A few hours later, I pulled down the dirt road that led through the winding Evergreen trees. Beneath the canopies, a small cottage was worn down by years of abandonment. Small valleys of the shingled roof and the moss-covered stone chimney greeted me. My heart ached as I grew closer, tears filling my eyes as every memory flooded into me.
This was Deidra’s cabin.
A woman who was far from anything I had ever met. The first true friend I had ever really had. She had taught me many things, but most of all, she taught me to love myself again.
She taught me that in order to love others, I had to love myself.
I had to forgive myself for the bad things I had done.
And I did. I forgave myself. And became something more.
I remembered the day she was taken from me. A group of mercenaries murdered her. Some human and others shifters. That day haunted my mind more than anything. I didn’t know why they were there or what they wanted, but it was clear that their intentions weren’t good.