The Return of the Lost Wolf

Her Pain, His Regret

My head was pounding when I woke up. I had no clue how much time had passed, but there was a burning pain in my back when I tried to move. I hissed, teeth grit and eyes screwed shut. 

"Don't try to move. Silver's still processing out of your system." 

I flailed in shock, eyes snapping to the silhouette in the corner of the room. 

"Wyatt." "You're lucky she didn't stab you any further. I wouldn't have been able to do anything but watch you die." He sounded irritated, but not with me even after our previous encounter.

"Why did you help me? You told me you wouldn't show any mercy the next time you saw me." I asked.

He sighed, and I saw his hand run through his hair. "Because, despite what I may think, you are still my sister. You and Willa both are my responsibility." 

I gave him a small smile of gratitude.

"Thank you."

"Just focus on getting better. Then we can talk."

 Over the next few days I slowly recovered. Wyatt only allowed me to have my necklace on when I started to lose my strength, other than that he kept it just out of reach. 

"I don't want you changing your mind and trying to kill me." 

Whatever, I was the one who came back to him. For the most part I was alone, but every now and then Wyatt would show up to check on me and bring me food. When I was able to walk on my own, without risk of passing out, I would stand outside the small building. 

We were in a place I had never seen before. Tall grasses surrounded us and you could barely see the trees that surrounded the field. Where did Wyatt bring me? Finally, one day I walked outside and had the urge to run. 

I had been cooped up before and it ended very poorly; I had killed the last one. I knew that running away would only prove my pack's point. I had abandoned them. 

But they abandoned me too. They left me there to die, didn't even look for me. 

My head began to swim as memories and thoughts of running and abandonment flooded my mind, but just as I was about to fall somebody caught me.

"Hey, careful." the voice said. It was Wyatt. "You need to stay inside. Unless you were planning on leaving again." His low growl at those words made me shiver. 

How did he know?

 He led me, carefully, inside and sat me down on the bed next to him. 

"Waylynn," he paused. 

That must have been the first time he had said my name in a long time. 

"Waylynn," he started again, looking away from me. "I want you to know that I never fully turned my back on you. The others, they hated you the minute you left, but I kept up hope that you would return. My anger slowly grew after the first four months, but I looked for you when I could. I only stopped after Willa caught me. I was only about five miles from the cabin we found you in a month ago." 

He looked me in the eye, pity and sorrow filled his own. "I'm sorry, I should've kept going. Maybe, just maybe I could have saved you." He leaned forwards and clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees. I lifted my hand and slowly, carefully, placed it on his back. He jumped slightly and let out a low growl and my hand shot back to my chest as I looked away holding back the tears. A second after he realized what had just happened. 

"Waylynn, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright I understand." I sighed. 

"Just one question, though." He nodded. 

"Why did you jump at me and push and yell and threaten when we saw each other in the woods? Why didn't you embrace me?" My voice was calm and slow. "Why did you tell Willa you saw me?" 

This time I stood up and faced him, making him meet my gaze as he lifted his head.

"I thought she had changed." He sounded hurt. I took a step back at his words and watched him stand up and leave the building.