The Howling

Chapter 14 (K's POV)

I carried Luna all the way to the kitchen and made her sit on the counter. While I cooked, I made sure to keep talking to her so that I could distract her from thinking about her nightmare. I knew that if she wanted to talk about it, she would've. So I didn't force her. Just then, she called my name.

And I turned to her, a smile on my face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and a startling, striking shade of black, shining with barely restrained emotion. Her face was the picture of so much pain. My smile fell immediately.

I almost couldn't breathe. An earthquake hit my heart then, cracked it right down the middle. And I thought here, in her, there was more feeling than any one person should ever have to contain. 

I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her tightly, letting her hug me back koala-style. I tried to hold her closer and she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly, her head falling into my shoulder. I bent over her instinctively, shielding her body with my own. I pressed my cheek to hers. Pressed a kiss to her temple. And then she broke.

Shaking violently, shattering in my arms, a million, gasping, choking pieces I was trying so hard to hold together. And I promised myself then, in that moment, that I would hold her forever, just like this, until all the pain and torture and suffering was gone, until she was given the chance to live the kind of life where no one could wound her this deeply ever again.

This longest of days seemed to stretch on and on and on. I wondered if it would ever end. But, though the night dragged relentlessly, and I hated to see her cry, it was not the worst night of my life. I took comfort from that. And she was not alone. There was a great deal of comfort in that, too. 

At some point in the night, Luna described her nightmare to me. The thought brought on a round of hysteria which frightened me more than the weeping. But it passed, too, when it had run its course. I said little; I just held her on the counter and let her ruin my shirt, staining it with salt water.

It took longer than I could bear for Luna to cry herself out. It happened, though, and she hugged me for a long while after. When she was back in control, she whispered, "Thanks, K. For listening." I smiled faintly as I said, "Always, little wolf." She said, breaking into a huge smile, "Can I have some food now?". I nodded and went to hand her the food.

After we ate, she got down from the counter. Luna said, "Now what? We ate, and we can't go back to bed. So?". I suddenly had a thought. I pulled out my phone and played classical music on it. Luna gigged. I smiled with her.

I lifted her arms and placed them around my neck. I put my hands around her waist as her arms tightened around my neck, pulling us even closer. The music was slow, dreamy. I shifted the tempo of our waltz. 

Her eyes sparkled with the glimmer of the kitchen light. Her body was melted to mine. I wished I could freeze us here, stop time forever and stay in this dance. She nestled her cheek against my shoulder, humming with contentment. 

Luna's heartbeat was slower than the tempo of the song playing, so I moved to that rhythm instead. A hundred thoughts swirled through my head, but I didn't really hear them. The sound of her heart was the only sound that mattered. 

I leaned closer to her, keeping my movement unhurried. My lips finally touched the skin of her throat. As she chuckled softly, I straightened up. I glanced through the window as we danced. 

In the east, a pale moon was shining through lace-thin clouds. It was an odd moment, the sky balanced perfectly between morning and full night. As the morning finally overcame the quiet darkness of the night, I leaned forward again and kissed the warm skin of her throat.