Pure Moonlight (closed)

[KieranSoares]

Ruben clutched his mother's hand tightly, too scared to be upset, but too shocked to be as terrified as he should have been. He didn't understand what had happened, why he and his mother had been attacked when they'd never done a thing to the wolf and the hunter who'd worked together. It had also alerted him to the fact that his mother was not invincible like he'd thought, and that he was in incredible danger as a wolf that he never would've faced as a human. Above all, though, he wondered one thing: "Where's Dad...?" He whispered. He wanted his father's guidance as a man who'd been born a wolf. What was he supposed to think? How was he not supposed to be terrified or angry for the rest of his life about this?

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's coming as soon as he can, love. I promise." Selena said softly, stroking her son's brow as Valentina worked on his injury. "Grandpa is going to give you something for the pain, Ruben. When you wake up again, your dad should be right here with you."

She didn't know how long Kreston would be. He might be stuck with his duties until late in the night and that uncertainty made her nervous. She wanted Ruben to be calm and she needed him to heal properly. None of that would happen if he was thinking about his father.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruben slept all afternoon under the influence of herbs and silence. Kreston arrived around dusk, looking exhausted and terrified at what he'd heard about his son. He entered just as the sun fell below the horizon, quiet with his wolf ears laid back in guilt and worry. He came to stand by Selena, reaching out slowly to take Ruben's hand.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena sat by her son's side the entire time, glancing at Kreston as he entered the room where their son was recovering. She didn't know what to say to him about the entire situation. She was struggling to come to terms with it herself.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston knelt beside the bed, his eyes falling to the bandages across his son's shoulder. After a long silence, he finally muttered, "... This is my fault... these are my enemies, not his..." Though werefolk always had to fear hunters, Kreston knew from the body of the wolf he'd seen in the woods that it was his own personal enemies, not his tribe's, that were pursuing them all.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Kreston, they're all of our enemies." Selena said softly as she looked at her mate. "Even if Ruben is just a child, we have to remember that. It's not your fault."

 

[KieranSoares]

"The hunters, yes... but if it wasn't for my stupid pride, that wolf never would've led them to us... he was the brother of the one I killed in the woods just after I finally made it back to you... they're both from a tribe of Erygonians that I started a personal war against... and now they're threatening everyone."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Kres, I'm not going to let you blame yourself for this." Selena insisted, watching him continue to sink into despair. "This would have happened even if you never had hand in it. It's the world that we live in."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston simply sighed, coming to sit beside her. He kissed her cheek and said no more until Ruben woke. When the boy's amber eyes opened and he gazed around as it slowly came back to him what had taken place and where he was, Kreston rose once more to cup Ruben's cheek and kiss his forehead.

"Hey, little cub," he muttered softly. Ruben's answer was to lean his head against his father's arm. Kreston knelt at his side and remained there even after Ruben fell back to sleep minutes later. The boy had simply wanted to make sure his father had made it back unscathed.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena watched the interaction between father and son, knowing that that Ruben needed his father more than her right now. They had reached that part in life where Ruben needed his father in his life to teach him everything he needed to know to survive. She felt a strange pain in her chest at that thought. Ruben, the little boy who had been her whole world for so long, didn't need her any longer.

Selena let out a long sigh, standing from her seat as Ruben fell back to sleep and Kreston stayed with him. She needed some air and she said nothing as she left the two alone, walking out into the brisk air of Chessie's garden to try and gather her thoughts.

 

[KieranSoares]

Selena was left alone for a long while, until out came her little nephew Gabriel. He had become much more attached to her and her side of the family after his mission with Ruben to escort Julia to Edinburgh. "Aunt Selena?" He asked softly. "What're you doing out here all alone?" He was barely older than Ruben, but he looked and acted much older. His beyond-his-years ways were mostly taught by his father after living so long out on the highlands as a family with no one to rely on but each other.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm just out here to think, Gabriel." Selena said as she welcomed her nephew to her side with a tight hug. "Shouldn't you be at home in bed right now?" Selena asked, looking down into her nephew's dark gaze.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Ma said I could stay at the keep tonight to keep an eye on Ruben. He's one of my best friends and I wanna make sure he's okay and he doesn't get lonely." Gabriel hugged her about the waist tightly and looked up at her. "Are you okay? Da said to Ma that if anyone needed another friend, it was you." That was just like Durban, thinking he still had to take care of her as much physically as emotionally.

