Chapter 49 New Friend
There were muffled voices sounding in Reiya’s head.
At some point, she had fallen unconscious.
Her thoughts had immediately gone to Lumi, her wolf.
Being able to feel her was so fulfilling.
Now that she was gone again, the void inside her felt even bigger.
Lumi’s strength had saved her. The two of them together were able to come back from the brink of death.
She now felt this overwhelming loneliness inside her.
“Reiya?”
The muffled voices stopped, and she felt a warm hand brush against her face. It was damp. No. Her face was damp. She was crying.
“Reiya …”
She heard Lee call out to her, sounding almost desperate.
It was hard to fight through the exhaustion, but she painstakingly opened her eyes.
She had to open her eyes. She could hear his worry, and she wanted to see him.
Her eyes bounced around at everyone. She saw Brody and Chelsie, who looked instantly relieved.
Next, she looked at Xander, whose posture looked to be irritated but his eyes looked gentle toward her.
Further back, she noticed Freja, who had a soft smile on her face as she looked at her.
She gazed upward at the man holding her in his arms. His eyes had so much emotion in them.
Relief, anger, and most importantly, love.
She gave him a weak smile to show him she was okay.
“Reiya, are you in pain?” Lee softly cooed near her ear.
“No.”
“Why are you crying?” He prodded his nose against her neck as he took in small whiffs of her scent.
Reiya opened her mouth to say something but decided to wait. She wasn’t sure what Freja had told them. She would have to explain meeting Lumi and wanted to wait before she got into that.
“Freja, are they bullying you?” Reiya knew that this overprotective bunch would most likely be looking at her skeptically. She would be a person of suspicion until proven otherwise.
Freja smirked. “Eh, nothing I can’t handle.”
“So, how much story time did I miss?” Reiya was waking up more and more by the second, enough that she was ready to engage in the discussion they were having prior to her waking up.
“I already covered all of it, mostly. I at least covered everything I knew.” Freja looked at Reiya with interest and expectation.
“On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you?” Reiya glanced up at Lee with a sheepish smile.
“Oh, it’s a ten right now, and we will be speaking about it later, privately.” Lee let his tone drop a bit threateningly at the last part.
She smiled a bit, looking at him. A punishment? I’ll take whatever punishment you’ll give me, she thought with amusement. He seemed to already know what she was thinking as a crooked grin rose on his face.
“What am I going to do with you?” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Damn her ways, and her ability to spin everything around so he wasn’t mad.
“So, Reiya … I’ve seen a lot of things. A lot of different things, of all different natures.
What I haven’t seen was what you pulled off.
You were engulfed by death. I felt it. You were almost gone.
How did you come back from that?” Freja finally decided to ask what Reiya had not volunteered to answer.
Reiya felt Lee’s arms tighten on her as Freja mentioned how she was close to death.
Geez, Freja. You could have omitted that part.
Or at least sugarcoated it. Wow! You were really out of it.
Or, that was amazing how you were able to beat the darkness like that.
Pick one … say anything, but not about me almost meeting the Grim Reaper.
Not with the crowd of people I’m surrounded by.
I’m going to be packaged in bubble wrap and left to pop my own bubbles for entertainment. I must save myself here.
“I mean, sure, it was rough, but I wasn’t almost dead or anything.” Reiya tried to ease the weight of it. However, life always had a way of kicking Reiya and laughing. And once again, it pulled the rug and held her head under the water.
“I know what someone looks like when they’re dead or near death.
And trust me, you were there. Honestly, I was shocked to see you alive.
I don’t believe in miracles. Gods don’t care enough to perform them, but you …
you are as close to a miracle as I’ve ever seen.
You might even be one …” Freja trailed off, thinking about how it was the Moon Goddess who had sealed them, so maybe she saved Reiya.
Reiya’s gaze bounced around at her friends, and she let out a nervous, airy chuckle.
She could see the looks on all their faces.
She didn’t need to look at Lee … she could feel it in the possessive way he was holding her.
Maybe life in a bubble won’t be too bad.
Reiya looked up at Freja. She had no idea that she’d done anything detrimental.
Reiya bit her bottom lip. So much for downplaying it.
“It wasn’t a miracle.” Reiya finally conceded and figured it was best to just come out with everything.
“When I felt it, felt the darkness capturing me, I had a lot of things going through my mind. I had spent up my energy purifying you, and I knew I didn’t have much left.
But I began to think of everyone waiting for me.
” Reiya glanced up at Lee and smiled. “I knew I couldn’t leave them.
I have to protect everyone. Even if they don’t think I’m here to protect them, I am.
Then, I felt her. My wolf, Lumi, surged out, and together we eliminated the darkness.
She’s still sealed, though. It was nice.
I was able to talk to her. Now that I can’t feel her again, it feels empty inside.
It’s a lonely feeling,” Reiya said quietly as she felt her eyes water up again.
Lee lowered Reiya to her feet but pulled her body into his chest as he continued to hold her.
“Why is she still sealed?” Brody felt frustrated for his sister. He was one and the same with his beast, but he knew from others that their wolves were like their other half. He could see that it pained Reiya not to be able to communicate with her.
“I don’t know exactly. I guess she had to grow with me.
She said she was with me since the moment I was conceived, and that she would be ready soon.
It’s taken her longer to develop and be ready because she’s special.
” Reiya didn’t know anything except that the two of them would be stronger because of their bond.
She couldn’t wait until she was always with her.
She leaned her head into Lee. She was glad Lumi was able to break through when she did.
