Chương 56: Chapter Fifty-Six
Serena's heart thumped loudly against her ribs. It vibrated the bones, sending chills through her entire body. The Alpha of the Blood Moon clan. She had hoped to never hear of that man again after what he could have done and what he had done.
Her mouth dried up, leaving an awful taste of drywall and cardboard on her tongue. A thick lump formed in her throat as the memories of the burning forest and the wild eyes of the Alpha flashed before her eyes.
Lucian looked up from the floor and over to Serena. His mouth opened to continue his story, but as he saw Serena, his mouth froze.
She was pale. Paler than she should have been. Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides, her nails digging into her palms, and blood began to trickle from the little incisions. Lucian snapped his mouth shut and hurried over to her side.
He wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. She fell against him, shaking like a leaf. Her full weight pressed against him. He grunted as she fell, stumbling a bit, but straightened himself and wrapped a hand around her arm. Water dripped on his neck and ran down to the collar of his shirt. He shifted and saw Serena's contorted face. She was biting her lip, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to flow. Her eyes were crinkled, and her nose scrunched. Lucian shook his head and pulled her tighter against him.
She immediately shoved him away and staggered back against the wall. The feeling of her body pressing against his made her nauseous. She doubled over, clutching her stomach. Lucian dropped to his knees before her and found her hands with his.
"What's wrong?" He pleaded, his brows knit and his eyes wide with concern. "Talk to me."
Serena shook her head and sucked in a sharp breath. Her back rest against the cool wall, sucking away the heat from her body. She shivered again.
"Let me help you." Lucian stroked her hand with his thumb. Tingles slithered up from her hand to her core at his touch.
"I-I can't." She stammered, her voice clogged in her throat.
"Why?"
"I just can't right now." Serena pulled her hand away from his and shoved it under her armpit, blocking him from any further contact.
"Don't block me out, Serena," Lucian warned. He rose to her eye level and stared angrily into them. "I have given you plenty of privacy, but this is not something that I can let go of. We need to talk about everything. And I fucking mean everything." Lucian's words spewed from his mouth, ignoring her feelings. Serena breathed in once more and held her breath. "After I fix this water heater, we are having a long discussion." Lucian shoved a hand off the wall and left Serena.
She slid down the wall and hit the ground hard. Her lungs finally cried out for new oxygen. Screaming for her to release the hot air that was suffocating them slowly. She exhaled as her body hit the ground. With the released air, the tears began to flow again. She struggled to compose herself and hold back the tears. She sat like that for a long time. The clattering of Lucian on the other end of the basement was the only thing that convinced Serena that the world she was in was real.
She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve, and stood up. She stumbled up the stairs, clinging to the rail as she went. The blood marks on her hands left their ugly prints on the ancient wood, following her as she went.
She collapsed on the couch, her eyes vacant and unseeing. The fire crackled and burned before her as the wind and snow whipped in their circular dance behind her. The night crept in and so did Lucian. He knelt before her, hands pressed against his thighs. He sighed and cocked his head, a comforting smile pressed at the edge of his lips. He raised and hand and loosely gripped hers. His fingers tingled her skin.
She blinked, and the color came back into her eyes. She shook her head gently and found his face.
"You ready?" He asked, his voice quiet and comforting.
She groaned and sat up, leaning into the plush cushions. They enclosed their safe arms around her body, creating a shield around her back and sides. She shook her head and closed her eyes.
Lucian sighed and released her hand, taking his place beside her. He pulled a blanket over her lap and placed an arm around her neck, resting it against the backrest.
