Chapter Text
"Matthew, please," Charles begged, pulling on his brother's arm tirelessly. But Matthew would not move away from his lover's dead body, nor turn his glance away from Roel. He was weeping bitter tears of sorrow and the sobs that were shaking his body would not calm down.
"I can't leave him," he whispered over and over again, "I can't leave him. He wouldn't have left me either, he didn't leave me after finding out the worst of me. He would never have left me. I can't leave him. I can't leave him."
Charles shook his head sadly and in silence. The only sound in the air seemed to be Matthew's crying, however when Charles concentrated on the world outside with his sharp werewolf senses he could hear something else - something deeply unsettling.
There was a sniffing in the air, barely audible even for Charles because it was so distant. Then there was something alike to a deep groan or grunt, and the sniffing noise again. Accelerating steps became louder and louder. Then, Charles snapped.
"Matthew!" he bellowed, grabbing his brother by the shoulder and spinning him around to look at him. Charles looked directly into Matthew's eyes.
"Matthew, listen to me now. Listen!" He shook him again as Matthew's attention drifted off. Tears were in his eyes still.
"Whoever attacked you is coming for us. We have to leave or we will die!"
He hoped it had been a clear enough statement, but Matthew just stared at him blankly and unresponsively. Just as Charles was about to scream at him for real his lips moved again.
"What if I want to die?" he breathed from his bloodless lips.
"Matthew, that's bullshit and you know it damn well! Do you think Roel would have wanted you to die? You knoew damn well there is no afterlife where you can celebrate a reunion and live happily ever after. You will never see him again, and neither will you see me again if you give up now. Or... Falk."
By the mention of the name a spark came into Matthew's eyes, weak but clear, vanishing as quickly as it had come.
"Attila has him," he whispered.
"How are we supposed to get him free?"
"We'll find a way, but we won't if we die here!" Charles said energetically. But Matthew just shook his head.
"I can't leave his side," he said again.
"You can," Charles said simply and grabbed Matthew under his armpits to pull him up from the floor.
"No!" his brother screamed, breaking free with an unstoppable force. He sprinted the two steps back to Roel's side, kneeled down next to him and wrapped his arms around his lover. Tears were streaming down his face again as he kissed Roel's lips once more. But Charles had had enough.
He grabbed Matthew again and, with a strength only a werewolf could muster, threw him over his shoulder andragged his quietly sobbing brother away. Matthew's arms were still reaching for Roel, who was unreachable now, as they were at the door of the room, as they had left the castle and stood in the yard of the monastery building.
And that was when Charles noticed it was too late already.
From out of the bushes at their left they could hear a hiss that sounded like poison, and like a flash of darkness something shot out of the thicket, wrapping its icy hands around Charles' throat. Impulsively he let go of Matthew who dropped to the ground, letting out a cry as his head hit the gravel.
Charles tried to break free from the hard grasp but the one holding him was like a snake, always writhing out of his grip before he had tightened it. There was nothing he could do.
But then there was a cry, a half insane growl from behind.
"You stay away from my brother!" Matthew growled, and in this second his body started to change. Charles could hear bones crack and limbs shift as Matthew transformed into an auburn wolf out of sheer rage. The vampire attacking Charles couldn't even scream before Matthew's teeth had torn through his throat, ripping it open.
Of course that was not of much use against a vampire, so the wolf proceeded in pushing the confused, injured vampire to the ground and climbed on top of him. the vampire's ribs broke under the pressure of the heavy werewolf jumping onto them. This circumstance made it easier for Matthew to slice the vampire's chest open with his sharp claws and drown his snout in the wound. As he was in deep enough he opened his mouth and tore at the vampire's heart that had been empty of blood for years. Agonized screams could be heard through the ripped throat and as Matthew tore out the vampire's heart in pieces they increased to cease all of a sudden when the vampire's power was gone.
With an exhausted, weak howl Matthew rolled off the vampire and his body slowly went through the transformation again, until a human Matthew lay naked on the ground, as his clothes were torn apart. He was panting and could barely move from exhaustion and pain in his bones. One look from Charles was sufficient to make him understand his brother's gratefulness - and that he would care for him.
---
Hours later, the sun had just risen, Charles had wrapped Matthew in a grey, woolen blanket and given him fresh clothes as well as some water. Matthew however was still shivering and they had been sitting in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
"Didn't know you had such temper," Charles said in a failed attempt to lighten the mood. Matthew just shrugged tiredly.
"He would've killed you," he said briskly.
Charles knew no answer.
"I wonder where Attila and Falk are now..." he wondered aloud.
As Matthew looked at him his eyes were as tired as his voice.
"I guess we'll never know," he said and sounded so hopeless that Charles' heart cracked.
"He said he loved you..." Charles began.
"And I loved him." Matthew sighed.
"But right now... right now I'm not sure if I can ever love somebody again..." His voice cracked and he buried his head in his hands, kneading his face and pulling on his messy hair.
"I know, Matthew, I know..." Charles said.
Matthew looked at him accusingly.
"How can you know?" he asked before his voice failed again.
Charles swallowed hard.
"There was a woman, you see? There was I woman I loved so, so much, and then... and then she died."
A shiver shook Charles' body and he had to breathe in deeply as he covered his hands.
"I still haven't loved again. But it doesn't mean that there is no hope for you."
"Oh Charles..." Matthew muttered, sliding closer to his brother.
"I'm so sorry... it just... hurts so much..."
"I know, Matthew, I know."