Innocent As Charged (Completed)

Chapter 11

The rest of the day passes quickly, my mind still reeling from the constant input from Nate who can now talk to me directly without having to seize control of Isaac's body. His comments are distinct from Isaac's and I can't help noticing that he often converses more with Jack than me or Isaac, and she straight up refuses to say anything to Isaac, suspecting that it will spark an argument.

However, I don't miss the constant tension between her and Nate, even if his hostility has somewhat abated since our first meeting; neither of them trust eachother but they are more willing to converse, accepting that they are not going go be going their separate ways anytime soon. Isaac and I have to adapt to holding two conversations at once, one in our heads between our wolves, and the other aloud between us. As a result of this we stay up a lot longer than intended, talking late into the night.

"Iz, I want to show you something."

There is a balcony in Isaac's room, adorned with chairs, allowing a clear view to the dark sky and he leads me to it. He gestures for me to lie on a chair beside him. I obey and he interlaces our fingers, both of us staring up at the star covered night. There are more stars than I can count but I can spot the constellations that always brought me comfort as a child; Orion the hunter, and Taurus the bull, and Pegasus the flying horse, and Perseus the Gorgon slayer, all shining far above. My childhood friend, Eddie, taught me their names on one of the many nights he stayed over at me and my father's house.

He always was obsessed with space, Jack laughs.

Eddie was one of the few people from our younger years who she remembers with a certain level of fondness, one of the few rays of light in an otherwise lonely life.

The Milky Way streams across the sky, a bright string of billions of stars. I remember what it was like to be able to see the night sky like this: when we were rogue it was an everyday occurrence but when I met Isaac I couldn't do this. I would either be chained below ground, out of reach of the stars or sleeping in my cave where the light of the moon could not wake me to admire it. Speaking of the moon, our view of it is obscured, hiding behind some clouds, yet the cold, pale glow still illuminates the distant trees and grass field where a shadowy bird circles.

Probably an owl. 

I just nod and continue to watch the night, allowing the quiet and peacefulness of nature to seep into my thoughts, the hustle and bustle of the Pack long since faded away.

A meteor shoots across the sky, a white streak and I watch it with fascinated eyes. Then another and another, the sky soon full of them streaking across it. I gasp with wonder, struck with new awe at each one. Isaac chuckles quietly beside me at my reaction but I ignore him; no one is disturbing me from this meteor shower, from this natural beauty.

"The name of this phenomenon is the Leonid meteor shower," he informs me, "which is best viewed after - oh shit." He stands and is about to scoop me up but I stop him.

"I want to stay and watch it."

"You do realise it's", he looks at his watch, "two AM."

"What?!" I realise the moon has drifted overtime to a different point in the sky, much closer to the (presumably) eastern horizon than previously, allowing the meteors to be more easily seen. He goes to pick me up again but I protest. "One more hour."

"Fine. However, if I fall asleep, don't wake me unless we're about to be attacked."

"Okay." We both lie back again and admire the dark sky and the icy streaks dashing across it.

Contrary to my expectations, and I think his, he stays awake for the rest of the hour, his eyes following every meteor, and after sneaking several glances at him, I realise he's smiling. It's a soft, gentle smile, one that indicates contentment rather than humour and it's clear he's enjoying himself much more than he'll ever admit to me or even himself.