His, Eternally [18+]

Chapter Forty-Six: Thin Ice

just an FYI: this chapter may be hard to understand, due to the fact that it's in Thaddeus' Point of View and his mind is extremely scattered. So if the topic keeps switching, that's why. I'm trying to impersonate what he feels as much as possible xoxo

Thaddeus' Point of View:

          She is angry with me — this I know. I had done something horrible to her, something so despicable that it would take ages to make it up to her; but I was willing to wait. I was willing to make it up to my mate, no matter how long it would take. I absolutely had to mark her. I had to feel the mate pull at it's ultimatum, or else I would be unable to protect her. I needed to feel all of her pain, the sound of her heart beating, to reassure me. I know it's cruel and harsh, but I felt obligated to. I couldn't let her get hurt. She was my universe, my galaxy, my sun, moon and stars — she was everything in between, too. Every time she cried, I felt my heart aching. The familiar twinge came back at least twice a day, as I had already been gone for a week trying to figure out some sort of compromise with these witches. Alas, there was no negotiation. The tension stood high between the weres and the witches, a feud I thought we were all long past. They threatened my men and I, often speaking an incoherent Native language.

Also, although I sought to protect her, I was not at my strongest. Indie was heartbroken, and she had absolutely no idea how deeply in danger she was.

My wolf protested, he was angry that she was upset. "We know what's best for her," and "We had to mark her. She will get over it," "We must kill all of them to protect her," He growled in my mind. However, I knew that wasn't true. She was so human, despite her powers. Her emotions and vulnerability lay at the surface of her skin, cracking like thin ice. She was fragile. This type of hurt she was enduring because of me was valid, but I couldn't let myself even admit it out-loud. And, I couldn't bring myself to mercilessly kill all of them. Indie had felt so alone her entire life — these people were the only ones like her.

I staggered across the forest floor, gripping at my sides. My wolf had been weakened by the attacks, slowing down my healing process immensely. My feet trudged against the icy ground, bare and frozen. The snow fell onto my body, melting from the heat of my skin. I had been walking for hours — ten of my men dead after the attacks. They wanted Indie, to take her back. Much like the tension hundreds of years ago when the witches first set this curse upon my people, the feud still existed. However, within time all of the werewolf community had stopped anticipating some war between us. We were wrong. As the last pure-blood witches discovered that Indie was a mate to me, all hell had broken loose. When I had refused, they had killed my men without even a touch of a finger.

You may be wondering, why wouldn't I just slaughter them? It would be easy, to kill them off. In fact, some, I did. But there was a woman who caught my eye. She looked much like Indie, however with a deeper complexion, she looked Native American — long, dark hair that curled at the ends, down past her stomach. Something in me told me not to hurt her. I believed she was Indie's aunt, or mother... Someone related to her, in some way. Indie's most likely resenting me now, maybe she even feels a particular hatred. I couldn't of possibly killed someone that looked so much like her with such ease.

Ever since I had marked Indie, the letter 'I' formed just below my collarbone. It looked much like a tattoo, but a natural color as well — thus resembling an odd birthmark. When I was fighting off the group that was planning to take Indie, the woman saw it — her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes going wide with shock. She ran, leaving the others behind while I killed the rest. Blood splattered the white-covered forest floor. Before I had met Indie, I had no issue with killing. But now, I felt some sort of deep guilt and pain. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling my wolf go unconscious. I heard none of his remarks, instead he was completely quiet.

I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by the humanity and pain that had touched me so intensely.

        "Thaddeus!" I heard a high-pitched scream. I groaned, feeling my body covered in snow and overcome by pain; both physically and mentally. I peeled my eyes open, confused if I was hallucinating or not. The white color of the snow blinded my eyes, making my head hurt. "Thaddeus, it's me." I heard Indie's voice call out.

"Indie, go inside!" I roared, trying to lift my head up from the forest floor. "Go inside now!" I yelled out again, hearing the soft pattern of footsteps.

"Someone, help us!" She cried out. I looked up at her angelic face, smiling lightly. She looked like an angel, the tip of her nose pink from the cold and her hair cascading down her back. She was only wearing a light blue hospital gown, her feet bare. I frowned, crawling towards her to cover her from the cold air. I used my elbows to get closer to her, making her back away. Her eyes began to brim with tears, falling down her face and in rhythmic pattern. Her teeth chattered, as she clutched her chest.

"You're hurt. I knew you were hurt." She sobbed, tugging at her hair slightly. I reached out my hand to touch her, to feel her soft cheek in my palm, to have her lean into me as she always did. She flinched when I brushed my fingers against her face, making my heart seemingly rip into two.