The Wolf & His Dove

CHAPTER ☾4☽ the flower murderer

I took her hand even though she was resistant and pulled her towards the grass on the side of the road. There were no cars coming in either direction and we were completely surrounded by mountains and rolling hills. "We can just put them back and plant them again. They'll live and then they'll make even more daffodils. How does that sound?"

She sniffled, wiping her eyes and she finally stopped crying. "Okay." And that's how I ended up planting daffodils, on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, Oregon. I knew nothing about gardening so I wasn't sure if this was their correct habitat or if I was even putting them in right but it made her stop crying and that's what mattered at that moment.

"I don't understand," she said, "They said that I wasn't going to end up with you. I told them that you were my friend but they said that you and your pack were bad people." I suppose I wasn't looking great at the moment seeing as how I was a flower murderer.

At least she couldn't judge me for the actual murder or murders now that Victoria is now on my list. I stood, dusting the dirt off my trousers. I looked her over, "You're about the only good person left on earth, little bird." The council was my enemy but that didn't mean that I was on the good side of the spectrum.

She stood now, crossing her arms, "So you aren't good either?"

I placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her back to the car. "At least I admit it. One thing everyone else fails to do."

She halts, stopping me in my tracks. "I can't go with you," She shakes her head, a flood of emotion filling her eyes. "Bea was supposed to help me make my decision and I didn't make my decision. I want to talk to Bea."

Since I had murdered her precious flowers, I trod lightly. "Bea and I had to make some rash decisions. She knows that I wanted you to be my Rhea," The idea of "Bea and I" was, of course, loosely based but I felt that could be explained at a later date. I continued, "Do you remember what happened when you were with Alpha Fletcher?"

She looked up at me in confusion, her tongue poking at the inside of her cheek as she thought deeply. "We were driving and talking and then . . . I woke up here. That's not good. Why can't I remember anything else?" She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, panicked breaths leaving her lips as she stepped away from me. "And I can taste blood. Why do I taste blood?"

I gently take her hand. "Alpha Fletcher isn't a good man. He tried to hurt you but you're far away from him and that's all you need to know." I realized it wasn't me that she feared but the all the unknowns of her situation.

"I want to talk to Bea." The progress was small but I could tell that it was there.

"You can call her as soon as we get home," Something flashed in her eyes at the last word. "I promise." Standing here with her made me realize how much time we were losing. According to my predictions, we'd make it to Greyshore with time to spare but, as long as we weren't on my territory, we were at a disadvantage.

As soon as worry crept in, I heard her voice and it all seemed to go away for a moment. "How far will we be away from Sanctuary?"

I was sure that this was the most calm I had ever been in my life. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and make her hate me more than she probably already wants to. "There's an ocean where I live," It was an educated guess but, by the look in her eyes, I was right. "Seattle is on the coast and there's water everywhere."

She hesitates before quietly asking, "Like with sand and seashells and warm water?"

A grin tugged at my lips as I nodded, "It's very rocky sand and very cold water for most of the year but there are seashells. You've never seen the ocean, have you?" She shook her head. I knew there wasn't as much as a stream at the sanctuary. At that moment, I knew it was wrong to have kept her hidden there for so long without even knowing the world around her. "So, once we get to Seattle, you can call Bea and we can see the ocean."