Chapter 6 Finding Solace

• Chapter 6
• Mimilia's POV
• Since I wanted to heal so badly, and seeing that the indoor stuff and talking about the past and Xylene's life weren't helping matters, he decided to take me out to the forest where I found him the night of the betrayal after I left the pack in anger. It is a secluded part of the forest, a serene and rather spectacular sight to behold.
• "Don't tell me you woke me up this morning, asked me to dress and pack breakfast in a basket to come and make me sit here with you and watch the birds sing, and the butterflies fly around on their dazzling colorful wings?"I turned to him, flabbergasted after quickly eye-scanning the environment.
• The place is so beautiful and spectacular that I almost feel it is another one of my fantasy lands. A butterfly flew towards me and perched on my outstretched finger; I smiled in awe, staring at its beautiful colors of gold and brown. So, it flew up flapping its wings; I had this sudden urge to chase after it and catch it, forcing it to stay on my finger forever.
• "And if I tell you that is why I brought you here, would you believe me?" He answered after a while of silence and eyes scrutinizing me.
• "No, I wouldn't believe you," I said truthfully.
• "Well, sorry to burst your brain, I saw that staying locked up at home with me wasn't healing you up, so I brought you to the forest; it is my kind of way of healing up all wounds people might have caused me. So technically the effect should work on you since you are broken and need to be mended or healed." He shrugged smiling.
• "So what am I supposed to do?" I couldn't help but ask.
• "What you have said you would do. Sit down with me, have teas, and take your breakfast, focus your attention on the natural things around you, how they move freely without fear of being harmed or hunt down by the wicked people, feel the air around us, let if waft into you seeping every corner of your skin and making you feel whole, watch as the leaves beat about to the compelling force of the wind, let the rhythm fill your eardrum and soothe your mind. Take your mind off Miles and Laura and focus on this." He spread his arm gesturing to the nature around us.
• "As much as I find this a boring idea, your words portray it as some kind of adventure to venture on, and one thing I hate about myself is never trying to explore. So yeah, I am in," I nodded, looking up at him. "Where do we start from?" I say hands on my hips.
• "First of all, I'll spread the mat and the sheet on it, and then arrange the breakfast on it. I will fetch wood to keep us warm; believe me when I say it can be freezing here in the afternoon." Xylene replied and, without waiting for my response, bolted out to the other side of the forest.
• I sighed and bent down undoing the backpack. I brought out the mat first, and after spending hours finding a spot to connect with Mother Nature, I spread the mat and added the sheet to it. Xylene came back dropping some woods beside me.
• "That was so fast of you," I say blinking.
• "I know every nook and cranny of this forest more than anyone. I spent half of my childhood exploring the inner and outer place of this forest, so getting a good strong wood that would last us all through the afternoon might just be one of the greatest feats I can ever accomplish." He chuckled at his silliness.
• "Well, as you can see, I spent half of the time finding a spot to stay, and I have just spread the mat and sheet." I looked down at my little work.
• "Well, we just have to set breakfast then." He smiled and began bringing out the dishes.
• Soon, we are settled down, eating and munching away the breakfast,t, and although tension hangs in the air, the atmosphere is tranquil.
• I am still suffering from the injury miles inflicted on me, but thanks to the herbs Xylene kept on administering to me, the pain has improved more than the previous day.
• "Drink this, you should not forget to take it, Mimilia." He handed me the usual dosage of herbs he gives me.
• "Thanks; I was thinking about how helpful it has been in healing me up; I just don't know how to request it., I admitted taking a deep breath.
• "You don't have to hold back from me if you ever need anything. Just ask; if I have it, I am going to give it to you, and if it is not in my capacity, I will find a way to get it for you." He reassured me, which was the best thing anyone had done for me.
• I can't remember the last time someone cared for me and tended to my wounds as Xylene did; it is so overwhelming, sweet yet weird that I just feel like he might be doing the wrong thing, putting me first above himself.
• "How silly of me to think about it." I thought inwardly.
• But come to think of it, I am always so vulnerable, and considering the situation I found myself in, I cannot help but feel deep-seated fear inside of me about trusting anyone most especially Xylene because, yes, I found him in the forest on the day of my flight; it might be coincidental but get suspicious.
