Warmth ✔

Chapter 19

When Alarick enters the living room, he gives me a smile as he hugs me. The warmth from his hug almost makes me forget about the tension in the room. After pulling away from the hug, he greets Matt with a friendly handshake.

After the greetings are done, Alarick senses the tense atmosphere and asks, "Did I come at the wrong time?"

"No. In fact, you came at the right time. Chriselda was eagerly waiting for you," Matt comments.

Alarick turns to look at me, "Really?"

"Yeah," I say while giving him a small smile.

"I was eager to see you too," he returns. He extends his hand and says, "Let's go."

"Where?" I ask while taking his hand nonetheless.

"You'll come to know."

He intertwines his fingers with mine. He takes the first step towards the front door but I hold him back. He looks at me questionably.

"Matthew wants to tell you something," I say in a calm tone. I should let Matt tell him about Lucy because I won't be able to tell him myself.

Alarick looks at Matt.

"Keep her safe," Matt decides to say after a while.

"Of course," Alarick nods.

I watch Matt's back as he heads to his office. I know the meaning behind his cryptic words. He wants Alarick to keep me safe from Lucy.

Alarick and I bid Darius goodbye before leaving the pack house.

"Where are you taking me?" I question in an attempt to cheer up as we continue to walk deep into the forest.

"You'll know when you get there."

"So, it's a surprise?"

"It's far from a surprise," he says. By the tone of his voice, he seems bothered. But why? I want to ask him but I decide to let him be. Let me be patient with him. He will tell me if he wants to.

We continue to walk in silence. The path we are on seems way too familiar for my liking. The surroundings are known to me even though I've been here once.

"Where are we going, Alarick?" I ask with a tense tone.

Alarick doesn't respond. He continues to lead me until we are standing in front of a familiar cave. This cave is the same cave where Anne was held captive. This is the same cave where Kurt injected me with wolvesbane.

"Why are we here?" I ask but Alarick keeps quiet and leads me inside the cave. He pushes the webs aside to make way and takes me to the same exact spot where Anne was struggling to free herself the last time she was here against her will.

Alarick leaves my hand and faces me. "I want to get something off my chest."

"What is it?" I ask, concerned for him.

"The last time I was here, you were in coma and the person responsible for your condition was roaming around freely. I told Anne to take me where she was held so that I could track Kurt through his smell. And she brought me here. When I had entered this cave, I was surrounded by a sense of familiarity and my conscience was telling me that I'd been here before. And then the realization hit me. This is the same place that Mom and I were brought to when we were abducted."

I gasp in horror.

Alarick continues with blurry eyes, "I lived my nightmares all over again. But I had to push them at the back of my mind just so that I could focus on finding Kurt." He blinks away his tears. "I've kept this buried inside me from that day and have been having nightmares ever since. I wanted to tell someone about my pain but I wasn't able to. As days passed, the burden on my chest increased. It became heavier and heavier. And today when I woke up, I just couldn't take it. I needed to tell someone that I was miserable. I want to erase what happened to Mom."

He falls on his knees, buries his face in his hands and sobs. Seeing him like this breaks my heart. I kneel beside him and embrace him. I let him cry. Sometimes it's okay to not be okay.

When he calms down, I grab his face and wipe away his tears as I say, "Thank you for telling me. Thank you for sharing your sorrow with me."

I kiss and embrace him. When Alarick collects his emotions, we get up on our feet and leave the cave.

"You and your Mom should go for counseling," I suggest.

"I've been thinking for a while about going to the counselor but I don't think that Mom needs counseling. She has faced her fears. I can see it on her face. And I don't want her to go for counseling and recall that horrible memory."

"I know that your mother doesn't need counseling. Women are emotionally strong. They can deal with their nightmares better than men. Your mother has got rid of her nightmares and now it's time for her to help you get rid of yours. You should go for a combined session is what I'm saying," I finish.

"For that I will have to tell her about my nightmares," he says in a hesitant tone.

"Then you should."

"But I don't think that I will be able to."

"If you were able to tell me then you will be able to tell your mother too. I know it's difficult for you and that's why I'll be with you when you decide to tell your Mom."

"You'll do that for me?" Alarick questions with gratitude filled eyes.

"Of course I would. I'm your mate and I'll do anything for you." I give his hand a firm squeeze in assurance.

"I want to give you a passionate kiss," he utters suddenly.

I smile to myself. "You can if you want to. No one's here to stop you."

He chuckles. "But I think it will be better if I kiss you after I tell Mom."

"So you are keeping me on waiting?" I question teasingly.

"You won't have to wait for too long," he says and we realize that we're heading towards his territory.

"You will tell her now?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Are you ready to tell her?"

"After talking to you, I am."

And Mrs. West's house appears in our sight.

*

We are standing in the living room as Alarick pours out his heart to his parents. When he finishes, Mrs. West hugs him protectively. The atmosphere in the room is emotionally charged that everyone present has tears in their eyes.

When everyone collects themselves, we all sit and talk. It is decided that Mrs. West would be with Alarick during the sessions. After the discussion, I say my goodbyes and Alarick and I exit the house.

"You sure you don't want me to accompany you?" Alarick asks.

"No, I'll be fine," I smile. I grab his arm, "Just take care of yourself and let me know if you need anything."

He nods.

"See you later," I kiss his cheek.

"If you keep kissing me then I won't let you return to your pack," he says in mirth.

"Okay," I put my hands in the air in surrender. "I'll keep my lips to myself."

He laughs.

"You should laugh often. It suits you," I say genuinely.

"I'll try to."

"So, see you later."

"Yeah."

I turn around to leave but his voice stops me.

"I hope the matter gets sorted between you and Matthew," he says.

"Let's hope for the best," I say and return to my pack territory.

When I knock at the front door of the pack house, Darius answers.

"Where's Matt?" I ask while getting inside.

"He's still in his office," Darius replies as he shuts the door.

I head to Matt's office and open the door.

"Why didn't you tell Alarick about Lucy?" I question him.