SophiaShe didn’t even knock on the door.She came in with hurried steps, her eyes shining and her energy completely clashing with the peace that had settled between Bright and me. She didn’t seem to see me. Her attention was entirely on him, and once again, I immediately felt out of place and uncomfortable. I didn’t want to feel like that, but she was there. She was part of him.“Bright!” she exclaimed, her voice choked with emotion. “You’re awake! I’m so glad you’re alive! I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”In a flash, she crossed the room faster than I thought possible and threw herself into his arms. Even though Bright had the tray on his lap, she didn’t knock it over, which made me think she had been careful despite her uncontrollable impulse. She was truly excited to see him alive, like everyone else. She was happy to see her beloved. And I... for the third time, was the extra in my own room.I stood up abruptly to leave them alone. The truth is, I didn’t want to leave th
SophiaI was still sitting in front of him, offering him my company while his parents rested in the dining room, enjoying dinner with mine. The pack, on the other hand, remained willing, happy, and committed to keeping watch over the house because they didn’t want anything bad to happen again to the alpha and his right hand. They also did it out of fear, to protect each other, not just out of loyalty to my brother.James, meanwhile, was still in the room with his wife, who hadn’t wanted to leave his side for even a second since he set foot in the house. Bright was still in the same spot, his back leaning against the headboard of the bed, chewing slowly as if each bite was harder than the last because he looked so exhausted. Still, he ate. He ate everything he hadn’t been able to eat in days. He was thinner, and a shower was waiting for him soon. I offered him my bathroom and to change his bedsheets so he could rest in a clean bed. The sheets he was using were stained with dried blood,
BrightI dropped a box and cursed, wasting the strength I had reserved to escape from there. Breathing was so hard. Every breath scraped my lungs, and every second was a constant drip of pain over my burned skin. The smell of metal, dried sweat, and despair filled everything. The bottled-up rage wasn't enough to trigger adrenaline in our brains. We needed to fight to leave this place, but our strength dwindled with each passing day. We didn’t even know exactly how many days we had been there, but we felt like we were in hell itself.I thought. That’s all I did there. I don’t remember exactly when we got to that place. I don’t know how we ended up there. James and I had followed a trail to the edge of the forest, to some industrial ruins that seemed forgotten by time. We had a hunch. Something was going on. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was a strange smell, like burnt herbs mixed with something else. Some chemicals could stop us and make us completely useless. J
Sophia Bright’s controlled and tired breathing was the only sound in the room since he had fallen asleep. He truly looked exhausted, even with his eyes closed. And it was no wonder, after everything he’d been through. Despite the bandage on his side and the pale tone of his skin, he was sleeping deeply, his brow relaxed for the first time in days. I couldn’t imagine all he had endured before making it here. He hadn’t even eaten anything, but Bright had already collapsed on my bed. I remained sitting in a corner of the mattress, watching his face with a mixture of relief and nostalgia. He was alive. That was all I needed to see. That he was alive. Bright.After everything we had been through… he was still here. I couldn’t help but reach out and brush my fingers through his hair. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he didn’t wake up. He wasn’t aware of what I was doing, and I liked touching him without him noticing. It was the only moment I could do it because consciously, I wasn’t s
SophiaEvery day was a confirmation that they weren’t coming back, but for the past three nights, after the conversation with Sabrina, something awakened inside me. I told myself I couldn’t lose faith in seeing them again. I had to keep the faith alive. Something in my heart told me so, even if having faith was hard, it was the only comfort I had. It was the only thing that warmed me during the last few freezing, emotionally devastating nights.Bright and James. Two beloved young men.Bright’s father joined the search for the boys tirelessly, alongside his wife. They were desperate.A week and a half.A damn week and a half without any sign of life. How was it possible that no one knew anything? How was it possible that no one had found anything yet?I knew I had hit rock bottom. I stayed in my room for hours, staring blankly, imagining a thousand ways they could’ve died, and then I’d remember I had to keep the faith alive. But then I’d picture Bright chained up, his skin burning from
SophiaIt had been a week without hearing anything about James and Bright. Days in which misery consumed all of us completely. A severe blow to our pack. We were talking about our leader and his right-hand man. The strongest in the pack. Both of them are gone.Seven endless, gloomy days with no news. Days when fear walked behind us like a shadow. Seven days without a trace, without calls, not even a new threat. Of course, my father sent groups of werewolves made up of men and women to look for clues. Yes, my father decided it was time for women to return to action in the pack. We needed every person possible to work on this. At my request, Dante had taken it upon himself to form a close relationship with my father and our pack to give us all the support he could. Dante did it for me, and I was grateful for that. Grateful to have him as a friend. He had been helpful lately.But no one said it out loud, and everyone was starting to think the same thing: Bright and James were dead.Brigh