Chapter 12

Liam's POV:

Days passed, weeks passed, had it been a month yet? Probably not, but my mind wasn't automatically wired to keep track of dates so I just didn't and let the weeks pass as they did.

Before long, Halloween was approaching and preparations to hand out candy to young children were in full swing. Dad took Paisley Trick-Or-Treating around the pack while Mom went to go hand out candy at the Ceremony Hall, and I would man the house. It was the way we'd done it for years, and Paisley and I would both end up with plentiful candy. It was an agreement we had: I would save some candy from the bowl and she would get candy from unwilling participants, and then we would split it at the end of the night. A lovely tradition that ended in sugar rushes for everybody.

However, school still existed, sadly.

"Liam. Liam. Liam," Sage repeated, poking me on the arm with a pencil with each repetition. "Liam. Liam. Liam."

"What?" I asked, only slightly annoyed as I turned to face my best friend. Julie snorted at us.

"Did you study for the test? I don't want to fail alone," he pouted.

I looked at Julie. "Did you?"

"I actually did," she replied, her chest puffed with pride. "I was so responsible and decided to not spend an hour on my phone and instead make flashcards. I think I can get a reasonable B+ with all my studying."

"I didn't," I confessed, looking back to Sage, who seemed to celebrate silently.

"I half feel like making fun of you, but the other half of me knows that will come back to bite me in the butt when I don't study for the next test," Julie grinned, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Shut it," Sage sighed, turning to watch as Adriel walked into the classroom, taking his usual seat behind us without Milo in sight. My brow furrowed, confused. "Hi Adriel," he said to the brunet, who nodded once before taking out a note sheet and scanning it.

"Where's Milo?" I couldn't help asking, a sliver of concern hiding under my tone. A second passed, then Adriel looked up, fixing me with a piercing gaze. He set the note sheet down and sighed.

"And I thought you were doing so well."

"Thanks?" I said unsurely, confused if this was a good thing or not. Since he closed his eyes for a minute and exhaled sharply through his nose, I assumed the latter.

"You were making so much progress with him, you've been... together for like a month and knew of each other for even longer, and you never bothered to inquire what the date of his family's death was," he replied in a flat tone. Immediately my heart dropped to my feet. Sage and Julie gasped in synchronization.

"Are you saying that's... today?" I asked when I found my voice again. He simply nodded once before turning back to his note sheet, finished with the conversation.

What the fuck, I thought to myself, contemplating my options for barely a moment before standing, shoving everything I'd taken out back into my bag, and reaching the door of the classroom by the time the bell rang and Mrs. Barnes walked in, causing me to nearly knock her over.

"Back to your seat, Liam, class is starting," she said with a frown. I smiled apologetically.

"I don't feel very good, I'm going to go to the nurse quick," I told her, skirting around her and walking off before she could say anything else. I left my backpack in my locker before continuing to walk through the silent hallway, everyone in class or already left.

I had ditched before, though I tried not to do it relatively often; I hated having to explain it, especially to my parents, who had the worst disappointed expressions I'd ever encountered. However, today I had an excuse, and it was a damn good one.

How the fuck did I not think to ask about that one day, literally the most life-changing day of his life, fuck me, I'm such a dick, I thought to myself as I ran into the forest, fully aware that the History classroom could see me right now through the window and not caring as I got deep enough to shift.

I felt fucking awful.

Still, I forced myself to run through the trees, the day's dose of rain getting caught on the leaves above and sliding down to the ground, creating puddles wherever I stepped. I tried to think about what the hell I could even say as I neared his house, but my mind refused to concentrate, the mixture of the rain and the serenity in the air causing me to exhale heavily through my nose and shift back as I stepped into his garden.

Knocking twice at the door, I got no response. So I tried the handle, and to my surprise- Milo never seemed to leave this place vulnerable in the slightest- it worked. Still, his scent was old and it was obvious he hadn't been in there since the morning. Bubbles was asleep on the sofa to prove it. I sighed and turned to leave, but noticed an umbrella hanging on the coat rack and decided that I really didn't want to be soaked by the time I found him, whether or not he had an umbrella with him.

Once I closed the door behind me, I looked around, attempting to smell for his recognizable scent of baked goods and new books, but the rain was quickly washing away any trace of scent.

