𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓

The stone wall of the room was filthy, covered in layers of dirt and grime.

Yet, I truly didn't care as I fell against its cold surface, relief bubbling up through my chest.

My muscles relaxed as I realized that I wasn't alone anymore, I didn't have to fight my way out on my own.

The storming of footsteps grew closer, yet I still gripped the knife tightly in my fist. There was still a chance that the first face to make its way into this room may not be a friendly one.

The rusted door knob shuttered, turning slowly with a pitched shrieking.

I braced myself, delving to the deepest corner of the room, disregarding the body lying in the middle.

I squinted my eyes shut for a brief moment, and when I opened them next, a tall silhouette stood in the doorway.

Golden eyes immediately locked with mine.

I nearly melted at the sight, and let tears fall openly down my face.

"August," I whimpered quietly, letting the small knife clatter onto the concrete floor.

His eyes only took a moment to scan the appearance of the room, flickering sadly to the body adorning the ground.

Immediately after hearing my sniffles, August wasted no time in racing to me, scooping me into his warm embrace. He payed no mind to my disheveled appearance, or the sickening amount of blood covering me: both mine and Damien's.

"Let's get you out of here, love." He spoke gently, bringing my tear stained face to tuck to his chest.

I nodded faintly, and he began to rush us from the dreary room, giving one last regretful glance towards his dead brother.

He pulled me through the run-down house, shielding my eyes from the bodies that laid scattered across the floor. The fight had already died down, with the rogues being easily overpowered by August and his wolves.

The stench of blood permeated the air. Earlier, I would have vomited from the odor, yet now I had become numb to it.

August brought me out from the old cabin, and into the summer night.

The air now smelled of pine and earth, and I took a deep breath, calming my nerves.

We made it back to the pack who had waited outside once the fighting was over, some standing as humans, while others still were crouched as wolves.

Marcus stood tall beside August, his blonde hair shimmering in the light of the stars.

"It's good to have you back, Luna." He spoke softly, giving me a smile.

"I swear Marcus, if you call me Luna one more time, I'll beat you up." I joked weakly, trying to remain jovial in such a horrid situation.

He laughed gently, moving to stand just behind August and I as we began our trek back to the pack.

I stumbled a few times over debris on the forest floor, or sometimes even my own feet. Hunger and the insufferable head injury were beginning to make me feel unstable.

August noticed my struggle almost immediately, and wasted no time in scooping me off my feet, and carrying me bridal style.

I was too exhausted to protest, and simply snuggled into his chest as I drifted into a peaceful darkness.

✧ ✧ ✧

Sunlight filtered through a small gap between the pair of heavy curtains, the thin beam shining directly onto my eyes.

I woke up, momentarily blinded from the bright streak of light.

Blinking a few times to clear my head of the sleepy fuzziness, I began to take in my surroundings.

I was back in my room, surrounded by a mass of warm blankets and mounds of pillows.

I was wearing a large grey t-shirt, and the few scratches and the cut on my head had been cleaned and bandaged. I felt cleaner, better.

I stretched out my body's stiffness, a soft yawn escaping my lips.

A moment later, the door swung slowly open, revealing August.

His hard eyes landed on me, and immediately softened to pools of honey.

"You're awake." He spoke, coming to sit beside me on the bed.

I said nothing, simply motioning for him to come closer.

August obliged, coming to rest his back on the headboard alongside me. He placed one arm around my shoulders and the other around my waist, pulling me into his side. His chin rested on the top of my head.

"It's finally over." He mumbled into my hair, relief evident in his voice.

Tears formed in my eyes as I thought about what I did.

"August," I whispered, my voice cracking and rough, "I killed someone."

August pulled me even closer, turning my face to meet his. He wiped the tears gently from my cheeks, then placed both his hands on my face.

"I know, my love," He murmured, his mouth nearly touching mine, "And it's okay to be upset, it's okay to cry. But don't you dare for even a minute feel guilty. Damien has made bed years ago, and he had to lie in it. If you hadn't been the one to kill him, it would've been someone else- likely me. It was inevitable."

I nodded, trying to stop the overflow of tears trailing down my face.

"It's okay, baby," He spoke softly, pulling my head to his chest, my body pressed firmly against his, "Let it out."

I cried for a few minutes, letting all of my pent-up feelings be released.

Once my tremors had stopped, and the tears ceased to fall, I leaned my head back, meeting my eyes with August's.

"We're going to be okay again, one day." He murmured, bringing his lips down to meet mine.

The kiss was soft and sweet, and he didn't seem to mind the sticky feeling that my tears had left along my cheeks.

We pulled apart, my head going back to his chest.

"One day," He repeated again, this time to himself, as if it was a promise.

I began to feel drowsy, my crying having drained all of my energy.

As I began to drift, I heard his voice once more, sounding faint and distant.

"You're the miracle I've been waiting for."