Chapter Twenty-Three
THORIN
I need to say something,” Aurelia quietly confesses as she faces the observation window overlooking the small enclosure. It’s the most timid I’ve ever heard her. The word timid and Aurelia have no business being in the same sentence. She’s fierce, and I never want to see her as anything but.
Still, I know the reason for her caution.
The three of us have been silently fuming ever since we arrived at the wolf conservation center that Ezekiel raced the entire way to reach.
There was no time to stop and get patched up and vaccinated by a human doctor, so we settled for the emergency vet the sanctuary used.
She was already waiting for us after Zeke radioed Sheriff Kelly to inform him that we were bringing a wild wolf through Hearth.
The sheriff met us on the edge of town with a couple of deputies and escorted us the rest of the way. It’s been hours since the vet and her team wheeled Meera off to surgery. The pups were also taken for evaluation and were now sleeping off the harrowing day on the other side of that window.
Zeke, Khalil, and I continue our stony silence as we wait for Aurelia to speak whatever’s on her mind. It’s an area she normally excels in, but words escape her now.
To be clear, we aren’t as pissed at her as we are at ourselves.
We knew better than to get involved with the she-wolf, but this hold Aurelia has on us makes it impossible to deny her.
I’d call it a spell, but spells can be broken.
There is no getting over our girl.
Aurelia spins suddenly, and her flinch when she meets each of our gazes has me reeling back my anger.
I don’t have to look to know Zeke and Khalil are doing the same.
“I’m sorry about today. Obviously, it wasn’t my intention for any of you to get hurt.
I—” Seemingly giving up her train of thought, Aurelia’s shoulders slump. “It won’t happen again.”
Doubting that, I hum.
“None of us are looking for you to change who you are,” Khalil states.
I remain silent since he’s better at bringing Aurelia to heel with the least resistance.
I only step in when she’s feeling particularly bellicose and needs a firmer hand.
“We wouldn’t be in love with you if you were anyone else.
” Zeke shifts uncomfortably at the mention of love, but he doesn’t deny Khalil’s statement.
“We just ask that you be smarter. Listen to us when we tell you something is too dangerous. The three of us have been out here a lot longer than you, and there’s a reason we’ve survived.
We’ve made and learned from all the mistakes you’re making right now. ”
“I know,” she says with her eyes on the ground.
“Do you?” I challenge.
Aurelia’s eyes rise to meet mine, and I lift a brow, silently daring her to spew whatever smart remark I see brewing in her eyes.
Her gaze shifts to Zeke’s bandaged arm and hand and then Khalil’s injured shoulder.
The dressing is hidden under the wolf conservation T-shirt one of the keepers tossed him after the vet patched him up.
Both had to get shots around their wounds to treat for possible rabies exposure.
Aurelia and I were the only ones not seriously injured through sheer dumb luck.
The fight winks out of her eyes, and she nods.
“Good.” I stretch my tired muscles and check my watch, silently urging the vet to hurry the hell up. Aurelia refused to leave without learning Meera’s fate, and after everything we nearly lost getting her here, none of us were keen on leaving without knowing if the she-wolf made it.
“The one thing I can’t wrap my head around is why?” Aurelia asks when enough time passes that it’s clear we’re no longer interested in scolding her.
“Why what?”
“Why would those wolves attack her? Is it… Did they want to mate her?”
I shake my head and stretch again. Aurelia cringes when my bones audibly crack and I smirk. “Wolves are not like lions. A roaming male, or in this case males, won’t typically kill pups to force the female into estrus.”
“Then why?”
I think about it for a minute. “Could be that she moved into their territory and they were simply running her off or she failed to integrate. The problem is that depending on the pack size and scarcity of prey, the natural radius of what the wolves consider theirs could be larger than all of the Cold Peaks put together. To put it plainly, there’s an overabundance of predators in the area, so these rivalries happen a lot more often than you’d think.
If it’s the same wolves we encountered near Meera’s den, I’d wager either their resources are low—which is likely considering they tried their luck with us—or…
” The horrified look in Aurelia’s eyes make me stop and swear.
“Or?” she presses after schooling her expression. “Go on.”
