Innocent As Charged (Completed)

Chapter 36

We are padding through fields when it starts to rain, the skies black with dark clouds that loom ominously overhead and it is soon pelting it down, soaking us to the skin, our fur offering very little protection and Jack scans our surroundings looking for shelter.

Seated in the middle of the field, there is a large tree and both her and Nate a take a single step towards it when a large bolt of lightning hits the ground a few miles to our left. A few seconds later the grumble of thunder reaches us, the sound deafening to our sensitive ears, and he jolts in surprise at the noise, his ears pinned to his skull.

A storm. We can't shelter under that tree: it's too dangerous. Nate must understand my thoughts as he suddenly bolts towards the edge of the field at the sound of a second roll of thunder and I quickly follow him; it's safer to not be the tallest thing in the area even if said area is covered in knee high bladed grass. There is a small, rocky overhang at the rim of the field and we sprint towards it, praying that we aren't struck by the lightning on the way.

Thankfully we aren't, and we make it to the rocky overhang unharmed. It's actually a cave, going back far enough that we can easily remain out of the rain. Settling himself down right at the back, as far from the storm as he can get, his body shakes from the cold; I shake myself off after dumping the now soaking clothes in the cave, taking a seat beside him and I realise he's still sopping, his fur limp, his ears pinned against his skull.

Fllinching as another lightning bolt strikes the ground, much closer this time, he whimpers, his eyes wide with terror.

Isaac? Are you okay?

Whining, he does not answer, the storm raging outside incessantly, his body shaking.

Isaac what's wrong?

Nate, speak to us.

Only then do I feel the fear consuming his mind. He's not trembling because he's cold; he's trembling because he's terrified. He whimpers again, his breathing irregular and panicked.

Is it the storm?

He simply nods, his eyes wide with dread, and I give him a comforting lick, nuzzling him with my muzzle, ignoring his huge size.

Why are you so scared? Storms are beautiful.

The cave flashes, a lightning bolt piercing the sky, striking the tree we nearly sheltered under, bursting into flames. Nate gives a louder whine, his entire body now pressed up against the back wall in terror, the whites of his eyes showing.

Nate, it's okay, we're safe from the storm in here.

No we're not. You don't understand, we're not safe. The storm is going to hurt us.

I promise you, it's okay.

I rest my head on his lowered head, his body relaxing slightly under my touch.

It's a natural occurrence. I don't understand what's so bad about it.

Jack, please shut up. You're not helping. Tell us why you're scared of storms, love.

Another bolt hits the ground, resulting in him burying his head in our fur, his eyes tightly closed in fear.

Isaac, listen to me. Focus on me; you're safe. Tell me why you're so scared.

When I was a child there was a big storm at the Pack. I managed to get inside before the lightning started because I was near a house. I was one of the few who did. Most of the area we were playing in with the other cubs had no shelter so they ran for the edge of the forest. Some of them made it unharmed. However, a few were not quite fast enough. Xander tried to get everyone else to safety. He was struck by lightning along with a few others.

I can feel the pain he has at speaking about this.

No, you should know this.
Three of them died from direct lightning strikes, the lightning causing instant cardiac arrest. I lost three of my friends that day and Xander barely escaped with his life. His burns were terrible along his back and left arm and hand. His wolf went dormant for a while due to the shock and so didn't heal him, leaving him with large permanent scars that even humans don't get forever. That's why he never wears short sleeves and wears gloves on his left hand because he doesn't like others to see his scars.

I'm sorry Isaac.

Don't be. It wasn't your fault. You weren't there. I just wished I had done something. I could have saved them if I'd -

It wasn't your fault either Isaac. I can still feel the guilt persisting in his mind. Listen to me Isaac. There was nothing you could have done. It wasn't your fault.

Isaac flinches as the sky flashes from lightning but it's clear the storm is ending. We stay curled up together for the rest of the storm, Isaac shaking horribly throughout but he seems slightly calmer and is silent, staring out at the storm raging outside the cave.

Isaac?

Mmmm?

Does Xander have a mate?

No. He's had a couple of boyfriends and girlfriends but he's never found his mate. I know he wants one though. Every time he sees a mated couple he just has such a sad look in his eye. I wish I could give him a mate but I can't. Only the Moon Goddess can.

We settle into silence after that, waiting out the rest of the storm, the lightning strikes becoming less and less frequent, the distance between us and them increasing.

I shift back into my human form, and Isaac follows suit, his body still trembling. I wring out our clothes and we quickly dress before reverting back to our previous position at the back of the cave.

Suddenly, there is a massive lightning strike that sounds like it's directly above the cave we're sheltering in and I wince from the noise, my werewolf hearing accentuating the roar of thunder.

I glance over at Isaac to see that he's cowering against the wall, his pupils dialated in terror.

"Isaac." He starts at the sound of my voice, before shuffling over to beside me. I take his hand, entwining it with mine. "It's okay." I press a soft kiss to his temple and he buries his face in my neck, his pulse racing but I can tell that he is starting to calm down, his breathing slowing.

That lightning strike seems to be the last as we hear no more after that, the rain fading away to a light shower rather than imitating the effects of all the dams of the heavens being destroyed. Isaac falls into an uneasy sleep on my shoulder and it doesn't take long for me to follow his lead, sleep a welcome respite from the outside world.

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Hello again!

This is the last prewritten chapter so the upload schedule is going to be mega slow again but don't worry! We're nearly at the end of the book (finally). Yay! Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter.
WORxxx

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