Vaela arrived at North Pine within the hour. Even though it was mid-afternoon, when the place usually bustled with activities for the seniors, she stepped into a scene of solemn silence as the residents all stood and sat around in quiet contemplation.
"Ms. Moonblood." A nurse calls out as she approaches the reception desk.
"Who is it?" Vaela asks.
"Mr. Greenwood." the nurse whispered, her eyes, red and swollen.
The ringing echo of Vaela's heels, clacking on the polished tiles as she moved through the facility, seemed to resonate in her heart, shaking loose all pretenses of emotional strength and certainty.
By the time she burst into Mr. Greenwood's room, tears were already streaming down her face.
"Mr. G." she sobbed.
"V-Vanessa?" he called out, straining to lift a frail, quivering hand.
"I'm here." she whispers into his ear as she kneels and takes his hand into hers, squeezing gently to let him know she was near.
"My angel." he murmured, finding the strength to greet her with a faint smile. "... you came… for me."
"Wouldn't dream of missing this, Mr. G." she answered, stifling her tears.
"Thank you…" he breathed, "...for everything Ms. Moonblood. You gave us… hope. You gave us… dignity."
"And you gave me something to believe in." she said softly, squeezing his hand. "You gave me something to fight for."
"I thought…when I die. I will go up there. And… kick God's ass… for this shitty life." he chuckled, spluttering and coughing as he tried to find his breath again. "But then he… he sent you. And I know… I know he still cares about us."
A solemn tear rolled down his cheek and Vaela found herself calling on every fibre of her strength to prevent herself from bawling.
"Rest easy, Mr. G." she says softly as she tenderly wipes his cheek, "You deserve it."
Less than an hour later, Reginald Greenwood departed from his mortal coil. His face still etched with a warm smile while Vaela still continued to clasp his hand tightly.
She sat in silence, eyes welling with tears. Even as the nurses came to cover his body, and open the window beside his bed, Vaela still sat with his hand in hers as it started to grow cold.
"He died smiling." Lilith mutters from behind, resting a warm hand on Vaela's shoulder.
Vaela slipped her hand onto Lilith's, squeezing softly.
"He didn't have much reason to live before he met you… but you've given him a death worth living for. Happy, content and ready for the next life… that's rare, Vaela. You gave him something very few are lucky enough to experience."
Vaela eventually left the room and found a quiet corner in the retirement home's chapel, where she curled up on a bench in silent seclusion.
She fought it for a moment, trying desperately to stay strong, to prove to herself that she could handle it all, but it was useless. The wall of self-confidence she built to protect her fragile heart came crumbling down around her.
Tears rupture from her eyes as a torrent of emotions poured out from deep within. Not just the death of Mr. Greenwood, but everything.
The broken life she left behind, the weight of the curse that constantly threatened to consume her. The lost love of Lucien and her doomed romance with Dominic. And worst of all, the impossible burden of pretending none of it hurts.
Lilith could do little but provide a warm, familiar touch as Vaela sobbed long, hard and deeply. Her mind burns through every negative feeling, every regret and every broken memory as retraces her steps, actions and decisions. Everything that led her to where she now lay, crying through a broken, battered heart.
When Dominic arrived, he made no announcement, he didn't even say a word. He simply slid in next to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. His thick arms brought with them a sense of belonging, a sense of comfort and protection she had yearned for so many years.
She didn't fight it, she grabbed him tight, digging her head into his chest as she bawled uncontrollably.
He sat silently, stroking his hand through her hair as gently as he could, whispering gentle words of affirmation between her sobs and wails. As her breathing softened and her tears slowed, he pulled her deeper into his embrace and squeezed her tightly.
"He called you his angel." he muttered faintly. "He went through hell… but you… you brought him a little slice of heaven. And now he gets to enjoy the real deal. You did good, Vanessa. You should be proud."
She turns to him, smiling softly and she whispers a thank you.
He gently wipes the tear streaks from her face as he smiles warmly, then tenderly kisses her on her forehead. They sit together quietly, reflecting in silence, and their thoughts fall on life, love and everything in-between.
Dominic eventually stirs, shifting in his seat. Vaela felt his heart beat grow faster and tension growing in the air.
"What's wrong?" she whispered as he stared blankly ahead of him.
She hadn't noticed at first, but looking closer at Dominic, she now saw six red hearts, glowing brightly above his head.
"This place. These people… even me… Especially me. We were all broken. Hanging on a thread. Waiting for it to just end." he said softly, stroking her hair as her head lay on his chest. "Then you came along. Bringing hope… and healing. Reminding us that we're not broken, not forgotten."
He clears his throat, turning away to rub at the stinging wetness in the corners of his eyes.
"Dominic…" Vaela whispers as the man's breathing grows deeper, harder.
"You really are an angel, Vanessa." he chuckles softly. "And I don't know what I did to deserve meeting you, but I did, and it's changed me. Healed me in ways that I didn't even know needed healing. And… and that's why you need to be out there, not stuck in here with us. The world needs more healing. More people like you that actually give a damn about the rest of us."
"Dominic… what are you—"
"You're meant to lead, Vanessa. You have more than money, and power. You have heart. A heart that can change this world for people like us. Lost, broken, forgotten."
"No… Dominic, please. I… " she stutters, hesitant to fight the inevitable.
Dominic smiles softly, turning to caress her cheek. "I'll be right, whenever you need me. But you need to be out there…"
"Why…"
"I'm just a man with hands soaked in blood and enemies around every corner. You deserve so much more."
"No… you're more than that!"
"I know what I am." he smiles, cupping her face with his large hands, "Which is why I have to let go. If I stay… I'll get greedy. I'll want more of you. All of you. And you don't deserve to get caught up in my shadows."
"So what now? We're just… done?"
"I carry on what you started here, Vanessa. Moonblood Mercies', the donations the programs, we'll expand it, protect it. Make sure your work carries on. Make sure people get the help they really need."
"Dominic..." she said softly, voice cracking.
"Thank you…" he whispers, kissing her gently on her forehead. "For showing this wolf what kind of man he needed to be."
And soon she found herself sobbing again as Dominic held her tightly beneath the soft, amber light of the chapel. Her heart aching for the man holding tight, who asked for nothing, yet gave her everything he had.
She eventually dozes off, head buried deep in his chest, eyes swollen, and crusted with dried tears.
He lifts her gently and carries her through the building, moving silently into one of the empty rooms in the new wing, setting her down upon a soft bed in the dark room, lit only by a faint shimmer of moonlight.
He covers her with a thick quilt and stares at her for a moment, smiling, yet his face tinged by melancholy.
"I love you… Vanessa Moonblood." he whispers before slipping out of the room, pulling the door closed behind.
Vaela lays in quiet contemplation. Awake since the moment he lifted her off the chapel bench, but choosing to savor their final interaction in solemn silence.
Lilith slips into the room under a cloud of smoke, she sneaks up onto the bed wordlessly, stalking up to Vaela's face, and snuggling her warm fur into her cheek.
Vaela snatches the feline friend and squeezes her tight into her chest, jaw clenched as she fights back more tears.
Lilith doesn't fight it. She only purrs louder, rubbing her soft head under Vaela's chin.
"Chin up, kitten." she purrs.
Vaela remains quiet as she sheds a final tear, mourning another love lost.