6. Kace
6
KACE
The loner was responsive, but hesitant. He didn’t exactly flinch away, but it was blatantly obvious that he was wary of the hand that fed. It made me wonder just what sort of hell he’d been through in his life. Such a shame. People could be so damn cruel, and for what?
My wounded ward slept most of the day, not that I blamed him. He’d been grievously injured. His body now had to work overtime to knit those wounds back together, and sleep was healing. Sleep, painkillers and good food—that was the holy trinity of recuperation, in my opinion.
As evening settled over the woods that surrounded my little cottage, which had been sort of a DIY-project these past couple of years, I started dinner. I threw together a stir fry with the leftover chicken I’d made the Omega this morning. Toss in a package of frozen veggies, a can of water chestnuts and some oriental spices and soy sauce, and I had myself something yummy.
I didn’t even bother making rice. The stir fry was so good, I ate it straight out of the bowl with a big spoon. Although I kind of wished I had some of those crunchy oriental noodle things to put on top. Mmm.
I tossed the leftovers in a plastic container for tomorrow’s lunch and put it in the fridge, then washed up the dishes that had accumulated throughout the day. A quick wipe-down of my kitchen counters and voila! Back to square one.
Sevren’s name popped up on my screen just as I was about to queue up a playlist to listen to while I took my shower. So what’s the verdict K? ;) I was a little confused by his question until a second text rang in. Heard through the grapevine you found your mate! Congrats, man. I’m happy for you.
I blinked. What the… Who told you?
A little birdie by the name of Pike haha. Said you saved the guy from a pack of wolves and they tore him up real good. Poor guy.
I quickly tapped out my reply. Yeah. Pike, Tash and I were out scouting when we heard fighting. It was bad, Sev… I don’t know how many wolves there were, but they pretty much shredded him. Mom saved his life. He’s staying with me until he heals. She collared him so he can’t shift and hurt himself. I don’t know anything about him. I don’t even know his name.
But he’s the one right?
I smiled. Yeah. I think so. It feels right anyway. It feels like I was meant to find him, or maybe he was meant to find me. I already know he’s beautiful and I haven’t even seen his face. But I would. It might take some time, but with the proper care, my little loner would heal up and shift back to human. I couldn’t wait to finally meet him.
Man that’s crazy , he texted a little while later.
I know. I can’t help feeling like the fates stepped in.
Who knows? Maybe they did? You’re the one who always believed in that shit.
I do believe in that shit, thanks, I replied. And if this guy really is my happily-ever-after? I’m never gonna stop believing in that shit lol. I gotta go but I’ll keep you posted. Tell Klei hi and give the munchkin a kiss from Uncle Kace!
Haha will do. Night K.
Night Sev.
I took a shower while listening to music, but I was too lost in thought to pay it much attention. My mind was locked on the skittish white wolf tucked away inside my bedroom.
I’d purposely kept myself busy all day so I wouldn’t bother him, but I’d left the TV on in my room, just in case he got bored. I knew it had to be hard being stuck in one form, unable to communicate.
Turning the water off, I stepped out onto the bathmat—and promptly realized that I hadn’t grabbed any clean clothes. “Crap.” I quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist, cinching it tight. I crept down the hall towards my bedroom and with each step, my heart beat a little faster.
I wasn’t usually so self-conscious. Hell, I was known to wander around the house in just my underwear, but it wasn’t every day my fated mate was chilling in my room. Suddenly, wearing only a threadbare towel made me feel strangely exposed.
And when the Omega’s blue eyes landed on me? I froze up.
Well, this is awkward…
“Sorry, just…uh… Need to grab some PJ pants.” I gestured across the room aimlessly. Heat blistered a path from my chest to my cheeks, and I knew I had to be redder than a tomato. With a keening whine, the wolf buried his muzzle in the blankets like he’d caught second-hand embarrassment.
I fumbled through my dresser drawer, keeping my back turned to the wolf. Hoping the bed would be enough to hide my lily-white ass from his sight, I quickly dropped my towel and yanked my pajama bottoms up.