If I was Milo, where would I bury my dead family? I thought to myself before cringing at how callous it sounded. Still, it helped; out of everything I knew about his family, I knew that they kept to themselves, meaning that they were most likely not in the pack graveyard, meaning that they were probably somewhere nearby. My deduction skills surprised even myself.

Finally, after ten minutes of searching into the woods, I remembered a small clearing not too far away that had three rocks in the center, in a line, that I had never bothered to pay attention to. I bet that's it, I thought excitedly, choosing not to think about the fact that I'd been running on top of dead people for the last ten years or however long.

As I neared where I remembered the clearing to be, I found that I was correct.

The sight was more heart-wrenching than my worst fears had imagined whilst I was running.

Milo sat in front of the three stones, sitting with his legs crossed and his arms across his chest, his arms wrapped around himself in a self-hug with no umbrella in sight. Instead, his hair dripped down in front of his face and his shirt was stuck to his back, showing just how thin he truly was. He was completely soaked through, but he didn't show any signs of wanting to move.

He didn't seem to notice me, or maybe he just didn't acknowledge me, but as I walked closer with no fearful glances from him, I just put the umbrella over his head before sitting down next to him.

He looked over to me, and I noticed the tears in his eyes. "Why are you here?" He asked through a little sob. I had to stop myself from wrapping him in a hug right then and there, because personal space existed and him being like this gave me a hard time remembering that.

"You weren't at school, I got worried," I shrugged. "You didn't tell me you were planning to ditch."

"I thought you knew." He looked away. "I haven't been here on this day for the past... I don't know how many years." He looked at one of the stones, which I examined too. Malena Lazos-Rodriguez, beloved sister and daughter, 1/9/20XX-10/21/20XX. "Eight years."

"I guess I'm not very observant." We lapsed into silence as I stared at the gravestones, committing the names to memory. "This is your family?"

A tear slid down his cheek and he reached up to wipe it away, seeming to try to say something but his voice caught so he simply nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

He took a moment to answer, but when he did, it wasn't with a yes or no. "Malena was my older s-sister," he said softly, letting his hand rest on her gravestone, still shivering from the cold. "She w-was the best. She was supposed to be the next omega, before me, but she never felt like it. Most omegas- or at least me, I guess- I'm scared of everything, I don't like t-talking to people I don't know, I feel uncomfortable in every situation I'm not used to-" I nodded, supporting the umbrella with one hand so that it covered us both and reaching for his hand with my other. He gave it to me with what I interpreted as a thankful, yet sad, smile. "She wasn't like that.

"Malena liked to show people she wasn't just an omega. She actually went to the pack training s-sessions, she made friends with everyone, but she never left me behind. If I ever wanted to play with her, she'd agree without a second thought. She was funny and sarcastic and I miss her- a l-lot."

"What happened?" I prompted quietly when he stopped, lost in memories from long ago.

"On the night- this night," he continued softly, staring down at our entwined hands- I squeezed his to give him physical confirmation that he wasn't alone- "we were upstairs, we were playing with our dolls, I think. M-Mamá came upstairs, she said that bad people were coming and she t-told us to h-hide." Tears rolled down his cheeks but he didn't bother wiping them away. "She promised we'd be safe, a-and she said that Papá and her loved us, and then she went back downstairs.

"M-Malena looked out the window, a-and she nearly screamed, but I think she didn't because she didn't want to scare me. She took a floorboard o-off the floor, I think she had hidden her journal there, a-and she told me to go under the f-floor and she t-told me to be v-very quiet and s-she'd hide under the bed.

"I could hear when they came into the house, Liam," he said, looking up at me. I nodded and squeezed his hand again. "Mamá screamed and Papá shouted, but then t-they just didn't anymore. T-then the bad people came upstairs, and Malena started s-shouting, even though Mamá said to b-be quiet, and then someone s-said something and then she screamed and t-then there was an a-awful s-sound, like a tearing sound, a-and a gurgle, and then they laughed and threw her body a-across the room, a-and then they left."

"They killed them all," I echoed, staring at my mate's face and wondering how he could still manage to be coherent through his tears.

Milo nodded. "And t-then Daniel came, a-and he screamed, too, b-but he took me t-to his house a-and he w-wouldn't say that they were d-d-dead, b-but I saw the blood o-on the floor, and their b-bodies were so pale, a-and they were d-dead."

