Scented

Chapter Eighteen

The moonlight seeped through the shutters of Alexandra's bedroom window. With a packed bag laid by her feet, she sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for Roman. Zev was still at his village picking up the broken pieces of the houses and the hearts of his pack members. Though she was set in her decision to leave, Alexandra still felt the guilt grabbing at her own heart knowing that she'll shatter Zev's.

A slow knock at the door stole her attention. Roman opened the door. "Ready?" he asked.

Alexandra nodded and collected her things. Together they headed back downstairs and towards the front door. Just as Roman was about to grab the door handle, she asked, "You never really answered my question."

"Which question?"

She softy sighed and clarified, "Why are you doing this?"

With a gentle voice he answered, "Like I said, that idiot would die for you. I'm doing this because I don't think you'd do the same for him."

Her bright blue eyes averted to her leather-clad feet.

He continued, "He doesn't deserve the pain of not being loved by the one he loves. You don't deserve the pain of not loving the one that loves you."

Roman made one more move for the door and opened it. The moonlight poured in like the sunshine at heavens' gate.  With a gentlemanly gesture and smile, Roman said, "After you, Al."

~*~

Zev made his way back home two days after he had left.

With the sun glaring down on the top of his head and the dirt burning the bottoms of his feet, the thought of laying under the cool, crisp covers of his bed became more appealing with every passing minute; however, the bed was the second thing he was most excited to see. The first, of course, was Alexandra.

He couldn't wait to see her. Her vibrant blue eyes, her dewey skin, her dark hair that matched the wildness of her soul. The passing of only two days was more than enough for his heart to ache.

Zev was all but skipping to the door--though he did have a slight bounce in his step--as he approached the house. He opened the door, entered the house, and breathed in deeply. Instantly, his jocund mood collapsed.

Where was it? Where was her scent? Where was she? Where was Alexandra?

"Alexandra!" He shouted. No response. "Alexandra!" He roared. Zev raced up the stairs two steps at a time and burst into her room.

Everything was just as it was before Alexandra's arrival. No clothes in the closet nor brushes on the dresser. Every single hair band that he'd hated but had grown to be charmed of disappeared. Her leather boots no longer sat slouched by the foot of her bed. At this point in time, Zev didn't even notice that Roman had also gone missing. His mind was only on Alexandra.

The empty room seemed to make the weight on his chest heavier. His breath was trembling and his hands were shaking. Salty tears began to blur his scarlet vision, blood collecting in the brims of his eyes.

Like a man shoved across the thin line between sanity and insanity, Zev was crouched in a corner of the room, cradling his shaking head in his quivering hands, sniveling her name and sputtering obscenities.

The only time he cried was when his sister died. In some sick twisted way, this pain crushed him more. His sister didn't want to leave him. Alexandra did.

After a moment, Zev rubbed his stinging eyes and wiped his runny nose. A stoic expression settled on his face.

Inhale. Pause. Exhale. Inhale. Pause. Exhale.

Both scents were missing.

A serrated knife held by two pairs of hands stabbed his heart.

~*~

I have a couple things to say.

First off, I don't know how you might've reacted but please DON'T hate Alex (maybe you're rooting for her idk). I know Zev is crying like a baby and I'm not gonna lie I totally wrote that to pull at some heartstrings but I didn't do that to make her seem like a complete jerk. It'll become clear in later chapters but let's be realistic the presidential poll statistics were more reliable than my updating schedule so I'll just reveal a little spoiler: Alex (let's just say at this point in time to leave some ambiguity) does not love Zev. She really doesn't. Though Zev has opened up a bit, she hasn't, so they can't connect on that deeper level. The only thing they have in common is thinking that the other person is hot. So technically, Zev is still a kidnapper because she's there under her will. Who wouldn't run away from a kidnapper?

Second, holy cow. I've just now realizing that I've been writing this story over the course of a little over three years (and only eighteen chapters, yeah I know, pretty sad but to reiterate, presidential poll stats). I'm really interested if anyone else can see the change in my writing (it's probably a lot shorter since high school because, unlike middle school, high school gives you no time to do anything--weekends are not spared--and, I can't deny that I have seemed to have gotten a lot lazier and sleepier since the transition. Plus, Doctor Who). Granted its not my best and I'd love to revise it at the end--the door at the end of the never ending hallway, as it seems--but still I'm wondering about the change.

Lastly, it was really short, I know, but I felt like writing and this is what was produced in one sitting and I wanted to just get it out there and revise later.