His Hunter

IV | A Million Miles

Do you know what it feels like to have your heart wrenched from your chest? To honestly believe that all the things in your world that have gone wrong are your fault? To lose the one thing, the one person, in your life that you unconditionally love?

Cole arrived at the hospital with tears in his eyes. His father had sent him a text, a text instead of calling. Something so important, and he'd only found it within himself to text. Cole was angry, but more so than at his father, he was angry at himself. He had a suspicion that this was all his fault, that, once again, he'd let his sister down. 

Last time, she'd come home with an injury. This time, she wouldn't come home at all. And why? Because of some...Cole didn't even know what it was. A tingling on his skin. It was like a creeping feeling that something big was happening, that he was where he was supposed to be. He'd felt it first the day his father had sent him to the woods to protect the border. He'd felt it so strongly then, like the universe was trying to send him a message. 

That day, he'd stopped short in the woods. The others had stopped with him, asking him over and over again if he'd seen something, heard something. But Cole couldn't pay them any attention. He closed his eyes and felt, felt the slight breeze on his skin mix coolly with the warmth on his skin, come from no where. It was a crisp morning, cold enough that he could see his own breath. And yet here he was, feeling a hot surge he couldn't explain. 

"Cole!" He opened his eyes and looked at Tom, who had worry written all over his face. "What are you doing, son?"

Cole shook his head, "Sorry, I...got distracted." 

"That's how you get killed," Tom scolded, but his eyes were still soft, concerned. 

"You're right," Cole said, "I'm sorry. You go on. I need to clear my head." Cole wasn't sure why, but he wanted to stay where he was. He didn't know what it was about that specific spot in the woods, but there was something that was keeping him there. He glanced around at the imposing trees, suddenly vividly aware of the beauty of the forest on that quiet winter morning. 

"Hell if I leave you here when there's wolves about, boy," Tom said, "Now come on." 

Cole for a minute thought he would resist, head off into the woods with that feeling on his skin. He felt like his heart was being tugged to the trees, as though there was something out there whispering his name. He stared towards them. He felt as he had when he'd seen those two wolves, mates, in the forest. His chest felt heavy. Finally, he shook his head, "You're right." 

That day, he'd gone on with Tom and the rest. But the feeling he'd had still haunted him. He'd left again under the guise of patrolling and sat in the woods, imagining that he could feel that way again. He'd gone to the same spot, sat and listened, opened his heart...but there was nothing. Silence. His skin felt cold and his heart felt empty. 

Yet he kept returning, sitting in the same spot when he should have been patrolling. He brought his little black book with him and wrote about what it was that he felt, telling the pages because he didn't think anyone else would listen; even if Kaia would have, he didn't want to worry her when she was in the hospital. He, once again, had let the emptiness in his heart overtake him when he should have been protecting his sister. He should have been there, with her at the hospital. But he hadn't been. He'd been selfishly following that stupid feeling, what he kept telling himself was nothing, but...it had felt so good. 

She's gone. That's what it had said. Just that. She's gone. 

Cole slammed the hospital door open. He was breathing hard, holding back tears that he knew would fall any second. "What happened?"