When Love Catches Her

***Ares*** I look at my reflection in the mirror, a little after eight o'clock. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at myself, but I had done so much more, recently. Wondering what parts of me were from where, what it was that Ophelia found attractive, what parts I didn't like... I ruffle a little more wax in my hair, although now it looks too ruffled. I AM now overthinking it. Because today wasn't about me, at all. Ophelia wanted a date, and that was the initial plan...but that plan had morphed over the last week into something far more. Behind me, my travel backpack is packed. A spare change of clothes, spare shoes, a blanket, a water bottle, a campfire kettle, a saucepan, noodles and a pen knife. All we really needed. I take one last look at what I am wearing, having allowed Madeleine to pick my clothes, having repeatedly badgered me. I informed her of the first aspect of the day, and she thought I was nuts. I am standing in front of the mirror in a pair of dark wash jeans, a casual blue shirt and a navy jumper over the top. 'Casual with a formal edge', she had called it. In reality, I know that what I am wearing means absolutely nothing. Leaving my bedroom, I can see Ophelia waiting on one of the breakfast stools. "Ares," she says happily, her aura becoming instantly more colourful and lighter. That was simply the way of it, now. This is our normal, where she is so happy to see me. I smile back at her as I walk toward her, slinging my backpack onto my back. "Oh...why have you got that?" she asks, eyeing up the large backpack. "Supplies," I reply simply. "I should have known," she laughs, looking at me fondly, "this was never going to be a normal date." She slides off the stool and comes to stand directly in front of me, a clear scent of perfume hitting me as she looks up at me. "What's normal?" I ask her. "Well, exactly. Normal is boring anyway," she says with a sultry smile. "It certainly is," I tell her, stepping back and looking at what she is wearing. Blue tank...good. Bleach-wash jeans...probably going to get dirty, but she likely doesn't care. Walking boots. Her long, bright blonde hair is tied back for a change, and my eyes briefly fall on her neck. It was incredible how, in a couple of weeks, I had taken absolute control of my bloodlust. Able to focus on and trust myself with a person who had become so precious to me, so quickly. I step towards her, sliding my hand into hers and giving it a good squeeze, feeling happiness rise up in my chest, like it so often did these days. Around her. "I hope today is a day that you will never forget," I tell her, truthfully. Because I truly help she doesn't. ... ***Ophelia*** I look out the windscreen and scrunch my face up a little, the weather is so averagely British at the moment. Twelve degrees Celsius, thick cloud cover. No wind, just grey. "You should have worn a coat," I tell Ares, as I unclick my seatbelt. He smirks a little and looks back at me after taking off his seatbelt. "It will be sunny and clear by lunchtime," he says, opening the car door and getting out. "Oh, did you check the forecast?" I ask. "No," he answers bluntly, opening the car boot and removing his large backpack. "So...you expect us to walk twenty miles in less than three hours?" I query, as I check the shoelaces on my walking boots. I knew Ares was different, but so far, his idea of a date was a little strange. "I am quite fast," he says with a nod. "But I'm...not," I point out. "I think you're going to surprise yourself," he says with a sly smile. I pocket my car keys in my coat and zip it up. "Okay, I guess we start power walking. But...where?" I ask, gesturing to fields upon fields around us. My car is parked in a layby somewhere along a deserted country road. "Do you trust me?" he asks, his hand outstretched towards me. "Implicitly," I reply, taking his hand with a grin. ... After what feels like an hour of walking through fields and dense woodland, I have no idea how far we've come. It has been lovely, though. Periods of stillness around us, with the rustling of the trees and the sound of a variety of birds. Little comments and jokes between us both. It is easy, and as bizarre as this has seemed from the offset, I can't help but see the nuance in his idea. I am starting to feel quite warm, though, as the sun is indeed starting to peek out from behind the clouds. Our hands are still connected, and Ares has refused to let go, aside from when we stopped for a quick drink of water. "Can you tell me the story of how your mother came to have her wings," he suddenly asks, as we amble down a path alongside a reservoir. "I mean, I don't think it's a typical tale. She thought she was human, until her seventeenth birthday. She wore a talisman around her neck all her life, passed from mother to daughter, that masked her power almost completely. It was designed to break and release the wearer if a certain power threshold was met. A threshold that could only be met if she experienced a divine bond to a Lycan. My dad. As you now know, very well," she says with a fond smile towards me, "a faerie's power is linked to love. They kissed, and that combined with the divine bond that they were experiencing, broke the talisman. Her wings then...appeared. But that's not how it usually happens, I don't think. The thing is, it's been too long for any Fae we do know, to remember when and how it happened for them. I thought