Hi guys!
As promised, here is today's second chapter :)
I hope you enjoy it!
- Molly x
I sat at the desk, admiring how the soft lamp light lingered on the hard planes of his face. Jack looked sombre, quietly attending to the task at hand.
Finally, he finished. He fluffed the pillows, and then covered everything in a thick chequered blanket that he pulled from the basket he had brought with him.
He delicately began to lay out food. There were boxes of fresh rolls, complete with small pots of butter. A flask of soup was divided between two bowls, the rich scent of tomatoes instantly filled the room and made my stomach grumble.
I carefully joined him on the bed, conscious of jostling anything. The food smelled heavenly, and I was pretty surprised that he had thought to bring it.
Jack picked up a roll, cutting through the hard crust to reveal the soft fluffy interior. "I have failed you over and over again. I told you earlier that I would do everything I can to be the man you deserve, and I meant it. I know there was a lot going on when we first got together. You had to learn to use your wolf form, Drake was an ever-present threat... But still, I should have made time to speak to you. Should have made time, to date you."
He spread butter carefully onto the bread, wrapping it carefully in a tissue before handing it to me. "We knew each other so well; it didn't feel as though we needed to get to know each other more. The joy I felt to be able to touch you, kiss you and be near you completely overrode my sense and I forgot to spoil you."
I frowned. Dipping my bread into to the thick scarlet liquid in my bowl. "Jack... I wasn't a shy little virgin. I didn't need you to do any of that."
Jack smiled. His eyes twinkled with the first trace of humour I'd seen in a while. "Virginity has nothing to do with being looked after the way you deserve." He still hadn't eaten anything, but passed me a spoon and encouraged me to try the soup properly.
The explosion of flavour was unearthly. A smooth creaminess mixed with the tang of tomato and just a hint of spice. It was the most delicious soup I'd ever had.
"Good huh?" Jack passed me a napkin. "It's one of my favourite meals here."
His knowledge of the place brought Rebecca back to my mind, and he noticed the shift in my mood.
"I can't do anything about the decisions I have made in the past. Except be honest and not repeat them." He stood to collect bottles of water from the basket, handing me one as he joined me again on the bed. "I will spend every day for the rest of my life trying to make up for my mistakes. I will walk quietly in your shadow, doing whatever you need of me if that's what it takes. But I have spent too much of my life hiding from the fact that I need to be near you. I need you in my life and if all I get is to look at you, then I'll take it."
I choked down some water past the lump in my throat. I couldn't be sure of how my damaged heart would heal, or if it ever would.
I had a spoon of soup halfway to my lips when the alarm sounded. It's haunting shriek was enough to imply danger to even those who didn't know it's meaning.
Jack's face hardened. The gleam of his wolf rising to the surface of his narrowed gaze. "Shit."
We rose from the bed in unison, only vaguely aware of the crimson tsunami that spread obscenely against the fresh white sheets.
The door was left swinging in the wind as we raced to help. Our feet flying over rock, then bridge, then rock again.
I could feel my wolf thrashing in my mind, anxious to be free and face the threat.
Jack pointed wordlessly to a set of stairs. They wound up and into the cliff-face near to the cavern that housed the Access Lake.
We hurried up the stairs, popping out onto one of the rocky outcrops that I had seen sentry wolves prowling when we first set eyes on The Point.
From our vantage point, the issue was obvious, but confusing. One lone man stood beside the lake. His brown hair was shaved to almost nothing and the hard glint in his eye marked him as an enemy even before his scent reached us. The stink of Allegiance floated on the breeze, making my stomach clench uncomfortably.
"One guy?" Jack's confused words echoed my own sentiments.
That was when we saw them. Floating like dark pieces of driftwood in the water.
The bodies of our kin.
Amongst them, the pale arms and runes of our High Luna were unmistakable.
Shock rang through me, adding to the adrenaline in a dizzying mix.
"The water is poisoned. Our first responders didn't make the trip to confront our cocky intruder." Alden's raw voice drew my eyes to the next ledge. He stood with the Pack Alpahs, visibly shaking with rage as he stared down at the man below us.
The sentry points were slowly filling as the alarm brought our brethren to witness their fallen. The combined anguish and fury pulled at our wolves, driving a united howl to shake the mountainside.
The murderous worm below was unable to hide his fear in the face of our combined voice.
Jack snarled. "What are we waiting for? When can we kill him?"
Alden's eyes shot to us. His lips pressed into a thin white line. "Did you not hear me? The water..."
"I wasn't planning on getting wet." The growl in his voice betrayed his need to shift and he fixed our High Alpha with his golden gaze.
"If you go down there. You may not be able to re-enter for some time." Alden pointed out softly.
Jack snarled. "My life doesn't matter. Edda was our Elder. She was good to me, understanding and forgiving. She was a gift to our kind, and he will pay for what he did to her."
My father's growl offered approval. "We need not ask where this rat came from. But he can't be allowed to return victorious to his nest."
Alden was clearly struggling with his grief. Trying to rise above a few centuries of loss to be a leader. He finally managed a firm nod. Jaw clenched with emotion.
The roar that left Jack was feral as he launched himself from the platform, shifting mid-air to sink the razor sharp claws of his wolf into the cliff face.
He leapt again, boring strips out of the mountainside as he caught himself, dropping meters at a time as he controlled his fall.
My heart was in my mouth as I watched his decent over the deadly lake below. A sickening fear cloying in my gut.
One wrong move... And it would be goodbye.