A Crash, A Song, A Wave

Chapter 3

TW in the description

Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding at this time! My posting schedule will go back to Sundays and Wednesdays - but please be patient if I'm a little late. These next few days leading up to my surgury on Monday are going to be very busy for me, but I will do my best to keep everyone posted! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I do have art coming for these chapters but I was behind in saving up to pay for the comissions so it'll be a little later before they get here. Again I'll keep you posted! Enjoy my lovelies!!!

Alberto POV

Alberto woke to the sound of his stomach. At first the noise scared him before he figured out it was his own body calling for food. It had been so long since he had an appetite. But he didn't rise right away. The sleep had been so blissful. His mind was empty the entirety of the night, no nightmares haunting him.

Mattias's medications were working. He'd been sleeping well and had an appetite the past few days. But Alberto only took the medications because Luca insisted upon it. When they saw how much better he did with them - everyone nearly cheered. This was the solution right? Alberto was back right?

No. It was a band-aide to a much deeper problem. Alberto didn't have nightmares, but he felt them. Felt them like a predator ready to pounce the moment he stumbled and forgot his medication. The thoughts now tried overwhelming him in the waking hours of the day. But rather than have panic attack after panic attack, Alberto ran.

He ran barefoot up the hills of Portorosso like his life depended on it. Because in a way... it did. He ran until he tasted blood in his mouth - only then did the demons in his head quiet. He ran through the pain in his body, through the bursting blisters on his feet, because no matter how his body screamed out at the exertion, it was nothing to the pain of being inside his own mind.

Part of Alberto didn't want to take the medicine at all. Part of him felt he deserved to feel this way. Deserved the punishment he was getting... after all he'd done. After what he'd done to Luca. Alberto wanted his mate to scream at him, curse him... hit him. He wanted Luca to take his rightful revenge of Alberto. And even then, Alberto felt he didn't deserve his mate's forgiveness. The betrayal... it was too much.

Yet the Bond existed between them. It rang and sent joyful feeling between the two of them. But it also sent snapshots of flashbacks into Luca's mind. So Alberto sealed himself off, only feeling the most basic emotions from his mate. And again, the voices in his head told him he deserved it. He deserved to be disconnected from the male he loved most.

The Black Lilly - it whispered in the field of his mind. It told him....

"You deserve this."

"Your fault."

"Betrayed him."

"Hurt him."

"Just die."

"Just die."

"Just DIE!"

Alberto yelled into his sheets as the voices overtook him. He screamed and yelled until he was hoarse. He yelled until his voice drowned out the ones in his mind, torturing him.

At some point he must have passed out, because the next thing Alberto knew, he was waking up to someone sitting on the bed beside him.

"Here, drink this." Gabriella offered holding a cup of hot tea.

Alberto took it with shaking hands.

"Thank you." His broken voice scratched out.

It was sweet. It tasted of chamomile, lavender and honey. It soothed his aching throat and despite himself, he smiled into the cup.