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That was certainly intriguing.
I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t realize the position we were in. I also hadn’t noticed the chemistry practically pouring from the two of us. I did try to avoid entanglements with enlisted soldiers stationed in my own base, but maybe…
I cut myself off as I recalled that I'd recently experienced the call of my elusive fated mate. What was I doing contemplating an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate when my destiny was somewhere close by?
Guilt drenching me like cold water from a wet bucket, and I quickly took a step back and cleared my throat.
If this was any other situation, I might’ve been flattered by how she leaned on me for a split second, as if she didn’t want me to leave her personal sphere. But the truth was I shouldn’t be in her room or thinking about her that way. I wasn’t going to settle just because the other piece of my soul was hard to find.
“Now, about that injury of yours,” I started.
But Ayla recovered after a moment and shook her head. Just like I expected, the colder tone emerged. “I’ll befine,sir. I don’t need special treatment. There were many people who were much more grievously wounded than me.” She straightened her shoulders and walked to her door, which had somehow swung closed behind me. Had I done that? Or had it been a draft?
Ayla practically threw it open, regardless. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Ireallymust be getting to my patients.”
Despite me being her commanding officer, her tone also gave no quarter, and honestly, I didn’t even want to argue with her. Our whole interaction had my mind tied in knots, confused at the way things kept flipping around and rapidly shifting.
I felt familiar with Ayla. We weren’t the best of friends, but she was definitely more than an acquaintance I’d talked to maybe for a minute or more. Yet each time I tried to concentrate on that impression, it would just slip away.
“Good day, Everton. Try to keep hydrated.”
“I will do my best, sir.”
I let myself out right then. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d shoved me out of the door. She did end up letting me leave of my own volition, though, despite her insistence on getting to her patients, then she slammed the door behind me.
Oh, well, I couldn’t exactly blame her for being curt. I wasn’t really proud of how I’d acted, either, so instead I beat a hasty retreat back to my office.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, but there was already a full meal waiting for me when I got there, and all with dishes that weren’t in the first set. We didn’t have gourmet meals or anything of the like at the fort, but our cooks sure did brilliant things with what supplies we did have. Waiting for me, I found a fresh loaf of bread, meatloaf, and what looked like grilled turkey breast that'd been carefully set over cranberry jelly. It was probably from a can, but I didn’t care. My wolf was most definitely eager to eat again.
I’d only just barely sat down and loaded up a plate when Oren returned holding a turkey leg. I giggled. That'd been a summertime favorite of his since he was a little kid.
“Fancy some mead?” he said, lifting the large canteen he was holding. “Came in from the village. Apparently made from bees feeding on lavender and honeysuckle.”
“Sounds refreshing,” I said, grinning.
Normally I'd want a clear mind for all the things we had to deal with, but as a shifter, it took way more than a single canteen to get the two of us drunk. Our high metabolism meant that we really worked to make a difference in our blood alcohol level, and usually that was more trouble than it was worth. It really was a testament to how hard Tristan went to be that sloppy.
We shared the canteen directly this time, not even bothering with cups. The food was delicious, as per usual, and it was even better shared with my best friend. There was an ancient phrase in wolf culture that'd been translated in many different ways over the centuries, but roughly translated to “Food is always better shared”. I couldn’t have agreed more. Maybe it was just our pack instincts, but I always liked to think it went hand in hand with family.
Maybe that was why I opened my mouth after my first plate to question Oren.
“Hey, did anyone see me when I was actually knocked out in the attack? Or did they only find me later?”
“No, no one saw you when you went down. Toward the end, the smoke cover was so thick it was difficult to make out anything more than a foot away.”
“Hmm…”
“Is that when you sensed your fated mate?”
“No, not when I was first hit. But after, when I was unconscious.”
“I see. So you were unconscious… and you felt this mate?”
“Hey, I know how it sounds, but I swear, it was her. Ifeltit.”
“I understand, but if you can’t sense her anymore, maybe… maybe it was an aberration.”
I set down my fork and sighed. “Oren, why would you want to bring me down right now?”
