Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter 11

I wake up to the soft scent of lilac, but it is quickly overwhelmed by cinnamon and pine.

Leo.

Turning my head to the left, I catch his gaze from where he sits at a seat by my bedside. Leaning forward, I support my weight on my arms while I try to get up. Leo is at my side immediately, and I can feel his caress before I see it.

He smiles sleepily, "You're finally awake. I was worried you would never wake up after the condition I found you in."

"Don't worry, I'm okay," I weakly try to fake a smile, but it's quickly cut off by a coughing fit.

I see Leo's eyes glaze over while he mind links the pack doctor. Almost instantaneously, the woman is in my sights checking for any abnormalities. Once she finds none, she leaves and Leo is left to his worrying. I try and console him, but he won't give in.

"If only I was there, if only I had been there for you," he mutters to himself, and I watch him pace.

He continues with his long strides, burning a hole into the ground. I slowly wind up, removing the sheet and turning my body carefully. Once my feet hit the floor, all the joints in my legs and the vertebrae in my spine crack without me meaning to do so, but I just keep moving.

I trudge over to Leo before placing a delicate hand to his cheek, "It's not your fault. I could never blame you, and you shouldn't either."

He leans into my touch, but quickly denies it. Leo shakes his head, refusing to believe the truth. Frowning, I search my head for some way to console him when I remember exactly what Ares said to me down in the cell.

"Was what Ares said about his mate true?" I whisper, biting my lip and looking away, frightened to hear the answer.

Leo looks at me with a pained gaze, "I-I."

I wait until he gives me an answer, but there never is one. Biting my lip, I look away.

"It was, wasn't it. You left his mate to die," I state softy. Looking up through my messy mass of hair, I search his eyes only to fine pain and grief. "I'm sorry you had to make a decision like that. And I'm sorry that you lost your brother because of it."

"Thank you," Leo comes forward and pulls my into his chest, and embrace for a while. We pull back, and I step back to the bed. Heading over to my sanctuary, I retreat under the covers for some much needed rest.

Pulling them up high and tucking myself in tight, I shut my eyes closed and dream of better beginnings. When I wake up it's in the evening, and I have a small dinner with a lot of water before I shower, go to the bathroom, and then head back to bed. This goes on for a while, me sleeping during the night and day, until I finally get myself out of bed. I rub my eyes tiredly, before walking over to an unsuspecting Leo and giving him a warm smile.

"Is that twelve o'clock in the afternoon, or in the morning, cause I really hope it's the first one," I look at him, and he smiles.

"C'mon, let's go get you something to eat." He tugs on my hand and we exit the bedroom, going down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, I grab the biggest red apple and bite in. Sitting on a stool next to island, Leo looks up at me. I come in between his legs and take his left cheek in hand, before obnoxiously biting into the apple one last time.

"You didn't think that we were gonna do anything, right?" I ask him, and he nods his head innocently.

"I don't know what you would be referring to. You just woke up, it would be dangerous if anything were to happen to you," He exclaims, resting his hands on either sides of my hips.