Chapter 5 THE BROKEN RETURN

Tasha:

I stumbled out of the forest onto the roadside, branches whipping against my arms, mud soaking through my shoes. Darkness pressed down, heavier than the night should have been, and the silence weighed me down with it. “Noah…?” My voice was hoarse, cracked, trembling. “Where are you?”

The cave had been empty. When I came back, he was gone. Not a trace of him anywhere. Not a word. Panic crawled up my spine.

“Where the hell did he go? Where will I find him now?" I pressed my hands against the rough bark of a tree, sparks of electricity crawling along my fingers. My wolf pressed close, calm but insistent, whispering in my mind: “You are not alone. Claim them. Make them pay.” I ignored my wolf’s voice and went towards the road.

I barely noticed the mother and child walking along the road at first. They froze the moment they saw me. I followed their gaze, confused, until I understood their fear. Their bodies stiffened, and the mother yanked her child along, running. The little boy screamed.

I stumbled forward, voice breaking. “Wait! What happened? It’s just me! Don’t run!”

But they didn’t stop. They didn’t hear me. Panic pressed against my chest, and my wolf hissed angrily, urging me forward, insisting: “Take them. Own them. Destroy everything.”

I stepped back, tripping over a root, and then I saw the car parked at the roadside. Its window reflected me, and I froze. The figure staring back was barely human. Pale, thinner than before, hair red like molten fire, lips dark and blood-red, eyes fully black and glinting with faint red fire. My knees buckled. My hands shook violently.

I could barely whisper, but it escaped anyway: “W-what… what… What happened to me?!”

The wolf pressed close in my mind, whispering: “Claim. Take. Own. Destroy them all.”

My chest tightened. My heart hammered slowly, painfully. Every breath dragged against my ribs. Sparks ran along my skin, black tears streaked my face. My knees hit the cold gravel, and I fell forward, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Noah! Why?!” I screamed into the darkness, the sound raw and desperate. “Why would you bring me back? Why… why couldn’t I just… stay gone?!” My voice cracked, black tears flowing freely, my hands trembling as I picked my black tears and my other hand clawed at the gravel. The weight of the fear and rejection from my loved ones taking over me. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! WHAT DID YOU WANT?! WHY—WHY—WHY?!”

I pressed my face into my hands, trembling. Every memory tore through me…Ama laughing as we ran barefoot through the grass, Mother’s gentle hands brushing my hair, the smell of fresh bread on Sunday mornings, Father lifting me to the treehouse, holding me steady while I laughed. Warmth, love, safety… all ripped away in the warehouse, when I fought alone. No one showed up when I was fighting for my life, not my best friend Beth, not my family, not even the man who promised to protect me and love me till death do us apart.

The memories with Rhett hit me like nausea, making my breath tremble.  The stolen touches behind the library shelves, his warm hand against mine, whispered words that made the chaos inside me feel still, his voice soft, his smile comforting. The day he put a ring on me…and then the day we shared our souls for the very first time. And now… now I am gone, changed, feared, abandoned by the very same people.

I wailed into the night. “Why, Noah?! Why?! You shouldn’t have brought me back! You… you should have let me rest! You… you made me face this…no one, no one is here for me!! Where will I go now? How will I live now?”

The wolf’s voice surged, insistent, commanding: “Kill them all. Take everything. Claim them. Destroy them.”

“No! No! I… I can’t! I won’t! I—” I broke down completely, black tears streaking my face, sparks leaping along my skin. My chest ached unbearably. Every heartbeat dragged, slow, deliberate, hammering against my lungs, making breathing a struggle. My body burned with agony while at the same time freezing, trembling violently.

“Mom… why aren’t you here? Where are you?!” I screamed into the emptiness. “Why don’t you hold me now? Look mom, look I’m cold now! Your favourite child is dying alone in the cold.” I wrapped my trembling hands around my body, tears prickling my face now.

My voice caught on another sob. “Ama! Why aren’t you here to hold me? To tell me it’s okay?! Where is Father? Who will spoil me now? Where… where is Rhett?! WHAT ABOUT ALL THE FUCKING PROMISES??!! WHAT WAS MY FUCKING FAULT!!!” I screamed into the damp air taking all the frustration out.

I collapsed fully onto the gravel, hands pressing against my face, rocking violently, tears falling freely. Sparks arced along my arms, electricity surging through me uncontrollably. My wolf pressed in my mind, whispering insistently: “Claim. Take. Kill. Own.”

“Noah! I curse you!” I yelled, trembling. “I curse you for bringing me back! I curse you for letting me face this day where everyone has closed doors on me, where everyone… everyone has turned away!”

My body shook violently, black tears continuing to pour down my face. My chest burned with unbearable pressure. My heart beat painfully slow, each inhale dragging against my ribs, each exhale a knife in my lungs. Sparks jumped from my hands, dancing wildly as my wolf hissed, demanding I release, that I destroy, that I take vengeance.

“I… I can’t… I can’t…” I whispered, sobbing uncontrollably. “I can’t face this alone… why… why is everyone gone? Why… why isn’t anyone here for me?!”

The wolf hissed again: “Take them. Claim them. Destroy them. They abandoned you, now make them pay.”

I screamed at the sky, voice raw: “No! I… I won’t! I… I… I… I—” My cries broke off into choking sobs.

Then the car headlights cut through the darkness, steady and calm. My wolf stiffened, pressing insistently in my mind. I looked up slowly, trembling violently, and saw the man stepping out. Black hair, round glasses, calm gaze. No fear. No hesitation.

He didn’t run. Didn’t flinch. His voice was soft but firm: “Are you… okay? What are you doing here? You’re trembling, and you look… in pain.”

I looked at him, body shaking violently. My wolf hissed, urging me forward: “Claim him. Take him. Own him.”

“I… I… I… I can’t…” I whispered, trembling, sobbing, sparks arcing from my skin. My chest burned. My whole body shook. Tears continued to fall.

He stepped closer, hands raised slightly, showing he meant no harm. “I’m Dr. Neel,” he said softly. “I can help you. I can help you control this, whatever is happening inside you. You don’t have to face it alone. You don’t have to hurt yourself or anyone else. But you have to trust me.I’m here to help you, easy yeah?”

My wolf growled in my mind, low and urgent: “Claim him.”

I froze,sparks danced wildly across my arms, electricity running through my veins. My chest ached with every slow, deliberate heartbeat.

And in that moment, between heartbreak, grief, rage, and fear, I realized something terrifying and undeniable: I was no longer just Tasha Deva. Something had been born from the resurrection, from my pain, from the magic, from the heartbreak. Something dangerous, fierce, unstoppable.

And yet… this man, calm, steady, unafraid… he was the only one who showed care to me even with my scary appearance…even if he didn’t know me…someone I could cling to in the storm that had consumed the rest of my world……and I had just decided that.. I won’t let him go!