Love as Bitter as It Ever Was

Kale’s POV

I had sat in the cave for hours until the sun began to rise.

Hayden was standing by my side, he knew I wasn’t lying.

“Should we search the woods for a grave maybe?” he asked after I seemed calmer.

“Yes but we need to prepare and we need to hid our loved ones” this was no longer about Kailli.

I knew now I should have given her back long ago, it was stupid of me selfish of me.

Sitting here now where she used to be it made it hard to believe she was here, she was real.

From the very first time I had seen her she was always around, always where I knew she was.

I had always feared that she would run away disappear and now she has.

The only proof she was actually here was my memories, which were vague now, filled with war, blood, death and now shame.

I no longer had a choice whether to fight or not but I was going to save as many as I could.

Hayden and I went back to the main camp, I had decided to make an announcement.

“We are going to make the last stand but…” I looked over my people, there were only a few faces left from the start of this all.

“I am not going to make anyone who doesn’t want to fight, fight.” I paused their eyes so dead, so dull.

“If you do not wish to fight I want you to take your families and run, run as far away as you can and hide.”

When I had first began it was silent but now it seemed like no one was breathing, the wind had stopped there were no sounds of animals.

“There is no hope?” one of them spoke up, “The hope we have is in our families, we will protect them and hope for a better future.”

We had no hope to win the war but there was still a little hope out there, somewhere.

“I will fight” a young wolf stood forward and then like a wave half of them did, the younger ones and bowed.

The older ones, the ones who had been here longest stood in the back watching.

I knew they all had families to care for, young ones and I didn’t blame them.

“Thank you, and to you who are not, protect our families like I didn’t” this was my entire fault, the whole thing and I realise that now.

Getting to that cave and seeing that Kailli wasn’t there made this whole war seem useless.

I briefed the fighting wolves and then sat in my tent for a while.

“The others are ready to leave” Hayden came in and told me, “Hayden a moment?” I looked up from my hands.

He came and sat next to me, “Hayden you have been with me through this whole thing, you have become like a brother to me.”

“I would trust you with my life and my son,” I paused, “No” he shook his head understanding what I meant.

“Hayden I wouldn’t be able to live with myself not knowing he wasn’t safe. I need you to go with him and Emily and protect them, you are the only one I trust.”

He was looking at me shocked and wide-eyes “I promised at the start of this that I would go with you to the end” his voice was cracking.

“I know Hayden but I need you for this” I was pleading with him, I wanted to know my son was protected.

It was my fault that he was living in a world like this and I wanted to fix it in time for him to grow up.

He couldn’t speak I could see that, I knew he was fighting over it in his mind.

He loved my son, I knew that, he loved me as I loved him, I knew that too. He wanted his revenge on the vampires for what they did to his mate, that I understood.

I knew he wanted to fight by me, with me and fall with me as I knew I was going to but I needed him for this.

“This is the last thing I ask of you my friend” I tired one last time. A tear gathered in the corner of his eye and ran down his cheek.

“If that is what you ask then I will do it,” it almost sounded as if he was accepting an order.

“Protect them with your life” I embraced him in a brotherly hug, “I will,” he was sobbing.

I always knew he had a soft heart, especially for my son and I. I kissed his forehead and lightly pushed him out the door.

I wiped a few stray tears from my eyes and walked out of my tent. My son and wife were standing with the others who were leaving, Hayden was gathering his things.

That was the hardest thing I ever had to do, send Emily and our son away.

I may not have loved her like I loved Kailli but I did love her and the gift she had given me.

We waited a day after they had left to go to our deaths.

You would have expected the mood to be dark but there was this excitement in the air, the young wolves made bets on how many vampires they would kill before they were.

It made me smile to see how brave these pups were but I still couldn’t shed the guilt of there’s and every other wolf’s life I had taken.

It was all going to end soon.