The Rejected Alpha's Vengeance

[HAWI]

Morning did come by so fast for Hawi, Malika, and Ruru.

They had been trying to get through the night but nothing had worked so they had stayed in silence with their thoughts. It was almost like the silence they were at was something that they couldn't break for whatever reason.

They still had a long way to go and it hurt to know that they were missing one person despite everything they had done. It was a strange feeling, just sitting there through the night not living a finger.

They had been used to winning battles and eating her; they were in silence, watching even as the sun shone. They literally still had five thousand steps to go up, and it wasn't making shit any better.

No matter how much they wanted to pretend that it was all going to be okay.

"Mother?" Hawi whispered when she was tired of sitting on the cold staircase. The entire night she hadn't seen the image of her mother again, it was that the woman had disappeared, but how the hell was that supposed to happen?

The woman had been real to her, hallucinations or not. She had done her best to try and make herself understand that no matter how things were she would be fine and her team would be okay, but waking up to nothing was scaring her.

The woman had been her company for over four years and now she disappeared? There were never any goodbyes from her. She had just left, like that.

"Ma? Please don't leave me again," Hawi whispered in the hope that she would be able to appeal to her mother. She had been holding on so well so far. Her mother had helped her through things that she wouldn't ever be able to voice out loud, not to her team.

"Mistress?" Malika called out at the same time that Ruru sat up and watched her mate in silence. She had been doing that a lot in the night and Hawi had felt the stares Ruru was giving her.

She had been worried for her and it was still obvious despite everything that had happened. It was like there was never an off button with them. But then mates never really came with off buttons right?

They were always just trying to live through the days in the hope that when the day opened up they would have gone on a step ahead, right? Your adventure continues at empire

"How long have you been seeing Luna Eniola, Hawi?" Ruru spoke as she looked at her mate. She was scared of that truth, but even then she hoped that Hawi wouldn't lie to her. It wouldn't be right, not for their mate bond.

They had to be there for each other. Ruru looked at Hawi like she knew something that Hawi didn't, and for a movement there Malika felt like she was intruding. However, she had to admit that she was also curious to know who Hawi had started seeing her mother.

Things like this were not normal and needed attention, so to think that Hawi had been in this alone to this point made Malika wonder what use she was to Hawi as her protector. Then again, were protectors meant to protect Hawi for her mind??n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Would they all ever be able to fix the girl who had lost everything or even take away the pain that had remained when she had lost everything? Of course, she had managed to learn to live with the pain, but this felt like something else.

It felt like there was some sort of a trigger because none of this was supposed to happen to them. None of this was supposed to put Hawi in a binder like this and it was not okay.

"I didn't know what you're talking about," Hawo said as she looked up at the skies.

"Baby… We can do this all day, you know that too, right? I gave you a pass yesterday, but if you don't say anything today, we walk down this long aisle and go back home. The choice is yours," Ruru said, her tone soft and stern at the same time.

It was almost like she was luring Hawi, daring the woman to refuse and see what would happen now that they were not even halfway through the long staircase.

It wouldn't be fair if they went back down after how much they had suffered to get to this point, but Rukiya Greyson was always a woman of her word and Malika knew that too. Perhaps that was why she was horrified by all their behalf.

They had come here on a mission and Hawi surely wouldn't risk that, right? The other protectors were still scouring the island for any signs of the Russels and they were yet to find any.

If Malika was being honest, the other protectors were here just because she wanted to make sure Hawi did not feel alone. They were useless in this quest, but then Malika needed Hawi motivated.

If she didn't have someone to keep her origin, there was no telling what Awuor Sicario would do. It was a huge risk and Malika didn't want to even think of that possibility, not at the moment. Hawi needed to see this through.

"But the protectors—" Malika began and Ruru glared at her forcing the woman into silence.

"What's the point of this mission when one of us is not okay? The protectors are her subjects, right? And if Hawi leaves the island they will have to leave too. The time we spent here will just be passed up. It won't matter anyway.

"But don't blame me for that, the decision is in Hawi's hands. She can decide to get us to the top or have us all go home," Ruru insisted and Malika sighed.

She had been hoping Rukiya was firm in her stance and the white wolf's mate hadn't disappointed her.

They were right about Ruru's importance in Hawi's life and for the hundredth time, Malika reminded herself to thank the protectors for not taking out the entire Russell's family and the Greyson heiress.

"You didn't mean that," Hawi tried to negotiate and Rukiya laughed shallowly.

"Wanna bet, my beautiful?" Rukiya asked and Hawi stared at her with wide eyes.

Rukiya Greyson never played when it came to Hawi.

The white wolf already knew that Rukiya Green would burn the world just to keep her warm and this was of no consequence to Ruru. So Hawi figured she would save the wolf and the protectors the energy that could have been wanted if they went back home.

"Promise me you won't freak out," Hawi said, making Rukiya laugh, again.

"Your time is almost up sweetheart. I see you miss home so and because you're trying to negotiate with me. Want us to go home without finding Mbali?" Ruru said and Malika felt like that was the worst of gut punches.

She had been trying to reach out to her sister, but the higher they had gone up the stairs, the weaker the connection she had with her sister had gone and then it completely disappeared.

If Hawi and Ruru left without finding Mbali, then Malika would use all the protectors there to find her sister. She wouldn't compromise.

"Since the day of my banishment from home. I thought I was hallucinating to keep myself sane… and maybe I was, because she never left, not even when I made peace with her passing," Hawi said with a bowed head.

She wasn't sure if Ruru would ever be able to trust her now that all of this was out there. It was like she had opened a vulnerable portal and let herself bare in front of her mate who would probably reject her for her endless troubles, but then what else could Hawi lose anyway?

"I'm proud of you, Hawi… You're ready now," Luna Eniola said and Hawi looked up at her mother, the desire to reach out to her making her want more but then Hawi just watched as her mother smiled proudly at her like she always did in Sicario before.

"That was…" Ruru trailed off as she looked at her mate, her heart once again breaking for Hawi. She had tried to be the best of mates out there and maybe she had been, but how had she missed that?

Well, it wasn't like Awuor Hawi was the most open of books for everyone in society, right?

"What do you mean I'm ready, mother?"

"You'll know soon enough. Goodbye, my little girl. You got it in you, my queen."

"Mama…"

"Until we meet again, my child," Luna Eniola said as she disappeared.

"Ma!"