The Luna of My Lover's Brother

Triggers

ATLAS' POV

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"What did you do?" Her tone is accusatory, as if I could somehow set her hands on fire and make it disappear without letting it burn her. The brightest red glow surges in her eyes, replacing the green like it was never there. Her hands start to shake as I stare at her, trying to think of how I could explain this, but I'm apparently too slow to answer, because her fist connects with my cheek in a hard blow, causing my head to turn with the force of her punch. "I asked what the hell you did?!" she's yelling now, frustrated, scared and angry. "Sit down," I motion toward the bed, but her hands slam against my chest like she intended to hurt me, but if I'm being honest-- it tickled.

I grab her arms firmly, making sure that I don't hurt her as I spin her and shove her down toward the bed. "Can you please just let me explain?" I snap at her when she tries to stand. To my surprise, her face becomes long as she freezes. Her eyes soften, and when her shoulders slump and she's patiently waiting for me to explain, I take my first calming breath.

"I didn't do anything, you got angry and I guess fire is your power." She's staring at me like I'm delusional, which I probably sound like. "Power?" She asks, eyes narrowed into slits. "You...you almost drowned in the Betoverd Lagoon." I explain, "Well, you kind of did." My heart drops as the memory that crashes into my mind like a mountain rock.

My legs run as fast as they can, the water trying to restrain them, as if the Moon Goddess herself is telling me to let her drown, but how can I? How can I just stand on the shore and be no better than my brother who ran?

He'll pay for that later.

Salty water splashes into my eyes, my clothes already soaked through as I reach for her limp body floating. Grabbing her is like touching ice, and as I pull her closer, her head rolls. I carry her out with trembling hands, her face so pale that she looks dead. She feels dead.

Please don't be dead, little wolf.

Please.

I lay her on the sand, and start compressions on her chest. Wet drops of rain roll down my cheeks as my heart violently beats for both of us. "Alpha," One of my guard's speak my title like it would change the fate in front of me. "Shut up," I demand with a snarl, a growl so deep rolling from my chest out of my throat. My arms burn, and I'm praying that I don't shove my hands right through her chest as I try to rid the water from her lungs.

"Breathe, baby," I beg of you. Just f*****g breathe.

"Alpha, she's..." My growl silences him. "She's not gone until I say she's gone." I snap, even though when she comes back, she'll be different, she'll be like me-- a freak of nature.

The most beautiful sound to have ever met my ears have graced me as she coughs, and water sprouts out of her mouth and nose. Her little gasp of air makes my heart melt, but as she opens her eyes, looking at me, she passes out again. I immediately drop my head to her chest, listening for a breath, a beat-- anything. My muscles ease when the slow, steady beat of her heart echoes through her chest right into the center of my hearing. "Everyone look for Jaxon, and lock him up!" I roar as I scoop Madeline into my arms.

She's so tiny, so petite. She's perfect.

Her head falls into the crook of my neck, and my entire heart explodes with excitement.

This is probably the only time she'll be this close to me, and that sucks.

"I didn't drown, I'm alive." She bites out irritably. "Because you were saved." I explain, not mentioning it was me. I seem to piss her off by simply existing. "Who saved me?" Her eyes soften, like she's actually praise the person for saving her-- like she'd praise me and maybe even like me, but will she believe me?

Will she believe when I say that it was I who saved her? That it was my heart that slightly broke as I prayed for her to breathe?

"I have no idea who saved you," The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, especially with my heart yelling the truth. "But anyway..." I shake my head to free myself of the memories that haunt me. "The lagoon gave you power because you came back to life, and it seems to be fire." Her frown says it all-- she doesn't believe me. "How do you know this?" Her voice is as soft as a breeze. "Because it happened to me too," Her eyebrows skyrocket, the shock swirling in her eyes has my heart skipping a beat. "What power do you have?" She asks, "I can create a storm," The creases forming between her eyebrows has me biting my tongue. She's going to put it together, if she hasn't already. "That's..." She trails off, lost in thought, "When did you drown?" She changes her trace of thought, not bothering to put the puzzle pieces together. "When I was a kid." And there was only one person who knew about me, many, many years ago. "A kid?" Her eyes almost pop right out of their sockets. "Yes," Her lips purse, and she glances back down at her hand with uncertainty. "This can't be real." She whispers, more to herself than to me. "It is, and it seems that your anger triggers it," It seems like heightened emotion triggers it all.

The first time I ever created a storm, was when Jaxon tried to push me into the lagoon when I was content with sitting on the edge of the dock, fishing while our parents swam. Jaxon wanted me to join him, he was pushing me towards the water with force. I screamed, I told him no, but he wouldn't listen, and I was afraid of water after what happened, but no one seemed to care-- not even mom. She eventually told him to stop pestering me, and told me to stop being so stubborn and cold toward him.

The rage came like a flood. The clouds dusted the sky is dark gray, the thunder rolled in like boulders bashing down against the mountain, the rain came down fast and hard, followed by the lightning, and when we got home after mom and dad ushered us back, it stopped.

Mom and dad didn't understand, but I did-- because I felt it. I felt my own rage rumbling through the storm like I could feel my own heartbeat if I rested my hand over my chest.

"Anger? Looks like you need to get a fireproof wall built around you, because you set me off." My eyes roll at that, yet hope blooms in my chest. If I can make her feel angry-- I can make her feel more than that too. "You should sleep, and please do try and go save my brother again, then we'll see what happens," I back away toward the door, watching her long face as she realizes that I knew what she was trying to do. "I hate you," She grumbles under her breath, unbeknownst that I'm using my micro-hearing to listen to her heart.

I slip into the room next to hers, and keep the window open as I sit down on the couch, and focus on creating the perfect storm. Thunder, hail, rain that won't stop for hours, everything to keep her from sneaking out, but in case that fails, I remain in the chair, listening to her fall asleep through our open windows.

Tomorrow, she'll be my Luna-- she'll hate me, but she'll be mine.