Strange Love

Ash's Past

Ash's Pov.

A perfectly normal and unassuming night, everything is quiet and still as if holding its breath in anticipation, the moon hangs full and bright in the sky providing more than enough light for me to see perfectly. My ears lie flat against my head, something here is wrong, she shouldn't be this late. A soft, almost lazy breeze, floats past carrying a very slight note of distress, the air seems to shift entirely, pushing me forward urging me to hurry and I take off at a sprint. The plan had been so simple, we were gonna meet at our favourite spot, the very same spot that we met five years ago, and flee from our past together, run away to my uncle who would care for us and love us, such a simple plan but with each breath, I pulled into my lungs I felt it slipping away into the endless night leaving us both stranded without any hope.

I live in a world that is split and divided, a world of Pure-Bloods, Half-Bloods and humans. Pure-Bloods and Half-Bloods are identical, we look exactly the same on the surface its the blood that is different, one is pure and the other is diluted making it less valuable and less effective. Originally there were only Pure-Bloods and humans with one simple rule in place, don't breed with each other. It was a peaceful existence until they broke that rule and Half-Bloods were the ones that were punished for it, they didn't ask for any of it, they didn't ask to be born and the definitely didn't ask to be hunted for other peoples mistakes. After years of unnecessary and unwanted bloodshed the fighting finally stopped, they came to realize that no matter how many Half-Bloods they killed more were born, the rule was still being broken and the blood being spilt was in vain, so a treaty was made and signed and the fighting stopped but that didn't mean Half-Bloods were better off. A new unofficial hierarchy was formed, Pure-Bloods at the top and Half-Bloods at the bottom, humans weren't really affected because as long as you knew the right people you lived like a Pure-Blood and even if you didn't you were still better off than the Half-Bloods, they were unwanted after all.

There are acceptions to this rule, as there are with everything, some Half-Bloods are rare, not really considered Half-Bloods. Usually when two Pure-Bloods breed their offspring will take after one or the other, but sometimes on very rare occasions the offspring will develop half and half, so in a sense, they are considered Half-Bloods but are treasured and accepted especially when the two halves are rare, for example, sirens, unicorns, dragons, Pegasus, etc. On the very off chance that the offspring are rare on both sides, they become extremely valuable. But you see I don't fall into this rare category, I am a simple Wolf Half-Blood, the result of you guessed it two Wolf Half-Bloods, my parents I guess. They are good people in a sense just very neglectful. When they aren't working they are drinking and I can't really blame them, while we are better off than most Half-bloods its only because of how much they work. They never really have time for me and when I was younger, when I was foolish and naive, I asked them if they loved me, they laughed and told me to go play outside. That's why Feyre is so important to me, she is my neighbour and friend but she is also my safe space, she gives me the love and attention that I so desperately crave and I give her a place to hide from her uncle, we give each other what we need most. I would give my life if it means she is safe and as I race towards her I prepare myself to do just that. If she is late it means her uncle has gotten in the way, it might require me to fight our way out.

As I near her house I notice that the whole street is dark, the only light is spilling out of her house. I slow my pace allowing my heart rate to calm down and my breathing to return to normal if I have to fight I have to be at my peak performance. In a low steady crouch, I follow the shadows along the outskirts of the lawn until I reach the lounge window, the source of the light, one deep breath to steel my nerves against what might come next and then I look through the window. My breath leaves my lungs all at once, it feels like I have been hit in the stomach. There lying perfectly still on the ground, eyes staring blankly at me is Feyre. Her body lies there forgotten as if he didn't even care enough to try and hide what he had done. My heart cracks and shatters, the shards cut my throat with every breath, slice through my lungs making it impossible to breathe. She wasn't late, no I was the one that was too late, I failed to protect her, to protect the one person that I loved. The next thing I register is running away, back down the street in the direction of my uncle's house, he is the last shred of safety and love that I have left, my final hope, he was meant to be our hope. With each pounding footstep, with each ragged breath, I allow myself to grow numb, I will ice to settle in my veins, I push that image further and further back, I work on drawing a line between now and then, past and future, the line fades and blurs but with each passing moment, it becomes more and more clear.