The Vengeful Luna

Pushing for an answer

When the coughing stops and she takes the now empty glass from me, I fall back into the mountain of pillows and rub my face with my burnt hands. They're taking so long to heal... As I stare at them through the little light in the room, Marina grabs my hand and pulls it closer for inspection.

"That wolfsbane did a number on you... " she murmured as she lays my hand on her lap and reaches for something on the nightstand. "Or you were almost suicidal and thought that's the way to go. " she joked, but I was not really in the mood to joke about it.

I spent several hours trying to find a way to break the chain. I burned through all the layers of skin and at some point, I could see the tendons in my palms flexing as I moved my hand. At first, it did not hurt. The adrenaline pushed me over my limits but then... even the slightest breeze of air made me want to scream in pain. The healing abilities should have kicked in long ago. My body should have started healing. But it did not. I was too weak. I was so tired.

with gentle touches I forgot she was able to give, she starts spreading something on my palm. it feels like something greasy, and when the smell hits me and I gag, I truly don't want to know what it was.

Marina huffs, amused.

"Remember this? Our mothers would put it on every single scratch we would come home with... " she laughs to herself, shaking her head while I try to keep my stomach from spilling out whatever there was left inside of it.

Marina and I- we were a complicated story. We f****d around a while, then we were forced into an engagement. Neither of us had found their mates by then and the pack thought every alpha should have a woman by their side. But The Gods had a different plan for me. When I met Elanor... the elder's plan had gone to waste, because I was not going to deny my true mate for a childhood friend. Even if that one is as loyal as Marina. Sassy, bitchy, yet gentle Marina. How could I be so lucky? My ex lover was not just an amazing beta, an amazing partner when it came to leading, but she was gentle enough to accept my choice, to help and support Elanor and, despite the pain in the ass she offered me when it all began, she had worked through her issues, just to accommodate and support me.

"I remember when you tried to hide your busted nose and lip just because you knew you were going to throw up if she touched you with it, and you did. Man, you vomited so much you made me vomit too! " she started laughing, but despite the darkness that surrounded, I could notice she was not happy and that her laugh was hollow. I could feel the tears in her voice and the way it cracked. I could feel it in the way she was shaking lightly as she held my hand. And I felt like an ass. an ass for not being able to give her what she wanted.

I belonged to none other but Elanor.

"Marina- " My voice makes my throat itch in a very uncomfortable way and she huffs.

"Shut up. " she demands, and grabs my other hand to smear the stinky ointment on my palm.

I do shut up. I swallow back all the unspoken words and stare at the ceiling as she carefully starts bandaging my palms so I don't smear the cream all over and I don't continue to gag and feel sick. I could not be more thankful for this. Maybe one day I could actually repay her for it all. Maybe I could find a proper way to say thank you...

"Elanor is out hunting. She took her new friend out to hunt too. She will be home soon. She's been gone for a while now. " Marina finally spoke after a few long moments of silence.

I pulled my hands from her lap and turned to look at her again.

"Friend? "

"We had some help to get to you. Elanor and Cassimir had no memory of where the facility was located but we found a vampire that had escaped them, and somehow, bribed them into helping us. With the power of friendship. " She exaggerated a high pitched voice as she explained simply, getting up from the chair she was sitting in and walking to the door. "Get some more rest. You are safe here. We relocated and made sure to cover our tracks. No one should be able to find us again. Not for a while at least. "

Her words come as a reassurance of some sorts. A stupid one, but a reassurance nonetheless.

"Wait! What happened to our pack? " I can't help but worry as sense comes over me again.

Even in the darkness, I see her tense and try to avoid this subject.

"Sleep, Aeolian. " she murmurs and exits the room, closing the door behind her with a loud thud.

I'm left alone in the darkness, alone with my thoughts, my nightmares and my demons and I'm not sure if I want this. With a heave, I push myself up. Dizziness swaps over me and I feel like I'm going to pass out. But my stubbornness pushes right through and I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. My feet touch the cold floor and I feel it spread through my bones, all the way up to my head, making me shiver. I realize I'm naked and I feel my breath hitch in my chest. The only thing covering my nakedness right now is the blanket that tangled itself around me and I feel like an i***t. Naked, alone, cold and frustrated, and hungry. So f*****g hungry. I want to eat. I want to feel warm. I want Elanor above all else...

When I stand up, I'm shaky and unsteady, but I brace myself and make my way to the curtains, pulling them open. In front of me, there was nothing. Nothing but water. So much water I don't even see the other shore. Where are we?

