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But if there’s any way to find the battle I’ve forgotten, I don’t know what it is, and I do know I can do something for her.
Besides, I think it would be nice to see her smile. She’s an interesting woman, and it would be good if she were happy with me. I find myself wanting to please her, wanting to gain her approval. I tell myself it’s just because I owe her my life, and it isn’t a lie, but it feels like half the truth.
“If we want you to help, the pack is going to have to get used to your scent.” She walked to the door, opened it, and called out something in her wolf language. A few moments later, one of the wolves followed her into the house.
“This is Safira,” she explains, indicating the powerful wolf who stands close to her. “She likes both of us more than most of the others. Once you have some of her scent on you, the other wolves should start to come around to you.”
10
AMARA
The sun is setting, and I’ve introduced Kian to as many members of the pack as I could trust to take to him individually. Tonight, he will meet the pack as a whole.
Also, he will join in the hunt. I had been skeptical that he was well enough for it, but I’ve examined his body. As long as he hangs back during the heat of any fighting that happens, I think he’ll be fine. The orcs heal faster than anything I’ve ever seen. If I had to guess, I think it has to do with their sheer force of will. They simply don’t accept being injured the way animals do, and so their bodies push to heal themselves.
“Are you ready?” I ask, standing by the door and looking at him.
He tightens his gear, then gives me a nod. I have to admire the efficiency with which he does everything. Never a wasted movement, never anything flashy or extra. Just perfect, military precision. Exactly what is needed to get the job done and nothing more.
“You sure they’ll like me?” he asks, smiling but still obviously a little shaken by the attack a week or so back.
I can’t hide the concern in my voice. “I can promise you they won’t attack you. Not with me around.”
“Is it a problem if they don’t like me?” he asks me. He’s been more curious about me lately. He always seems to catch it when there’s something I’d rather not tell him, and he never lets me get away with it. I’d find it annoying if I weren’t a little flattered by it.
“Not for you,” I say and open the door.
Outside, the moon is just beginning to rise. Five members of the pack are gathered around the door and they immediately start to jump on me as I exit. I play, too, but with a piece of my attention reserved for Kian.
It would be nice if I could forget about him entirely and relax back into the pack, where things are simple and direct even when they’re difficult. But he is my responsibility, and besides, he’s interesting. I’d miss him if he weren’t here, strange and inconvenient as he is.
The moment he steps out, the playful jumping stops. The pack all stands around the two of us, totally still and getting the scent. This is the key moment. Will they accept him or not?
One of them starts to growl, then another. Safira howls, and Nyra bares her teeth.
I growl at them and remind them that he’s a guest. They calm down, but none of them want to go near him. All of them eye him warily, and I hear a few more quiet growls.
Those, I realize, are meant for me, not him.
“That didn’t sound like I made a very good first impression,” Kian mutters to me.
I can’t lie to him. “They’re refusing to accept your scent. They’re still going to treat you as an outsider. At least for now.”
“For now?” he repeats hopefully. “You mean I might still be able to earn their trust?”
“I can’t promise it,” I say. “But we’ll have to try.”
The truth is, I’ve never seen the pack accept anyone whose scent they rejected like that. I’ve seen them chase off individual wolves who tried to join them, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. Once their mind is made up, they don’t listen to anyone, not even me.
I don’t want him to know just how possible it is for them to turn against me. I know they’ve thought about it. Some of them are probably thinking about it now. Maybe things will change, or maybe they won’t. Either way, that’s my problem. Kian has enough of his own.
“It’s okay,” I decide. “We’ll just follow after them and focus on the traps rather than trying to join in an ambush. We’ll be fine for tonight.”
I give the signal, and the pack takes off into the woods. Kian and I follow at a walking pace.
“You set traps?” he asks.
“That’s right,” I say. “Back when I was a child, it would just slow the pack down to have me try to chase prey down. But I had good fingers and thumbs, so I started setting traps for prey. At first, just rabbits and whatever little things I could get with a tripwire, but over time, I’ve gotten better at it. You’ll see.”
