Chapter 14 - A life before the war.

IT WAS LATE EVENING before the male wolf called Max came around with some bread and water for Lena. She looked at the plate he put in front of her, but she didn’t look at him as he sighed.

“Look, I know about you and Alaric and the incredibly impossible situation you are both in.” He got up and pulled his fingers through his hair. “You have to eat.” He said before leaving her all alone again. A couple of minutes later, Lena heard Rebecca’s footsteps just outside the door but when they didn’t come in, she knew that the little girl was doing what she was told, as she heard them disappearing again a couple of minutes later.

Lena looked at the bread and thought about the berries in the forest and how silly she was to even think that she could stay there and bake pies! She had been such a damn fool to think that she could protect herself with only that one spell. Her stomach growled and she realized if she was going to get any sleep at all, she would have to eat.

ALARIC NODDED as Max informed him that he had given her some food. Dry bread and water exactly as he had been instructed. Max didn’t hang around much longer after than since he was on border patrol. Alaric almost wished he could do something as simple as border patrol, but with Rebecca still wanting to see the witch, he decided to stay and keep a close eye on his little sister.

“I’m ready for bed,” She announced, and when he turned to look at her, he fought the urge to gasp. His sister’s beautiful eyes were red and puffy. Clear signs that she had been crying, but there was more. It was as if her innocence was gone from her sparkling eyes. In fact, the spark was gone. He made a move to try and comfort her, but she stepped back out of his reach before turning on her heel. Alaric sighed and followed her to her room where she climbed into bed and turned her back on him.

“Rebecca, please, you have to understand …” Alaric sat down beside her trying to get her to look at him, but she didn’t budge.

“I understand.” She said, and he heard her voice waver. It wasn’t fair! He vowed to avenge his parent’s death before all this started. He never wanted to break his sister’s heart, but somehow he knew that what was happening now was his fault just as much as it was Lena’s. If he just killed Lena when he had the chance …

“Good night.” He sighed before switching off Rebecca’s light and just as he was about to close her door, he heard her start to cry. He rushed back into the room and pulled her into his arms, trying to whisper sweet words to calm her, but she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry my sweet, sweet sister. I never meant for any of this to happen.” She nodded in his arms as her little arms snaked around his neck and clung to him. It was the first time since their parents died that his little sister had been crying like this.

He clung to her for as long as she needed and when she finally calmed down, he explained again why she couldn’t see Lena and she nodded.

“I just wanted to ask her why she lied.” She wiped her nose on her sleeve and he burst out laughing. She looked so much like his mother at that moment. Whenever his mother was angry, she would cry and wipe away her tears with her sleeve, and always seemed to follow the crying. It was memories like that that broke him a little more each time. The things about their parents that little Rebecca would never know.

It wasn’t as if he could show her his memories. He could tell her as many times as he liked, but she would never be able to actually see it. He caught a glimpse of the picture of their parents beside Rebecca’s bed and he picked it up while still holding onto her with his other arm.

“You know, you remind me so much of momma.” He smiled. When she was still very small, he used to tell her about their mother each time before he left for the next attack. It was their special time together before he went off to war. Her ears perked up instantly as he said it and he realized that they hadn’t done this in a while. He was so busy fighting this past year that he hadn’t spent much time at home.

“Not only do you have her beauty,” He handed Rebecca the picture to look at. “But you also have her kind heart. She used to drive father mad with all the little animals she saved from the cruel forest.” Alaric continued his story. He had told it to Rebecca so many times over the years, but he knew that she loved it, and at the moment, it was very possibly the only thing she had to cling to. They laughed together as he told her how their mom would disappear and each time return with a new “friend”.

The funniest of all the stories was the day she found the injured skunk. The creature was calm and loved being in her arms, but the second their father tried to take it away from their mother, he got sprayed with the worlds worst stench! They were laughing so loudly that Max joined them and he pinched his nose for effect while Alaric explained how they had to help their father take some silly tomato juice bath to get rid of the stench! Rebecca’s eyes turned sad after the story.

“Do you ever wonder if Lena has stories like this about her parents?” She sighed and Alaric felt a shock run through his body. He never allowed himself to think of her or any of her people that way. They were the monsters who killed his parents, and he shook his head. He also promised himself that he would always be honest with Rebecca.

He might hide things from her from time to time, but when she asked him straight out, he always told her the truth. He sighed as he sat upright again and tucked her back into bed with strict instructions to rest. He would hate for her to have puffy eyes in the morning, he told her, as he kissed each eyelid before switching off her light for the second time. He had to admit that he was feeling better after their talk and all he could do now was hope that she was feeling better as well.

He stopped in front of the door that led to Lena for a moment and when Max informed him that Lena had already been given dry bread and water, he walked away. His body was aching for the witch, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t even dare to be in her presence right now because it might just push him over the edge enough that he would set her free himself!

Max joined him in his office and, almost as if his friend knew the medicine that worked for Rebecca would also work on Alaric, he picked at the windowsill and reminded Alaric of the night they broke it. They were two teenage wolves ready for love and Alaric’s father had forbidden them from going out. The only place they could sneak out without being caught was right here at this window.

Unfortunately for them, as fate would have it, Alaric’s father walked in right as Alaric was halfway through the window. Alaric got such a fright at the sight of his father that he fell over and took half of the window frame with him. Max still had no idea how the hell he did it, but he did! Their punishment wasn’t just to fix the window Alaric broke, but for the next month they had to work with the omegas in the laundry room! They sat down on the couch, each with a drink in their hand as their laughter died down and their thoughts wondered about each in their own direction.

After a couple of minutes, Max excused himself and Alaric laughed as his friend said he was such an idiot to have volunteered for border patrol before he left him alone. Alaric looked at the window for a moment before standing up. He was expecting to see Lena’s footprint there, but the omegas must have noticed it, because the window sill was beautifully polished and clean again.

Alaric shook his head with amusement, thinking to himself that escaping through this damn window would curse anybody! He couldn’t think of a single person who had tried to escape from here that had gotten away. He sighed and switched off the light before leaving his office. To make sure nobody would try and escape through that window again, and also to make sure nobody could get into his office like Lena did, he locked it before retiring for the night.