Tied By The Moon | Editing

Chapter 34

I woke up with the room bathed in the midday sun, at first I thought I was still replaying memories, but it seemed as though that safe haven had faded back into my mind and once again I was awake and in the real world.

I sat up, trying to figure out my surroundings, and almost leaping out of my skin when I sensed a figure sleeping awkwardly on a chair next to the bed. Orion stirred and opened his eyes, flicking on the light next to him and rubbing his eyes.

"You slept for quite a while." He mumbled as I shifted away from him.

My thoughts were conflicted; one the one hand my wolf and I held strongly the urge not to talk to him, to be stubborn in our decisions to ignore him for the rest of our time here, but on the other hand my stubbornness was starting to mimic that of a pup that hadn't received what he wanted - it was childish and irked my mind.

I had to be civil with him, I knew that forgiveness was the toughest thing to do, but it had to be done, if not for me, then for the sake of his pack members, who didn't deserve their leaders to be fighting, even if I would never accept that role.

"You could have gone home. You didn't need to stay." I murmured after a while.

I listened carefully to the sounds in the room, and beyond the beeping machines and whirring fans, I was able to make out the quickening heartbeat of Orion; most likely surprised at my openness.

"I couldn't- didn't want to." He answered, turning his head towards the light streaming through the curtain.

He got up, long, powerful legs striding towards the window to pull apart the curtain and expose the sunlight. He stayed there for a while, silent and I'm moving, possibly thinking of what to say next; this was already the longest conversation we'd had without ripping each other's throats out, and it would take time to be comfortable.

Then he spoke.

"Do you want something to eat?" He queried, hands in pockets as he turned back to look at me.

I shook my head no, playing with the fraying material on the bed sheets as he walked over. By pure instinct I tensed up, pulling my knees to my chest as I watched him.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, noticing my hesitance and stopping midway.

I nodded, feeling a sense of awkwardness the more we spoke. It had been too long since I'd felt peace within myself, there was too much mystery, too many unanswered questions and I'd struggled to fight what was conflicting in the present and my past. But now, knowing my brother is alive, I had to go and find him, I needed him now more than ever. 

"There's something we have to discuss," I said quickly, leaving no room for argument. 

I stared anxiously at Orion as he looked around the room for a while, then his eyes met mine and he nodded. It seemed that previous childish tensions had been put aside after my ordeal. We had both, including our wolves, decided it was time to either part ways or be civil to an extent where I could still voice my opinions. 

I felt my wolf return as I slid out of bed, gulping down a glass of water next to me. Orion glanced at me briefly, his expression changing ever so slightly. He saw what I was doing, how I was opening up just the slightest.

My wolf objected, bristling at the sudden change of heart. I calmed her quickly, knowing there was no time for childish bickering when I had my priorities straight for once. I wouldn't, or rather, couldn't do anything to jeopardize my chances of finding my brother. It seemed the anger that had fueled my before had dissipated, leaving a hole in my heart that I feared would never close. The mate bond no more controlled me, but rather I was fueled by hope; the hope that I would one day see my brother again.