Shattered and Saved (Ashen Wolves #2)

16

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A V R I L

“How’s Oliver?” I asked as soon as my friends settled in their seats across from my desk.

While I was worried about our new member’s strange outburst, there was another reason for my urgency. I needed a distraction - anything to take my mind off my argument with Koen. It flooded my thoughts, even affecting Kea, who wouldn’t stop pacing in distress inside my head.

“Better,” Rhea began, though her expression hinted that her report wasn’t as positive as she’d hoped. “We took him to his cottage and waited for him to come back to his senses. When he woke up, he seemed… confused.”

Seeing my brows furrow, Theo added, “He said he couldn’t fully remember what happened. From what he told us, his memory was blurry. He remembered feeling angry, but he didn’t know why.”

“His amnesia could’ve been caused by the silver,” Elijah continued, “but with the small dosage we used, it’s unlikely. He was under for no more than five minutes.”

“Did it sound like he could be lying?” I offered.

“I doubt it,” Rhea answered. She had great sense for reading other people’s auras, alway attentive to the smallest signs they could give away through body language, so I trusted her judgment. “Either he’s an awfully good liar, or he’s truly just as confused as we are about his sudden change in behavior.”

I took a moment to analyze what little information they had provided so far. It still didn’t make a lot of sense. The only thing I could think of was that perhaps it was a condition he could have. It wasn’t uncommon for wolf shifters to have anger management issues that could result in violent explosions such as the one we’d witnessed.

“Did he mention ever experiencing similar episodes before?” I mused.

“No. He appeared very scared and ashamed it happened, which leads me to believe it was a first for him,” Theo told me. The worry in his eyes only intensified my own. “To me, it seems almost like he blacked out and his wolf took over, but what got him so riled up, I couldn’t figure out.”

“Grief response, maybe?” Elijah suggested. “He did mention that the girl was his only friend - pretty much his family, considering he had no one else.”

“We can’t eliminate that possibility,” Theo agreed, but the way he grimaced made it obvious he didn’t really think that was the case.

“If we’re assuming it was a one-time thing, it could’ve been a reaction to stress or exhaustion,” Rhea guessed, offering a more positive outlook on the mystery at hand.

I nodded, trying to convince myself it could be that simple, although, most times, it wasn’t. “Is he alone now?” I asked.

Rhea bobbed her head. “We left him under the supervision of a few warriors he hung out with after the run.”

“Good. I’ll go check on him,” I said, already getting up. The others rose with me. “Until we know for sure he’s out of the woods, make sure he knows we’ve got his back.”

As we all excited the office, Theo bowed his head in respect. “Let us know if you need anything.”

I paused, glancing back at my team one last time. “Just… keep your eyes open for now,” I instructed. “Let’s hope it’s just stress. I won’t blame him for being overwhelmed after everything he’s been through in such a short time.”

Oliver’s world was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Shifting for the first time, being chased by rogues, discovering he was some crazy mythological creature, and being thrust into a new place with unfamiliar faces was incredibly disorienting. It was overwhelming to process.

Moon knows I felt more than just stressed when my pack found me. I remember how challenging it was to take everything in. There were times when it felt like too much to bear. Although I never actually tried to kill anyone out of sheer anger, I can’t say I didn’t consider it. In fact, the desire for revenge against Koen fueled me for a long time, especially in the beginning.

Once I separated from my team, I made my way toward Oliver’s cottage in the village. Although my mission was clear, I kept losing focus, my eyes instinctively searching for a different person. Kea was torn, too. She wanted to find Koen, but she knew we had to put the fledgling first.

As I reached Oliver’s door, I took a deep breath to rid my mind of my former mate. A second after I knocked, one of the warriors opened the door. He greeted me with a curt bow of his head, moving out of the way so I could come in. I asked him and the others to leave so I could speak to Oliver alone.

The second he saw me, he lowered his gaze shamefully. “I apologize for my poor behavior, Alpha. I don’t know what got into me, I swear.”

I managed a smile, trying to comfort him as I walked toward the table where he sat and took the chair beside him. “It’s okay, Oliver. I believe you.”

When he lifted his head, there was surprise in his features. “You won’t have me punished for attacking your friend?”

“Not unless you try to do it again.” My tone came out more threatening than I intended as Kea poisoned me with her anger at the thought of Koen getting hurt.

He stiffened. “I-I won’t,” he promised. After a brief pause, he asked, “Why did you want to see me then?”

“To remind you that we’re family now. You’re not alone anymore, Oliver,” I told him sincerely. “If you need help settling in, just let me or my team know. We want you to feel comfortable here.”

“Thank you, Alpha.” He lowered his head respectfully. “Everyone has been beyond kind since I arrived.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” I nodded, rising to my feet. “I’ll leave you be now. Make sure to get some sleep, Oliver. I told your friends to let you rest for a while, but you can always link them if you need some company when you wake up.”

He tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Wait, I can link them?”

“Yeah,” I replied, clarifying, “Ashen Wolves have a connection far more powerful than regular pack bonds. It’s more similar to a family bond. We share the same blood, which allows us to mindlink with each other.”

A spark lit up his eyes at my explanation. It was somewhat relieving to watch a part of the excitement and belonging return to him after the recent stress. Here’s to hoping Rhea was right, and we wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore.

After talking to Oliver, I tried to keep myself occupied with minor tasks like reading and signing reports. I didn’t see or hear from Koen the entire evening, and I was going insane, realizing how deeply it affected me. No matter how hard I tried to focus on anything else, I always found myself returning to thoughts about what I could do to fix the situation between us.

I had been spending so much time with Koen lately that I hadn’t realized how unsettling it was to be apart from him. It felt equal parts annoying and disheartening. When did I start craving him this intensely, and why did his approval matter so much to me?

More than once, I thought about setting aside my stubbornness to go after him. But he had asked for space, and I wanted to respect that - or at least, that’s what I kept telling myself. It felt better for my pride than admitting I might be afraid of his response. Besides, I wasn’t sure what I would even say to him. I could see his perspective, but I still didn’t regret my actions.

Goddess, ruling over the last members of a dying race of powerful werewolves suddenly seemed easier than nurturing a relationship.

While I idled thoughtfully in the town square, a voice echoing in my mind jolted me back to reality. “Alpha,” Rhea called. “There’s been a disagreement between two pack members.”

At first, I was confused. As Delta, Rhea was more than capable of handling conflicts between pack members. She had broken up more than a few fights and rarely asked for my help to deescalate these situations, nor did she feel the need to inform me about them.

“What happened?” I asked, hoping for clarification.

“I don’t know. They were way out of their minds to even listen to me,” she replied, and I immediately stiffened. However, it was her next revelation that sparked my concern. “I had to tranquilize them both to keep them from killing each other.”

My eyes widened as I let the information sink in. It wasn’t common for pack members to engage in random fights, let alone attempt to murder one another. Even in the worst cases, all Rhea had to do was step between them and assert her authority. The only time we ever needed to resort to using silver to contain an enraged pack member was earlier today, and I couldn’t help but assume these two incidents were connected.

If I was correct, we could have a very serious problem.