Moonlit Shadows

Appreciation for the Mundane

Aydan moved a chair behind Zephyr, then tapped his shoulder to encourage him to sit and rest. For hours Zephyr had been pacing the floor of the chamber as he waited for any sign of improvement from Sunny. After enduring such a horrendous battle and the exhausting days before it, the Alpha wolf was looking less than energetic.

Zephyr looked over his shoulder at Aydan's concerned expression and sighed. He lowered himself into the chair and let out a groan as the cushions wrapped around his body.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get up if I sit here for any length of time," he muttered to Aydan, who smiled at him proudly.

"Then I shall do whatever you need done. For now, rest a while. Nothing has changed anyway." Aydan glanced over at Sunny lying still on the bed.

"And I am afraid nothing will," whispered Zephyr.

Taehyung did his best to ignore their despondent remarks. He sat next to Sunny on the bed and held her cold hand in his own. She looked so beautiful and peaceful despite the war for survival raging in her body. At least he hoped it was a war; one that Sunny was winning.

He found himself staring at her chest, watching for each shallow breath she took. They were few and far between, with a few ghastly gasps in the middle. He refused to believe the love of his long and painful life could be on her way out of it.

Raising her hand to his lips, he pressed a long kiss to the thin fingers. His heart was breaking and he felt helpless. There was absolutely nothing he could do except wait for whatever concoction Zephyr made to fight off the poison.

Feeling the need to be even closer to her, he stretched himself out on the bed beside her, pulling her body into his arms and wrapping himself around her. He breathed in her cinnamon scent and let it envelope his senses. He never tired of smelling it. It filled him with warmth that his vampiric self could only feel when he was near Sunny.

Taehyung kissed her temple, then her cheek. Tears filled his eyes and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't let his emotions overwhelm him again. Instead, he chose to voice his doubt and fear in the form of whispers only Sunny could hear.

"You know, it's not fair if you leave first. You haven't been with me long enough to even consider leaving. Sunny, I'm nothing without you. You are the best part of me. You came into my life and made up for all the horrible things I was. I can't go back to that, Sunny. I just can't."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the side of her head. Tears trickled down his cheeks and onto the pillow below his head, causing a dark stain to slowly spread across the fabric. Time felt like it had stopped as his tears fell more freely onto the pillow.

"You...will nev...er be alone..."

Taehyung's gritty eyelids popped open at the sound of the raspy whisper. He waited a moment to assure himself that he was not imagining hearing her voice, then raised his head and looked into the bloodshot eyes of his beautiful wife.

Sobs erupted from him like lava from a volcano as he pulled Sunny against his chest. She groaned and shifted in his arms, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go.

"Taehyung, lay her down! I need to examine her," said Zephyr, his voice laced with tentative excitement. He had heard Sunny's hoarse voice and had sprung out of his seat, despite his exhaustion.

Taehyung reluctantly laid his wife back down into the satiny sheets and let Zephyr check her vital signs. However, his hand never let go of hers. He was afraid if he let go, she would fall back asleep and never wake up.

"Her heartbeat is stronger than it was. Respirations are beginning to increase also. I think the antidote is finally getting the upper hand." Zephyr grinned happily and patted Taehyung' shoulder. "You are one lucky vampire."