“Or Meera isn’t submitting, and the alpha is trying to enforce his dominance,” I say, returning to my original theory of integration.
“By killing her babies,” Aurelia surmises aloud.
I nod, and a distressed sound escapes her as she presses a hand to her stomach and turns away.
Khalil is the one to react first, standing to go over and pull her into his arms. Aurelia takes a few deep, calming breaths and then lifts her head.
“How do I do it? How do I turn my back on them? How do I be more like you?”
“You think about what’s most important,” Khalil tells her. If going even an inch out of our way puts Aurelia at risk, we’d never do it. “Us or them?”
“You,” she answers without hesitation. “Always you. I really am sorry. I don’t know why Meera feels so important to me, but she’s not more important than all of you. I won’t put you in danger again.”
I catch Khalil’s hand skating down her back in a soothing motion. “We know that, Goldilocks.”
“So what do we do now? I can’t just leave them here.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Zeke challenges.
Aurelia’s gaze snaps to him and hardens a moment later when she realizes Zeke isn’t sipping from the fountain of Aurelia. “What’s your problem, Cura?”
“My problem is that you’re good. A little too good.
” Zeke gives a lazy stretch like they’re discussing the weather and he doesn’t have a care in the world, but his muscles are still coiled tight when he goes still once more.
“You’re very careful with your words, aren’t you?
Who taught you how to lie so prettily? Your uncle?
You promise not to let your obsession with Meera put us in any more danger, but you said nothing of yourself.
What were you planning to do? Sneak behind our backs while you turn her into a pet?
Continue to put yourself at risk while we’re tucked away safely in our home? ”
My gaze narrows when Aurelia moves away from Khalil just as his hand stills.
Holy shit. Zeke’s right. She was planning to do exactly that, and I was too busy trusting her to notice. Aurelia’s remorse is real but so is her kinship with Meera, and she’s nothing if not stubborn to the bone.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Zeke shoots to his feet and is across the room before Aurelia can turn her back and dismiss him like she planned. “Say that again. I dare you.”
“Why? You heard me the first time,” she returns coldly.
“You want to bet, princess?” He backs her down, and Aurelia retreats a couple of steps until her back hits the window.
Her eyes are wide with more shock than terror since it’s Zeke cornering her, but Zeke doesn’t seem to care as he invades her space.
He’s so close that for a moment I could swear he’s going to kiss her.
I can tell Aurelia is thinking the same because her breathing quickens.
“What’s the matter? Where’s all the fire from a second ago? ”
“Fuck you,” she whispers without any real venom.
“You’re such a fucking brat,” he returns lowly.
Khalil’s brows raise at the heated exchange that makes me feel like a voyeur, and then he turns his head to look at me, making it clear he’s not touching that with a ten-foot pole.
I roll my eyes skyward. Zeke and Aurelia’s hot-and-cold bullshit is beginning to wear on my fucking patience. “Enough, children.”
It’s as if they’re the only two people in the room. Both ignore me and refuse to back down.
“I’m going to help Meera with or without your help,” Aurelia makes the mistake of saying.
“And how are you going to do that chained and gagged to a bed, hmm?” Before anyone can react, Zeke snatches her up and throws her over his shoulder. He ignores her fists pounding on his back as he starts for the door. “We’re leaving,” he barks without looking my or Khalil’s way.
Shrugging, I stand and Khalil moves to follow.
The door to the observation room swings open before Zeke reaches it, and the head keeper steps in with a grin that drops when he notices the look on our faces and Aurelia’s wriggling body.
Zeke slaps her on the ass hard enough that she goes still immediately.
“Uh…hello. Ahh…sorry for the wait. We’re a little understaffed today. I just came to tell you the good news and thank you.”
Aurelia’s head pops up, and she starts wriggling anxiously again, so Zeke puts her gently on her feet in front of him. It doesn’t escape my notice that Aurelia doesn’t try to move away from the hand Zeke places on her hip to keep her there.
“She’s okay?” Aurelia asks hopefully.
“Yes, yes. She’s fine. It was touch and go since she lost a lot of blood, but Axa pulled through.”
“Axa?”