36. Misguided

Ash's POV

I awoke to a pounding headache and a confused face above me. "Are you okay?" The leader asked me, concerned.

"Yes, it's just left over pains from losing my soulmate to the fighting," I responded and sat up. There was still a twinge of discomfort in the pit of my stomach, but I chose to ignore it; now wasn't the time to be a baby.

"It sucks that you lost your soulmate when you were so young, but she must have been a very lucky girl to have been with you."

"He was..." I trailed off into my own mind. My heart cried for his touch, his smell, the feeling of him lying next to me, and, most of all, his goofy personality that I had never gotten to enjoy without something ruining it.

We departed, and even though my heart was still heavy with grief, I did not allow it to fog my mind. It was a relatively short journey until we reached the camp, and I found that the pack was there.

One of the vampires that I had never met personally walked up to me. She looked like she had just lost a game of rock, paper, scissors and now had to do something she didn't want to.

"U-uh..." she stuttered, clearly fearful of whatever she had to tell me. "The boy that was watching your mate's body... Uh."

"Spit it out already," I snapped, using my anger as a cover up for my nervousness.

"H-he... Sir, he lost it... We exiled him, don't worry, I just... I apologize, we all do."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Alex's body, one of the two things I had left of him, and his brother, the other thing I had, were both gone!

"I... I need to go," I breathed, feeling a bit of a dizzy spell hit me before I sprinted out of there at full speed.

I moved through the forest trying desperately to find Allystar's or Alex's scent. I was beginning to lose hope when I caught a slight whiff of Ally's scent and followed it. It ended at a random log, which I questioned until I lifted it up.

My breath caught in my throat when I found Ally with Alex's arms wrapped loosely around his neck. I found it a little bit wierd that he went to bed like that, but he probably needed the comfort after being kicked out. It was actually kind of cute, but I did seriously question how he managed to lose an entire body then find it again.

Suddenly he stretched awake with a large yawn, and his eyes reflected shock at something. His head turned until his eyes locked into me and he freaked the hell out. "Jesus, I know you're dark and mysterious but watching people sleep is a whole new level of creepy," he joked feverishly.

"Ok, well, I'm going back to camp. If anyone denies you entrance tell them that I let you in."

"Neat," he responded.

I was about to walk away when I realized that Alex didn't smell dead at all even though it was almost a day after he passed away. I turned on my toes.

"I think I'll stay here for a bit, actually."

Ally unhooked his brother from his neck and sat up. "You don't have to... You need to run the war, Ashton."

I looked over at Alex and swore I saw him inhale, so I watched for the exhale. His chest fell... I couldn't tell if I was imagining things or not, so I slid over there. I casually stuck my fingers on his neck while Ally watched me.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Feeling for a pulse."

"Why? He already died."

"It's an old story my dad used to tell me, and also I swear I saw him breathe. Now let me concentrate."

I closed me eyes and focused all of my energy into my fingertips. One thing I had been taught at a young age was how to feel a soul in a body. It was an extremely important skill for future coven leaders since we need to feel for other's distress. I hadn't used it for a while, so it took me a minute to concentrate into the bridge between our bodies that was my fingers.

I could feel his soul in there healthy and very much alive. It also didn't seem trapped, so he wasn't stuck in his body awaiting the afterlife or anything like that. The second chance theory, as my father called it, was true, and Alex got one. I opened my eyes to his on mine.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I was feeling your soul, but now I think I might kill you again by hugging you too hard," I murmured before gripping him into a tight hug. His arms also went around my shoulders, and I pulled back to lock eyes with him.

My soulmate looked as if he was hiding something from me, and that did not sit well on my on edge brain.

"Listen Ash... As you probably already figured out I got a second chance. My job is to stop the fighting before anyone else gets hurt. I was given insight on my father's version of his life as a way to do what was right... Ash, he doesn't deserve to die."

"Yes, he does, he hurt you, killed you!"

"Do you remember when you learned that your dad was dealing with his betrayals by lashing out and hurting me...? It's similar with my papa, Ashton."

"It cannot be, he is just a bad person. I don't know what you saw that convinced you differently than that, but I will say this once and once only; you're wrong, Alex."

"Fine then, I'll do it by my fucking self, Ashton," he snarled. This was he first time that his face had ever held malice towards me, so I flinched really hard.

"Fine then, explain his innocence," I responded sharply.

"So you don't believe me?"

"I just think you're misguided, Alex. Anyone must be to think that he deserves to continue living on this Earth."

"I don't have to explain shit to you, so you can go fuck yourself," he snapped before trying to walk away.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back with everything I had. I made an effort not to hurt him, but it got more difficult when he began to wrestle out of my hold. "Stop! Please, just explain," I pleaded, the begging in my voice painfully obvious.

"No!" Alex shouted like the child he was acting as.

I attempted again to get a good grip on him, but he bit my hand... Hard. I felt his sharp teeth pierce the skin on my hand as blood was drawn. I instinctively pulled my hand away from him which he used as a way out. He jerked out of my grasp and ran, taking my heart with him. Ally took one look at me, one look in Alex's general direction, and ran after him. Therefore I ended up on the floor of a forest crying again from the loss of my other half, but this time I think it was more permanent.