The Wolf & His Dove

CHAPTER ☾4☽ the flower murderer

CHAPTER ☾4☽ the flower murderer
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C A G E

When the news spread that a Luna would be returning to our pack, Blake reported that spirits had lifted. I sent her ahead, her being more acclimated to her wolf form, as I held back while making all the decisions. I also wanted my time alone with Dove to explain what exactly happened in the last twenty-four hours. They would arrive before we did. There was a lot to make especially concerning Dove. What to do if she never opened her eyes again was one.

I hadn't let her out of my sight since the Maddox before and I wasn't going to until I found a doctor. The last day or so had merely consisted of driving and checking her heart rate every five seconds. Driving to the middle of nowhere, Wyoming to Seattle would take more than half a day.

We were only a hundred miles away when I heard the sudden gasp of air and the panicked breathing. I slowed the car down as I waited for her eyes to land on mine. Her eyes always lacked that sense of fear when she looked at me, which is probably what had drawn me to her in the first place. She looked down at herself, the bloody dress being replaced by an "I Love Idaho" shirt from a gas station. I didn't have many options but I thought that girls liked pink hearts.

She looked at me, her fingers pressed against her lips, the taste of blood probably still there. "A-Am I dead?" She asked, her voice shaky. Her entire mood shifts quickly as her eyes find the bouquet of daffodils laying on the dashboard. She pointed to them shakily. "What happened?"

"No you aren't, Dove," I reached across to grab them before trying to hand them to her. She just looked even more panicked so I tried to ease the tension. "These are for you. I meant to give them to you for the ceremony. The flower lady said a yellow daffodil represents rebirth and new beginnings–"

I was cut off by a high pitch scream and it took me longer than it should've to realize that it came from her. The car halted to a stop as I slammed on the breaks. "Are you hurt? Where's the pain coming from? Point to where it hurts." I rushed out, my voice deep with worry, trying to figure out what's wrong with her.

"You murderer!" She shouted at me and I assumed the worst. "Let me out of this death machine! Now!" This was not the playful girl I had met days ago.

"Dove!" I called out to her. She grabbed the flowers from my hands, opened the door herself and stumbled out. I got out on my side and hurried around to her side. She was still trying to catch her balance and I noticed now that tears were streaming down my face. I looked at her solemnly, unsure of what to do. She had to be saddened by the fact that I killed the councilman in front of her . . . but she was unconscious for that.

Maybe she thought that I had murdered her? I thought I had told her that she wasn't dead. I had never interacted with such a complicated specimen before. She left me unsure of what to say as well. "You killed them!"

"I killed who, Dove?" Of course, I knew who I had killed before, but I didn't think she had any knowledge of that.

"Them!" She shouted again, holding up the bouquet in her hand. "They live in the earth and you tore them away from their home. Now they're dying! Look!"

Oh. The flowers. The flowers? I thought girls liked receiving flowers. She looked at me like what she was saying was totally obvious and I was the one missing the point. "Dove, they don't have to live in the ground to be alive. They'll stay alive for awhile if you just keep them in water. When we get home, I'll put in a vase so you can keep them." I offered but she still seemed distraught.

"I don't want to keep them. They aren't mine," She shook her head, hiccuping as she choked on her tears. "I want them to be at home."

If she cried any longer I was sure that I wasn't going to be able to take it. I rubbed my temples before sighing, "We'll save them, okay?"