Carefully balancing the umbrella between my knees, I reached over with my now free hand to wipe his tears. He looked down, sobbing freely, as I cupped his head in my hand. Slowly, his tears slowed and his sobs stopped, and I continued using my thumbs to wipe them away.

"Th-thank you," he said, looking at me. I smiled at him, and before I could overthink it, following my instincts, I pressed my lips to his and closed my eyes.

It was a simple kiss, full of tenderness and sorrow instead of passion and strong love and desire, but sparks exploded through me just the same, searing through my veins like an addictive drug.

Sparks, and immediate regret.

"Fuck," I said as I pulled away, both of our eyes wide, mirroring each other. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as I swore at myself. "Fuck, Milo, I'm so sorry, that was so fucking impulsive, fuck, fuck, fuck-"

I was shut up by the soft feeling of his lips pressed to mine again and decided that if he was the one initiating it, it surely couldn't be as big a sin to kiss in front of his dead family as I'd first thought. But I couldn't get caught up in that, because sparks were flying and who was I to stop them?

I took one of my hands off of his face, where it still was after wiping his tears, and moved it down to his hip, feeling him relax into my other hand, which was still cupping his cheek. However, we didn't stay in that position for long, since we simultaneously broke off for air a few moments later.

"Language, language," he said softly once he'd caught his breath, his cheeks bright red, "language, language, language, language."

I laughed quietly, feeling my own flushed cheeks brighten. "Come on. I was freaking out."

"No swearing," he said sternly. "I don't like it. And you're literally in front of my family."

"I take it you're not mad about me kissing you, then?" I asked hopefully. He hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"I was just surprised. It was, um, nice, though."

I noticed him trembling and remembered he was soaked to the bone and had probably been outside in the rain without an umbrella for at least a few hours. "How long have you been out here for?"

He hesitated. "What time is it?"

I checked my phone, the screen wet despite being in my pocket. "It's ten thirty."

"Five hours?" I wasn't surprised he'd been up at the crack of dawn.

"Are you usually here all day?" I got a nod in response and sighed, looking down at my phone again as if I was reaffirming the time. "Okay, what do you say we break that tradition and don't get hypothermia?" He hesitated, looking back at the graves. "Milo, I get that it's a really important day, but seriously, hypothermia," I nearly pleaded. "We can come back when you don't look like you're about to pass out."

"Okay," he said uncertainly, getting to his feet. He stumbled a bit, nearly slipping on the slick mud that had probably once been nice grass.

"Can we go to my house?" I asked him, picking up the umbrella and looking off into the forest, noting how the pounding rain was beginning to die down. At his questioning look, I explained. "They've probably been called about me ditching. I could go back to school, but I'm wet now."

"I don't have any clothes at your house," he said uncertainly.

"You could wear some of my clothes," I pointed out, not acknowledging how happy the idea made me feel. "I don't think I'd be able to wear any of yours, and I think Adriel would attack me if I wore some of his."

"Okay," he said slowly, his deep brown eyes clouded with thoughts. "I can't really argue with that. As long as I don't, um, pass out again. Then you have to take me home."

"Will do," I laughed, holding out a hand for him to take. Smiling, he did.

"Thank you, Liam," he said, his laughter trailing off into the silence and serenity of the rain. "I think they would've liked you."

"Your family?" I couldn't mask my surprise.

"Yeah." He didn't elaborate, but that was fine because my heart felt so full that I knew I didn't need justification in order to know it was true. And that made me outstandingly happy.

I ended up with an arm around him as we walked through Lightfoot Town, the area of the pack that was full of houses and streets and such. Nobody was outside; probably a good idea as thunder roared in the distance. I relaxed and Milo stiffened in synchronization as we entered my house.

"Liam? Is that you?" Mom's voice called from upstairs. She appeared through a doorway a moment later and sighed. "Why are you all wet? Hello, Milo, nice to see you again- why are you both soaked?"

"It's raining," I pointed out the obvious.

"Yes, I can tell," she rolled her eyes. "Why were you outside?"

I shrugged with a promise through our link to explain it later, and she nodded.

"Well, you'd both best get warm and dry. Liam, you have towels in your room, go get Milo some new clothes, please. Then you are both coming down here and I'll make some tea."