just maturity would help, but I'm now long past that...and still...nothing." Ares nods in acknowledgment, his mind clearly thinking about what I just told him. "Do you think being hybrid has contributed to your situation?" Ares now asks. "It definitely has. My aunt hears things from the Goddess. I know, it sounds mental, but it's true. She said that my 'threshold' is higher, due to being a hybrid. But it's not like there is any Lycan side of me to push back...you know? I don't understand it," I reply. "Genetics are a perplexing issue, that's for sure," Ares says, his emotions shifting as he says this. I want to suggest he get his DNA studied, but I am not sure how he or his father would feel about that. "This area is beautiful," I admit, the sun shining more now, and glittering on the body of water next to us. A brown rabbit dashes onto the path in front of us, pausing for a moment to stare, before hurrying into a bush on the other side. "I have never been here, but I agree. I...hoped being around nature would be the ideal way to start our day," he replies, his olive skin looking warm in the sun. "You're beautiful, too," I suddenly say, unable to remember if I had ever told him that, "I mean...handsome, of course. Very." He smiles awkwardly at me and shrugs. "I've heard that a number of times lately, but quite honestly, I don't understand it. How is beauty quantified? I find you incredibly beautiful, so I have often found it strange that so many have walked past you and have not appeared to notice. But I do not mind. I see it, and I think that is all that matters. If you happen to enjoy looking at me, then I am very happy about that," he replies, in a very 'Ares' fashion. He looks down at his phone and he smiles further. "We have covered eight miles already," he tells me with a flick of his eyebrows. "How? You cannot be reading that right," I tell him. He stops on the path suddenly and looks at me curiously. "You really haven't paid much attention this week, have you?" "Nope. It is stuff I've been told already," I shrug. He sighs a little and he feels briefly frustrated. "Told, but not taken in. Listened, but not understood. You are affected by your surroundings, Ophelia, and you affect it," he says slowly and clearly. He then gestures to the sky. "I did not need to check the forecast. I knew the weather would get better the more immersed you were in natural surroundings. The happier you are. The more you feel what we feel together," he adds, raising our connected hands, "I planned for all of this. So, we will get there on time. In good time. Because we will also require lunch." He kisses my hand again and encourages me to continue walking. Now he's explained it to me, I understand...and now I can see it; we are walking rather fast, but it doesn't feel that fast. All the while, I cannot help but think over everything this man has ever said, done, and was still trying to do...all for me. Even six months ago, the idea of someone taking the time and spending the energy he has... Ares suddenly stops and looks at me in concern. "What are you thinking?" he says, an edge of concern in his voice, too. He realises how he's said that and his expression softens, "I'm sorry. I sensed a downward change in your mood and I became concerned." "Such is the nature of the standard human," I say to him, knowing this is just Ares being the way he is, "I was thinking about how incredible you have been...are...to me." "But...?" he prompts with narrowed eyes. "I don't feel I deserve it." "You do. You should know that everything I do for you, with you...everything that I feel...It has all been so easy. Ever since you walked into our home that evening, I realised that not everything has to be so serious. It has been effortless. The key to all of it, being that I have finally trusted myself, when I stopped being so serious, when I just enjoyed your company," he says so fondly, "so please...do not feel like it is not something you deserve. It isn't even about deserving something or not, it is just what is. It is just the result...of us, of what I would do for you, Ophelia. Because I want to make you happy, and whole." I feel rush of affection blossom up inside of me, and I look at him in moderate disbelief. "How would you describe the feeling that you just had, if you don't mind me asking," he says. "A...bubble of happiness," I inform him with a smile. ... Another hour later, we reach a small village called Widecombe. The buildings are old and quaint, made out of grey stone, evidently weathered over the years. It is beautiful, and while I am glad to see some civilisation, I feel sad that we have left our merry jaunt through the countryside. "Just in time for a quick lunch," Ares says happily, gesturing up ahead to a cafe. "Atticus told me off when I suggested a packed lunch." "How much advice has Atticus given you?" I ask, my mind remembering, for perhaps the hundredth time, how he had touched me in the corridor the other night. With just the right amount of pressure...the right everything. "Mainly for help with today. He has offered more, but as I have learned in recent months, our own experiences and discoveries are important. I want to figure you out on my own." He walks on ahead, and I smile coyly to myself. .. Around forty minutes later, after we've polished off a toasted sandwich, we exit into bright sunshine. Indeed, there are a number of fluffy white clouds in the sky, but not much