Merula stared at Scarlet.
Her body trembled, warring within itself for shelter, to hide from sight of the predators that roamed around her. She contained her own predator, that much had been made clear with her Wolfs actions those few hours ago, but the Flesh was not as undaunted as her beast. To the human, everything was dangerous, even Merula as she sat still on the floor of the opposite wall from Scarlet and simply observed. She was nude, the hospital gown she had been wearing was found after an investigation, left in the bathing room of the hospital wing. They had tried to identify the trigger for the shift, especially one that erupted with a Wolf so filled with rage, so filled with the need to protect something that wasn't obvious to the rest of the world. All they could find was her hospital room, the blanket pulled to the side to show she had gotten out of bed, and her gown on the floor of the bathing room with a trail of blood (and human teeth) that led to the door.
It confused the hierarchy, there was no signs someone had disturbed the girl, no signs she had attempted to run a bath, no signs of anything at all to disturb her in such a way to force a violent shift.
Merula knew better.
She had worked for years to earn her degrees in trauma therapy, and she was good at her job- she did not feel cocky in saying so. Working mostly with mundane children- their world was so complex and terrifying compared to the simplicity of the mountain pack of Sendöw- she had discovered many things along the way they never truly taught in her education. She had learned of people in a child's life lessening the trauma of the young, that their matured minds could not interpret the ferocity of incidences like the imaginative and moldable brains of a child could, and though majority of the time it wasn't on purpose in some instances it was. Orion had given her an idea of everything that had happened since his first meeting of Scarlet, in that snowy field in Malkún's territory all those weeks ago. And though Orion was not purposefully negating the possibility of the trauma she had endured in her life, he was placing her mental status on the back burner to prioritize his balance as Alpha.
She understood why, Scarlet had created a mess for herself in many ways. Being bonded to Alpha Orion meant a lot to the Werewolf community who had whispered of him for literal centuries like the mundanes equivalent of the Boogie Man. He was the threat that got children to bed on time, the leverage that it took for an ally to dominate another over territory. He was the fear, and the sadness, of the Werewolf world, the truth everyone had to experience in the time between turning of age to mate and finding their own bonded.
What if they never found her, and ended up like Alpha Sendöw?
Only, he had found her now, and she had attacked him without mercy, without rational thought a dying animal such as herself should have had. She appeared a battle-torn Rogue, attempting to challenge and murder the Alpha of a powerful and primal pack, and that would entitle her to an introduction that would not be well received. Scars in Sendöw were not something to condemn, they were something to celebrate. It represented the strength of a Warrior, the loyalty of the pack to its people, but Scarlets skin- as Wolf and Flesh- did not represent the pride Sendöw had grown to see in its people. It represented a threat, she was an outsider who had threatened their leader, the protector over their lands for so long it was the only man they knew could protect them. She had injured him, marred his skin with new scars, and he had defended it vehemently, even bringing in his Leads to punish the pack instead of the 'Rogue'. Merula had grown up in this pack, she had been as wild as they- and at times still was, though she would never let her Mate hear her admit to that- and she could feel in her heart the confusion and rage they would hold towards Scarlet, the bruised ego that she came before the people.
Not only that, but Scarlet had been discovered as an exile from Malkún. She was being condemned to death given the state she was in, Merula had seen the photos of her injuries in her patient file. She had obviously endured torture in Malkún, and rape as well. Orion had to remain cordial until he could verify his own conclusion, Malkún had lied about her status as Rogue. They lied about her attempting to kill the people of the pack, and they lied about her having only been there a short time. Having told Merula what Scarlet had confessed before having her abortion, Orion was preparing his case for the murder and annihilation of the Malkún territory and all who lived in it. That large pack all had zipped lips, a secret they would die to protect, they had committed crimes against his mate that would only be repaid in their blood. He needed Merula to help his woman recover, while he either enacted her revenge, or discovered her truth.
Orion was like the parents of the Mundanes that she had helped navigate through their trauma, he was squashing the life Scarlet had lived, putting himself before her and making her obvious fright seem less than, but that was because the ancient being could not comprehend her life. He did not know, and neither did Merula, the extent to which this woman had been traumatized, humiliated in ways they had yet to uncover. He did not understand how to communicate with a woman who was scared of a voice, he did not understand how to protect her when she didn't understand what protection was. So he focused on what he could do, he could try to figure out her involvement with Malkún, he could work on avenging her treatment. This was the way he would show her his love, by destroying everything in the world that had ever done her wrong- that was something he felt she would understand. That was something he felt would make her feel safe, and Merula - after looking over the trembling and hiccuping body of his mate- couldn't help but agree that maybe he was on to something. Merula was not a vengeful person- she liked to think that she had grown from wishing death upon everyone that had hurt all the people she had worked with over the years, it was less draining to wish for the healing of her patients- but this type of physical trauma would only be indicative of the mental trauma she had experienced.
It ignited a fire in Merula's belly that had gone to ash a long time ago.
Merula knew better than to think this was a random, violent shift. She knew what graceful and beautiful item hung on the wall that could cause such a devastating show of emotion to Scarlet. They had no proof that she had seen her body, these scars- so dark and rubbery- were very newly healed. The bathing room of the hospital wing held a beautiful mirror framed in an elder oak, hand crafted by the Alpha himself, a beautiful item for the beautiful people in his land that healed in its quarters. Scarlet, had discovered that mirror, she was sure of it. She had stared into its depths and seen the new body she came to reside in.
