This chapter is for Paula! Happy birthday! (And sorry, I don't know your WP handle.) Enjoy and have a beautiful day.
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All I had to do was glance at Silas for him to understand I was done. There wasn't much of the body left, the air thick with the scent of dead meat.
"Can I go see Luke?" I asked, worried about how he was doing. Nathan said he was doing fine but I wanted to see for myself. Since he told me what happened, I had wanted to check on Luke.
"Of course, Aggele," Silas responded right away. "Want me to come with you?"
He glanced at his brothers, who were now either cleaning up the mess of dead bodies, or pointing out to the surrounding forest. My hearing told me they were discussing needing to do a sweep for more rogues. Silas followed their movements and I could feel his need to help them.
I didn't want to hold him back from that and I knew where the pack house was.
"No, I can go on my own."
Silas looked back at me and his frown deepened, making me frown. I lifted my hand up and tapped my pointer finger against his forehead. "Stop that. I'll be fine. Help your brothers. And I'll go make sure Luke is okay."
He didn't respond for the longest moment before nodding. "If you find any of those fuckers, howl and then tear their asses apart."
I smiled. "Of course." I carefully took off my clothes and shifted into my wolf. I picked up the clothes with my teeth and took off, heading toward Luke. My senses stayed on high alert, even as I approached the massive cabin. The boys' scents drenched this area since they lived here. I separated each scent, drawing some comfort from them. It was amazing that since they helped Silas and I escape, I healed enough to be able to trust others as much as I did them. I didn't have absolute trust with them, but my instincts told me it was getting there.
I didn't know how to feel about that. It had been just me for so long and then just Silas and me for a bit. Now my wolf and I were slowly letting in eight others, and they all had different personalities. It was hard, really hard.
When I shifted back to human, I threw on the clothes, and then knocked on the door. I listened carefully but didn't hear anything, not a single movement.
I drew in another breath just to double check. No scents out of the norm.
I knocked again, a little louder, and when I didn't hear a response, my fears came out to play. I moved away from the building, looking around, trying to find life inside.
Nothing moved.
I bit my lip and eyed the windows before going over to one and looking inside.
Dark and shadowy.
I backed away, eyeing the slightly opened window on the second level. Taking in a deep breath, I harden my nerves. Something was wrong. Why wasn't Luke responding? Did he go out when the rogues attacked? What if he was hurt again?
"Hold on," I mumbled, my brain forming an image of Luke hurt and dying on the floor, blood fanning out around him as he bled out.
I ran and jumped, putting everything I had into it. My muscles screamed at the movement, not used to it. I didn't go as high as a shifter should be able to but I was able to latch onto some grooves on the outside and then pull myself up the rest of the way, my muscles hating me. After the sparring, the running, and then the fighting, my body was exhausted.
When I got to the ledge, I pushed the window up the rest of the way, popped out the screen and then pulled myself inside.
I rolled, landing softly onto the carpeted floor, popping up onto my feet in a room filled with black. Black bedding, black carpet, dark walls. The musk in the room told me I was in North's room. I wanted to get a better look at his space but Luke was priority first.
My senses didn't pick anything up. No others on this floor. I still moved around carefully, light on my feet as I slipped out of the door and into the hallway. The walls were filled with photographs of everyone during different points of their life. I wanted to take my time and peruse them.
But Luke first.
I could go up or I could go down. Since I couldn't see anything on the first floor when I was outside, I decided to go up.
The dark wooden steps were sturdy against my weight and I slowly made my way up, my mind pushing me to move faster. I fought against all the whirling thoughts growing urgent in my head. Luke could be hurt. He could be in danger.
Where was he?
I got to the landing and looked both ways. When I was here the first time, I didn't come up here. The floor had turned into a dark carpet, the walls held more photos with artworks dispersed between them. The walls were a warm light brown, the windows big to let in the morning sunlight on one side and the evening sunset on the other and to give a nice view of the surroundings.
I took in a breath and picked up Luke's scent. It was feint but I knew he was up here still. I followed his vanilla and sugar scent to a door and pressed my ear up against it. I picked up the soft breathing of someone inside. He was here. I reached for the doorknob, desperate to see him now, to make sure he was okay.
I twisted the knob and opened the door slowly, keeping my senses on high alert. When the breathing didn't change with my approach, I frowned. He wasn't responding to me. Luke should have known I was here even before I approached the house.
I crouched down, preparing myself for what I would find.
The door swung the rest of the way and I froze, gaping at the scene. In the middle of the empty room lay a huge blond wolf. The top part of his fur was a darker blonde, nearly brown, but then it all blended into a light blonde with the hind legs a really light brown color. He was gorgeous.
