"Are you listening to me?" Morpheus ignored my shameless ramble while he placed my figure back on the ground, setting me down from his protective arms, and flattening my feet into the short deck. My toes wiggled together within the thin casing of socks. "Morpheus, I am really scared."

"I have never been afraid of Kovina," he replied.

My legs were standing up straight, frozen in fear, but my knees were weakening with each passing second. I exclaimed quickly, a mixture between whispering and shouting, as I eyed the suspicious building, "That's because it's you!"

The building itself was an unknown structure that resembled a house, but it was clearly unable to become a true home, so it persisted as a fraud. The remnants of pushing and pulling were the only connections that I had to it, and my scalp throbbed at the then recent memory. An encompassing chill murmured of dirty secrets that had long remained chained underneath the rotted siding and the loose shingles of that building. And, one by one, they would soon come to light.

Morpheus moved to take my hand before resting it against the middle of his chest. "You should not be afraid of Kovina, either. She is not as powerful as she believes," he spoke truthfully, "she never has been. Be honest with me, is what you claim the truth, my mate? Are you really afraid of Kovina, or are you afraid of her intimidation? You are strong. I would never lie to you about this fact, but I would also not leave you alone for you to realize it by yourself."

"You won't always be with me." I waved my hand through the air, shaking away his affectionate energy. "If I were to really believe that, then I would probably end up dead in a ditch somewhere."

Morpheus curled his top lip to reveal a protruding canine. His hand wrapped around my fingers as he stiffened, compressing them together in an attempt to either threaten me or keep his own composure. The action was softer than expected, but there was a lingering voice telling me to quiet myself down. He spoke again, "Is it that hard to refrain from making comments like that? I'm starting to think that you despise me."

"Well, you're not exactly in the clear."

"Must you argue?" He ran a hand down his face, dragging his frustration. "I do not enjoy this."

"Look at the state of me, Morpheus!" My stare was wide as I mocked the confidence of his words, pointing at my faltering form. The fabric of my outfit was mostly shredded and ripped, stretched and contorted. However, it was the skin beneath the material that had been affected the worst. The natural paleness burned amongst the struggle—riddled with red blotches, spattered with gore, and peppered in bruises. "I'm practically in shambles!"

A congested cry bubbled in my throat. Morpheus did not respond, so instead, I did. My tone was hushed with embarrassment, "I'm not like you."

"You are far better than me," Morpheus swore. "There were times that I would pray to my mother, to my uncles and aunts, to those who could hear my defeated faith. But, they had abandoned me in spirit. They had forgotten me in a time that I had no knowledge of. And, it took me centuries to accept that they had raised me just to desert me at the first mistake. You have made no mistakes, not like I have. It was not lust for power that controlled me, it was fear. And, I will not let it use you."

He began to twirl a fugitive curl of mine that had feathered off to the side. The strand enveloping his pointer finger. "They must have answered you once."

"No," he refuted, "it was you who had saved me. They had sent me into torment only to wonder why I had gone mad. They had grown tired of caring for the very world that they had created—Živahad began to despise her pairings, Ikelos started to loath restless nights, and Sirona had finally realized how bothersome it can be to heal the dying. They are all guilty in my eyes. My mother was merely one of the first, but they, too, will try to split their genes, sorrows, and duties unto their offspring. They will be loved as labourers. Their children will be trained to reject failure, but in the end, it will consume them as it did me."

"Morpheus-"

"Ah, but that is all in the past now, because I have a future to welcome." Morpheus smiled down at me with a boyish grin. "I will no longer hold grudges against those who have wronged me, especially when I have you. It would be hypocritical of me to feign as the sole victim after what was forced onto you."

The bond. The responsibility. The role.

"Maybe in the beginning," I admitted. The hem of my shirt fiddled around with my fingers, playing a game of chase, while I mentally traced the dividing lines of wood beneath my feet. "I feel different about you. Now, that is. After everything that we've been through together, and after all that I had to go through alone. I feel better with you by my side."

"Then, it is settled." Morpheus maneuvered my form to become perched in front of him, tensing as my back cuddled itself into his chest. "We will both find Kovina. Together, as fated, as leaders and lovers."

"Yes," I swallowed my resistance, "okay."

Morpheus leaned forward, partly shielding me in his arms as he reached out to open the ridged door. And, with a satisfying creak, it thrusted ajar. He pushed the entrance further open.

"It is safe for you in here." Morpheus applied little pressure to my back, urging me forward. "The entirety of the Ventus pack has the land completely guarded. They have been proudly commemorating the great upheaval of the vampire species, which included the help of their own rebel foe. Though, it seems that, for most, praising the rising of their Luna is far more thrilling. You are the first to appear in centuries, after all. There will be no mistakes or chances granted, this will be successful, for the area already lacks in vitality. This, is exactly what my father could only dream to witness."

"That's kind of sad-" I took a step into the wretched building, "-that he isn't here to see it come true."

