Maybe he was going crazy, but Jacob felt as if he had experienced this moment before. The corridor before him was familiar but also this situation, you unconscious, him confused and feeling unable to explain his actions.

Your weight in his arms felt light. A few days without eating didn't make a person skinny, but it seemed like the weightless happened especially fast in your case.

He still remembered when he found you in the forest. Your face had looked healthy. Now your eyes were sunken and your cheeks pale. You were shivering even though he had put a blanket over you and you were unconscious. Your hair was dirty and your clothes made you look like a homeless person.

Sweat shone on your forehead.

A short growl escaped his lips and he had to grin. If anyone knew how homeless people looked like, it was Jacob. And he had to admit, you looked worse. He was even a little uncomfortable admitting that he missed the old look.

He turned around a corner in his bunker and stopped abruptly.

Suddenly, someone was standing in front of him. One of his soldiers.

With a fixed gaze, the man looked him in the eye, his shoulders tightened and both hands on his hips, trying not to look vicious.

"Sir.", the soldier took a quick look at you. "Another dead one? I'll take care of it."

He held out his arms for you, but Jacob turned away, an annoyed expression on his face.

"No!", he growled, giving him such a cold look that he almost dropped dead. "This one is mine. Don't touch. Or I'll take your fingers."

The soldier stiffened.

"Sir?"

Jacob straitened his back, making him stand tall with every single inch of his huge body. He pulled a face, making him appear like a bear.

"You heard right. This is my property, do not dare touch it. Now stop staring and bring some warm water and food to my office.", he pushed the solider away. "And keep your mouth shut. Nobody has to know."

The man lowered his head in an obedient manner and nodded.

"As you command.", he turned away and took off, visibly disturbed but not surprised by the harsh encounter.

Jacob knew that he was infamous amongst the people for being a bit strange, not talking much nor being very affectionate. He also knew that a lot of people feared him more than they respected him.

He didn't mind.

However, he did mind that this guy had seen you. What was even worse was this feeling that was slowly growing inside his chest. It felt like somebody or rather something was pulling and tearing his lungs apart. It was like a thousand knifes stabbing his chest.

Why did he feel this way?

And why and his heart jumped for a second as the man had thought of you as a dead body?

Quickly, he threw a glance down to you.

Your chest was still rising and falling, but the colour of your face was fading more and more. Your lips were starting to turn dark and the shivering seemed like it wanted to shake the life out of you.

A sound escaped him. He wasn't sure if it was disappointment or worry.

No, it couldn't be worry. He never worried about anybody else but his brothers.

"Pup.", he felt strange as he called you. "You're a strong one now. Don't get weak again."

With your eyes still closed, you moved your head and frowned. A weak breath escaped your lips, the shivering stopped for a second.

Then, it started again, only to be even worse than the first wave.

A soft growl escaped Jacob and he moved on. Quicker this time. Somehow, he felt the need to get you out of peoples eyes. He wanted to hide you, the broken surface and the damage that he had done.

As he reached the door to his office, he opened it with a soft push and rushed in before slamming the door shut again. His body was moving on its own, harsh and restless as if he was running against time.

Why did he feel this way?

Why did he try to make things right now?

Before the kiss, he had not given two shits about you. No, no that wasn't entirely true. There had been feelings for you, buried deep down inside of him. However, he had managed to keep them quite. But now the walks were crumbling and his temper was working against his own mind.

"Fuck.", he cursed and let you sink into the soft sheets of his bed. "Maybe I'm getting old. Makes me soft."

Mumbling something under his breath, he twirled around again and tore the door open again, only to almost collide with the soldier form before.

With his eyes wide open, the man was standing in front of the oldest Seed brother. In his hands he held a box of food, a glass bottle filled with steaming water and a blanket.

Jacob threw a quick glance at the items before ripping them out of the soldiers hands.

"I did not ask for this.", he said, waving the blanket in the air.

The man lowered his head, visibly uncomfortable with looking his superior in the eyes.

"I know.", he said in an understandable manner, but with the shyness of a child. "I just thought it might be of good use. May I leave?"

For a moment, Jacob glared at the man. He was right, the blanket was a good idea. He had little to no actual things in his office to keep somebody warm. The blanket he used was old and not very thick, not even remotely enough to warm up a person that had been out in the open for days.

But the sight also made him a bit angry. He had not thought about it. But he should have.

"You may go now.", he said and closed the door in front of the mans face. "Hm. I should have thought about this. You need to be warmed a little, pup... Why didn't I think about it?"