Chapter 11 Roland
ROLAND
We hadn’t been on the pack lands but for a handful of hours, but it was already enough to feel like I could breathe for the first time since this all began.
Given that my mate and I just learned that my worry over poachers wasn’t nearly strong enough, that said a lot.
While there had been many days in my life when it would’ve been a million times easier to have been born a horse, I was glad that I was who I was.
If it weren’t for my horn, my mate would be dead. I shivered at the thought.
The pack at Stoney River was so different from my herd. I could sense it the second I stepped onto the pack lands, and it was only reinforced by every encounter I’d had.
The members seemed to genuinely care about each other. I supposed in my herd there were people like that too, but I was considered the outsider, the one who didn’t belong, so I didn’t get to see that. In a way, these were all outsiders, though, weren’t they?
After talking with Creven and Auden, my mate joined me in the dining hall on a small bench, Auden, the older alpha, sitting on a chair across from us. They filled me in on some of their discussion. I didn’t push. If they wanted me to know all of it, it wouldn’t have been private.
Bryden kept scratching his neck as we spoke with Auden. At first, I thought it was a nervous twitch. Being rogue on any pack lands for the first time couldn’t be anything but tense. But as I leaned over and looked, I realized he was flaking away caked-on dirt from our journey. I’d be itchy too.
“Do you think maybe... would it be too much to ask for us to have a shower?” I asked.
Instantly, Auden got up and told us he’d show us the way.
He led us to an outdoor shower and apologized for its rustic nature on the way there.
I expected it to be similar to the one I had been living with.
How wrong I was. It was larger, had a real showerhead, not a hose nozzle, and even had a bench outside for our belongings. Comparably, it was full-on luxury.
“Thanks so much,” Bryden said.
“No problem. Just meet us back at the fire when you come out. We’ll have some tea and food for you. It’s going to take you a while to rebuild your stores.”
The shower wasn’t quite big enough for both of us, but I was able to reach inside to help my mate with his shampoo.
Physically, he could handle it, but the grime was really bad on the back of his head.
We’d showered at the motel, but he hadn’t been strong enough then for the scrubbing his scalp needed, and we’d been traveling since then, adding to it.
Besides, it gave me an excuse to have my hands on him, and my beast longed for that touch. I suspected his bear felt similarly.
Sometime during our bathing, some clean clothes were set on the bench for us, nothing fancy, just sweats and T-shirts. Just as the shower felt like pampering, the clothes felt magnificent sliding into.
They weren’t even our pack, yet they were already taking care of us better than I’d ever been taken care of before.
“That feels so much better,” my mate said. “I was beginning to itch in places I didn’t know I had.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I almost don’t recognize you.”
Back at the fire, there were sandwiches and tea waiting.
Otto and Larkin were the only ones sitting there, although Auden was nearby with the kids, and he was definitely able to hear everything we said.
It felt intentional, like they didn’t want to overwhelm us.
This place was so much different than the rumors I’d heard. Better.
The shower had done Bryden a world of good. Combined with the new clothes, he looked like a different man. He wasn’t fooling me, though. I knew he still had a ways to go before he’d be truly healed, but he was pretty good at hiding it.
I wanted to shift and heal him some more, but there was a window when my abilities could help and he was now officially outside of that. All my attempt would do was weaken me and work against the antibiotics at this point. I hated feeling so useless.
A calm set in as Otto described the different areas of the pack lands and how they came to be, which led to a history lesson on the pack. Unlike my herd, where history was something in books, this history was still remembered by those who’d lived it. The pack was started out of need.
According to Otto and Larkin who were now tag-teaming the story, the pack built slowly over time. It felt quick to me, but I wasn’t there living it day by day.
The infrastructure started with a few scattered shelters in various states of use. And now? Now every building had a purpose and more were in the works.
This wasn’t a place where shifters needing safety came to hide and conspire, like the rumors that had reached my herd said. It was a vibrant community of people who cared about each other. They were building something special here.
The pack at Stoney River was where these outcasts and rogues, and those who never knew they needed a home, all came together. The goal was to be, basically, one huge family. I was already in love with it here and hoped they would accept us for more than a spot to lay over and heal.
Otto explained the different roles people had, and it felt very much like it was based on their skills, not who their family was. Another notable difference from my herd.
I nibbled on my sandwich, trying to focus on their words while being mindful of my mate and making sure he hadn’t overdone it.
“So that’s the story of how some rogues like you, Bryden, found their home,” Larkin said.
“And me,” I mumbled.
All eyes shot my way.
“Let’s not pretend I’m not considered a rogue by my herd,” I said, reaching for my mate’s hand.
“They might not have marked me yet, but that’s because they hadn’t found me.
” And then there was the fact that they’d rather I be dead, especially now that any arranged marriage would be considered breached, but that wasn’t something I was wanting to talk about.
“Is there anything else you need to know?” Larkin asked.
I looked to my mate, realizing there was a lot I didn’t know, but also not sure what we needed now and what could wait.
“Okay, that question looks too hard,” Larkin said. “How about you tell us your story, and we go from there?”
I told my part and Bryden told his. We didn’t go into a lot of detail, this wasn’t story hour, but we gave them the facts they needed, many of which others in the pack were already aware of. I didn’t want to be in their hands, asking for shelter and safety while keeping them in the dark.
“We don’t have much,” Bryden said when we were done. “We have a little bit of money, but we have the ability to work. We can pull our weight and contribute. We’re not asking for a handout.”
“Pish,” Otto said. “That’s something for another day. Right now, we need to get you healed up and rested. You’ve been through a lot. Have you had enough to eat?”
“More than enough.”
Larkin stacked a bunch of the sandwiches on a plate. “Here, take this with you. We’ve got a place for you to sleep.”