 

[heartofcourage]

"That's sweet of you, Gabriel. You're a good boy." Selena said as she hugged her nephew tightly. "I've got all the friends and family a girl could want, though. Your Da just likes to worry about me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Everybody worries about everyone in this family, you know that." Gabriel leaned on her lightly. "And what with all that's happened, we're even more worried. More for you than Ruben." Young as he was, Gabriel, like his cousin, was intelligent beyond his years.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena glanced down at Gabriel, turning slightly to look him in the eye. He looked so much like Durban when he was that age. Her brother had always been strong, but incredibly sensitive and vulnerable. She saw a lot of that in Gabriel too.

"How about you make me a deal, Gabriel. You can only worry about me when you're older and have a family. Until then, focus on all the things a little boy should." Selena said softly, her hand running through his hair gently. "Don't grow up too fast."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No deal," Gabriel muttered, just as bull-headed as his father. He only left her side when Chessie called him in to go to bed. Chessie watched him go and then looked to Selena. Selena had known the woman all her life, and she'd been as much a part of the Ghis children's lives as their caretaker Ashelin and their mother. Chessie had been one of the most supportive people when Selena found herself alone with a young son after she and Kreston had parted, but she'd also been one of the most welcoming when they came to Inverness. She didn't have to say a word as she met Selena's eyes to let Selena know that, as ever, Chessie was there for her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena was always amazed with how she could feel so welcome in Inverness and so stifled at the same time. Everyone was watching and everyone had her best interests at heart. She loved them for it, but there were some times that she just wanted to be left alone. Her mind was a million miles away from her husband and her injured son right then. She was still dealing with the thought that there was another little wolf on the way and she was so afraid to tell Kreston. Perhaps she would keep it to herself until he noticed. Perhaps that was for the best.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruben's health returned quickly. After all, wolves were known for healing at incredible speed. In a week, the only visible evidence of his having been hurt at all was the patch of short fur around the wound, which was now just a dark scar. Kreston had been either with Ruben or Selena at all times, and had been blaming himself until Ruben finally managed to stop him. The tribe was taking refuge in a camp closer to Inverness now until a basic defense was finished around their village, mostly comprised of temporary high fencing until a palisade could be finished.

It was a clear morning after breakfast that Ruben went off to play with his cousins that Kreston and Selena found themselves alone in their room with nothing ahead of them for the day. They hadn't spoken much since Ruben was hurt, and Kreston was still terribly worried for his mate. He came to wrap her up in his arms, an embrace more of seeking and offering comfort than anything else.

 

[heartofcourage]

Selena had been withdrawn from Kreston as they waited for Ruben to heal. Once her son was off playing, she was alone with her mate, stuck there in a world of uncertainty. She needed to tell him her secret, but it always seemed to be on the tip of her tongue. She wrapped her arms around him, however, and she pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

"I wish I could tell you what's on my mind." She murmured softly, letting him see the disarmed side of her personality that no one else ever got to see.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know you've been hiding something..." Kreston murmured. He had a way of knowing such things, seeing her so withdrawn and even a little gloomy at times. "At least tell me why you can't say it," he pleaded softly. He didn't like to be left out of her troubles, but he wasn't going to push her too much to tell him.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I can't tell you because if you knew, you would be distracted and I need you to focus on Ruben right now. He needs your guidance through this really difficult time." Selena said, turning his attention back on their son.

 

[KieranSoares]

"My responsibility is not just to my son, Selena. It's to my whole family, and that includes you." Kreston's hands came to rest on her arms as he looked down at her with deep concern. "But if you don't want to tell me, I won't make you." He pressed a warm kiss to her lips.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You know that no one ever has to worry about me." Selena said as he kissed her warmly.

She stared up into her mate's eyes, wondering why it was so hard just to tell him. Did she think that he was going to leave like the last time? She felt tears gathering in her eyes, letting him see just how upset and distressed that she really was. As tough as she tried to appear with the rest of her family, Kreston was the only one that ever saw her pain.

"I'm pregnant." She said in the smallest voice, barely even a whisper that she hoped he wouldn't hear.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston wasn't sure if he should be overjoyed, terrified about bringing a baby into the world at such an unsure time with hunters about, or if he should feel awful for Selena who would be so afraid to tell him. His ears folded back and he embraced her tightly, unable to find any words of reassurance. All he could say was a soft, "I love you," with a kiss to her cheek to let her know he would be by her side.