011: We like her
1124 Words
ALMA'S POV
Even a blind person would have been able to tell that there was pain in her eyes, the way she looked at me, it made me feel so sad for her.
I didn't hesitate, or rather I didn't think straight, my arms wrapped around her as best as they could and I pulled her into a hug.
Her body went stiff, obviously with surprise, and only a moment later did she tap my back softly. "I didn't expect you to be so happy, do you like them that much?"
Her words made me release her from the hug in an instant, she had misunderstood me. "Oh no that's not it. It's just that... You know..." I smoothened down on my dress. "Your eyes, you looked so... Sad and I just... I wanted to comfort you."
For a second there, it felt like tears fought to fall down her face but she was a strong fighter. Her lips curved into a wry smile. "Oh dear... That was so thoughtful of you. Thank you. I really didn't mean to be a burden to you."
I waved my hands, "oh no no! Please! Don't think that way. But uhm... Actually with the look in your eyes, I don't think I can take these clothes. It's obviously something you hold dear to your heart and I can't-- I can't do that to you when I am just a stranger."
"Dear..." Luna Catherine stared at me with unending admiration. "Aren't you a little too smart for your age?"
A chuckle left my mouth. "I'm just as much as an adult as anyone else, I'm nineteen."
A chuckle left her mouth as well, sincerely happy this time. Her hands reached for my face as if hesitantly but I didn't move.
Her palm, soft as flowers, touched my cheeks and caressed them softly, "you are very beautiful, do you know that? And you coming here, it was not a mistake, I know it. You have a purpose, destiny brought you here no matter what might have happened to you before."
A sharp pain struck my chest, tears welled up in my eyes. Her words were like the rain on a dry day, like the cool breeze on a sunny day, like a soft bed on a restless night.
They were like antidotes to my wounds.
A sense of relief washed over me, forcing tears to pour down my face. "Oh please... I am the one who wanted to comfort you." The words left my mouth with a chuckle.
I couldn't meet her eyes, I wanted to fall apart, wanted to break down. But I held myself together as hard as it was.
She led me towards the bed and we both sat down. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Tears just spilled from my eyes and I sat there like a drenched wolf looking sad from having its fur all wet.
"You know..." Her soft voice echoed in my head. "I got a briefing about you from the alpha of your former pack. Alpha Edwin. He told me what happened to you just before you were brought to us tonight, I really am so sorry that your mate rejected you."
"You know what makes it worse?!" The words left my mouth before I realized it. Looking up at her now, I wondered if she was someone I could trust my pain with.
Just like she could read my mind, she touched my hand softly and nodded her head. "You can trust me, I promise."
Tears still spilled from my eyes but I knew that opening up would only end up hurting me more. I didn't want to open a wound that was barely starting to close up. Then again, it was still fresh.
Her lips spread into a smile, "how about this, tell me how much it hurts and in exchange... I will tell you about the true owner of this room, those clothes and why Jeremy is being so cranky."
Intrigued, the words began to spill from my mouth. "My own best friend has been sleeping with him and she didn't think it was important to tell someone like me. Even though I confided in her about my feelings for him.
"I always told her everything and she couldn't tell me that they were dating! Maybe if she had just told me, I would not have foolishly confessed my feelings to him yesterday during the mating ceremony and the rejection would not hurt this much.
"But she... She... She just..." Tears wet my face completely and I sobbed loudly, burying my face in my palms.
Just thinking about it did not break me so much but talking about it, venting about it, it tore me apart but put me back together somehow.
Warm hands pulled me into a warm embrace and patted down on my back softly. "You should cry, when you lose someone, something, anything, you have the right to mourn. Cry about it, feel sad, but don't let it ruin you more than it should."
I looked up at her face and sniffed. "How am I supposed to do that when it won't stop hurting?"
I felt like a little girl, for the first time in a very long time, looking up into her mother's eyes, trying to get words of comfort from her.
I had always wished for someone to rely on, someone I could vent to, someone that could sit down with me and listen to my pains.
Bella used to play that role in my life before she destroyed the trust I had in her.
Not that I was ready to open up fully to anyone, but it felt nice to know that Luna Catherine was an ally.
Her hands wiped my face, "be strong, it's the only way. It is impossible to forget it of course, people tell you to forgive and forget but I say you should never forget it. Forgive the person, the circumstances that led to you losing that thing, that person, but never forget.
"Because if you forget, history is doomed to repeat itself. So if you want to keep it from hurting more than it should, you should always remind yourself that it happened in the past, not the present, not the future. The past.
"It's gone, the memory might be fresh, but the pain will be fleeting. You can make sure if never happens again if you don't forget. Be strong, women don't have to be weak, learn from things, grow, be independent. Not entirely of course, you have to let people in, that's just how life is my dear."
My brain absorbed her words like a sponge.
Ida purred inside me, "we like her."
- Writer
