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My sleep that night was awful. I woke up what felt like once an hour and by the time dawn hit, I gave up and headed for the kitchen for coffee. Nyx was still asleep in his bed so I tiptoed downstairs.
His coffee machine was complicated, but thanks to a quick search on my phone I figured it out. While the coffee was brewing, I went to the back door and pushed it open, stepping into the cool morning air. Fog still hung in the air, thick and making it hard to even see the walls or trees surrounding the neighborhood. There was something peaceful and comforting about it. Making me feel like Nyx and I were safe in our little bubble here, that nothing could get in. But I knew that was a fleeting feeling.
When the smell of coffee reached me, I went back inside, locking the door behind me.
“Vanya!?” Nyx sounded panicked and I winced.
“Downstairs!” I called back before he could hurt himself running through the house half asleep. He padded down the stairs a few minutes later, curls sticking up every direction and looking a bit like a zombie. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, my phone woke me. But then you were gone and I panicked a bit,” he explained. “She’s up.”
My hand stopped mid-pour and I turned to him. “Is she coherent?” He nodded as he grabbed a travel mug from the cabinet and set it in front of me.
“Use that so we can go check in,” he told me, grabbing out creamer from the fridge and sliding it to me.
“Thanks,” I said absently as I fixed it up then sat it on the counter. Running upstairs I put on normal clothes and threw my hair in a braid. Nyx had come up right after me and got ready, both of us finishing at the same time. When we reached the kitchen, he had his own mug filled and clicked off the coffee maker before we hurried outside. “Who’s with her now?”
“Callum,” he said. “Thank God it wasn’t Antonio and Carlo. I love those guys but they’re not the gentle, subtle type and she needs that.”
I snorted as I took a drink. “You’re not wrong.” My first meeting they were flirting with me and joking around.
When we got inside the office it was still quiet, the lights dimmed since the sun wasn’t even up yet. We kept our steps quiet as we approached. Callum was sitting in a chair and the woman was sitting up, a blanket draped around her shoulder as she eyed us wearily.
“Hello,” I said gently. She eyed me but said nothing. Her mouth didn’t even try to form words. “Can I get you anything?”
Again, nothing.
“She hasn’t spoken to me. I just explained who I was and how we found her,” Callum told us, his tone gentle and soothing.
“I’m the healer. Can I get your IV out?” Nyx asked, pointing to her arm. She nodded this time. Good, she can hear us at least. She was tense the entire time Nyx was removing the IV, but I couldn’t blame her. Part of me wondered if it was the men’s presence, or just fear in general. “Your dehydration seems a lot better. But you need to shift so you can heal.”
She shook her head, eyes wide and frantic.
“I can shift with you if you need a companion?” I offered. “You’re safe here. The walls are high and we’re protected by a gate. You’ll never regain strength if you don’t.”
She deflated at that, and I took that as a sign to continue. Standing up, I held out a hand to help her down. She allowed me to help her and we started for the door.
“We’ll be here,” Callum said, understanding what I was doing. “But we’ll be close if you need us.”
“Thanks, Alpha,” I said quietly as we moved through the office and outside. “See, gated.” She glanced at it and a shiver went through her. If she wasn’t so weak, I’d have picked up the pace so she could shift and get warm.
When we reached the trees, I undressed and shifted. She shuffled her feet for a few minutes even with my back turned, eventually I heard the rustling of her dress and paws hitting the ground. Turning, I saw a small white wolf standing there, legs shaking as she stepped closer. I moved back so I was beside her and she leaned her body against mine, using my strength to stay upright. We walked farther into the woods and I chose a place under a big fir to settle. The moment I stretched out, she curled up against me. I was just grateful she was here, healing.
We stayed like that for several hours, the sun rising slowly until it was high in the sky. The air warmed and she started to get restless. When she stood this time, there was no shaking and she even looked a bit better overall, though still starved.
Step one: feed the new wolf.
Step two: fight anyone who suggested she go under a probationary period like I did.
We padded back to our clothes, shifted, and changed. I watched out of the corner of my eye, worried she might fall, but she easily pulled her dress back on.
“Let’s go back to my place to get you a shower and clothes. Mine might be a bit big on you but it’s better than nothing,” I offered. “We can get you some new clothes soon.”
She nodded and moved closer so our arms were almost touching as we walked. I remembered my first time here, feeling out of place and unworthy.
“Listen. I know this place is big, but Callum, or the alpha rather, just got a lucky break and built it up. I’m fairly new here, it’s just been a little over a month, actually,” I told her. She watched me as I talked but didn’t say anything. So I gave her a rundown of anything I could think of, hoping my talking would distract her from her worries a bit. When we got to Leven’s, I stopped at my old room for fresh clothes, grabbing her the smallest shirt and pants I had. At least they were yoga pants so they’d likely cling enough she could keep them up. I’d just gotten a few new packages of bra sets so I grabbed one of the sports bras and matching boy shorts with tags still on them. “Hopefully these work.”
She took them and smiled softly. There was a fire in her eyes that made me think that after she adjusted, she’d be a force to be reckoned with.
