Once he’s gone, I finish my drink then head outside. I want to see how the patrols are running before I go to bed. I strip down and shift, opening my senses before racing in the direction that I hear, smell, and sense the pack running.
I cut them off, catching up to them quickly. When I get close, I open the mind link and let them know it’s me who is coming up so quickly on their tail.
‘Any problems?‘ I ask, my wolf falling into step with theirs.
‘No Alpha,‘ comes the reply from the patrol leader.
‘No hints of anyone scouting around, possibly planning another attack?‘
‘No, Alpha.‘
I run the patrol route with them twice around the perimeter, making sure I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary either before I head back to the packhouse. When I get there, I shift and pull my clothes on quickly before heading back inside.
It’s late and the packhouse is quiet. I open my senses again, listening to the sounds around me. I hear snoring, love–making, pups fussing, and there, almost so quiet I can’t hear it, is someone’s muffled crying.
I focus on the presence, not pushing into their mind and I realize it’s Enya. I jog up the stairs quickly, something pulling me to her, wanting to ease the hurt that I feel inside her. It’s there during the day, but now, she’s finally letting it out and she’s alone. No one feeling this much
grief should be alone.
When I get to her room, I don’t knock, I just step into her room. She’s struggling so hard to stay quiet that she doesn’t even hear me. I quickly scoop her into my arms, telling her that she’s not alone and she’s safe. Then she curls into me and lets all her pent–up grief go.
I hold her as her tears soak my shirt, as she presses her mouth against my chest to hide the sound of her agonized sobs while I gently rock her back and forth, holding her tightly as her body convulses with the strength of her grief.
I know people grieve differently. I just told Shane that earlier this evening. But there’s something in the sound of Enya’s sobs that makes my heart feel like it’s tearing in two.
When her tears finally stop, she continues to periodically gasp for breath as her body struggles to regain composure after the release of so much pain.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, still pressed against my chest.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I murmur softly,, still rocking her.
She nods against my chest but doesn’t say anymore.
Eventually, I feel her body begin to relax and when her hand finally unclenches from my shirt, sliding down my chest, I look and realize she’s cried herself to sleep.
Rather than putting her bed right away, I continue holding her, wanting her to know, even in sleep, that I’m here and she’s not alone.
When her body feels like dead weight in my arms, I know that she’s deeply asleep. I stand and take her to her bed, pulling the blanket and sheets down before laying her on the bed. I pull the sheets and blanket
up over her, then I kiss her forehead, lingering as I breathe in her light floral scent. It’s faint enough that it draws me in. I want to get closer so I can breathe in more of her scent.
Rather than following that instinct, I stand, making sure she looks comfortable. Then I leave her room, closing the door behind me before heading to my room. When I pass Shane’s room, I listen for a moment, hearing his heavy breathing before going to my room, showering and finally crawling into bed.
All–in–all, I think my first day here was a success.
Enya
I wake up feeling disoriented. I’m in my bed with no recollection of how I got here. That is, until I smell Christian’s scent on my clothes. Then, last night comes rushing back and my cheeks flame with embarrassment that I broke down in his arms.
I get up and get ready for warrior training, wondering if he’ll say something to me about last night. When I get downstairs, he’s already outside ready to start warrior training.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asks me.
Actually, I slept better than I have in a couple of weeks.
“I slept okay, thank you. How about you? Did you sleep well your first night in a new place?” I ask him, quickly turning the conversation away from me. I’m already feeling vulnerable after last night.
“It always takes a couple of days to adjust when you’re in a new bed, you know?” he asks.
No, I don’t know. I’ve only ever slept in my bed.
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“I’ll take your word for it,” I say to him as Shane comes jogging up.
Chapter 13
( ཧཾ། ཝཱ, སསེནཏི ཁོ
