Unmarked Mates

Chapter 7: "Higher duties mean greater responsibilities"

Pearl above

Terry POV

The girls have already been here for over two weeks, and I must admit I like that they are here. Ivory is getting better; her wounds are healing well, and Pearl... 

Pearly is a little Miss Sunshine; she is everywhere in the house, or rather everywhere around me. Ivory is more reserved, but she has stopped watching my every move, yet none of them said anything useful, but neither Aunty Mae nor I am pushy about it.

Honestly, I thought at the beginning that Aunty Mae would be more in charge of them than me, and yet that hasn't happened because even though Pearl doesn't avoid Aunty Mae, she clearly prefers me, and I honestly don't understand why.

She is like a small child, so she comes to me with almost everything; she wants me to do her hair, she wants to sing, she wants to show me her drawing, she wants me to read to her, or she wants to see what I'm doing. It also may happen because Ivory mostly slept all this time; I guess her wolf needed it to get better. Probably that's why Pearl latches to me so much.

I finish removing the bandage on Ivory's leg, it healed nice and clean, and it's good news, she will be alright. I notice she is watching me quite intensively, and I try to smile at her.

"You are healing well; you will be perfectly alright in the next couple of days," I say.

"And we could leave soon," she says, and something in me clenches painfully; I don't want them to leave. She may be healed, but it doesn't mean she can keep her and her sister safe.

"Ivory, here is not a prison, but do you think it wise to leave?" I ask, and she fidgets a little uncomfortably. "You got better, but you are still not well enough. You said you can hunt, but what about protecting yourself? The pack would be a solution."

She gulps and avoids looking at me for a while, but soon her eyes are again on me, and this time she looks like she has made a decision.

"You could teach me," she says. "I'm not stupid, I may not know the details, but you can fight. You know how to fight werewolves so that you can teach me, and then I will be able to protect Pearl."

I have to admit she has a point, and yet I'm not thrilled with her idea. It's been years, but I haven't neglected my training or let my skills get rusty. Honestly, I don't know why; probably, the drill was in my blood too much to let me abandon it. I may not hurt anybody in a decade, but I know I can still do it and know how.

What she said makes sense; if I teach her something, they will have better chances and stay here longer, so I can keep an eye on them. And yet something inside me howls in pain at the thought of teaching the child how to kill. Not that I haven't done worse in my life.

"No, Ivory, it's not a good idea," I say, leaving her alone.

It's early afternoon, so Aunty Mae is cooking something with the help of Pearl.

"I have to go today to take care of some business, and I want to meet with an old friend," she says, but something in her makes me think that this will not be a friendly chat.

Since Alpha was here last week, we have spotted more patrols; as she informed us, the girls were notified, but after a moment of fear, they accepted the new situation. Nothing has changed for them; they don't leave the apartment no matter what. When Aunty Mae or I go to work, we always clean ourselves, so none can smell the girls' wolves no matter what.

"Actually, I have a plan to get some scent suppressants. If I succeed, the girls will be allowed to leave the house occasionally," she says, and I nod. "I heard what Ivory had asked. I know you may feel uncomfortable, but she has a point; it will help them be safe."