“Okay. I’m decent. Sorry,” I murmured. The Omega exhaled a soft whine, gazing up at me with worry written across his wolfish face. “Aw, crap. You probably have to potty, huh, honey? C’mon, I’ll help you.”
My poor mate looked so miserable as I guided him out the door. His entire body trembled from nose to tail, and when he squatted to pee, he whimpered like even that hurt. He limped back into the bedroom, dragging his cast behind him, and collapsed onto the pile of pillows and blankets. He panted like he’d just run a marathon and my heart ached. He was in pain and I hated it.
“Hold on.” I retreated to the kitchen for another cube of cheese. The pill bottle rattled as I poured the medication into my open palm. I stuck two little blue pills into the Colby-jack and offered it to the loner. “Here you go. This’ll help with the pain, so maybe you can sleep tonight.”
He gulped it down in one bite. His tail gave a weak wag, swooshing across the carpet. I knelt down and bumped my forehead against his while stroking his neck with both hands. “There we go. I’m gonna go to bed. If you need me, all you have to do is whine, okay?”
Stifling a yawn, I walked through the house one last time, double-checking locks and flipping off lights. By the time I crawled beneath the sheets, I was looking forwards to a good night’s sleep. I turned off the lamp on my bedside table and settled in.
I could hear the wolf grunting and scuffling about, like he was trying to get comfortable. It was too dark to see him, but I imagined he was circling the bedding like a dog who was trying to find just the right spot. Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes.
I was just dozing off when I heard a reedy whine.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I whispered. “Can’t sleep?”
Another soft whimper, closer now. I rolled onto my side so that I was facing the wolf. He stared up at me, droopy ears and all. Resting his chin on my mattress, he whined and the sound nearly broke my heart. He sounded so sad…
I swallowed and fondled his ear. “It’s okay. No one’s gonna hurt you,” I told him in a hushed voice. “You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone else touch you, I promise.” But the wolf continued to whine. I frowned. Maybe he was afraid of the dark? Or maybe he wasn’t used to sleeping alone?
That gave me an idea.
“One sec,” I said, kicking the covers off. Scooting to the middle of the bed, I closed my eyes and called upon my own inner-wolf, who’d been restless all day. He wanted to be close to his mate. As fur prickled up through my skin, I could feel his joy. The shift washed over me, fast and fierce.
My tail wagging, I jumped off the bed to join him on the floor. The Omega’s eyes flashed wide in the darkness before another strangled whimper escaped him. He sunk to his belly on the carpet and pinched his eyes shut. Tucking his tail, he rolled stiffly onto his side to expose his throat. My heart sank.
God, what had this poor boy been through?
I dropped down to his level and belly-crawled closer. I couldn’t help myself; I buried my nose in his white fur and inhaled his wintry scent. He smelled like frosted pine and wild berries. Mine, insisted my wolf. Mate.
I wagged my tail and nudged his cheek, then licked a stripe up his muzzle. My heart beat loud and fast, dancing through my chest like a wild thing as I snuggled up beside the loner. Being so near my mate made me feel almost giddy. His flagged ears slowly perked up when he realized that I wasn’t going to hurt him.
His tail thumped in an uncertain wag and my chest squeezed. Yes. You’re mine, I wanted to tell him. No one’ll ever touch you again.
I stood and nudged his rump, woofed softly, then retreated to the nest of bedding on the floor. I laid down and watched him, waiting for him to join me. He glanced from side to side, then slowly crept over. He settled in beside me, but his muscles were tight and tense. Nervous. He smelled nervous.
I licked his cheek, hoping to offer some sort of comfort to the frightened Omega. Hoping that he would realize that not all wolves were dangerous, that I would keep him safe.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the wolf relaxed against me and tucked his face into my shoulder. He heaved a heavy sigh, like this exchange had utterly exhausted him. It probably had. He still had a long way to go before he was fully healed. I wrapped my large body around him and draped my neck gently over his.
For tonight, the hard floor would have to do. Tomorrow, though…
Tomorrow we would sleep in my bed.