep breath and told him the same thing I had learned from Ethan about some plot to take down all of the packs. Every word was like a rock tossed on the still surface of my mind, sending waves to lap at every shore and hinting at destruction on its way.

Elder Miriam looked grave; her brow furrowed in concern. If they make an attempt at creating chaos, then there is already a network implemented. We have to locate their friends.

The ever-practical Caleb leaned forward. But you know who that is, and we have to decide who we can trust. We can’t even trust a single guard from here; if the influence of this cult has spread far and wide, then we run the risk of alerting them by voice.

Lilly nodded in agreement. We need to begin by touching base with our core supporters, the true believers.

Yet as the conversation continued, a mantle of leadership weighed upon me. It was a huge responsibility to keep our pack safe and reveal the conspiracy, but I never realized how complicated it would become with Ethan on board.

“Ethan, I have to talk with Ethan again.” I have questions that I need answers to.

Hayley nodded at me and smiled. “We’ll go with you. You do not have to navigate this alone.

I was grateful that it welled up inside of me, and I felt my resolve filling back in. Just having my friends with me made me confident in facing whatever truths were to come.

At break of day, we roused from our hammocks to the gentle murmurings of a morning forest. The idea of getting back on the road and walking towards where Ethan was, which I could navigate by memory so easily even though everything felt different now in a way that made my steps feel heavy with waiting for answers.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

As we walked closer to the clearing where he was last seen, my heart beating at a tempo between thanks and fear. Ethan remained standing, poised for departure in the same relaxed way but alert at any moment to what’s about to happen.

His voice was steady but tinged with emotion. “Aiden.”

Ethan, I said it just as composedly. “We need to talk. There are things I have to know.

He nodded toward a fallen log. He motioned for us to sit on it, and we did. “Whatever I can remember, that is.”

I sat down within the protective ring of Hayley and the others. Why did you come back so late? You were here all along; why did you not say anything to me?

Chin-lowering, Ethan looked crestfallen. “I wanted to. But it was too dangerous. As any good cult does, it has spies everywhere. And I could not bear to walk them back through the hallway right now, risking bringing one or both of our captors upon you.

How did you first get introduced to them? I had to inquire, my brain searching for a road that brought him to where we were.

He winced, running his hand through his hair. When I went away, I was looking for something to do with our family history. I discovered what the cult was doing and saw they were a danger to everything we cared about. Going inside their organizations was the only way to put a stop to them.

They were hit with some hard truths. The lost brother I had been starving to find was fighting his own battle, in ways that paralleled our Apocalypse.

“But to keep away for how long? I texted; his absence was fresh.

Ethan locked eyes with me, and there it was, his look of resolve so much like my own. The further into it I went, the more threatening they became. Aiden I tried to keep you safe. They have dramatically upgraded their plans now. I knew I needed to speak the truth for once.

Hayley ventured, her tone soft but stern. “We’re glad you’re here now. We could use any help we can get.”

Ethan nodded, thankfulness reflecting in his face. I will do whatever you need to help you stop them.

A frazzled sense of relief mixed with a determination I had never felt before. With Ethan on the breach between insight and revelation, here stood a conspiracy to be unmade from within, and it occurred that he was privy to information likely necessary in deconstructing whatever web this cult had so sedulously spun.

“Let’s do this,” I said, and my voice actually did ring with conviction. We’ll outlaw them and defend our own.

So we rose, and the sun of a new day shone through the trees, illuminating our little space. There were obstacles along the way, but with Ethan and my friends at my back, I was prepared for whatever life brought our way.

The murky shadows of doubt and fear began to fall away, replaced with a fiery resolve to see this through. This conspiracy from the cult threatened everything we knew, but our goal was clear. We could uncover the truth and fight for our pack’s future.

And family and friendship united us more closely as we rode back toward the settlement. We were far from winning, but we had come prepared to face the darkness head-on and without fear at that time.