"Are you cold?" Merula eased the girl into the sound of her voice.
She felt guilt claw at her stomach as a startled gasp left the woman, and her body flinched away from the area Merula sat. Her long hair swooped over her legs, covering her left thigh and hip as her head dropped to her knees to further pull herself into a ball. Merula reached to her right, the wicker chair sat unused in the sea foam colored room with a grey fleece blanket folded neatly over the back. She gripped it tightly and tugged it off the back of the seat, it fell with a weight she had hoped it would have, knowing it would comfort the young girl and hopefully still her trembling. She slid it across the floor and felt her soul upset yet again as a startled yell left her when it hit her feet. Merula didn't say anything, she simply let the air settle until a tense silence lay miles between them.
Scarlet's breathing slowed from her startled hyperventilating, to steady hiccups, as her sobs slowed. She peeked from between her hair, and as Merula wished to give her a semblance of privacy in her nudity, she looked away and pretended not to notice. The shy woman slowly moved her dainty fingers to the blanket, touching its rough surface before pulling it from her feet and covering her shivering body with its weight. She heaved breaths of relief while Merula turned her gaze back on the woman with gritted teeth and tears heavy in her eyes as she shivered under the blanket. Scarlets scar churned her gut and she fought her wince, Orion had warned her, but it did not stop the visual that ran through Merula's mind as to its occurrence.
She carried the blue-eyed girls gaze for a moment, before sighing into the quiet.
"My name is Merula." It was a simple statement, she didn't want Scarlet to feel the need to reveal too much of herself if she were to give an in-depth introduction.
Scarlet did not give her own name in return, she just stared and worked her hands together to generate some warmth. It was getting colder in Sendöw, the snow was preparing to fall in the first official storm of the winter season. The air had chilled to bite the flesh of the Flesh, the adults and children were sticking to their beast more and more- it was the way of the Mountain. It provided as much as it took, and we were nothing more than inhabitants of its generosity. There was a fireplace lit on either side of the house, roasting the air for those who preferred the winter seasons- how ever odd it was- though they had only recently been lit and had yet to warm the room they sat in.
Scarlet was obviously scared and though her shift had occurred hours ago, she was still going strong with her hiccups and tears. Merula knew it was terrifying to be in a new, unknown, territory (she had felt the same way when she moved to her Mates territory) she couldn't imagine the confusion she was experiencing.
"It's scary being in a new territory, isn't it?" Merula let her head rest against the wall and stared at the ceiling, finally taking her eyes off the woman.
"Strange smells, strange people." She continued.
"I can imagine your Wolf was even more confused." Merula was surprised to hear a noise, the shuffling of fabric.
She brought her head away from the wall and stared at Scarlet shaking her head slowly while continuing the slight rocking she had been doing for a few moments. The tears flowed down her cheeks and it seemed Merulas talk had thrown her into wave of fresh cries that she muffled into the fleece blanket.
"No what, Scarlet?" She fixed herself cross-legged and held her head up with her fists.
"She wasn't confused." The rough voice of the girl was thick with tears, and Merulas heart leapt at the sound she almost hadn't expected to hear.
"Who wasn't confused?" She waited patiently as she sniffed and wiped her tears with the backs of her trembling hands.
"The Wolf, she wasn't confused, she was mad." She hiccuped.
"I'm sure she was defensive, there were a lot of unknown faces-"
"No!" Merula flinched as the scream ripped from Scarlets throat. "No, she wasn't confused or defensive! She wanted to murder everyone," she sobbed heavily into the quiet room, her wails echoing off the walls, "she wanted them dead, she wanted to roll in their blood! And I was so scared, she wouldn't let me out, she wouldn't let me out! I was back in a cage, and she wouldn't let me free!" Merula shifted for her knees and shuffled her way to the shrieking woman.
Her hands trembled, she hesitated to place the hand held so still in the air on Scarlets shoulder covered so tenderly in the fleece blanket. Her palm touched the rough material and Scarlets head thudded off the wall as she tried to scoot back, Merula hushed her quickly like a fussing child. Her words boiled and bubbled in her brain and Merula felt a molten lava of fear rush through her veins and boil in her belly. She knew this, she knew this explosive rage she had only heard of from Orion and his Leads. She knew this fear and distrust of the world around them, and she recognized the trembling body of Scarlet in that moment. She had seen it once before, in a male child no older than seven, having been raised by mundanes. His fear was a perfect replica of Scarlets fear, and Merula could feel her breath leave her body as her hand slowly drew itself from Scarlets shivering form.
"Scarlet, sweetie, how many times have you shifted before?" Merula kept her voice quiet, she did not want a passerby to hear.
She sniffles and hiccuped before looking Merula in her eyes, and she watched as her lips fought the sob they so desperately needed to release.
"I haven't, they beat me until it stopped my first time."
Oh no.
Unedited for you guys
Next chapter is more Scarlet and Merula, Merula and Orion, and Scarlets introduction to the pack! How do you feel things will go with Sabina being sent to Malkún?