His Little Fae

Monody (III)

"I shall not see the shadows,

I shall not feel the rain;

I shall not hear the nightingale

Sing on, as if in pain:

And dreaming through the twilight

That doth not rise nor set,

Haply I may remember,

And haply may forget."
_________________________

It's been five days since I first saw Gabriel and Castiel. Three days since Alaric and Aria's death. And a mere day since Livius addressed the pack, but the somber weight on everyone's shoulders never once eased.

As I walked down the hall to Livius' study, I was met with respectful bows and small smiles, but the silence and the utter sadness remained.

The entire pack was stricken with grief and I couldn't imagine the devastation that would no doubt overwhelm everyone at the funeral service today.

I wasn't ready to stand there, to watch that burial, and I knew Livius wasn't either. But we didn't have a choice, nor did we have the time to lock up until it felt okay to face the world again.

So we attempted to seek comfort in each other's presence, we helped each other, we shared our true emotions, and yet I still found myself concerned for my mate.

Ever since that tight embrace three days ago, he'd shown me no signs of hurting. That man hid his pain so well, it was almost terrifying. But I knew better than to believe whatever masks he was putting up for his pack and I.

But even so... I wouldn't push it. I wouldn't pester him to acknowledge his own hurt. But I'd be there when he did.

Smiling to myself, I moved the cup I held to my left hand, and raised the other to knock on the massive doors of his office before tugging them open and slipping inside.

Livius visibly paused at the sight, his brow arching as his lips quirked up ever so slightly. "Come to visit so soon?"

I rolled my eyes at his words, the door closing behind me while I made my way towards his cluttered desk. "Good morning to you too, mon chiot."

His expression visibly dampened at the nickname, and his lips pursed in obvious irritation, causing me to let out a low laugh.

Carefully, I set down the coffee cup before him and then circled around to lean against his desk, my eyes taking in his reaction.

He eyed it suspiciously, those cerulean blue eyes narrowing in curiosity. "What's this?"

I moved to stand behind him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I leaned my chin against his shoulder. "I know you've been pulling all-nighters since this whole mess started, and there's nothing I can do to stop you," I murmured in response. "I thought the least I could do was make you coffee."

"I'm surprised you haven't spilled it all over my papers yet."

I nearly strangled him at that.

Here I was being a decent mate, and he was just sitting there making jokes about my past errors.

Instead, I huffed and moved to pull my arms away, only to pause when he wrapped a large hand around my forearm. "You know I'm only teasing, moon."

I pouted, my head still resting on his shoulder. "I was being nice."