Surrender (Werewolf)

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"How do you like your room?" I asked Emma as she sat in the floor staring at her blank sheet of sketch paper.

She had been with the pack for two weeks and she was slowly coming out of her shy, scared stage and now she was showing a lot more anger and irritation at everything. Dr. Heath suggested that it could be the result of her being out of control in her own life for so long, she was just now lashing out. In other words, these were the side effects of Axle's work.

Emma shrugged and starred at the floor.

"Are you hungry? Lana made lunch. I could have her bring some up or we could go down to the kitchen."

"Whatever," she mumbled.

I sat and waited on her to clarify which she preferred, but when she didn't say anything more I pushed myself up from the floor and stood.

"I thought we might go outside after you finish eating. It's pretty and you could swim if you want."

Her reply was silence.

I sighed. "What do you want to do, Emma? We can do whatever you want."

She looked at me then and with a pitched voice said, "Can you take me to my parents and my brother?"

I froze. "N-no."

She knew they were gone. She saw them die. I knew this was one of times she was lashing out at me. She was hurting for her family and I was there.

"Then I'll stay here, thanks." She picked up her sketch pad off the floor and flipped through the pages. I barely caught sight of the pictures of her family before she closed it. She grabbed her pencils and stood up. She had extreme talent for someone so young. I didn't know many eight year old who could draw so well.

"Okay then." I didn't know how else to deal with this situation. "If you change your mind, let me know. I'll ask Lana to bring up your lunch."

"Don't bother. I'm not hungry."

She tossed her art materials on the bed and left for her small bathroom. She shut the door rather loudly and turned on the shower. After a moment that's when I heard it. Her soft sobs just under the sounds of the running water. No matter how much she tried to hide her emotions, they were always there, just beneath the surface.

"How did it go with Emma today?" Lana asked after returning from her room with the empty plate. I knew Emma would be hungry regardless of what she said. She was wired to be difficult right now and she had every right to be.

There was no right way to grieve. She would do whatever she had to to get through it.

"The same," I told her. "I don't know what else I can do besides keep trying. That is Dr. Heath's suggestion anyway."

She raised her brow at me. "Do you have a better suggestion?"

I shook my head.

"Maybe you should talk to your mom. She seems to be the mom of moms after all. She might have some suggestions."

A small laugh escaped my lips. "She is that. I'll never live up to her legacy."

"Who could?" Jennifer joked upon entering the kitchen. I was so glad to have her back from our old pack, even though it had been more than a week ago since she arrived.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey," she grinned. "Tall, blonde and handsome is looking for you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Kieran isn't blonde."