"Ah, well, he did live more than a lifetime. There were many other events for him to celebrate." Morpheus added, "That is the way of life. My father had plans that only I could fulfill, and I'm sure that this pattern will continue. In fact, I have a similar sentiment for something else."

I let the sounds of the floorboards guide me. "Really? About what?"

Morpheus purred a 'yes' and explained, "When I was younger, I would often try to imagine what it would be like to live without unnecessary violence surrounding me. A life without war, essentially. A treaty of peace between werewolves, and vampires, and humans alike, would mean more than just comfort. It would mean less death, less deprivations, less concern. It was not like this during my time—to be able to claim a vampire or a human as a mate? I never thought that I could see it happen, not without hardship. I know that this is still only the beginning, but I do believe that such a wish will come true, with more time and understanding."

"Do you think that-"

A repugnant scent drifted across the damp hall, gripping at my neck and nearly separating me from Morpheus as though it was an invisible force. The putrid odour burned the corneas of my eyes, and they watered with an uncontrollable sting. I staggered backwards with a slight cough. "What is that awful smell?"

"You will recognize it once you see what is causing it." Morpheus ripped off a piece of his shirt, the sound echoing against the walls, and pressed it over my small nose. There was a subtle musk to it that was oddly soothing. "This will help, but it won't be enough."

I took a deep breath just as he shoved the last door open. The surrounding decay swarmed me like an infection. And, I couldn't hold back the bile that surfaced from the pit of my stomach. The contents spewed from my mouth, expelling past the boundary of my poor fingers and dribbling through the impromptu handkerchief. Morpheus was swift at pulling back my hair into a makeshift ponytail. My gut emptied itself of the breakfast that Vakerie served me that very morning, anointing the passage with regurgitated tea and acidic stomach juices.

Morpheus cursed through gritted teeth, and the sound of tearing fabric followed close after. Another slimy retch racked my body, forcibly bending my back as my stomach contracted, and more slushy fluid escaped. After a few tentative acts of spitting, Morpheus wiped at my mouth with another segment of his already torn shirt.

It took me mere milliseconds to recognize what surrounded the both of us—which was cages upon cages of debilitated vampires littering the walls. Their bodies reeked of the familiar, rancid scent. They were quiet amongst the chaos, deathly still, like abused and scrutinized mice with no will left to live. I stared into the closest slit, feeling the cold spark of the metal bars sink into the inflamed skin of my cheeks, and catching sight of a pair of hollow, red-rimmed eyes.

The layers of their face were grey and baggy—melting at the suffocating temperature. Their bones jutted out from under their skin, shrinking at the malnourishment they were forced to attain. If their bodies could tell stories, they would screech of undeserved cruelty, but their lips could only crack into dry seams as they struggled to speak.

A thought struck me. They were once human beings, with bodies and personalities, with emotions and feelings, with families and friends, with aspirations and goals, with likes and dislikes, with hobbies and responsibilities—humans. Yet, looking at them now, it was almost impossible to visualize them as anything other than sorrowful mutations.

My vision travelled to memorize more. The only differences between them all were various injuries. The missing limbs, violently chewed and badly torn. The eye sockets, some empty and diseased with pus. The heads, void of individuality and commonly bald.

Morpheus suddenly blocked the vampires from view, towering over me, and gently blew a puff of air into my face to gain my attention. I glanced up at him, expecting his voice, but he pointed his chin forward at something instead. Carefully, I followed the hint.

The silence of the night was my best friend as I latched onto the image of Kovina curled up into the darkest corner of the room. A stray heel was stuck at least five feet away from her. The fetal position made her seem small, weak, and similar to those that were once under her on the food chain. Kovina was no longer a strong apex predator, dominating the top. Kovina had become the prey.

She stared into the endless abyss of despair, her almond eyes lacking their bewitching violet colour and sprawled agape with terror. They were completely desiccated, and the only evidence left of what they once were had been painted onto her flushed, vacant cheeks. However, the painful scratches that were done by her nails had almost torn the trails of tears completely off. Her fingertips were whittled down to nothing but bones.

The edges of her discoloured, blue lips were coated in foam, and even then, she was still frothing at the mouth.

"This is a fear that I can relate to." Morpheus reached for my hand, clasping it tightly. "I believe that you should fight with your fears, but I am also starting to think that this might have been too much for you to handle. This is hard to watch, even for me."

"What-" I squeezed his hand, "-Who did this to her?"

"Remember," he answered, "that gods hate to have failures for children."

Morpheus moved from behind, sidestepping me. And, although my eyes never left her haunted ones, I felt the comforting touch of my mate as he placed a kiss upon my forehead. The bond melted into the air.

"I'm not sure if you would like to see this, but be assured that I will show them mercy." I nodded at his promise and agreed that I had witnessed too much that fateful day. "Wait for me outside, okay?"

The sharp sounds of snapping filtered the hallway as I left that horrible scene. The crackling of bones continued to echo past the exact moment when I closed the door behind me. It may have been selfish, but there was a piece of me that wanted the outside world to be separated from whatever horrors took place in that building.

There was no fear left for me to have.

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