else. "This is an excellent sign," Ares says with a cheeky grin, gesturing for me to remove my coat, which I do. "Ever thought that maybe this is not just me? It could also be you?" I suggest tentatively while he stuffs my coat into the top of his backpack. His expression drops a little and he shakes his head. "It's not me," he says, holding his hand out to me once more, "now...we're one mile up a private road, from our ultimate destination." "Ultimate, huh?" I ask, wondering at this point if we are walking back to the car in the darkness. "We're going...off-piste, after this," he replies, gesturing for us to walk along the road. "I appreciate the ski-related slang," I tell him with a grin. "I thought you might." We soon approach a set of iron gates, guarding a driveway that turns upwards and out of sight around a corner among a cluster of large pine trees. "I have a code. The owner is out, but they know we are coming," Ares says, letting my hand go in order to punch in a code at the gates. "How do you know them?" I ask. "Atticus. This is one of his volunteers. His terminal illness is kept at bay by my brother. This was the first thing Atticus has ever asked of him, so he was more than happy to oblige." "Wow. What does he do?" I ask as we ascend the driveway, a huge house looming into view some way up ahead. "He is a senior partner at a prestigious law firm that represents a number of my father's companies. But in his spare time, he is a keen Lepidopterist." ... ***Ares*** Things were going well so far. The sun is out and Ophelia's aura is very content. Way back in the past, when Fae were numerous in this world, was far before the built-up areas. Nature was around every corner, and therefore around every corner, had been an opportunity. But those opportunities were few and far in between, today. To have had the walk we'd had so far, was unusual, save for inside a national park. The fact this was even here, was incredible. "Oh, goodness, that is impressive. It reminds me of the botanical garden at Exton," Ophelia breathes, as a biodome now becomes visible just past the house. My heart beats more in my chest as nerves start to sink in. I let go of Ophelia's hand...she didn't need to feel my nerves. She needed to feel everything else, instead. Up ahead is an external door to the biodome, and alongside it is another keypad. I turn to face her. "Evidently, I have lived an unusual life, as you now know. There haven't been many opportunities in my life to have purely profound moments...but I have. We have, together. And I know it was profound for you too, because why else would we have seen what we have seen? It all comes back to that time...in the butterfly enclosure. So, when faced with the dilemma of what to do for a date with you, Ophelia...this was all I could think of," I tell her passionately, hope sitting squarely in my chest. I put the second number into the keypad, and the door unlocks. Ophelia follows me into a small ante-room. There are no plastic curtains here, instead an elaborate air system that helps keep the occupants in. I push a green button on the side of the next door, and it begins to swing open, gusts of air flowing strongly through the doorway after us, as we step through... If the contents of the previous butterfly enclosure had been impressive, this one was moreso, promptly displaying the grandeur that a lot of money and a genuine interest could generate. It isn't swelteringly hot like the other one, thankfully. Much like the other enclosure, this one also features a pond, along with several other levels that became natural water features. Brightly coloured koi occupy these ponds, swimming around calmly in the water. There are plentiful stone statues around, all adorned in various vines and brightly coloured plants. This is a well-kept enclosure, driven by a man's love for the occupants, and it shows. "This in itself is wonderful, just...look at it," Ophelia says in awe, her eyes brighter than usual. I nod happily, in agreement...and in hope. "A labour of love, truly," I reply, watching several brightly coloured birds fly across the top of the dome. One might even be a macaw. I hear Ophelia make a happy noise, and it is because she has spotted a group of Emerald Swallowtails, flying closely around each other as if in play, their bright green wings reflecting the sun so beautifully as we get nearer. "I couldn't really say to you, back then, why I enjoyed it so much, but you must know, now," she says softly, crouching down to look closer at some of the green butterflies that have just landed, "they embody everything I want to be, and I just felt...so...peaceful. Then, there was you." She looks up at me, her beautiful eyes looking so bright and alive; I am so sure they get brighter when she feels like this. Brighter around...me, much to my own happiness. "I remember thinking this then, that moments with you, have been my favourite," she explains with a shy smile, "I lived in those moments, where I was human...like you," she continues with a short laugh, standing up and facing me, her lips looking so damn inviting as she leans closer, "ironically, of course, since neither of us are. I wish I'd known then, how important you were steadily becoming to me. I might have..." She leans up towards me, her eyes on my mouth, and I pull away from her, much to both our disappointment. She looks at me in annoyance as I give her a cheeky smile. "Not yet..." I tell