"Okay," I nodded, turning to lead my mate up the stairs. He followed silently, his heart thumping slightly faster than normal, but I ignored it, knowing it would just make him uncomfortable if I brought it up. Once we reached my room, I let go of his hand and walked over to the dresser. "Here's a shirt and sweatshirt, and some pants," I said, handing the clothes to him, trying to choose the clothes that were the tightest on me to fit him the best. He nodded. "The bathroom's through that door, just come out when you're finished changing and we'll go wash your wet clothes."

"Thanks," he whispered. I smiled at him comfortingly.

"No problem."

When he closed the door behind him, I had to spend a good ten seconds slapping my face just to get my brain to function correctly.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened a crack and Milo peeked out as if worried I wasn't done changing. I was, so I walked over and opened the door the rest of the way, noting with a smile how small he seemed in my too-big clothes. Leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips, I placed a hand on his hip.

"Are you ready?" I asked him when we separated, studying his expression carefully for any signs of panic. Instead, he smiled slightly.

"I think so."

I reached for him and took his hand in mine. He leaned into me partially, seeming tired, so I supported him down the stairs so that he wouldn't fall, which was most definitely the only reason for it. Mom was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of peppermint tea. "Shall we go to the living room?" she asked with a smile, picking up the tray she had made. I nodded at her with a grateful smile.

Our living room matched the rest of the home my father and mother had built together; light creamy walls scarred over with years of crayon marks and places we'd accidentally broken. The room was cozy inside, with two large sofas and two armchairs. One of the sofas had a very bad view of the hanging television, being almost directly underneath it, so it was rarely used. However, now Mom sat down on it, placing the tray of tea on the coffee table, gesturing for Milo and I to sit on the opposing sofa. I handed my mate a cup of the tea once Mom poured it.

"Where's Dad?" I asked, bringing the hot cup to my lips to blow on slightly.

"Out with Eva, exploring the uninhabited woods to the east. They're looking to see if they could expand, since if all goes well this week and next, we should be able to start accepting more refugees into the pack soon," she explained, probably for Milo's sake since I already knew all this. I nodded in response. "So what were you two doing out in the rain?"

I looked silently at Milo, not wanting to bring him unwanted attention but unwilling to explain everything he'd just told me to a third party without his consent.

"It's the anniversary of my family's death," he said quietly, wrapping his fingers around the hot cup of tea but not drinking from it. "I usually spend all day out by them."

"Oh, dear," Mom sighed sadly. "Well, I'm glad you're inside now. Today is not the right day to be outside. Can you hear the wind?"

I could, it whistled harshly to my sensitive ears. I flinched. Milo just shrugged, though.

"Well, there's no way either of you are leaving this house until the rain stops," she continued.

"Why is Dad allowed to be out?" I couldn't help but ask, a small smile playing around my lips. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Your father is smart enough to know when to come back inside as to not get hypothermia. Evidently, you aren't."

"Hey," I complained, knowing her teasing was light-hearted.

"What do you two want for lunch?" Milo and I shrugged as she stood, draining the rest of her tea cup and placing it back on the tray. "Great, you're getting leftovers. Thanks for making this easy for me."

Milo's vegetarian, I let her know through our link. She passed me a nod as she left the room and moved to the kitchen. I heard some distant banging as cupboards opened.

I shifted to look at my mate, who was slowly sipping his tea. He looked up at me, too, the arms of my sweatshirt so long on him that his hands were completely hidden. "I like your sweatshirt," he said to me, blinking, as his ears turned pink. "It's very comfortable."

I laughed lightly, leaning forward to press kisses to his forehead, both cheeks, nose, and when he hummed impatiently, his lips. He laughed into the kiss, a joyous sound that warmed my heart to the core. When we finally released, not wanting to be far apart, I rested our foreheads together as we both caught our breath.

"Thank you, Liam," he smiled at me through slightly gasping breaths. I tilted my head slightly.

"For what?"

"A lot of things." His eyes fluttered closed. "For understanding, I guess."

I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, hoping it conveyed everything I wanted it to- joy at his openness, happiness at his willingness to share, love and adoration for him that was only slightly platonic. It was a lot, but I thought he got some of it at least.

"I'm glad to," I smiled, before leaning in to capture his lips in mine once more.

--

This chapter is known affectionately in my head as 'the sad chapter'.

I might have cried while writing this one? I don't remember lol

Thoughts?

Vote and comment and all that crap, I love feedback, have a great day!

-bloom :)

(also like 3500 words that is C R A Z Y for me, usually they're around 2000 lol)