The Wolf

Ch. 63: I Love You Most

~Alex~

Fluff warning

A few months after returning to the pack were hard to adjust to. Many people had died and more had left. Not many people wanted to stay in a place full of ghosts, which was understandable. The Pack grounds were busy with the few families that remained and helped to rebuild.

It was exhausting for me to readjust. My physical state had deteriorated significantly thanks to Nyx's control and I had constant nightmares about her tortures. I would often dream of the images she showed me from Nico's dark past, my dark past, and the all-consuming darkness of the room that Sol and I were trapped in for what felt like an eternity. Many nights I'll wake up in a sweat and be unable to fall back to sleep.

Nico has also been struggling. Although he has started therapy to try and overcome his overwhelming mental scars, I often see him staring blankly into space with empty eyes. That expression crushes my heart and takes away my breath. Whenever I see that look on his face, I'll pull him into a hug and assure him that everything is all right.

I only know a few of the fears that plague Nico thanks to Nyx, but there is plenty that I don't know. And that's okay, I know with time he'll tell me. I don't want to force it out of him. I now understand how little Nico thinks of himself and I want to help fix that habit of his and rebuild his confidence. It'll take time, but we'll work to that point together.

I walk out onto the porch to see Nico sitting in the rocking chair. He is staring out across the Pack grounds at nothing in particular, his mind wandering as it often did nowadays. He didn't even look over at the sound of the screen door creaking open and smacking against the doorframe. Only after I wrapped my arms around him did he move.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, nuzzling my cheek against his.

Nico closes his eyes and the corners of his lip curl up, "It's nothing important."

"Do you want to go visit Dom and Blake?" I inquire as I wrap my arms around his slender neck.

Nico nods. I untangle myself and help him stand up. I grab his hand, entangling my fingers with his before leading him down the steps. We head toward the infirmary.

"Dom is doing much better now. He's not as skinny as when he first woke up, so he should be looking healthier now," I explained, hoping to cheer Nico up.

A small smile appears on Nico's lips. He had cried a river when he found out that Dom was still alive and had even woken up. He had thought that his friend had died for sure from the wound that he sustained.

"Blake is also doing better. Thanks to his fast recovery, he should be released any day now." Blake had very serious injuries and even received a harsh blow to the head. Thankfully, nothing was wrong with him after waking up from a coma other than some slight amnesia, it took a few months for him to recover.

"I'm glad everyone is okay," Nico said with a smile, looking up at me with sapphire eyes.

My heart squeezes at the adorable expression and I slow my steps for a second to steal a kiss. Nico's eyes widen and his mouth flaps open and closed. His cheeks redden with embarrassment and he tries to pull away his hand so he can run and hide.

"Me too," I say with a smirk, looking at the flustered Nico.

It had taken over four months to get to this point of intimacy. At first, Nico would adamantly refuse. He was too shy, and I'm also positive that he didn't think that he was worthy. I could tell by his guilty looks and how he would pull away, biting his lower lip. He would hold his arm across his chest in a closed-off manner, too. It took plenty of coaxing and adaptation training for him to get used to being around me and allowing me to touch him to this extent.