❝ I DRIFT THROUGH THIS OCEAN OF FEAR, MOOR ME DOWN. ❞
• SHORT-LISTED FOR THE SPECTRE AWARDS •
Delilah Dire has had everything taken from her. Her rights as the next leader of her family's pack, her friends, her home; everyone and everything she...
The warm water ran down my aching body after my training session today. I got my ass beat, but in a good way. While I would often leave my class with my legs shaking and hands bleeding, Beta Levon was a fantastic teacher. And I was quickly understanding why Stone Pack was one of the strongest and most feared packs around. Mercy was only given to those who truly deserved it. Hamish told me that they haven't let a rogue enter their ranks in over fifty years, most were killed on sight. They never held a prisoner for more than three days. Or so I had been told. The soap stung as it cleaned out my torn knuckles, but I could already feel them starting to heal up. They would probably be only pink scuffs by the time I finished my shower. It feels good to fight again, even if it is only practice. Onyx mused as I rinsed out my hair.
"I couldn't agree with you more." Now that I was finally eating steadily, I was starting to put some meat back on my bones. My ribs were starting to disappear and my hips were becoming less like sharp angles. Not to mention some nice muscle tone going on in my abs and legs. It felt good, getting back into shape. I was starting to feel more like myself. I stepped out of the shower and began to dry myself off and get dressed into some clean clothes, when I heard a familiar knock on my door.
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I had just finished buttoning up my shirt when Talos came through the door. His eyes seemed darker than usual, and a shadow of stubble haunted his normally clean shaven jaw. "Everything okay with you?" I asked him concerned, as I made my way over to him. The young Alpha only nodded and let out a tired sounding sigh.
"Yeah, I've..." He took another deep breath. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
"Is there anything I can-"
"No, no. Don't worry, Delilah. It's not your problem to shoulder. You put up with enough as it is." Talos interrupted. I couldn't do more than mumble out a soft 'okay' before he sprung into his next sentence. "There's something I want you to do with me today. It's not particularly pretty. But, I want you to be there. You deserve to be involved." My curiosity was reaching peak levels.
"What is it?"
"We caught two of the strangers that have been lurking by our borders. I'm going to be interrogating them today." Hearing those words, it was like my heart had turned into a rock inside my chest. "I have to chose a pack representative to be there, and I want you."
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Even Onyx seemed to have become tense, wound like a tight coil inside of me. Ready to strike out at anything. Talos sensed my unease instantly. "You don't have to come. I can pick someone else, it's no problem."
"No." A surprised look danced across his features for a brief moment. No more. I was finally feed up with cowering beneath my own fears. "I'll go with you." My gaze meeting his own, head held high. A small, but proud smile tugged at his full lips.
"Thank you." He replied. But I also noticed him clench his fist at his side. Almost as if he was stopping himself. Even though he wouldn't tell me what was going on with him, I could still be there. It only took me a few steps to get close and wrap my arms around his torso, holding him close to me in a warm embrace. Talos was seemingly frozen for a split second, before he quickly wrapped his strong arms around me. Pulling me further in. He let out a great shuddering breath. One that whispered troubles untold. I carefully leaned up to his ear. "Lucida Sidera, I'll go with you." He quickly pulled back so he could see my face. His own expression one a mixture of joy and disbelief.
"Really?!" The child-like tone of his voice would not make you think he was twenty five. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, you big goose!" Talos quickly scooped me up in his arms and twirled me around in circles, a beaming smile on his face and laughter like claps of thunder. He was a beautiful summer storm. And in this moment, I loved dancing in the rain as he swirled around with me while complete adoration flowed down through our bond like a river of golden honey.
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When we had finally calmed down, and Talos had finally set me back down on my feet, it was back to business. "So it will be happening later this afternoon. I'll send you a text on where to meet me."
"Okay, sounds good. You doing anything until then?" I asked curiously. Secretly hoping I could spend some time with him. Talos let out a huff and looked at his watch.
"In fact, I'm already late as it is. But I will see you later." The relaxed look on his face eased my earlier worries about him. Even more so when he reached out and gently cupped my cheek with his hand, tenderly running his thumb over my cheekbone. I could feel myself going red.
"Yeah, yeah. Go on, shoo!" I quickly ushered him out in a vain attempt to hide my embarrassment. But he only giggled to himself as he stepped out through the door. And once I had closed that door behind him, it was if the world had some how gotten a lot brighter and a lot darker at the same time. I'm going to be honest here. Onyx emerged from the pits of my mind. This is a very strange time in our life.
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