Convalesce (Book 2 in the Wolfen Brethren Series)

Soul Pain

A resounding thud startled Jana out of her sleep, a soft whimpering crooning through her ears as the thudding consistently kept up.

Thump
Thump
Thump

A loud shuddering whimper had her jerking out of bed because she couldn't take the noise any longer. She quickly looked over to the cot beside her to make sure that Lucjan was still sleeping. A small smile climbing across her face as his light blonde lashes were still shuttered against his chubby cheeks.

The Thud, Thud,Thud on the door and then a muffled cry had her moving away from where her and her son lay and moving towards the door. A deep sigh whisking into the air as her head lay against the door, eyes shuttering closed in defeat.

"What do you want," she grumbled annoyed that she had been awoken by the racket outside her room.

She received a hiccuping mumbling reply that was drowned out by the snivelling and crying. The whimpering growing louder as if he were a hurt dog.

"What" she growled. Yanking the door open she spat his name as if it were a curse but the sight of him had her words fumbling for a short moment. Just a short one and then she was sighing as she lightly closed the door behind her, leaving it partially open so she could hear Lucjan if he cried out.

Her glare softened at the sight of Simeon, his body crumpled to the floor as he leant against the wall outside her room. His face was red and blotchy, his lips pouty and lashes lined with tears. He looked so much like Lucjan in this moment, or Lucjan looked a lot like his father when he cried.

He had that downtrodden childish look to his features as he stared up at her."I didn't know" his voice hoarse from all the crying he must have done, his hand shoving at his face as he tried to wipe away his tears.

"I didn't" he was a sobbing mess, his cries so loud that she knew Khan would soon make an appearance.

Her eyes rolled heavenward as her hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose as stress bubbled within her.

"I didn't know" he sobbed again as she squatted low to face him, the words repeating over and over like a mantra that helped soothe the soul but the words could not heal this damage. No, because whether he knew or not the damage had been done. He had abandoned his family and they had suffered.

He was sorry, she could see it in his crumbled state, the way his shoulders shook with each sob and the way his head bent down to the ground as if he was not good enough to look at her. All the while that mantra kept repeating over and over, soft sounds full of anguish. Voice cracking and soul breaking.

Oh he was sorry but it was too little too late.

"I know you didn't know Simeon and that's the whole point. You neglected us and didn't think for one moment that we weren't suffering when we were,"

His head tilted up as red rimmed eyes bore into hers, orbs full of so much regret. So much pain.

Her eyes shuttered closed as she tried to shut out his pitiful look but those dark eyes full of so much despair were ingrained into her mind. She didn't want to see, didn't want to know or believe because it would only make her conviction waver and she could not be unsure of herself. Not now, not when everything was in her favour, when the ball was in her court.

She had her family on side and children to think about. Though she didn't want him to suffer anymore than he already was there was that part of her that always prevailed, that wanted him to. That part of her that went against her nature and wanted Simeon to feel pain like she had all those months ago when he had abandoned them. She wanted him to feel soul crushing pain.