Deadly Nightshade MXMXM

XXXIV

Azrael found himself in the depths of night, surrounded by an eerie silence that was both comforting and unsettling. As he slipped into sleep, a familiar heaviness washed over him. It wasn't long before he was enveloped in the suffocating grip of a flashback—one he had tried so hard to forget.

In this shadowy realm, he watched his younger self, barely thirteen, huddled in a dark cellar. The air was thick with despair, and the chill of the concrete seeped into his bones. He felt the intensity of his own emotions as if they were alive, swirling around him like a storm. His younger self was trembling, feeling the heat radiate from his body, confusion mixing with fear as he realized something primal was stirring within him.

He watched helplessly as the door to the cellar burst open. The light from the outside world flooded in, and with it came the alpha, a towering figure with predatory eyes that seemed to devour the very essence of hope. The darkness swallowed everything else. In that moment, Azrael felt the suffocation of his past; he couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Now he saw himself on the ground, curled up, clothing torn and blood trickling down his leg. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed silently, the weight of loneliness pressing down on him. He was in agony, alone in the suffocating dark, abandoned in his moment of need. The room felt cold and empty, echoing his despair.

The atmosphere shifted again, pulling him deeper into his memories. He was now a pregnant boy, just thirteen, wracked with pain as he labored to bring life into the world. Contractions gripped him like a vice, tearing through him with relentless ferocity. He could see his younger self's face twisted in anguish, each cry a testament to the struggle he faced.

Azrael felt the throbbing ache in his own chest as he watched his younger self push, feeling the raw desperation to deliver the baby. His heart raced as he witnessed the moment of birth, the culmination of pain and fear, a fleeting moment of hope. But before he could savor the arrival of his child, the alpha stormed back into the room, ripping away the newborn.

"Please, give it back!" his younger self begged, voice trembling with desperation, eyes wide with horror. But the alpha didn't even look back; he just took the baby and left, leaving Azrael alone with nothing but silence and the crushing weight of loss.

As the last remnants of the memory faded away, the current Azrael jolted awake, gasping for breath, sweat clinging to his skin. A scream tore from his throat, raw and primal, echoing off the walls of the twins' quarters. The door flew open, and the twins rushed in, concern etched across their faces.

In the corner, Ren sat up, wide-eyed and panicking, unsure of what had just unfolded. Azrael was frantic, mumbling words that made no sense, lost in the chaos of his mind.

Lucien and Kieran exchanged worried glances, then moved swiftly to his side. They enveloped him in their arms, their warmth cutting through the remnants of his nightmare. Azrael felt their presence grounding him, pulling him back from the brink of his memories.

"Azrael, it's okay," Kieran whispered, voice low and soothing. "You're safe. We're here."

With each passing second, Azrael felt the frantic beating of his heart start to slow. The panic began to fade as Lucien and Kieran held him, wrapping him in a cocoon of safety. He was no longer the frightened child in the cellar; he was here, surrounded by the twins who cared for him.

Ren, still shaken, shifted closer, concern flooding his features. "What happened?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Azrael took a shaky breath, trying to compose himself. "Just... a nightmare," he managed to say, his voice hoarse. He buried his face into the twins' shoulders, allowing himself to lean on them, to accept the comfort they offered.

The twins didn't press for details; they simply held him tighter, their presence a steady anchor against the storm within. As Azrael settled into their embrace, he felt the remnants of the nightmare slip away.

In this moment, he wasn't alone. The warmth of their bodies surrounded him.