TBMA [Complete ✔️]

8. Runaway

Rosalie's P.O.V

I rested with Sophia and Lily for a little while longer, needing the extra rest and friendly conversation. Watching the bond between the two made me miss my mom and also gave me the feeling of her being around again, of what could have been.

Then, I made my way home, just in time to see Knox get back from training. He ignored me and headed straight for the bathroom, walking past me as I untied my shoes and put my coat away.

I heard him spit and start the sink, freezing me in my spot as I found him gripping the edge, the water washing down blood. Blood coming from his split lip.

"Knox, what happened?" I asked worriedly, making him finally notice my presence. Still, he walked past me and made sure the sink was clean, dabbing a wet cloth over the injury before shutting the water off.

"Let me help, I can heal you!" I insisted, taking the cloth from his hand. He grumbled, eyeing my hand, then me.

"Sure you can." He muttered sarcastically, throwing me another unamused glance. "Before or after you pass out?" I rolled my eyes, hurt by his lack of trust in me.

"I'm not weak, I can help!" I tried to place my hands on his body, but he jerked back, the glare never once disappearing from his face.

"I'm not weak either, so I suggest you stop flaunting your powers around and leave me alone!" I contemplated on staying, on forcing my help onto him, but it wouldn't do me, or him, any good. He was stubborn and wouldn't let it go, the only outcome I could see was I getting hurt over something he would say. Besides, he would get his wolf tomorrow, so he'd heal soon, so I let it go.

I walked away, making my way into our room without another word. I was patient and I would always wait for my brother but I was also so lonely and just wanted to talk to him. I wanted us to share our pain, I wanted to be able to help him, or at least understand him, yet even as we lived under the same roof, it felt as if I no longer existed for him, as if he had wiped me out of his life long ago.

***

Knox didn't come back at all for the rest of the day. I didn't even see his face or the damage it had taken. It was late at night and I had a lot to do tomorrow, yet I couldn't fall asleep without knowing he was safe.

I had a small clock on my bedside table, gifted to me by my friend Dalia before she was killed. It was pink and had my name written on it with small red roses for decoration. I would stare at it as a child, either waiting for the change of minutes and seconds to lull me back to sleep or waiting until an appropriate time to wake Knox up.

Now, I stared at it, worried about what could be happening to him. I watched the seconds turn into minutes, the minutes into hours until late at night became minutes away from midnight.

Fear grasped my heart tightly in its claws, squeezing until breathing became a hard task I had to push through. I hid my hands under the blanket to pretend at least in front of myself that everything was alright.

I flipped myself on my back, ignoring the clock, for now, my mind going back to Sophia and Lily. I hoped they would be able to start over and have a happy life. I felt drawn to them, somehow. The little girl's smile was so bright it lit something in my heart, and Sophia's kindness deserved to be rewarded. I could only hope the Moon Goddess would be kind to the two from now on, that they would, despite everything, get a happy ending.

Some rustling came from the hallway, making me suck in a breath as I tried to be quiet. As a child, Knox taught me how to pretend to be asleep so I wouldn't get in trouble, now, I tended to use the technique on him, so at least while he slept, I could make sure to remember his features and imagine them with a smile, instead of the now usual frown.

I slightly peeked at him from the corner of my eye, almost gasping as I saw him collect some clothes and a bottle of water and shove them into a backpack. My chest tightened again, this time with sadness.

I knew we weren't as close as we used to be, but I still couldn't imagine life without him, without his snarky comments, or even just the reminders of what used to be.

I couldn't imagine my own brother abandoning me. Was I truly this repulsive and unlucky? First mom, now him?

I decided to follow him, shutting my eyes again until I heard the door close and his footsteps retreat. Then, I jumped up and quickly shoved on a pair of sweatpants, not bothering to change out of the top I slept with.

I carefully tip-toed behind him, staying as far away as possible without losing his tracks. Once he got out the door, I waited a couple of seconds, grabbed my jacket, and ran after him into the woods.

It was cold and I hadn't been here since we had to run from dad's anger. We no longer ran, now, Knox took the punishments for both of us, never allowing me to be hit. Now, it was only us with no one who could help, no one but aunt Zaria and Zane by our side.

I looked around, while still being careful not to lose sight of him. We were so deep into the woods I knew I wouldn't be able to find my way back if it wasn't for him. The cold wind brushed my cheeks and stroked my arms, a chill rubbing up my spine.

The shadows danced around us, and although forced to do it by the wind, they still made my skin crawl uneasily. There was something scary about the dark. It wasn't the same as the light, it was unknown and often ugly.

