"Shine! Just hold on a second!" Luke called out as she angrily stormed away from the bar, her boots slamming into the hard unforgiving ground, showing just how furious she was. Her entire body was trembling with rage to the point that it was overwhelming her. It was coming in waves and filling her up, almost causing her to hyperventilate.
Her eyes filled with tears but she forced them to stay open as she marched on, making her way home. All she needed now was the sanctuary of her house, away from the wolves and the horrors of the night. So, she ignored her best friend's calls as she marched on.
Luke didn't give up on her though, he kept following her, keeping pace with her until he eventually caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm, "hey Shine, this is me, okay?"
"Leave me alone!" She snapped at him, refusing to look at him.
He turned her around, using his hands to hold her in place, "I don't think that's going to happen. Shine, everyone knows how much you loved Ulva and who he was to you. But then, you also know who he was to everyone else. He wasn't just our alpha, he was a part of us. A part of our families. Hence the reason the others were being so hard on you, they just wanted answers."
"Yeah, and how silly of me not to have them. See Luke, I'm not in the mood for this, okay?" She said as she tried to pull herself from his grasp but he held on tight to her. "Let me go, Luke."
"Okay," he released her and without another word, she turned and stormed off once again. Luke paused for a few seconds and then followed her, he just couldn't bear to leave her alone at a time like this.
They walked down the deserted streets, the streetlamps lighting their path as they covered the distance with surprising speed. With everyone still at the bar, there was no one else on the road with them. The place was quiet, making their footsteps thud noisily against the asphalt. He could hear the sounds of nocturnal animals, creatures that had always been a part of the Borough since he was born. However, none of that made sense at the time.
Slowly, Ashina's house crept into view, and the closer they got to it, the more hurriedly she walked as if she was on an ultimatum. The house was a condominium located right on the side of the road. It had a warm and cozy look all around it. There were beautiful flowers although their aesthetics were lost to the night. However, Luke could perceive their beautiful fragrance in the air as they both walked down the yard.
Ashina began pulling her keys out even before she got to the door. Her hands trembled as she struggled to slide the key into the lock. Luke considered taking it from her but it eventually slid home and she turned it. With a slight creak, the door slid open and she stormed in, using her heel to kick it back shut in a pure reflex action. The door was about to slam shut in his face when Luke slapped it back open.
He walked through the door and gently closed it behind himself. Ashina turned and sent a baleful stare his way, if he didn't know her so well, his soul would have left his being. But he stood his ground and kept his expression neutral.
"I'm home, okay? You wanted to make sure I didn't rip anyone's head off on the way here, I didn't. Can you leave now?"
Luke stood for a few seconds as he studied her, he then slowly shook his head. "Nah… I don't think so."
He then made his way to the cabinet that was built into the wall, it held an array of drinks. The living room was just like the house itself, warm and cozy. There were sure markers of her mother's influence in everything about it. From the soft cushions to the flowery curtains, it screamed homey to whoever cared to listen. There were also soft light bulbs that ensured the glare of the lights in the room wasn't too much. There was a music box paced against the corner, one that had not been used in a very long time.
The setting of the house was not new to Luke, he knew every inch of the place like the back of his hand. He and Ashina had been friends since childhood, doing everything together. And at a time, that had been his hope: they would keep doing everything together. However, things had happened at a dramatic pace and Ashina had changed so much over the years, confusing even him sometimes.
Now, as he took out a bottle of vodka from the cabinet and two glasses, he glanced over at her and watched as she lowered herself onto the couch and began to take off her boots, she yanked them off her feet as if they were responsible for killing Ulva, then she threw them unceremoniously onto the floor. She then popped the first two buttons of her jacket, twisting her neck from side to side as she tried to get more comfortable.
When Luke took the drink to her, the tears in her eyes were gone and she had that stoic expression she had at the bar. He handed her a glass and poured her a generous amount, he then poured some for himself. She didn't drink it though, she simply held on to it, staring at the gold liquid intently.
"Shine," he muttered. "I can't begin to imagine that I even know what you're going through. Not by a long shot. However, I'm telling you that you don't have to do this on your own. You don't have to do any of this on your own. You don't have to bottle it all in either, you're free to grieve for what you've lost."
"Grieve?" She muttered dully, her voice sounding empty and flat. "Why the fuck should I grieve? What right do I have to grieve Ulva?" Then, in a surprising move, she drank the vodka, taking it all in one single gulp.
"I know what he meant to you–"
"Just shut the fuck up, Luke!" She cried in anger, she poured herself another drink and surged to her feet. "What the hell makes you think you know me that well? What the hell makes you think you even know Ulva that well?"
"Uhm… what are you talking about? We've known him all our lives, if we don't know him, then what do we know?"
"But you were wrong, Luke. We were wrong to think we knew him! We were wrong about so many things and now I'm here with you having this fucking conversation that I don't want to have! I shouldn't be here, Luke! It shouldn't be me here! Why the fuck did Ulva do that?" As she spoke, her voice rose with each word leading to a terrifying crescendo. "Why the fuck would he do something as stupid and senseless as that?"
As her rage intensified, she swung the glass against her wall, it hurtled through the air and smashed against the wall with a rhythmic sound.
"Shine!" Luke cried as he got up, dropping his untouched drink on the table.
"He had no right, Luke!" She cried, the tears were back now in full force. "He had no right to do that to me! Not to me!"
Without another word, Luke enveloped her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him as she pressed her face into his broad chest while her entire body shook from the intensity of her sobs. He gently ran his fingers through her long silky hair as he comforted her. Her tears soaked up his shirt, messing it up but neither of them cared as they remained in the spot.
Luke felt as if he was the one going through the pain himself and it hurt him just as much. He wanted to take the pain from her, but the lack of a way to do it was infuriating. No one knew better than he just how much Ashina had gone through. First, her mother had gone missing, vanishing from the Borough without a trace. Then, her father died not long after. Ulva had taken her in and given her a home. He became a father figure to her and their relationship was akin to an uncle and his niece.
For someone so young, she had experienced way too much loss and it was just piling up. Luke could tell that she was trying to be strong but this was taking everything that she had in her.
Ashina held onto him like a drowning woman who was scared of losing her lifeline. She couldn't help but wonder what he would think when he found out she was the one who killed Ulva, she wondered how much he would change towards her when he realized that killing Ulva automatically made her the new alpha. She was terrified of the things that would change when everything eventually came to light. She didn't know how long she could keep it to herself. She didn't know if it was wise to keep it all to herself.
"It's alright, Shine," Luke said, running his hand down her back and his fingers through her hair. "I'm right here for you."
Slowly, she pulled herself away from him and looked at him. Their eyes met as he wiped the tears off her cheeks. She thought about how close they were and how well they knew each other. She realized that if she couldn't trust Luke with her secret, then she was really in a whole lot of trouble.
"I'm sorry for messing up your shirt," she whispered, trying to get herself back.
He looked down at it and shrugged, "I have many. What matters is that you're alright."
"Luke, there's something I'm yet to tell you about tonight."
He shifted slightly on his feet, "yeah, I'm listening."
She looked at him once again, then was about to open her mouth to tell him about what happened when they heard a knock on the door. The knock was heavy and persistent, causing her to frown as she demanded; "who is there?"
"Open up, we have to talk."
Just then, both friends felt their anger resurrect as they recognized the voice. It was Drake.