She couldn’t leave Lee all alone. It would have been too cruel after they had just gotten together.
Besides, they were still unmated. She couldn’t die without fulfilling that aspect of her life.
It was only the moment she’d dreamed about continually since she was sixteen.
“I know you’ve called me here for a reason. However, I’ve decided to dedicate my life to Reiya.” Freja’s green eyes locked onto Reiya’s. “Reiya, you saved my life, and I will use my life to serve you.”
Reiya smiled at Freja. She started to walk toward her, but Lee wouldn’t let her leave his side. Instead, he tucked her in closer and walked with her. He’d made that mistake once. It wasn’t going to happen again.
“Freja, your life is your own. You’re free to live it as you choose. However, I would like to have you as a friend, and as a friend, there is something you can do for me.”
A friend? This girl wanted to be her friend?
No one ever wanted to be her friend. In truth, she’d never had a friend before …
except for one person, who she hadn’t seen since she was a child.
She looked at Reiya, and her eyes began to mist, though she fought back the tears that threatened.
She hadn’t cried in the longest time, and now she was on the brink of twice in one day.
Chelsie understood the look on Freja’s face.
She knew it all too well. Reiya was her friend …
her only friend at first. It was because of Reiya that her acceptance of others broadened, to the point of becoming attracted to Brody, something that never would’ve happened before.
Reiya saw worth in her, and she saw worth in Freja.
Chelsie let her arm brush into Brody, content just to feel his touch.
She understood. This girl was actually someone who was not unlike herself.
She wasn’t someone she needed to be afraid of. They were kindred spirits.
Freja smiled and nodded her head. If that’s what the girl who saved her life wanted, then that’s what she would get. She didn’t know much about friendships, but she would try her best to be one for Reiya. “I don’t know how being friends works. I might make mistakes, but I’m willing to try.”
“All friends make mistakes sometimes, and we’re all constantly learning from one another.” Reiya knew it deep inside. This girl was meant to be her friend. They were connected.
Freja nodded. “What is it that you need?”
“First, don’t think that you have to. Being a friend means you can say no. But there are demons that might be going after my old pack. Two of my brothers are there. One of them is the alpha of the pack. I was hoping you could go and help keep an eye out for me.” Reiya bit her bottom lip nervously.
“There is also a specific demon who might show up who is after Reiya. His name is Abaas, in case you’d like to know,” Chelsie added with a smirk.
Naturally, you would want to kill the enemy of the person who saved you.
And she could see it in Freja’s eyes ...
they immediately hungered for Abaas’ head.
“I’ll go and keep an eye on your pack, along with your brothers.
If I hear of this Abaas, I will take care of him as well.
Is there something I need to have so your brothers will know you sent me?
I’ve encountered werewolf packs before, and they don’t take kindly to trespassers.
” Freja had to take out a small pack of wolves before because they decided to attack her for trespassing.
They were not the most levelheaded species she’d encountered.
Maybe if they had more sense, they wouldn’t needlessly attack a stranger who was only passing through.
Of course, they probably never imagined that the person they were attacking was more powerful than four werewolves.
“I will send a letter with you, plus my friend here will let them know you’ll be around.” Reiya motioned to Chelsie.
Freja studied the girl. She took in her stance, her features and her smell. It did not take her long to put together who the girl was and how she would manage to beat her there. Freja nodded in understanding. “Give me directions and I will head out immediately.”
Reiya frowned. “But it’s late. You need to rest, and—”
“I travel best in the cover of the night. Trust me, now that the curse is gone, I feel amazing. I never realized how draining it actually was.”
“If that’s what you really want to do. Just be careful.
And don’t do anything too dangerous. Abaas tends to keep demons around him in numbers.
Be careful, and tell Hunter and Chasen to be careful for me, too.
” Reiya smiled, covering the pain she was feeling.
She wanted to be there, with her pack and her brothers.
“Don’t worry, Reiya. There’s a reason I am the most sought out.
When it comes to demon hunting, there isn’t anyone better than me.
When I have the demons taken care of, I will come back to you.
I’ll help protect you, and I will fight for your secret.
” Freja gave Reiya a sad smile. “My parents were what you would call forbidden lovers, too. It might not be much, but you have an ally in me.”
“Now you’re acting like a true friend already.” Reiya beamed. This time, Lee allowed her out of his arms so she could embrace her new friend.
Freja stiffened at first. It had been so long since she’d been hugged.
She could feel the genuineness in it. A small smile formed on her lips, and she gently hugged her back.
It was like a light that was once burned out had lit up again inside her.
The feeling of having someone ... someone who cared.
It had been too long since anyone had cared about her.
Not only did Reiya save her life, but she was the first person to care about her since she’d lost her parents.
No matter what, she would protect this girl.
In her mind, she decided Reiya would be her family.
“I’ll show her out, and I’ll head over to the Black Ice Pack,” Chelsie offered quietly.
She was shocked. Instead of being jealous like she normally was when Reiya was close to someone, she was touched by the exchange in front of her and she wanted to extend her hand in friendship to Freja as well.
She would take the few moments they would be alone to talk with her.
“Oh, wait one second. Brody, come with me.” Reiya ran and grabbed some paper out of the drawer, scribbling some things down and then allowing Brody to write a few words as well. “Here.” Reiya handed the folded piece of paper to Freja. “Give this to Hunter and Chasen. Thank you.”
Freja nodded and tucked the paper away. She then looked at Chelsie expectantly. “Ready?”
Chelsie smiled. This girl gets straight to it. “Yes, let’s go.”