You make sure I always see the daylight

Together the pair of Mendacium wolves left the burning pyre behind them, and with it the last remnants of Relm, as they made their way... well, wherever it was Manea was taking him. Alastor didn't ask any questions or raise any fuss; he simply followed her direction like a robot, mindless and vacant. His thoughts were a million miles away and almost a decade back in time. Perhaps Manea saw that emptiness in his stare, because every now and then he would feel the press and brush of her body against his, a gentle rubbing of their sides that snapped his mind back into the present if only for a few moments. They passed by Alias lake, through the pine forests, up the serpentine mountain paths towards their home, Manea giving him those little affections every now and then whenever his mind got a bit too far away from him.

Before he knew it, they had arrived back at their den. A glance back down to the forests below and he could just vaguely see the glow of orange out in the woods where Relm continued to burn. That's all she was now—a distant glowing ember on the fringes of his memory. Alastor's face was impassive as he allowed himself to be herded inside by his mate, Manea leading him through their home down to their bedroom. The den was silent like a tomb inside, no children left nor servant to care for them. It was as if life had been stolen from every corner of his world, and it pained Alastor's heart the more he dwelled on it. Manea led him to bed, then nudged him down onto the bed of plush furs, urging him onto his back. The great dire wolf obeyed every insistence without pause, winding up staring up at her as she came to drape her body across his. Her warmth and weight were a welcome embrace from the cold loneliness he felt inside his fractured heart and mind, keeping him grounded, present, alive.

They lay there in the quiet for a while, Alastor just listening to the soft sounds of Manea's breath and the drumming of his own blood in his head. Eventually Manea lifted her head and Alastor's sight was filled with the beautiful face of his wife, her halcyon aqua jewels of eyes fixed on his as her large feline paws stroked over his head, face, and neck, comforting and soothing the ache in his twisted soul. The gentle ministrations were enough to pull quiet sighs and murrs from her giant brute, giving some signs of enjoyment and that he was still there. A kiss to his nose and Manea was comforting him with her words, showing just how well she could read him, how well she knew him inside and out. She reassured him that this wasn't his fault, how he'd done so much for her, and that she wanted him to grieve but refused to lose him to his demons. Alastor's lips pulled down into a morose frown, ebony eyes averting from hers for a moment before looking up into her loving gaze again.

"I'm so tired of losing the wolves I care about because of me," he finally spoke, answering her unasked question of what was dwelling in his damaged mind. Yes, he blamed himself for Relm's death. But she was just another domino in a long line of fallen dominoes that he had a paw in toppling. "I know I could not give her what she wanted... even if I did, she might still have..." His words trailed off. He couldn't yet say aloud her fate. Still thinking about finding her face down in the water stirred his demon in concerning ways. His lips pursed as he bit at his tongue, the pain helping to keep his mind focused. "Relm is just another example of why I'm dangerous. Even when I'm not trying to, I kill wolves. I couldn't stop my father from killing my siblings. I drove my mother to kill herself. I drove away Lurid and Seraphina. Relm killed herself because I tempted her with what she could never have." Alastor slowly shook his head, a shuddering sigh slipping its way past his lips as he looked down, away from Manea again, feeling wholly unworthy of looking her in the eye. "How long until I'm the cause of something happening to you or our children...?" It was only a matter of time...

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"