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“No.” He gently laid his hand on her chin and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I should’ve never let you do it in the first place. I won’t use you like that.”
“If you repay me in food, you would no longer be using me.”
Christa giggled and handed them both each another plate filled with food and this time, made Blake finish his.
Christa only let them both go once she examined Niev one more time. She was hesitant, but they both promised her they would rest and sleep in the main house. Blake’s pain was still present, but he’d endured far worse, and his pack needed him. He stepped out of the door into the dark night. He heard Christa trying one last time to advise Niev to take it slow. He sighed because he knew Niev wouldn’t listen to her. Nevertheless, Blake appreciated Christa’s efforts.
It was dark out, the front of the house only lit by a small porch light. Seth sat right outside the circle of light on a tree trunk. Blake wouldn’t have seen him if not for his wolf vision.
“I thought I lost you.” With just a few large strides, Seth was right in front of Blake and pulled him into a hug.
“Unfortunately, you have to deal with me a while longer.”
Seth stepped back, his face changing as his eyes fell on Niev.
“Seth.” Niev sounded as if she were guilty of something.
Seth stepped toward her with an uncertain look on his face. He looked down to his hands where he was holding a small pocketknife. The knife looked familiar, but Blake couldn’t figure out where he’d seen it before. As if Seth was trying to figure out what to do with the knife, he let it slide through his fingers. After a few more silent moments, he handed it to Niev and without another word, walked into the darkness surrounding them.
Niev looked from the knife in her hands to Blake, then back to the knife. She seemed worried, as if something bad had happened and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
“What…”
She shook her head, answering his question without him having to finish his sentence. “I crossed a line I shouldn’t have.”
As they walked to the village, she told him everything that had happened while he was unconscious.
Blake let her get it all off her chest while leading her through the dark woods, his hand around her waist. She told him about the talk she had with Seth the day before, that Seth had been worried she’d never be able to follow his commands like others with wolf blood did, and that her actions today must have shown him how much more of a liability she could become. Niev told Blake about the feeling she had when Seth tried to contain her with his alpha authority. She’d felt it, but she hadn’t been affected by it. She’d felt Seth’s alpha, even though she hadn’t felt threatened or compelled to follow it. She explained to Blake why she’d done what she’d done, and that it was for good intentions–that she’d feared for Seth’s wellbeing.
“I think I went too far, Blake. I think he now sees me as someone he cannot and will never be able to control. Not that he sees joy in controlling me, but if he accepts me as part of his pack, I’ll never fully be like the others.”
“You’re not the only one he worries about. No one in the pack has ever trusted me because of my wolf’s potential. Having you here now might make it even harder for Seth. I don’t think he actually believes that either of uswantto be a threat to him or my father, but as an alpha he’s used to his subjects being containable. You’re not like any of the women he knows. Our women are very traditional. They rely on us wolves to protect them. Then here you come: untraditional, willing to go against her soon-to-be alpha, first woman to defeat a wolf, and gifted with healing blood.”
“I don’t want to threaten his position, but it would’ve been suicidal of him to attack. It would’ve gone against your father’s efforts of trying to solve this problem peacefully. You survived, so there was no need for him to avenge you and get himself killed in the process.”
“I know and I believe he understands that too. I think he returned the knife to you to show you that he trusts you. He understands that you’re not his enemy. It isn’t him who doesn’t trust us, it’s his wolf. Our wolves are based on pure instinct, and he’s an alpha wolf. He was born to rule and protect. His wolf can’t rule us, and that makes protecting his pack harder. He is torn between his human understanding of you and our situation and his wolf’s instincts.”
They had reached the first houses of the village, the porch lights lighting up the road. He could scent fear and anxiety in the air, even though no one was on the street. The pack seemed restless. He could hear agitated and nervous voices behind the closed doors.
Niev must have felt it too. Goosebumps appeared all over her skin and her body language changed. “They must be terrified.”
“Yes, I can smell their fear. The last time something like this happened was over two generations ago.”
She walked in silence next to him, holding onto his arm until they reached the main house. He opened the front door and his mother and Lyliann ran toward them.
“Blake.” His mother seemed out of it, scared and more worried than he’d ever seen her before. “What happened? Why are you here already? I wasn’t expecting you for another day.”
“Nothing bad happened, Mother. Niev and I would just rather spend the night here than with Christa.”
She immediately calmed. His unexpected appearance must have made her think of the worst possible scenario. “Of course.”
She turned back to Lyliann, and they both returned to the living room.
Blake was about to walk up the stairs when Niev gently touched his arm. “May I have more food?” She seemed to be embarrassed and wasn’t able to look him in the eye.
He placed a finger underneath her chin and lifted her head, forcing her to look at him. “You never have to ask for food–take whatever you want. I need a shower, but you go and eat as much as you like. My room is the first door to the right. I’ll meet you there.”
He watched her walk down the hallway and disappear into the living room. As he walked up the stairs, he could hear his mother helping her prepare a plate. He couldn’t help but smile. She’d taken Niev under her wings, loving her just as much as she loved all her other children.
