Chapter 3 #3
Virgil was one of few non-alpha wolves who could remember his entire shift, so he must have overheard some of their conversation and decided to cheer her up, just as he always did.
It worked.
“Come on, Virgil. Let her eat.”
Virgil’s toenails clicked on the floor, his tail wagging as he barked at Cleo and then torpedoed out the door.
Salem jerked his head toward the hall. “Bear made ten pies. You should come down and claim one before they’re gone.”
“Ten?”
“It sounds like a lot, but they don’t last around here. It’s also movie night.” Salem left her door cracked before heading downstairs.
Others had tried getting through to her, but after a while they had given up, worried badgering her might do more harm than good.
Krys took a different stance and once told everyone to back the fuck off—that she needed to go through this on her own terms. So many months had gone by.
At least she didn’t stay locked up all day and night like in the beginning, but she still didn’t socialize in group settings.
Salem tried getting details about her captivity, hoping it might provide insight, but she clammed up and never wanted to talk about it.
Someone needed to get through to her before it was too late. He’d seen the negative effects of withdrawing and slipping into a depressive state. Fortunately, she didn’t exhibit any obvious signs of depression, but it was clear she was battling mental health issues.
During the summer, the pack would head down to the river to swim and lay out.
Salem suspected Cleo might’ve interacted with Eden’s father when he was alive since they were the only two left behind.
Afram was a personable man, and he often asked about Cleo.
After the funeral, they found wildflowers on his grave, a new batch every week.
No one in the house admitted to it, so it crossed Salem’s mind once or twice that maybe Cleo had formed a bond with someone after all.
Perhaps when he died, it made her withdraw even more.
A fire crackled in the stone fireplace in the center of the living room, but the pack congregated at the grey sectional in the corner so they could watch TV. Krys was on the floor, his knees bent and a pillow behind his head.
Hope padded into the room in a pair of brown harem pants and a cropped shirt. “Violet’s down for the night, but I can’t get this one to bed.” She gave Tak a sour look where he was stretched out on the chaise part of the sofa.
He held out his arms as she rounded the couch.
“Come here, little Jazz.” The baby squealed with excitement when he landed in his father’s arms. They sometimes called him Jazz as a nickname, and Salem wasn’t certain who’d started it.
“It’s time for the adults to play.” He stood the baby up on his lap and bounced him.
“Stubborn little man. But how can I be mad at that face? You take after your mother.”
She sat on the ottoman and caressed Tak’s foot. “When he laughs like that, he reminds me of his father.”
Jasper was nine months and well-fed. He was big and strong, and he had the same mischief in his eyes as his father.
Tak slowly rose. “Are you a wolf or an eagle? Huh?”
The baby giggled.
Tak raised the baby over his head. “An eagle?” Then he sailed his son through the air and made funny noises as he often did while Jasper went on a flying adventure to his crib.
Eden turned her attention over to Salem, her hair hidden beneath a black bonnet. She was wedged between Lucian and the couch arm, her legs over his lap. “Salem, join us. We’re watching a new King Kong movie.”
All the couples were curled up together, and it felt like a date night with him and Krys being the odd ones out.
Salem leaned against the back of the couch but didn’t join, uncertain if he was feeling up to it.
He’d had an arduous day after assisting multiple patients in town.
Two were involved in a tractor accident, and a third was a little girl who’d struck her head on a rock while running.
Being the official healer for a pack meant most of his patients were children.
They didn’t shift until their late teens or early twenties, so that meant they couldn’t heal.
Kids were accident-prone and always getting into trouble, especially out in the country. Sometimes they got sick.
As a Relic, Milly had been the primary healer in town up until his arrival.
It turned out not everyone could get an appointment with her, so he took calls from anyone who needed help.
While every Breed had accelerated healing, some still required stitches, removal of foreign bodies, setting broken bones, burn treatment, and medicine for stomach issues and headaches.
Even a Mage was prone to indigestion and hangovers.
Archer leaned forward. Fake trees bordered one side of the sofa, and he was staring at them. “Come on in. The movie just started, kiddo.”
Salem jerked his head toward the shrubbery and spotted eyes peering at them through the leaves.
Cleo emerged with her hood pulled over her head, the cat ears tilting forward as she apprehensively moved toward Salem.
