Double Howl (Completed)

Cocoon of Comfort

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."

― Edith Sitwell

No one's genes are too strong to override that. No one's genes are too strong to override that.

The words echoed over and over and over again. It echoed when Ivy apologized for not being of any help in tracing her lineage. It echoed as they made their way back to their temporary apartment. It echoed as they packed up and headed for the airport. It echoed as they made their journey back through the air till they landed and made their way to the pack house. And even sitting in her bed, in the pack house it played over and over and over again like a broken record.

On instinct Rhowette reached for the necklace, searching for comfort. But with it came the startling realization that hit her when Ivy murmured those words that kept echoing in her head. It was a plain and simple fact.

Selene wasn't her mother. It was an inevitable truth. An inevitable truth that turned her entire life into a lie.

She held back a sob and turned to curl herself into a ball on her bed. She didn't know how long she lay there or how long her tears gently escaped her eye lids. Her energy was spent. She felt drained and empty. Hopeless.

She did not know the exact moment he stepped into her room. But she felt her bed shift under his weight as he climbed in and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her into a cuddle. It did not take much to figure out who he was from how her skin started to tingle at where his skin came into contact with hers.

For a while Philip laid content, doing nothing but just holding her, till the tears stopped on their own accord. He cleared his throat, causing it to shatter the thick blanket of silence that had fallen.

"Wanna hear a story?" He asked.

Rhowette did not respond but Philip continued regardless.

"There was a boy who once lived with his mum and dad in a close knit community. He was always happy and always pulling tricks on his parents and on his aunt and uncle. He had everything he ever wanted. And one day he knew he would grow up to lead his community just like his father.

One cold winter night, when he was seven and eagerly waiting for Santa to bring him his present in the form of a baby sister he heard screams. He had been lying in his bed with his ears placed on his mother's bulging tummy, listening to his sister cartwheel and throw kicks. Just then their door had been kicked open and his father had quickly ushered them into one of the safe houses they built for the community. His mother and aunt held tightly to him as they waited anxiously with other few members of the community. Hoping that whatever attack was being made to their community would be ended soon.

They had stayed there for hours till his mother let out a shrilling cry, clutching at her stomach in pain. Immediately, she went into labor. His aunt tried all she could do but his mother died right before his eyes, with his little sister still in her.

Not long after, the door to the safe house opened and in came his uncle, soaked in blood, holding up his father who was in a far worse state. His father had barely looked at him. His eyes had been clouded with a wildness that had never been there before. The boy had never felt so alone in those last few minutes as he watched his father cry over the body of his mother and sister, ignoring his own bleeding body. Attempts to pull him away had been futile. He snapped at everyone who came close to him, till he pulled up a pocket knife and stabbed through his open wound. He died within seconds."

Rhowette let out slow silent cries.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Philip heard her but he still continued with his story.

"That day I felt my body completely shut down. My aunt had carried me out of the safe house and into her room. She kept weeping over the loss of her twin, over the loss of her alpha and friend and I didn't find out until later that she wept thinking she had lost me. She spoke of how dead and haunted my eyes had looked and how she wished she could make me "unsee" everything I had seen. According to her, it had broken my seven year old spirit and she lost her happy seven year old nephew."

Philip chuckled at the last part. A sad kind of chuckle. He turned Rhowette to face him and used his thumb to wipe the tears trailing down her cheeks. He did not know the moment she lifted her head up or the moment he moved his head down to meet hers but the second their lips met he didn't care about the moments before.

He only cared about right then, that very moment, with Rhowette's lips firmly planted against his own and the electrifying feeling that run through his entire system. Seemingly bathing him in light from the tip of his toes all the way up to his head. It was at that moment Philemon's voice pushed through his euphoria with a single word.

Mate!!!

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello there. I know this is a short chapter. Sorry about that. On the other hand I want to say a big thank you to all those still sticking with the book. You guys are amazing. The book has hit over 600 reads and I just want to thank you all. So what say you about this. Can we try to hit 1K reads before the end of January? There's no harm in trying. All you have to do is to keep reading, keep voting, keep commenting and keep sharing. Thanks so much guys. Much love,

KellaYebba <3