Rogue

Chapter 23: Teary Eyes

———A S H E R———

He leaned against me, his tears staining my hospital gown as he hid his head in my shoulder.

I could feel his breath hitting my skin as I held him in my arms, his warm breaths touching the area between my neck and shoulder making me shiver involuntarily.

My arms were wrapped around his neck, part of my arms laying on his shoulders as he slowly wrapped his arms around my waist.

His face was hidden in my neck as I let my chin rest on his shoulder, holding him tightly as he cried.

I still remember the day Valeria died, Jacob was devastated when he saw that his baby was birthed forever asleep, but he broke when he saw Valeria laying there with a heart that was no longer beating and lungs that were no longer letting her breathe.

Jacob didn't even have the strength to bury her, he just leaned her against a tree before laying their baby in her arms. He said that burying her would confirm her death, but laying her against a tree would just make it seem like she was taking a long nap. Everyone wished it was just a long nap, but sadly not all wishes come true.

Benedict's eyes were red when he pulled back minutes after I started to comfort him, his orbs still coated in unshed tears.

He took a small step back, his arms falling to his sides.

A sigh left my lips when I noticed his expression was the same as the expression Jacob had that terrible day. The looks they had in their eyes were the same, but were present for different reasons. The look, that they both shared at different times, could only be described as a look of pure sadness.

His arms rested by his sides as he stared down at me with sorrow filled eyes, the look paining me more than he could ever know.

" sorry " he mumbled before looking away.

I tilted my head slightly as I looked at the alpha standing before me.

So strong yet so in need of being able to cry without feeling shamed because of it.

So bloodthirsty towards his enemies yet so soft towards those he likes.

I took a step forward, my eyes watching the way his snapped over to me in an instant.

He looked me up and down, almost as if he was trying to figure me out.

I took another step forward, enjoying the way his breath hitched when our chests pressed against each other's.

The sparks flowing through my body didn't stop me from trying to ease his pain, they just distracted me in a way I'll never forget.

I looked up at him through my eyelashes, my lips slightly parted as I wrapped my arms around his neck once again.

I stood on my tippy toes as I leaned forward, placing my lips on his cheek before burying my face into the spot on his neck where his scent was the strongest.

It took him a minute before he wrapped his arms around my waist again, pulling me impossibly closer towards him.

I didn't hear his sobs this time, I could only hear the occasional deep breath he took while hiding his face in my hair.

His grip on me was tight, until it wasn't.

He pulled away from me after a few minutes of silence between us, the sparks no longer flowing through my body as he stepped away from me.

He looked at me with red eyes, tears still burning within them but not daring to fall.

" I'll go get you some clothes that you can wear, stay here... please " He spoke before turning away from me.

My cheeks became warm as I watched him walk away from me, his words replaying in my mind as a smile formed on my lips.

I stood in my spot, my body unmoving as I waited for Benedict to reappear.

I lost track of how long I was standing there, my sense of time seemingly vanishing as my mind wandered to my mate.

My eyes snapped to where the door was when I heard the old wood creak as Benedict opened it, a pile of clothes and a pair of shoes that smelled like him in his arms.

He didn't speak as he handed them to me, his eyes not even meeting mine as he gave his own items to me to wear.

My eyes narrowed slightly when I saw him turn around in silence, noticing how he removed his arms from his sides and crossed them.

A sigh left my lips as I turned away from his figure, setting the new items on the hospital bed before pulling my gown off.

I laid the untied hospital gown beside the clothes on the bed, a blush soon coating my cheeks when I dug through the clothes he gave me.

The pair of shoes laid beside the pile of clothes, not being able to lay beside the gown because the pile of my mates clothes was separating them.

My cheeks remained red as I looked over what he gave me, a pair of his pants, an oversized shirt, black socks and a pair of his underwear laid before me. All the items looking clean and unworn but smelling exactly like him.

A sigh left my lips as I started to pull the clothes onto my body, my scent mixing with his.

I pulled the pair of boxers up my legs, the dark blue color of the cloth laying loosely against my pale thighs.

My eyes traveled to where Benedict was standing, my eyes trained to the back of his head as I pulled his pants up my legs.

The shirt laid against my skin loosely, the fabric reaching the middle of my light-colored thighs.

" You can turn around " I spoke, watching as he turned his body towards me again.

His eyes immediately found mine, his lips in a straight line as we stood a few steps apart.

I stood awkwardly in Benedict's clothes, the cloth baggy around my limbs.

Benedict didn't seem to mind that his clothes were baggy when I wore them. In fact, as he looked me up and down, a small smile started to appear on his face.

A blush started to form on my cheeks as he looked at me, a forced cough leaving my lips before I sat down on the hospital bed I laid in for many days and nights.

I focused on pulling his socks onto my feet and slipping my freshly socked feet into the sneakers he gave me.

My eyes involuntarily trailed from my shoes to my mate standing in front of me when I felt eyes on me, his orbs staring down at me with so much intensity that it made me nervous.

He took a few steps towards me, his arms laying by his side until he decided to reach forward and grab my arm.

He pulled me up off the hospital bed, my body crashing into his when he yanked me towards him.

I opened my mouth to complain about his forcefulness, my eyes darting up to his immediately so I could stare him in the eye as I expressed my discernment.

He looked down at me when he started to speak before I could, surprising even me when I heard the words that left his lips.

———