her, reluctantly walking away from her, further to where the plants get thicker and taller, and flowers more prolific. There are a myriad of different butterflies flying around this part, and they're not afraid to fly all around us both. "Atticus teased me for wanting to find a place like this," I say with a short scoff, "but he just doesn't understand..." Ophelia promptly looks absolutely made-up, when she reaches out towards the circling butterflies, having several different ones land on her all at once. "Ohhh don't move!" she breathes excitedly, watching them with rapt fascination. Her aura adjusts before my eyes, more of the soft yet brighter colours moving in, mirroring her jubilant state. The red has taken a back seat entirely, but I don't mind, this wasn't about that... "Nature is reaching out to you, Ophelia," I tell her, noticing how they're turning to face her, their antenna waving in the air, "they know...I know, you must know...it is inside of you, and it is powerful..." Guilt promptly streaks across her aura at my words, taking some of the bright colour with it, along with her mood. She still feels solace over what she did in order to save herself. This was always going to be an obstacle, even today. "I do know, but-" "-it is natural to feel guilt. You took lives. Feel the guilt. Embrace it, but don't let it take anything more from you. You're here, you're alive, and you're on the edge of everything you have ever hoped to have. Accept what happened and move past it," I implore her, taking her hands in my determination for my plan to succeed, overriding my nerves entirely. I will as much compassion and positive thought that I can towards her, hoping she feels it, even a little. Her aura remains the same way for the next ten minutes, regardless of the beauty of what we are walking through. The butterflies have lost interest, and my hopes have become marginally dashed. But, up ahead, I see a flicker of blue, a blue that stirs my memory... '...Intriguing results were also shown when memories of strong feelings were replicated at the time. Taking a stroll down memory lane...quite literally...often had a compounding effect...' I move a little faster, as casually as possible, toward the blue flickers. Sure enough, there they are, the breed of butterfly that some divine presence had used to guide me to Ophelia, and to emotionally guide us both. The Blue Morpho butterfly...many of them, in fact, and they seem to be bigger, too. Ophelia's smile toward me, when they had landed on me, was the first time I had felt it; the butterflies. The nervous feeling of joy and trepidation, being on the brink of something wonderful and spellbinding... I roll my sleeves up, stretching my arm out toward them, hoping they land on me once again. My heart pounds with a mixture of hope and anticipation, my breath catching as I watch the butterflies flutter hesitantly around me, acquainting themselves with my presence. And then, as if deciding I am safe, several of them land. Once again I can feel their tiny feet, moving among the delicate hairs on my arms, only just discernible when I focus on them fully. I swallow hard, my chest tightening as a wave of suspense ripples through me. My eyes drift upward, finding Ophelia where she stands, her beautiful eyes full of the same exultation that she had last time. Back then, I thought it was just friendship—pure and uncomplicated. Perhaps that’s all it was, at the time. But so much has changed since then. We are no longer merely friends. What we are now defies a label, something deeper, greater, and infinitely more profound. I feel it again, that bubble of happiness welling up inside me, the same as before but magnified now, richer and more consuming. Ophelia smiles, a radiant, unguarded expression that makes her eyes shine, stealing my breath once again. In that one look, she conveys everything she feels. She adores me, truly, and I feel the swooping sensation return. I just want to go over to her, and kiss her beautiful face endlessly, to relish in this wonderful feeling, and everything else she had the ability to make me feel. She comes closer, her face alive with a simple happiness. Her aura is the most colourful it has ever been, a tapestry of positive emotion, and as she stops next to me, the blue morphos take flight... My heart beats harder and harder, as I watch the butterflies in this enclosure behaving as the others had once before, swirling in the air, their delicate wings creating a mesmerising vortex of vibrant color and breathtaking beauty at the center of the enclosure. The scene feels almost surreal, as though the world itself has paused to witness this moment. I reach out for Ophelia, her hand hanging by her side. My fingers intertwine with hers, deepening the seemingly ever-present connection that has developed between us, of late. She turns to me as I take a deep, steadying breath, willing for the next few minutes to slow down, to matter, to count... Her gaze drifts toward the swirling display above, and I feel the ache in her as if it were my own. She wants to rise, to become, to finally connect with the part of herself that has always hovered just out of reach. And in that moment, I don’t just see her desire—I feel it. She wants to be free. She wants to fly. I pull her with me, closer toward the swirling cloud of butterflies, keeping a firm eye on her aura as we do so. The colours are spreading, multiplying, becoming a radiant mix