Small Town Love

Chapter 19

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

Alexander Smith

Even when it was Christmas Eve, it didn't stop Luke from curling up in front of Daphne's bed for the night.

She still slept with a hand buried in his fur, her breathing hitching sometimes. Every time he wondered if it were nightmares, listening for her to wake up.

She didn't do it often, sometimes she did, her hand tightening in his fur and she turned towards him, gently petting his head.

His presence seemed to give her some sort of peace and Luke was very willing to give her that. He would do anything if it would help her.

And sleeping in front of her bed, really wasn't a high order.

She even always made sure that there was a blanket for him to sleep on and on some occasion she even covered him with one, something that amused him to no end. He ended up pushing that from his body as soon as she was asleep again, his fur more than enough isolation to sleep comfortably in her room.

That night though, she jolted him awake, when her hand tightened nearly painfully in his fur, a soft cry coming from her. He was up and on all four paws in seconds, shoving his snout against her arm, trying to get her to wake.

She didn't.

If anything she continued to cry, her hands now fisting the bedding obviously still caged in her nightmares.

"Luke," Caroline's voice came from the doorway as she slipped in the room.

They must have made a sight, Luke knew that. A huge black wolf, desperately shoving at the girl on the bed that was still crying, her sobs sounding through the dark and quiet room.

"Daphne!" Caroline said sharply, grabbing his girlfriend at her arms, resulting in Luke whining in protest.

No reaction from Daphne other than her head throwing from side to side.

"Honey, wake up," Caroline said sharply then, gently shaking her, and he watched how Daphne came awake with a start, scrambling away from her aunt and towards him nearly immediately.

She hit the floor on her knees and he could smell blood coming from her, obviously having managed to hurt herself somehow.

She continued scrambling backward until her back hit the wall with a resounding thud, falling to her knees as she hid in that corner, rocking back and forth.

It was horrifying to watch.

The only light came from the hallway, casting long shadows in the room, making Daphne look terrifying with dark blood pouring from her mouth where she had probably managed to bite either her lip or her tongue.

And it also looked absolutely heartbreaking.

She looked like a child. A child so often left alone that by now it was starting to rock herself back to sleep. The flannel pajamas she wore clearly didn't help, not when the pajamas were oversized on her slight frame, the sleeves needed to be folded over a few times to make her hands poke out.

Caroline didn't move and for a moment neither did Luke, wracking his brain what was the best thing he could do at that moment.

He shifted closer to, waiting for her to scramble away from him as well, but she didn't.

Carefully he padded closer to her, finally sitting down on the wooden floor a few steps away from her and laying down, not wanting to scare her with the sheer size of him.