Alpha Female | COMPLETED

41| Heal

-:Ashton's POV:-

Cecelia changed. After all the shit went down months ago, her spark dulled.

She lost all contact with Serafine.

None of us had really expected that. When Cecelia couldn't feel Serafine upon regaining consciousness, we hadn't paid any mind to it. She had faced the same problem last time and we were optimistic that it would be alright in a few days. We had not anticipated the loss of her wolf because her medical history was rare and uncommon.  

Cecelia retreated into her own shell, her own mind. She was a prisoner of her own thoughts. She kept having nightmares for several weeks despite me being beside her all along. She would scream, thrash and wake up in hysterics. She would cry herself back to sleep in my arms.

She lost a huge piece of herself rather literally. She felt incomplete and broken.

For a long time, it was hard to get her to even smile. In those days, she lost her fight. She became passive. She buried herself in school work in the daylight hours and as soon as the sun would set, she would busy herself with novels and more school work. Her initial ban from training in order to help her recovery had become her guilty habit.

She had moved in with me and had been initiated into our pack a while ago. The change of scenario seemed to help her. She went for long walks in the forest and I accompanied her. It became our thing, holding hands and walking back and forth from our house to the stream.

She was slowly opening up again. Her nightmares were less frequent and she could sleep through the night. Her dark circles ceased to exist and her eyes slowly regained their light. She would just stare at the training wolves from the terrace of our house and her eyes would tear up with nostalgia and remembrance. You could see her fighting the battle with her desolation if would ever catch her in a room alone.

And you could see her winning gradually.

She made me feel in awe of her. She was so strong, it was inspiring. She was trying and that in itself was astounding.

I did my best to help her. I kept her distracted with surprise hugs, kisses, dates, meals, movie nights. Anything I could think of.

She wasn't herself completely, but she would get there. She was a born fighter.  

Julian and Liana called last month to give us the good news. Liana had given birth to two healthy twins - both boys. So did someone named Diana- but a day prior to Liana - to a baby boy. They seemed to be a part of Julian's family because Cecelia seemed well acquainted with them. She told me later that Diana was Julian's older brother, Jason's mate.

I noticed how after that phone call, Cecelia seemed to be in better spirits. It was the best she had been in months and I couldn't be happier. We went for another walk that night and she actually attempted a nice conversation that did not seem forced. I had not even realized how much I had missed that.

Our life was gradually been getting back on track. Both Cecelia and I wanted to go to a nice college and graduate before we took on our positions in the Pack. We had been applying to different colleges and so far we had both heard back with positive results only from one Ivy League college - Stanford. We were more than happy to enroll immediately because we both got into the courses of our desires.

We would be leaving this September.

Speaking of, we had our Prom next weekend. I, with the help of Riley and Bree - bless them - had managed to convince Cecelia to attend. It would be the last highlight of our high school life before we graduated. The girls were off to dress shopping today since it was a Sunday.

Cecelia and I still hadn't marked and mated each other yet. Xavier had been mourning the loss of his wolf mate, too. He lost a piece of his soul that he shared with Serafine.

I knew Cecelia and I had to talk but none of us had brought it up yet. We both needed closure and to talk about our situation. With Cecelia feeling much better than before, I sensed the talk very close.

On the whole, our journey hadn't been smooth. There was so much we had to come to terms with. So much we had to fight for, to heal, to learn from. There were dark times when we almost gave up. Those moments in life when it felt like there was no hope. But, that was not true. 

There is always light at the end of a dark tunnel.

The brightest day comes after the darkest night.

We just have to stay patient, not lose hope, and go on. It may seem hard, but it's always worth it. At least, try. Because the world will go on. Time will not stop. Eventually, we will stop hurting. In due course, we will heal. If we keep fighting, at the end of the day we will emerge as winners.

Live your life, you only have one chance.

After all, if it were all smooth, it would not be much of a life, would it? How would we even know we're alive if we wouldn't feel that rush of adrenaline, feel those tears of sadness, and hear our heart pumping with joy, fear, or excitement from time to time?

I looked at the tuxedo the girls had chosen for me. The tie I owned was a shade of blue they called 'azure'. They fell in love with it and are searching for a dress that would match it instead of the other way around. 

That was too complicated for my brain.

My phone pinged with a notification. A personalized notification which meant Cecelia was texting me. I opened the chat to see Cecelia in three different dresses of that color. Riley and Bree must've figured out her password again. Cecelia seemed to be putting on an annoyed exterior but her eyes were alight with warmth and humor. It was so much like her, it was heartwarming. A smile tugged at my lips as I continued looking at it. They wanted me to choose. I did.

I shook my head, glancing at the time. It was a little over seven. Time to start on dinner. Yes, I learned how to cook. And I did a pretty good job if Ce's reactions were anything to go by. Mom was so proud.

I thought about what to cook and an idea came to me. I smiled to myself as I checked all the ingredients for it. When I found I had everything, I got to work, all the while picturing Cecelia's excitement upon knowing what dinner was going to be.

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A/N:-

Not the end like I thought. I'm aiming for a better and brighter ending for my readers. I realized it was a little too dark right here. It'll get better, I promise. Have a great day/night.

Until next time, lots of love,
xoxo.