Wolverton Falls

22. His Way of Healing

LUKA COULDN'T BELIEVE that he willingly attempted to comfort the distraught human girl.

She unknowingly curled up to the warmth radiating from his body. Her head nestled on his chest, wisps of her brunette hair splayed across and the scent of the cheap shampoo invaded his senses. Luka struggled to maintain an impassive expression as the girl sobbed in his arms.

Slowly, her cries had reduced into nothing but small sniffles, Luka slipped off the bed. The mattress released a groan when the weight was lifted. His long legs carried him across the floor until he reached the duffle bag on his untouched bed.

He watched discreetly in the shadows of the room as her body moved under covers and head rested on the stiff pillow. Maggie's dilated eyes searched in the obscuring darkness.

Her vision was starkly unlike what Luka could see. He could pinpoint every small freckle splattered across her nose, the red blemishes on her soft face and the microscopic cuts healing into the faintest of scars.

Realising he was staring, Luka straightened his back and tore his eyes away from the silent girl.

Exhaling in defeat, he decided to light the lamps.

The orange burn flickered light into the bedroom. Luka watched as the radiance allowed her brown eyes to ease and pupils adjust. A little, exhausted sigh passed her lips as she stared at the glowing light in the far corner of the room. Her blinks slowed to longer intervals, and breaths finally evened to a calm pace.

Luka listened to the beats of her human heart until he was convinced she had fallen asleep.

His long fingers skimmed over his head, gripping the hair harshly as he recalled their conversation. The haunting description of the girl's parents left some of his own repressed memories to rear their ugly head. Her cries echoed in his crowded mind, bringing up a painful past Luka wished to erase.

He tried to control his heavy breathing and shut his eyes. The golden hue began to seep at the edges of his iris, an evident contrast against the brown. Inhaling through his nose, Luka attempted to suppress the wild, true nature of the lethal animal buried inside him.

A long, haunting howl in the distance brought Luka out of his internal war. He recognised the sound and it brought a wave of calm to come over him.

But a shrill scream startled him unlike anything had before in years.

Hissing at the piercing ring in his sensitive ears, Luka swore loudly, "Гребаный ад [Fucking hell!]" The glare he sent her faltered when his eyes scanned over her quivering form.

Her body instinctively tensed and curled into a feeble position against the backboard of the twin bed. Another scream lodged itself in her throat as her breathing quickened drastically. The white sheets bunched up tightly in her tiny clenched fists; held protectively to her chest. Her wide, doe-like eyes stared unwaveringly at the square window at the back wall.

She looked utterly terrified.

Luka glanced out the window, confused and eyebrows knitted into an annoyed frown. His muscled arms folded over his chest and infuriated gaze directed solely on her trembling figure. "What is the problem now?" He snapped in irritation, belatedly remembering to speak English.

Her eyes never strayed from the frosted glass. "Th-The wolves,"

Luka stared, without looking out the window, he said, "They are no threat," He paused for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. "It is not Emmett."

The human girl's nervous gaze flickered to his. Tears clung to her dark lashes and beads of sweat appeared on her ghostly pale skin. She was the epitome of vulnerable.