of so many positive emotions; just pure, unbridled joy. She stares up at the butterflies, the yearning in her heart reaching a definitive peak... ...and once again, the self-sabotage comes, sneaking its way in, reminding her that she isn't free, she cannot fly... “No, no, no, Ophelia!” I exclaim, my voice breaking with urgency as I turn her to face me, my eyes locking with hers, "it is within reach...all of it. It is all there. I can see it, and it is so beautiful, and it IS a part of you. Nature is reaching out to YOU, Ophelia, it wants to connect with you, it wants to rejoice!" Her lips quiver as she bites down gently, her glassy eyes shimmering with a slew of emotions that she can no longer hold back. I take her other hand in mine, gripping them both tightly as if anchoring her to this moment. “That feeling inside you right now—that bubble of happiness, that spark of joy—I see it. They see it. They can feel it too.” I lean closer, my voice thick with emotion. “Don’t push it down. Don’t hide from it. Feel it, Ophelia. Let it fill you up, completely, until there’s no room for doubt or fear. No looking back. Only look forward—with me!" My heart aches as I search her face, hoping she understands, hoping she feels the truth in my words. “Because to me, Ophelia, you are perfect just as you are. No magic, no wolf. Just you. My favourite person. You have always been enough. But you need to believe it. You need to feel it, know you are enough!” I reach for her face with both hands, cradling her cheeks tenderly, my thumbs brushing away the tears that threaten to fall. I press my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling, as I try to pour every ounce of my conviction into her. “Stay here, Ophelia,” I implore her, my voice soft yet unwavering, "stay in this feeling. Don’t let it go. It is yours—it’s always been yours.” She looks up at me, her beautiful eyes wide, searching, and for the briefest moment, I see the protective walls around her heart begin to crack. I smile, unable to hold back the overwhelming love that fills me. “Ophelia, it is time you embraced yourself with every fibre of your being," I tell her quietly with a light smile, harking back to before she kissed me in the gazebo. I gently tilt her head up toward me, delivering a soft kiss, a kiss I have just been aching to give her all week. A kiss she immediately throws herself into, as she grabs the front of my jumper and pulls me closer. I feel my heart swell even more, if that were at all possible, scarcely able to believe anyone could feel this much. She’s feeling it too—heightened, raw, and unrestrained. Her need for me, her desire, it all rushes back with an urgency that sparks something primal within me, our kiss becoming more heartfelt and passionate in response. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her tightly against me, craving the warmth of her body pressed into mine once again. The electric feeling...the magic...is back between us, stronger than ever—an electrifying circuit of light, flowing easily between us both, tethering us to one and other. I cannot get enough, it doesn't feel enough; I need her to know. Briefly, I open my eyes, just long enough to glimpse the butterflies. They’ve shifted, their kaleidoscopic haze now circling us, vibrant and alive. They’re reaching for her, their movements celebratory, exultant—as though they, too, recognise her as something extraordinary. They’re encouraging her to rise, to take flight, and I can feel their joy resonate in the air around us. '...Upon reaching maturity, nature reaches out, and nature rejoices, when after a brief pain, a faerie gains her wings...' I reluctantly stop kissing her, my eyes fixed into those unforgettable eyes of hers, holding her face once again in the most tender fashion. '...a faerie can only fly when she takes that leap, metaphorically speaking; that leap towards another, being vulnerable, trusting that connection. Allowing love to catch her...' "You're going to fly, Ophelia," I whisper, my voice steady in the surreal stillness at the heart of this breathtaking display of nature, "take that leap... and let my love for you, catch you." She inhales sharply, her eyes widening, her legs buckling a little in shock as she feels it...a pain going up the sides of her shoulder blades, a pain that I can feel through our shared connection. My reflexes are excellent, and I immediately steady her in my arms as she continues to gaze back at me, her eyes wide and unblinking, as she realises what is finally happening, her heart beating rapidly with joy and relief... "This is what it feels like...to love and to be loved," I say to her joyously with a light laugh, feeling in awe as I feel it clearly between us both of us, a feeling that requires no words, but perhaps does on this occasion, "and what a wonderful thing it is; to love you, Ophelia." I do not think I will ever forget the smile she gives me, then, and nor will either of us forget what happens next... With a loud, pained gasp, two, large, iridescent wings emerge rapidly from her shoulder blades, and the weight of her in my arms increases considerably. I continue to hold her steady, seeing it in her eyes, as a large weight finally comes off her. A mental weight that has weighed her down for a long time. She is breathing quickly, in clear shock, as she turns her head to the side, her eyes widening further as she finally sees them... ...her own, beautiful wings.