Chapter 57

“What the hell are you looking at?” she snaps, her cold eyes freezing me on the spot. Is it too late to regret? Is it too late to fix what I’d sadly broken because of my arrogance and pride? Her white t-shirt and jeans were covered in blood, but it was like she didn't really care. She gave off the impression that it didn't bother her. I stare at her and then at her handiwork, unsure of what to think or feel. Sure, Piper knows how to defend herself, but she doesn't understand the different ways to torture someone. I doubt any of our women do. I know it sounds archaic, but for us, our women are meant to be protected at all costs. We won’t stand in their way if they want to learn how to fight, but we also won’t encourage it. We are content providing and protecting them. “Are you going to get your pound of flesh?” she asks as she wipes the blood from her arms. “I hear you've been looking for him, wanting to exact your revenge.” “No,” I answer, then push off the wall. “I figured,” she shrugs, throwing the rag down when she's done with it. “Anything for you, baby sister, right? I wonder why I didn't get the same consideration?” I clench my jaw against her mockery. Now that I know the truth, I understand her bitterness. After what I put her through, she has every right to hate me and everyone in my pack. She was about to leave, but before she could, the door bangs open, and Piper rushes in, coming to an abrupt stop. Her eyes widen in shock when they land on her mate. You could barely recognize the beaten man with how Sadie had first battered him, then tortured him. “What have you done to him?” she screams, pain and anguish clear in her voice. I want to comfort her, but I can't. Not when the bastard deserves it. His actions caused a lot of chaos—ones that Piper is yet to know about. I couldn't take part in torturing him, but that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy the end results. “Torture,” Sadie drawls. “Isn't it obvious?” I see the moment Piper loses control, but it's too late to stop her. She lunges at Sadie, claws out, ready to strike. “Fuck! What the hell is wrong with Piper? After seeing what Sadie could do, why is she being stupid and trying to attack her?” Before she can reach Sadie, Sadie raises her fist and punches Piper right in the face. The crunch of bone breaking fills the room just before Piper lands hard on the floor. “How dare you?” Sadie yells, her anger palpable. “How fucking dare you?” Sadie starts to advance on Piper as she scrambles back in fear. I try to reach my sister, but Sadie pushes out an energy pulse that stops my movement. I watch, horrified, as Sadie hits my sister again, and I stand frozen, unable to help her. “Sadie, stop it!” I yell, thrashing to be released from my confinement. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, because it seems my voice triggers something dark inside her. She turns, her eyes completely white and glowing. Dangerous energy fills the room, sending alarm bells ringing in my head. “Stop it?” she asks with a sinister smile. “I'm just getting started.” “Please stop!” Piper begs. “Hurt me, but please don't hurt Calvin.” The laughter that comes from Sadie is cold, calculated, and chilling. It's the kind of laughter that even full-grown men are afraid of. “It's funny how you're willing to defend a man you haven't known for that long, yet you never once defended the friend you knew all your life,” Sadie states in that dead voice. “What's even funnier is that he's actually guilty while I was not. So tell me, Piper, should I have even called you a friend? Because from where I'm standing, you're the two-faced backstabbing bitch you all accused me of being.” Piper winces in pain, and I can see how Sadie's words affect her, shredding her into pieces. As much as I want to deny it, Sadie is right. Piper never spoke a word to defend Sadie, yet she's done nothing but defend her mate since we realized who he is. “Sadie,” Piper tries to gently call her name. “Don't fucking utter my name!” With that, she wraps her hand around Piper's neck and lifts her clean off the ground. Without warning, she plunges her hand inside Piper's chest, making her gasp in surprise. I release a roar of anger and fear as I thrash, trying to get free. There is no use because her powers are holding me in place, making sure I can't move an inch. My heart breaks at the sight of the pain in Piper's face. “I remember this scene; the only difference is that the one whose life was on the line was mine,” Sadie states without emotion. She then turns to me, smirking, before twisting her hand, causing Piper to scream in pain. “How does it feel having someone play God with the life of someone you love, Alec?” My breaths come fast, and my hands are clenched. I swallow past the thickness that has clogged my throat, trying to free my airway. “Those feelings right there,” she begins. “Fear and hopelessness—that's what I felt when you did this to me. That’s what I felt when I thought about Aspen. So let me ask you again: how does it feel?” Terrible. Fucking terrible. That's how it feels. I didn’t fully grasp what Sadie felt when she told me about that day until this moment right here. I try to think of a way to stop this. She was pissed, and rightfully so, but I couldn't let her kill my sister. I breathe a sigh of relief when King steps into the room. “Let her go, Sadie,” King tells her softly, warmth and love shining in his eyes. Shockingly, Sadie listens. She withdraws her hand without warning, causing Piper to hit the floor. She steps over Piper as if she were nothing but trash. “You're no fun,” she tells him, pouting. King just sniggers before grabbing her hand. “Con, Aspen is waiting for us so we can have breakfast together.” They leave without another glance back. Released from her hold, I slump back against the chair. “Are you okay?” I ask my sister, worry creeping in. It was a stupid question, but I didn't know what else to do, especially when Piper looked so lost and broken. “Yeah,” she replies, trying to wipe her tears, but they keep falling. As I stare at her, seeing her broken nose, black eye, and the blood staining the center of her top, it dawns on me that everything is my fault. How the hell did I manage to mess up so badly?