The moon is up and it's full and I realize I have slept for way too long... WAY too long. And I was still tired and I was not healing well. Why?

with determination, I walked back to the bed and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around me and walking out of the room. my steps were small and hesitant at first, but soon, I was more steady and confident on my own steps.

As I exit my room, I'm faced with a flight of stairs. I looked around. This was a wooden cabin, and if I concentrated a bit, I could hear the waves of the sea not too far away. Even the air is salty.

"Marina?!" I called out with sternness and started walking down the stairs, holding the blanket around me with one hand and with the other, supporting myself on the wall.

There was a dim light downstairs and I knew she was there. I hear her hurried footsteps and she stops at the end of the stairs watching me with wide round eyes.

"What are you doing out of bed?! Are you insane?!" she hisses at me and before she can reach for me, I step on the blanket and the world spins for a split second, enough to send me flying on my back. I landed on my ass and back and I'm sure I hit my head too as I fell. And by the time I am on the floor, and have made it all the way down the stairs, I'm sure my balls are bruised, because holly hell I just took the worst fall of my life. I'm on my back, naked, and Marina can't contain her laughter.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she keeps repeating as she laughs, before she helps me up slowly and lets me cover myself with the blanket again. "- but to see you, a huge ass man, the size of a f*****g tree, fall down the stairs like that- " she tries to push past the naked part even if her cheeks were tinted pink and concentrate on something else. "Are you alright? " she speaks through her laughter.

"My ass will be bruised for weeks... " I murmured as we walked to the living room and I sat on the sofa, making sure I was covered in the blanket as decently as possible. It's not as if she had not seen me naked before, but it definitely feels odd to be naked, alone with your ex, while all I can think of is my mate.

"I'm sure it will. " she chuckles and walks into the open kitchen. "You're hungry, aren't you? I was making myself a snack, but you can have it until I get something cooking. " she walks to me with an already bitten sandwich.

Ham and cheese. Plain and simple, just as she was. I took it and start eating. At first, my bites are small and I chew slowly, but after the first few bites, I literally scarf down the rest like the famished wolf I am.

Marina is in the kitchen, cooking, while I sit down and try to lick the last crumbs off of the plate.

"Where are we? " I ask as soon as my brain settles down and I wait patiently for some more food.

"Far enough to not worry about anything right now. I'd say it's the honeymoon you never got to leave for. " she turns her head to me and smirks.

"Honeymoon? " I muttered and my eyes narrowed slowly.

"Well, right now you're here with me. But I'm talking about Elanor. I know you proposed to her multiple times. I know you eventually managed to give her a ring and properly pop the question. I know she said yes, and let's be honest? Who needs a wedding?! So, why not skip straight for the honeymoon? " her smirk widens, despite the hint of sadness hidden in her eyes. "We're on a beach. We're close to a lovely small forest. "

"How did you bring me here?! "

"By boat. We needed to lose our tracks. And water was the only way to do it. So, we escaped to one of the nearby islands. "

This was a smart choice to make. I feel proud and at the same time stupid for not being able to pull my own weight. But we were safe, for a while at least.

"We're also separated. You won't have to worry about stumbling naked upon me after Elanor comes back. She just asked me to keep an eye on you in case you wake up and need something. " she lets me know, her voice suddenly a bit more cold and distant.

"I see. " I mutter and take a look around the wooden cabin. "Is Cassimir here too? "

"No. He stayed behind with Laura, to keep us updated if anything goes south from here on. "

"Thats good. We have someone to keep us informed... " I trail my words and feel the need to ask something painful again. "What about our pack, Marina? Why are you the only one here? " It bothered me. It bothered me that there was no one else close. Not because I felt alone, but I wanted to keep my pack safe.

Marina stiffened again and I felt like the answer was not going to be very easy to take. She hesitates as if waiting for me to forget that I asked this.

"They've gone rogue. Most of them. " she eventually speaks, with a sigh, and I felt this like a dagger in my heart. "And the rest joined the old pack ... " she added in a whisper, as she stirred the food.

Despite the hungry growl my stomach lets out, I feel a different kind of discomfort and pain right now. I lost my pack. I lost my tribe. I lost everything I worked to have... And with it all, I feel like I lost myself. My identity. How could I call myself an alpha when my pack has simply disintegrated? If I were a good alpha... If only I were-

"Don't you dare blame yourself! " she hisses suddenly and something came flying my way. The spatula she used to stir hits the wall behind me . "They were cowards! They are all traitors!" she yelled, shaking, angry ears filling her eyes as she turned to me, her fists balled at her side.

It seems that my pain is nothing matched to hers.

And now I feel like an asshole, for pushing for an answer. Maybe I could have waited a bit longer and asked Elanor. She would not have cared much about the others.