Broken Bonds

If Rey thought Lia’s reaction to her awakening was bad, S’s was even worse. The poor boy refused to let her go. He even moved in her bed and he let her go to the toilet only after Lia threatened to tell his future wife he follows girls around even when they do their business.

Even now, he held onto Rey like an accessory while she watched him snore happily.

Rey’s body still wasn’t as healthy as Brynn wanted it to be, and thanks to her nagging Rey had to spend the majority of her day in bed.

It was slowly but surely driving her mad.

At least, she had S to keep her company. He caught her up on everything that happened the month she slept through.

Humans did quite extensive damage to the village. Luckily, this time the majority of it was caused on the houses and not on human lives.

The wolves were too aggravated from another attack, they weren’t able to tame themselves. No enemy that was unfortunate enough to fall in their paws lived to tell the tale that night.

As the pack soon figured out, it was bad news hidden behind the good one. None of them could wrap their head around how they were able to get to the village again, despite Talon’s security strategies.

Only one plausible explanation was offered: there was a traitor in the village.

The suspicions strengthened when the wolf, that guarded the part of the forest the humans came from, was found dead.

As the month went by without any more incidents, the tension eased out and the village was slowly gaining back its previous glory.

Rey waking up brought even more hope. Hope they would be able to overcome anything life threw their way.

Rey didn’t know whether to consider them foolish or courageous. Sometimes the line between the two was very thin. But for the sake of the boy who slept by her side, she hoped it was the latter.

Usually, she found watching people sleep disturbingly creepy, but she was incapable of averting her gaze from him.

Even after three days, she was still up high the clouds because all three of them were okay. And she wanted it to stay that way. Even if it meant leaving as soon as the first sunlight.

As if he heard her thoughts, the door opened and in walked her pipe dream.

“Can I come in?” He stood there handsome as always, fidgeting with his hands, completely ignoring the fact his feet were already too far from the threshold to ask for permission.

Usually, she would reply with something funny. But none of this was usual anymore.

She tried for a believable smile and said: “Sure.”

He pointed to the chair that was still in the same spot, asking for permission to sit down, and she gave it to him with a silent nod. He said: “I am so very glad you are getting better. There are a lot of people here that bore your absence very hard.”

Are you one of them?

Rey almost slapped herself as the thought crossed her mind.

She let her eyes fall of him in fear he could read from them. He was always very good at that. Sometimes he knew what bothered her, even before she herself had a clue. Rey couldn’t understand how he was doing it.

Then again, no one really understood love.

“It is good to be back,” she got out of herself eventually.

“I heard your guardian angel ordered you on house arrest and I thought I would stop by to check if you need anything or ... ”

He let the rest of his sentence hanging and Rey knew it was her turn: “Yeah, she did. She would tie me to the bed, if she could,” there was more truth behind her words than she was letting on, “but I don’t think I need anything.”

He smiled understandingly and Rey added: “Regardless, it is very kind of you to ask.”

It was very hard for her to look at him and not see the boy. Her boy.

He grew more mature. Of course, he did. But the heart-warming smile still stayed the same, the colour of his eyes, even the wrinkles of a smile settled on his cheeks.

He looked the same, yet so different at the same time.

And somehow, so did she.

And as much as it hurt to admit it, he was no longer the boy, same as she was no longer the girl and he belonged to her no more.

He lifted his hands in the “don’t even mention it” gesture and said: “Whenever you think of anything just whistle or something. Or you can send this little rascal after me.”

“Oh?” Rey’s gaze fell on S. They were talking very quietly, not to wake him up, but it was hard to guess if he was still sleeping or not. “He told me almost everything that happened while I was sleeping, but never once did he mention himself.”

“Well, I would definitely brag, had I been in his place. Every girl in the village seems to be head over heels for him.”

“No, they are not!”

There was an answer to her question. Talon’s words caused that a very much alerted S was staring back at them.

“Well, how is it then? Are they or are they not?” Rey wondered. She would not let the chance to pull his leg a bit pass by.

The resolute no came at the same time as the playful yes, and Talon said: “They saw him as he did his best to help rebuild the village. Of course, he became their hero.”

“I am not!” S still protested, but a slight tint of pink shade appeared on his face.

“Okay then. As you say,” Talon agreed with him in the end and he stood up, “I am going to go now. You should get enough rest. Otherwise, I will be in big trouble.”

Yeah, well, Brynn would kick even the alpha’s ass. No problem.

“Thanks for stopping by,” Rey smiled, and he returned it.

Shortly after, the door closed behind him.

“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but he is a good man,” S confessed after a minute spent in silence, “I really wanted to hate him.”

Rey frowned at him: “Why would you want to hate him?”

“He hurt you,” S shrugged. He said the words as if they were the simplest ones he ever said.

“No, he didn’t,” Rey protested.

“What about the baby then? Do you know about it?”

S asked and Rey’s interaction with Elaine on the battlefield showed up in her mind. She could vividly imagine the desperation in Elaine’s eyes as she held her hands over her stomach. “Yeah, I know.”

“Well then, there you go.”

Rey contemplated her next words carefully and said: “He wasn’t under any obligations to wait or look for me. You know that.”

“Maybe, but maybe if he did, the child would be yours.”