Barely Breathing

It was late afternoon and the sky was dark, creating a halo of dim light enough to make you want to stay in bed, wrapped up like a cocoon while enjoying a hot chocolate moment.

The beauty of dark, strong withering trunk and brown almost dull branches devoid of leaves outweighs its lifeless appeal. Any moment now, snow would come and paint everything in white.

It is amazing how nature had to be disrobed of colorful flowers, leaves, wildflowers, the beauty it has, leaving everything bare and lifeless in able for spring to come and replace what was lost into something more beautiful and more colorful.

Just as how life works.

This moment should have been perfect. Alone in the woods, enjoying its lifeless beauty if not me waiting for the alpha to come.

Hurt, anger, confusion, fear are messing with my emotions, turning them into a hurricane of swirling regrets and what-ifs.

Some might think I was overreacting. But no one would really understand the extent of pain one is going through even if you look them in the eye. The eyes don't give it all away.

I knew he was near even before he made his presence known because for unknown reasons, I always knew when he's around. It's an instinct which never led me wrong.

"Beautiful. Like the first snow of the year." Xyrus' deep voice held sincerity in it.

snow slowly dropped on his black hair. I

looked up at the sky and noticed little snow crystals starting to descend slowly in

tucked on his jean pockets, two buttons undone from his shirt earlier showing his chiseled chest and a genuine smile

cleared his throat. "You call

Too many emotions swirling inside of me. I remembered Elony's words of

is it princess, tell me I'm all ears." He reached to hold my hand but I put it in my back fast like fire on the skin which

my now hidden hand on my back. "What's

looks a bit tired now that I noticed it, there was a dark semi-circle under his eyes. It seems he was

 I asked in a low voice, wanting all of these unwanted questions and confusion to end. I felt betrayed.

getting a toll on him. Irritation slowly showing on

I- I don't understand. Princess, what's

call me that again?" I was done with him calling me nicknames. I am not special in any way, just

he titled his head to the side, cupping his chin with his forefinger and thumb,

am not a cloud!" Is he

pinched my cheeks softly. "You are like a little cloud, sometimes

hands and glared at him. How could he still throw jokes when