The Demeter Twins - Hellhound Sequel

Paulina’s POV ~

My heart is filled with trepidation. I couldn’t sleep at all.. Perseus and Roman ended up sleeping in my room, with me. We talked all night..and I actually loved how comfortable it feels with both my guys!

After breakfast, we loaded up in trucks to drive the three hours it would take to reach Mountain Trail Pack. Roman asks “How could an entire pack just disappear? There couldn’t have been ‘no trace’ of them!”

Renata says “There’s no sense speculating.. we will figure it out when we get there.. the earth knows. I will ask.. and someone will answer. Paulina, are you okay, my little love?” She reaches over, and squeezes my hand. I nodded my head, squeezing back.

Arriving at the border of Mountain Trail, I felt my breath catch.. and my heart raced “My body remembers this place. My entire body is tingling… I’m not sure what’s happening.” Perseus pulls me into his lap and says “Let yourself feel it baby. Your heart will settle down, in a few minutes. You haven’t been home for fifteen years. It’s okay to be anxious!”

As we pulled up to the pack house, I was experiencing such a sense of deja vu, it felt like I was out of my own body! Perseus helped me out..and I looked around. Something flashed in my mind.. and I ran to the oak tree in the side yard. I gasped “This is my tree.. I had a swing.. right there.. that branch! I was here. This is where I hid.. Up there. My dad had a hammock. He hung it at nearly the top of the tree and we would climb up there and sleep, sometimes. He would read to me.”

Perseus said “Hid? Are you remembering anything, baby?” I shook my head.. “It’s… something.. I remember swinging here.. my mom pushing me.. sitting on her lap and Daddy pushing us both. I remember lunchtime picnics.. napping in the shade here. I was happy!”

Renata took my hand and whispers “Oakley remembers” and Roman said “Oh! Come On! Mommm? An oak tree named Oakley!? That’s too much!” Renata giggles “Alice has a sense of humor.. What can I say!? Paulina, Oakley says the answers we seek are inside. If this is too much, we can sit and rest.”

Shaking my head again, I tell her “No. I keep getting flashes of memory. Macie is whining in my head. Whatever happened here is not good. As long as you are all with me, I want to get through this.” She nods and Roman takes my right hand, while Perseus holds the left.

We step up the front steps and I notice the pack house door is hanging off it’s hinges.. the frame appeared kicked in. As I step past the threshold, My mind fills with screams and cries of everyone in my pack.. I drop to the ground.. crying.. I vaguely remember the thunderstorm before I pass out.

My daddy is shaking me awake.. “Paulie.. Paulie.. wake up, princess.. Grab your blankie.. You get to sleep in your hammock tonight. Come on, baby! We have to hurry! He carries me to the tree.. and puts me on the branch. “Baby.. climb up to the hammock. Promise me.. You don’t come down.. no matter what you hear.. you stay put. Mommy or I will come get you. Promise me!” He knows if I promise, I won’t break it. Shelley broke her promise and she got bit by a spider. Her arm swelled up and they thought she would lose it. Breaking promises is bad juju! So, I promise.

I snuggled down into the hammock and wrapped my blanket around me. I can hear sounds of fighting.. not like the training grounds.. There is no laughter.. no joking.. there is screaming and crying. It’s dark.. and I am scared. Just before the sun breaks the horizon, I hear a man’s voice.. “Is that everyone? You’re sure!? Everyone is dead?” Another man said “We gassed the bunker, Alpha.. the boys are getting it open now. Everyone else is dead.. they are piling the bodies to burn.”

As they are walking away, the first man says “And the girl?” I listened closely as the other man said “We believe she will be in the bunker, Alpha.”

I stay buried in my blanket.. the smell of burning flesh making me stomach churn. I’m hungry..and thirsty.. But I promised Daddy. So I wait. I know I have been in the hammock a long time.. the sun is low in the sky. It will be dark soon.

I hear that man yelling again “What do you mean? Where is she then? Obviously, we would have found her if she was hiding.. Are you sure your information was correct? Not one person admitted to ever seeing the girl! The nursery looks like it’s never used. Something isn’t right!” The other guy said “All I know is she isn’t here.. no little girl that age was found in the safe room.. or the bunker. My guy says she’s the Alpha’s daughter and she has the power of the Goddess.”

I realize they are talking about me. This is my fault. I caused this, and I don’t know how.. I promise myself to never use my powers again. No more! I can’t risk hurting anyone else. I begin to cry silently, and the rain pours down.

They all left the next day and I waited another whole day for my Daddy. He never came. I climbed down and walked quietly to the front of the house. The door hangs loosely. I step inside to deathly quiet.

I open my eyes, the worried faces of my mates hover above me.. and I burst into tears. They both wrap around me, holding me tight.. and the rain pours down. I whisper “I remember. I don’t know who did it.. but I remember!

Perseus lifts me from the floor and walks over to the sofa. He sits with me on his lap and says “Talk to us, my sweet girl.” I tell him about my memories.. how I didn’t see anything.. only heard what I now know was my pack being murdered. Then I told them.. “It was my fault! They came for me! They heard I had something called the power of the Goddess.. but I don’t even know what that means! I promised myself to never use my powers again.. and my memories stopped when I stepped back in the pack house on the third day.”

Renata smiles.. and softly says “They didn’t stop, baby girl. Macie thinks you have had enough for one day so she blocked them. I searched my mind for Mace and she’s in a corner, whimpering. My sweet girl is hurting, too. I whisper I love her and she lifts her head, thumping her tail, twice.

Orion says “Percy.. I want to check the office. There may be something to tell us what happened here. Dad? Will you and Kenneth check the bunker? Paulina said they gassed the occupants. I want to know how! I will find out who betrayed this pack! They will pay!”