But that wasn't what surprised me. I was taken aback by the fact that he had large headphones fitted over his head. It was a very odd sight to see. How did he even get them on his head? His breaths were deep, suggesting he was asleep. I stepped into the room and his eyes popped open, showing off husky blue irises.
His head popped up, startled to see me there. His eyes were filled with questions as I just stood there and stared back at him. He was breathtaking, beautiful. He belonged on one of those wildlife magazines I saw in my cabin.
He jumped to his feet and sniffed the air, before approaching me slowly.
"Luke?" I whispered. I knew it was him but I still found myself whispering his name. His head cocked to the side, his ear twitching. When he was only a couple of feet away, his demeanor changed suddenly. He no longer held the serious expression as his tongue came out, his tail wagged. He crouched and I realized what he was doing when it was too late and he pounced at me, knocking me to the floor.
I winced slightly as my wounds made them known. I hadn't even taken stock of what happened to my body after the fight. Luke didn't seem to notice because he commenced to lick at my face as if he were a huge puppy.
"Luke!" I tried to pull away as his tongue started at my chin and went up my cheek. "This is gross."
He made a small barking noise, his entire demeanor playful. I pushed him off me and he backed off, putting some distance between us, before shifting into his human form.
Before I could stop myself, I looked.
I couldn't help myself. I really couldn't.
I made a little girly noise, a sound I never made before, and then hid my eyes with my hand. I never really cared about nudity before. It was never an issue, but there was something growing between this pack and myself, an attraction.
I never had time to feel attraction before and didn't know what to do. So I hid.
Luke chuckled and I heard something ruffle.
"I'm decent, Cupcake," he said.
I still didn't move my hands. Luke would be the type to say that but then be lying just for some extra giggles.
"Sang," he said, clearly amused with the whole situation. "I'm not lying."
I could sense him coming closer and then gently hands grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face.
"See?" he said, cocking an eyebrow.
He wasn't lying, he was decent. He had pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a light blue button down shirt, left unbuttoned to show off his pale, muscular chest. I didn't know if I should be relieved or not. They were making me take notice of things I lacked in my life, in emotions I never had time for. It left me confused.
I didn't like it. I didn't like how they were making me feel.
"Why are you here?" Luke asked.
I looked around the room, noting how it was empty, devoid of sound.
"What is this room?" I asked.
He smiled. "My peace room," he said.
I frowned. "Peace?"
He nodded. "I get in trouble a lot, especially when I'm bored and on bed rest. This room was designed by Kota and Sean to help me stay calm. They say I'm too excitable."
"Oh."
"Come here," he said and pulled me further in the room before closing the door. The moment the door shut, everything went still in the room. No noise reached here. I glanced around in amazement.
"Kota came up with some kind of neat material he put into the walls to bounce away all the noise," Luke said as he went over and picked up the headphones. He came over. "May I?"
I eyed the headphones before nodding. He grinned and placed it on my head, making sure my ears were covered.
My eyes widened. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I moved and I couldn't hear my feet or my clothes ruffling from the movement. As shifters, we picked up so much noise and this room took it all away.
Luke made movements with his hands, asking if I understood. I grinned, moving my own hands to reply that I did.
His eyes widened, along with his grin.
Without the noise, I end up lost in my own head, he signed. This forces me to calm down and stay still. My wolf is especially hyperactive and when I'm hurt, Sean makes sure I come in here to rest up.
This is so cool.
His smile softened. I know.
He held out his hand and waited for me to grab it. I reached out to him and his body relaxed as he tugged me over to a corner, opening up a hidden door. I cocked an eyebrow as he went inside and came out a moment later with a huge light blue beanbag, big enough to fit three people.
He brought it over to the corner of the room, sat down, and then just gave me a patient look. I glanced at the space next to him and then to him. He just gave me a small smile, leaving the choice up to me. He didn't try to sign anything, he just waited.
My feet moved on their own and before I knew it, I stood in front of him. And then I was next to him. The beanbag shifted and I leaned up against him. Luke grabbed my feet and draped them over his legs.
His hands moved. Relax. Close your eyes. Rest.
I did as he said. I relaxed, melting into Luke's side. My eyes closed and it was like I was in a bubble where nothing could touch me. It was just me, myself, and I. My energy found the relaxation wonderful and surged through me, growing, becoming what it should have been but never had a chance to become.
Strong.
Luke shifted, his arm wrapping around me, pulling me close.
I dozed off.