Change.
It came in waves, riding upon the rhythm of the wind.
But it could be felt in everything.
It was coming. And there was no stopping it.
...
Sunlight.
It broke through the thick haze of clouds that had formed over night. Poured in through the part curtains and stirred him from the dreams that had kept him under.
His alpha was gone. And despite the way that made something within him ache, rationally he knew it wasn't all that strange. Wasn't entirely unusual. Wasn't something that hadn't occurred before.
Yet he felt it, like a subtle shift in the aura that filled their space. Like a change floating in on the cold winter wind. Felt it start low, at the base of his spine and slowly work it's way upwards, until he couldn't even name exactly what the cause was anymore. Only that it was there.
His alpha was gone. And for the very first time, he wondered if he was coming back.
...
Time.
It was such a strange concept. How it was kept. How it was watched. How slowly or how quickly it seemed to move. And this new found feeling inside of him only made it worse. Only made each second seem to last the span of a minute, and each minute somehow spread out into hours. Until the day passed at such an alarmingly slow rate that he actually began to consider that the clock might be broken.
Or maybe it was just him that was broken. Maybe it was just him who couldn't find it within his own heart to simply let things be. To trust the promise that had been made.
That his alpha would always try and return to him.
There had been nothing to ever make him think the promise had been false. Nothing that had ever given him reason to change his mind. To doubt. Yet suddenly, all at once, he knew exactly what that feeling was.
Fear.
And he prayed that he was wrong. Prayed that it was something else. Prayed that this innate feeling inside of him was something different.
But it wasn't.
And all he could do was wait.
...
Locked.
That door was still locked. And as he sat across from it, knees bent and pulled up to press against his chest, he wondered what it all meant. What was so important that it had to be locked away, kept secret from even him.
Wondered and guessed and drove himself completely crazy with thoughts of what might be right and what might be wrong. Tried to convince himself that chances were exceptionally good that he may find something he would rather not know. That he had survived for this long not being aware of what lie behind that locked door. And he would continue to. There was no vital reason why he had to know.
Yet he could feel himself slowly going insane. Like dozens of bees buzzing around inside of his skulls. Coupled with the cold, sick feeling of dread constantly creeping in, and he almost couldn't stop himself from doing something ridiculous.
He wasn't strong enough to break it down. Knew that before he attempted to place the first kick. Sighed and leaned against it and stared at the handled. Glared at the lock and wondered what might cause it to finally break. Grasped the heavy metal and twisted with all of his might.
And stumbled as it gave way. Stumbled and tripped and fell, careening down onto the ground as he struggled to catch himself, crying out as his knees came into contact with the hard ground.