Even Krys leaned up to look.
The girls sensed the awkwardness and redirected everyone’s attention to the TV, where a giant ape was roaring and beating his chest.
Salem nodded at her, proud that she was making an attempt. He understood her apprehension of men might be due to all the workers at the medical lab being male, but he also recognized rejecting everyone was a self-preservation mechanism.
While tugging on her earlobe, Cleo drifted to the far side of the sectional on the left and sat on the edge of the chaise, her eyes glued to the TV.
Virgil’s wolf brushed by as he followed Cleo’s scent and then bounced into view. He licked her arm, wagging his tail enthusiastically before chasing it in front of everyone. When King Kong roared on the TV, Virgil barked and lunged at the screen.
Melody flung a pillow at him. “Go shift! You’re ruining the movie.”
Eden stood. “I’m about to cut me a slice of pie. Anyone else want some?”
All hands rose.
“Cleo gets first choice. Do you want apple, chocolate, or cherry?”
Cleo’s hands disappeared inside her sleeves. “Cherry.”
“I think I’ll have some of that too. Cherry it is.”
The group called out their requests.
“No peach?” Lakota asked quietly before whispering in Melody’s ear. Seconds later, he was brushing her hair aside and kissing her neck.
When Eden neared Salem, she touched his shoulder as if he were responsible for Cleo’s breakthrough.
While he couldn’t take credit, Eden’s gesture meant a lot.
He respected her and sometimes felt like he had to be on his best behavior, but she never wielded her power as a local leader around the house.
Bear hauled himself up off the couch. “I think I’ll stretch out on the floor.” As he seated himself next to Krys, he drew Cleo’s attention. “Why don’t you take my spot?”
Mercy lifted her lap blanket in the corner. “Come over here and warm up. You can keep me company.”
Cleo rose and stepped over Krys’s legs before seating herself beside Mercy, drawing her knees up and taking the least amount of space as humanly possible between Mercy and Robyn.
The girls gave her space but occasionally patted her knee or touched her arm when something exciting happened in the movie.
When Kong ripped a giant snake’s mouth open, Cleo broke out in laughter at the way Mercy shrieked and flipped the blanket over her head.
Instead of joining them, Salem headed back down the hall and ran into Tak, who had baby drool or snot on the shoulder of his black shirt.
“Can we talk?” Salem motioned toward the kitchen entrance.
Tak followed Salem to the dining room. Instead of sitting at one of the long tables, Salem chose a square table near the entrance and lit a candle with the matches they kept on the table.
Tak flipped a chair around and straddled it, his arms resting over the back.
Lakota poked his head inside. “Is this private, or should I join?” As beta wolf, he was always included in important meetings, and this counted.
Salem nodded. “It’s fine.”
Lakota rubbed his eyes and yawned before sitting to Salem’s right. “Which one of you jokers picked King Kong Returns? I thought it was my turn to choose, and I want to watch Lone Wolf on the Edge.”
Tak played with the glass votive and stared at the flame. “That movie isn’t about wolves. It’s about a Marine who goes on a revenge quest.”
“Yeah. I know.” Lakota leaned back in his chair, arms folded. “Not everything has to be wolfy.”
Salem rubbed the corner of his eye, elbows propped on the table. “Have you decided what to do with Cleo? Milly doesn’t specialize in therapy, which is what she might need. My experience in emotional support is… limited.”
“Something got through to her tonight,” Lakota remarked.
“Maybe. But the reason she’s pulling away is fear.”
Tak jerked his head back. “Of us? Of our wolves?”
“A little of both. Since she’s not part of this pack, she hasn’t been officially introduced to all the animals.”
“It would confuse the wolves,” he pointed out. “And the horse.”
“And the tiger,” Lakota added. “We’re officially a zoo.”
Salem rubbed his finger over an imperfection on the table while Tak continued to play with the candle.
“She’s had a traumatic past, and one can only imagine how lost a teenager might feel without any trace of who she is.
She doesn’t know who she belongs to or even her Breed.
Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
She’s afraid of getting attached, only to be forced to leave.
Cleo deserves the truth, and she needs to hear it from you,” he said to Tak.
“Everyone’s been patient and inclusive, but she dreads your final decision. ”