• And now I don't have a bearing or anyone else to turn to since the people I call family turned their backs on me; my only option is to stick with Xylene and just look at us out in the woods; what if something bad happens to us and he can't defend me?
• I turned my attention back to him; his attention was fixed on ng the fire. The afternoon was fast approaching, and the prophesied cold would soon hit us.
• "Xylene, pardon my manners but can I ask you a question if you don't mind ?" I called his attention, but he nodded, not leaving his eyes from the wood.
• "Why are your helping me? I mean, you don't know me, or maybe you know part of the history of why I am out here in the wood and not in some fucking pack, but still, I have to question your kindness and generosity? Why are you doing all this? Treating and helping my injuries with the herb's and taking me out to heal of my hurt?"
• My mind flashed back to the love I and Miles once shared, the times and memories we once and the betrayal that led me to this folk me with so much anger and sorrow.
• How could Miles cheat on me, and the only person he thought of doing that with was my best friend, Laura? I am telling a lie if I say the betrayal doesn't hurt and sting me so badly.
• "Seeing how Miles treated me and suddenly changed from the good man I knew to the cruel and terrible monster he was to me, hitting and punching me like some kind of bag at every opportunity he gets even though I do nothing to him, deep down inside of me, and the thought of opening myself to someone once more even if he is different is something I am going to struggle with for while." I thought squeezing my face gently to the thought of ever loving a man again.
• "I am sorry if you take my kindness for something else, but you are a good lady, one who is not supposed to go through all the ordeal you went through in the hands of your mate; I just want to help you and release the burden you carry for long." His reply took him minutes and he did so after fixing the fire.
• He settled back into the mat beside me and folded his hand at the back of his head, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
• "I have traveled far and wide, different places and wolf pack, learn a whole lot of new set of traditions and customs, and I have seen so many things to, learn new things and in the my quest for the search of love, I think I found out that love is not not an easy something to possess but then that reminds me of something which I understand we can have without searching for and that is HAPPINESS, to be just truly at peace with oneself and I know that Miles might have done a lot of damage and terrible things to you but if you can just look out of that door which he trapped you in, I don't know, maybe months, years or even days, you will find out that there's happiness, peace in fulfilling and enjoying oneself, you know there's a lot of beautiful things in this world other than the cruelty you have been forced to face and you can have those beautiful thing it if you just look out of that damage he has caused you, just like listening to the birds chirp, the flow of the air on your skin, the flapping of the leaves around you, it is actually good you know, serene, beautiful and something one that does have a lifetime to enjoy. So," he paused, clicking his tongue in the process. "So, focus your mind on it, and you will be fine; you won't remember you were once in a terrible state of mind." He added immediately, his eyes held me for eternity.
• And all this while he was talking, I got lost staring at his beautiful face, feeling his deep husky voice wash through me sending ripples of shivers down my spine, I don't think I barely listened to a word he said, all my focus was on how good his lips would taste on mine, how amazing his hands would feel on my skin, how sweet it would be to have him inside of me.
• And now I am thinking dirty with a man I just met after Miles's betrayal; the reminder made me move away from him a little bit.
• He noticed it and turned to look at him; he sighed, seeing the look on my face.
• "Look, Mimilia, I know it is too early to trust me but believe me, I didn't say all those words for you to suddenly like me. I assure you of my commitment to helping you without any ulterior motives. I understand your pain and how you feel, and the only thing you need right now is getting attached.to any person. I will help you heal, that I promise." Xylene grinned showing off his white set of teeth.
• And damn, his smile is so captivating; I wish he could just keep on smiling at me like that forever.
• He leaned back on his hand and continued talking of his stories and childhood days, of his travels and times with women, and each passing moment, each minute he spends on talks, and watching him draws me closer to himself; I find myself pulling in towards him.
• I don't know, but I feel a physical attraction towards him, which complicates my emotional reservation. I battle with the instincts to trust and protect myself, but the pull towards Xylene is difficult to resist despite my fears.
• "Xylene," I blurted out.
• "Mimilia," He arched an eyebrow at me calling my name in response.
• I got lost staring at his face and the funniest part is he didn't attempt to look away as if being drawn by the same attraction they had me going crazy.
• My hands caressed his cheeks down to his lips, and before I could control myself, I leaned in
• towards him.
• He filled the remaining gap, and our lips were just an inch from each other.