"Let me go first." Lucian tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. "I was on my way back when I smelled the Blood Moon Alpha. I've smelled him before but never dared to get close to him. Everyone knows that he's a crazy son of a bitch and will kill anyone just because they looked at him wrong, let alone breathed in his direction. So, I continued my way away from him, but the wind shifted. I was now upwind from him. He howled an angry howl that could only mean one thing-I was dead. I ran away from him as fast as I could. But his howl was soon joined by others. I heard the padding of feet running around me as I sprinted toward what I thought was the direction of the cabin. But I met a massive wolf instead of the cabin. Its fur was dirty and disgusting. Bloody more than the other wolves that had gathered around me. It bared its fangs and foamed at the mouth.
"They circled me as the wolf approached. It was within my grasp when it spoke to me. It asked some questions about why I had been there and where I was going. It brushed up against me, sniffing me as it went. I was paralyzed by fear. I had a friend when I was first out of the Riverwood Pack who was killed by the Alpha of Blood Moon. His body was mangled and ripped to shreds, buried haphazardly in the dirt.
"Anyway, I didn't answer him because I had no idea what to say. I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know why he had been there. So he lunged at me. His claws scraped along my back. His minions barked and howled, slowly narrowing the circle around us as we found. My opening for an escape was gone. So I fought with all I had against him. I dodged his bites and swipes, but a few hit my neck and back, making the already bleeding gouges worse. I was exhausted from running and from the fighting but I knew that I had to get back here. You were alone and vulnerable. You needed me. So I continued fighting. He sunk his teeth into my shoulder and clamped down. Blood gushed from the wound and filled his mouth. He released me and raised his head to howl as I crouched before him. My shoulder ached. Fire ran through my body from the injury. But his neck was vulnerable. I launched myself completely at his neck, sinking my teeth into his soft neck. He whined and whimpered as the metallic taste of his blood pooled in my mouth. I clamped down and flung my head back, tearing a chunk of his flesh and fur along with it.
"He howled, and the rest of his pack came rushing in to attend to him. I ran off in the direction of the cabin. The wind picked up and blew away from me, carrying my scent and covering my tracks. Eventually, I couldn't make it anymore. I shifted and collapsed into a snowbank. My clothes were wet and torn from the shifting and the fighting. They barely hung onto me as I crawled toward the overhang of trees. I collapsed there and curled into a ball until the wind and snow died for a brief moment. But in the wind, I smelled smoke. Immediately, I knew where I was. I crawled through the snow toward the smoke. The snow scraped against my skin, cutting little gouges in my arms as I went. I staggered onto the porch and pounded on the door, hoping for you to come. I blacked out as you opened the door." Lucian straightened and clasped his hands together in his lap.
Serena had not moved or said anything since Lucian began his story. No questions came to mind. Nothing came to mind, in fact. She was dead to the world mentally. Nothing made her want to come back to it. Not after hearing that Silas was still alive.
Lucian turned to her. He was only concerned about her silence. She had never been this quiet before. She normally had a remark to say or some joke to play off his pain. Instead, she was frozen in time. Like a doll sat on a shelf after the child grew up and no longer wanted to play with it. He nudged her gently.
"Serena, please tell me what is wrong. I am here to help you and support you because I care about you. I was at my worst, and I only thought of you and how I needed to get back to you. I will not leave you. Whatever happened to you will not change how I feel or how you look to me."
Serena turned to him. Her eyes were moist and vacant. Her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably, so she bit into it hard, hoping to stop the shaking.
"You will never see me the same again." She whispered, her voice thick and tremulous.
Lucian wrapped his arms around her and pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder, accepting every part of her.
"I am your friend and partner in this. I want to help you work through whatever it is that is causing you so much pain." He stroked her hair gently and interlaced the strands in his fingers.
"I don't know if I can..." She whispered, burying her nose in his shoulder.
"I will help you through it." He pressed his cheek against her head, nuzzling against the fluff of her hair.
Serena was quiet for a moment before sucking in a sharp breath.
"Silas..." Her voice broke as she spoke his name. The weight it brought broke her heart and shoulders. Lucian rubbed her back and pressed her closer. She conceded and wrapped her arms around him. "Silas attacked me during the Blood Moon."
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực