Chapter 5 - Wilf #2
"No." She says again, and her hand tightens in my shirt. There’s a look in her eyes that I don’t recognize; it’s not fear, not really—something else. When she speaks again, it’s like a kick to my chest. “Stop.”
My wolf recoils, and I stagger to the side, barely righting myself. My legs aren’t sure what they’re doing, and my left knee nearly gives. I lock my jaw and push through, one foot after another. I close my eyes for a second before opening them and keeping going.
“Stop,” she breathes, more frustration behind the word this time. Again, my wolf feels it, but this time I’m almost expecting it, and I push through it far more easily.
“You can’t…” she trails off as her voice cracks, and I feel the fear radiating off her. She seemed to be counting on me stopping if she told me to, which seems strange, but perhaps she’s just delirious.
“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you,” I say, my voice coming out tighter than I intended. “There’s some weird shit out here tonight, but we gotta get to the cabin. We need to keep moving.”
Her gaze holds mine for a moment, and I don’t know what she sees, but something in her face shifts, and she suddenly looks tired, perhaps defeated.
Her head drops back against my chest, her hand still tangled in my shirt.
She’s gone again. I can feel her breath against the side of my neck, slow and steady, but the tension in her body has gone.
I pick up my pace; her pulse is still thready, and her injuries are bothering me—she’s only human, and they’re damn fragile.
The cabin comes into view as I round the bend; it sits on a low rise in a stand of old trees.
It’s far enough off the main lines that you’d have to know it was there to find it.
I head to the security box and type in the code protocols and then open the door one-handed, shouldering in as I push inside.
I kick the door behind me, and it locks automatically.
Stopping at the security panel, I set the wards, cameras, and alarms. No one is getting near without me knowing about it.
Even with the lights on, the cabin is set to be shrouded in darkness; our scent is masked, and the wards will disorientate anyone who approaches unless they’re pack. It’s enough, for now anyway.
I lay her on the bed in the closest room, and she doesn’t even stir.
I check her pulse again before pulling the thick blanket over her.
She needs to get warm, and I need to fire up the heating system.
My wolf remains quiet, unnervingly so. It’s as though he’s deliberately lying low since we got knocked back in the forest. I was able to push through whatever it was, but my wolf still seems uncertain.
The only thing he seems interested in is her, but he’s not saying anything.
It’s just an intense feeling of interest.
I glance at the head wound—it looks fairly fresh, but the worst of the bleeding has stopped.
It will need cleaning and dressing, but first this woman needs warmth before he human body completely gives out.
I cross to the window and check the line down the slope; there’s no movement, and the darkness is complete.
Hopefully, the rogues have been cleared by the patrols, and I can call in reinforcements tomorrow morning.
I glance back at the sleeping woman, realize she’s going nowhere fast, and head out to light the stove.
The cabin runs off solar, so it already has enough electricity stored that I can cook; she doesn’t look like she’s eaten in days, so I figure I’ll make something plain for when she wakes up.
The cabin heats up impressively fast as I pull out supplies and make coffee.
I take some water and place it next to the bed, knowing how much she needs it.
Pulling up a chair, I sit across from her with my coffee, watching as she turns slightly and noticing how the color is slowly returning to her skin. All good signs.
The smell of food simmering on the stove drifts through, and for the first time since we got here, I see that it’s starting to call to her and she’s becoming more restless.
I watch her carefully, thinking, " Who are you? There’s something fundamentally strange about her.
She smells like a normal human female, but when she told me to stop in the forest, my whole body reacted; my wolf faltered.
She did something, but I don’t know what.
It wasn’t magic; she’s not a witch. My wolf can spot a witch a mile off.
But I can still feel the pressure in my chest from when she tried to push me away.
Her touch was as light as a feather, so why can I still feel it?
I rub my face, knowing I’ve been off ever since the lottery.
It’s been a long day, and I’m probably imagining things.
I’ll soon see anyway because she seems to be sleeping more lightly; she’ll wake up soon, and no doubt be frightened.
Only the goddess knows what she’s been through to end up in this condition and be chased down by rogues.
I get up over the next hour and make another coffee.
I rest my eyes, I pace for a while and check the wards, but I keep returning to the chair by the bed.
I pull out my phone and text Connor for an update on the rogues, but I don’t mention the female.
I’m not sure why. I want the update first, I tell myself, and then I’ll tell them.
The truth is, I don’t even know if she’s on the right side of this.
Maybe she’s connected to the rogues and talismans.
Maybe going back for her was wildly bad judgment; I can’t deny I’ve been off my game recently.
I’m not bringing her to the pack until I know who or what she is.
That’s what I tell myself as I watch her sleep.