The Crow and The Wolf

Chapter 19

SHORT CHAPTER ALERT!!!!!!!!!! This is one of those filler chapters, it took me a while to write this one but I hope you guys love it even if it's not the usual length.

19.

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Expectations have no bounds; they extend further than we can conceive, and everyone has their own set of expectations. Expectations that are not always certain or even possible.

And perhaps it was the expectations that Valeria created and the situations she concocted that stung the most. Her mother would come running up the hill from the house, tears streaming down her cheeks, shouting and calling out for her, for them to stop, for them to whip her instead, but she was struck with the reality that her mother didn't even come to her punishment.

She had a few thoughts, an expectation that suffocated reality, and they all ended up in the mud. Valeria had the notion—no, she expected her best friend to protect her, to stand by her and hold her hand while attempting to calm her. She didn't expect him to turn away from her and abandon her in her innocence, leaving her to wonder whether she was indeed guilty of the crime.

And for some reason, Valeria remembered a story her father had told her about the human messiah, about how his father had turned his back on his son because he couldn't bear to see his son's faults. She couldn't help but believe she was the Messiah in the making.

Alone.

Winter had arrived and was becoming accustomed to its new temporary home. The wind howled, and the snow danced along to its rhythm. She was cold but mostly numb; her body would shiver whenever the wind blew as she hugged the pole for warmth. And it didn't help that, because she had lost so much blood, warmth was the last thing her body could provide for her. She limited herself from moving around too much as she would wince and whimper whenever she tried to move, and the pain just served to highlight her misery.

Valeria had no idea how long she had been outside or how long she had been staring at the cloudy sky, watching the white flakes fall from above. The moon would make an appearance here and there whenever the clouds would move on, but the round object in the sky was enough company for her. She had enough time to watch the moon rise to its highest point.

The snow that fell from above wrapped her up like a blanket, and it almost felt like she was floating on clouds if it weren't for the cold eating away at her fingers and toes. Her breath, infused with the air, created a white smoke puff that floated above her for seconds before disappearing. Her fingers remained entangled around her bracelet, which she knew was smeared with blood. The white snow had covered the dry blood that had once decorated the floor, but now only her memory was left of what had happened here.

The sound of footsteps wakes her wolf, but Valeria could care less. She thought of the person as a member of the pack coming to spit on her and remind her of how much of a sinner she was. The footsteps grew closer, and Valeria's wolf all but growled, not caring about Valeria's nonchalant behaviour.

The hulking presence in the dark blinded her from the mocking moon as the stranger stood over her. His aroma hit her strongly, and she was absorbed in it as his arms wrapped around her, clutching her close to his chest. The stars and the moon followed silently, curious to see what would happen to the sinful girl. Her body sank deeper into the warmth, and she could feel his muscles flex with each stride he took.

And her wolf roamed around the cave before sitting comfortably, sending her comforting emotions, which she rebuked.

Valeria didn't want her comfort; she just wanted her wolf to disappear and leave her thoughts alone. She didn't need to be reminded of what she'd done wrong or what her wolf had done wrong. So she laid her head against his chest and built a wall around her, blocking her wolf from communicating with her.

She was so filled with warmth that she snuggled deeper, and the fight she was having with her body to shut down was dwindling the longer she stayed in the male's arms. She felt him stop, but she didn't quite care; she was so tired and she wanted to shut her eyes and never open them again.

She heard voices; they sounded muffled as if scared that she would hear what they were discussing, but she caught a few words before she let the darkness take her.

".....mother....rogue....border."

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