Rogues hid in the night, vampires attacked in the night, criminals barged into homes and stole in the night. The night, the darkness, I've always been scared of, though now that mom was part of the stars, I've come to be just a little intrigued by it too.

Finally, my brother stopped running, throwing his backpack on the ground and sitting on the cold, wet grass. I kept my presence hidden, not wanting to lose his tracks should he continue his journey later.

I couldn't do it without him and I also couldn't live with dad without him. If he wasn't there to protect me, no one would, and I didn't think I could make it through that.

I hid behind a larger tree, carefully inspecting the area for anything, or anyone, out of the ordinary, but only saw the small cottage we had used to hide in as children.

Knox raised his head, inspecting the area as well. I held in a breath as he looked, wondering if perhaps he suspected someone was after him. Luckily, he didn't notice me, letting me finally exhale.

He held his knees to his chest, sighing heavily. His gaze was straight ahead, though I suspected he was in his thoughts and not actually paying attention to his surroundings anymore.

We stayed like that for a while, him deep in thought, I hidden behind the tree. It was quiet, deadly quiet, except for our ragged breaths until Knox's grunts of pain pierced the air.

Before I could run up to him and help, he got up and started taking his clothes off in a hurry. I almost yelped, luckily managing to bite my lip in time and turn around to give him privacy.

His grunts became more etched with pain, something snapping around him. Frozen in fear that it could be rogues tearing through his body, I couldn't move, neither turn around.

I couldn't help him, I was too weak and useless even as I listened to his pain. Perhaps it was for the best that I wouldn't see the last person to ever love me be brutally murdered, or perhaps that's what I told myself to keep the guilt at bay.

And I thought I would stay glued with my back against the tree forever until his grunts turned into screams and the sound of breaking bones pierced the air. As if on their own accord, my legs ran to him, but to my surprise, there were no rogues.

Only my brother, turning into a wolf. His fingers had extended into claws, his eyes fighting between red and grey. His spine was twisted into a weird angle as he kneeled on all fours, screaming in pain.

I tried to comfort him just as his leg snapped from one side to another, another ear-piercing cry breaking through the otherwise soundless night. His leg had turned into that of a wolf, his foot now a paw.

Without thinking, I grabbed his torn shirt off the ground and wiped the sweat off his forehead, just now noticing how badly my hands were trembling. Thinking I would lose my brother, thinking that rogues would take the last person that still loves me, even when trying to hide it, it broke me more than I considered.

"Leave!" Knox grunted, making me roll my eyes just as he screamed again.

"And what? Let you shift alone? Not a chance!" I declared, trying to wipe the new wave of sweat trickling down his forehead.

Before I could do it, however, he gripped my hand tightly, growling in my face.

"Leave, Rosalie!" I drew my arm back, wiggling it out of his grip.

"The only way you'd get me to leave you alone is if you carry me home and seeing your situation I doubt you'd be able to!" I used the shirt to finally wipe his sweat, running my hands through his hair as another of his bones broke and reformed.

"We may not be as close as we were, but I'm still your sister and I won't let you suffer alone!" I told him, dropping my hand, so I wouldn't provoke him further.

After many minutes of watching him in pain, he finally finished shifting, a huge black wolf with blood-red eyes towering above me. I crawled backward, embarrassed to admit I was a little intimidated by him.

He was frightening, his eyes glowing in the darkness. But unlike my brother, his wolf just wanted some attention, immediately sitting on his hind legs and curiously staring at me.

A small smile crept its way onto my lips as I reached to stroke its fur, surprised both by how soft it was, and also by the fact that he didn't move away. Instead, he nudged my hand behind his ears, making me scratch.

I giggled at the huge pup in front of me, loving the feel of his fur between my fingers. He looked scary, but on the inside, he was the sweetest creature, I could already tell. He was perfect for my brother, who just needed to be shown the right path again.

The wolf licked my cheek, making me realize I had been crying. I smiled again, sniffing slightly.

"I'm okay, bud!" I pet him again. "I'm okay!"

He lowered his head in a playful way before he nudged the backpack in my hands and took off on a run, once again making me giggle at his antics.

I watched him run freely and have fun, hoping that Knox feels at least half as free as his wolf part right now, hoping that he was at least a little bit happier than he was without him.

And after years of feeling lonely, the comfort from his wolf was maybe all I needed.

A/N

Hi, Treasures! Make sure you join my F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k group Teddy's Treasures for extra content and discussions! What do you think of Rose's interaction with her brother's wolf?