Savior of the Wolves

Josh's POV

It’s been days since she arrived. My wolf was frantic...needing to know something. Understand something. I couldn’t calm down. No matter how close I got, or how long I stayed. That uncontrollable feeling, a need, was always there. I wanted to be closer. I wanted to smell her more. I wanted to…

That was until today.

But she had not awakened. She was still lying there like some princess in a fairytale. She appeared to be in this coma-like sleep as we all watched her closely and she never moved a muscle. The only movement was the hypnotic rise and fall of her chest.

She hadn’t gotten worse. So that’s something to be thankful for.

But something had changed in us instead. My brother and me. We were becoming less aggressive towards each other...regarding her.

The humming...the pull...it was suddenly gone this morning. Like it was never there.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was barely up to make it into the window, and I could see my brother staring at her. At the girl. And that was the first time I didn’t want to tear him apart for it.

We’d both been sleeping in her room since the second day she got here. Our father made the suggestion after finding us both asleep in the hallway the next morning after she arrived.

There was nothing rational about the way we had been acting. We had our food brought to us here. We left only to visit our rooms for baths or the bathroom. But that was the only time we’d leave. We could not...would not leave her.

And this morning, I woke up to nothing. No pull. No roaring in my head. What the hell is going on?

“Aiden?” I spoke softly to my brother.

He slowly turned his gaze to me. He looked lost. But he wasn’t defensive anymore.

And I knew.

My wolf could feel his wolf was calmer. My brother and I were close. I could sense his wolf, on most normal days, and he could sense mine. Like sensing a mood I guessed. So, I knew almost immediately that things felt normal again. I wasn’t controlled by those foreign instincts. I could suddenly think.

I looked down at my watch. Seven o’clock. The dining hall would just be opening.

“Let’s get something to eat,” I said.

“Sure,” he answered numbly as he looked back upon her for a long moment.

We said little as we ate. No one entered the dining hall but I’m not sure that either of us would’ve noticed if they had.

I ate, looking up often to see if his face would give me some indication of what he was thinking. I knew that talking about the girl was off-limits. I saw his need for her. I felt the same need...but seeing it in his eyes made me realize that talking about her...with him...wasn’t a good idea. Even now.

I was older. I’ve dealt with the realization that finding a fem was rare now. I had almost resolved myself to thinking enough was enough. I had to be realistic. I was already twenty-three. Most my age were mated and beginning their families. I wanted that. I had the conversation with mom already. She wanted me to wait just a little longer. She wanted me to have what she had. She didn’t want me to give up the protection that I could offer once I came into my powers. The powers I would only get when I imprinted with another noble. My fem.

But even she said, “Let’s table this for now. No rash decisions. Things can always change.”

So, I tabled it.

But I had finally let myself really notice the girls around the compound. I had been talking to someone. Maybe there could be something. I don’t know yet. She told me she was interested in me, but I don’t want to hurt her. We flirted a little. But that was as far as I allowed. So, we just talked a lot, and I liked how I felt when I was around her.

Then, she came by the infirmary. I couldn’t look at her the same and I hated myself for it. I saw the pain in her eyes. I sensed it. That pained me too. But not for the reasons it should. I realized that what I had felt for this strange girl was raw. It brought me to my knees.

And I needed that again.

I never wanted to hurt her. She had to know that I didn’t have any control over this. No wolf did. That was why I had been so cautious about any relationships. So slow to even let myself feel. I avoided girls like I was some awkward child. I knew I had to seem rude, but it was the only thing that I knew how to do.

Avoid them.

It hurt less. It tortured my thoughts less.

Every subtle, careful move I made with Leslie, to that point, was as slow as possible. I began to think about her more as I saw the stolen glances from her too.

Then, the monkey wrench of all wrenches. A girl showed up. A human. Nearly dead that pulled my brother and me...even our pack to her. This made no sense. None whatsoever.

And this morning, I awoke with Leslie on my mind as I looked over and saw my brother staring at the girl.

“I’ll walk you back,” I said, noticing that he was only playing with his food. His appetite was weak that morning.

“Nah. That’s okay. Thanks for the offer,” he looked up from his food, “but I need to go to my room.”

I was worried about him, “Are you sure?”

I could feel he didn’t like making eye contact with me. I know he’s not angry with me, but it’s almost a wall that wasn’t there before. We both know we didn’t do anything wrong but having the other there in what felt like such an intimate moment, well, it felt cold. It felt betraying.

I just hoped this would pass quickly…like our irrational behavior before.

“Yeah,” he replied, pushing away from the table.

I watched him walk away. He never looked at a soul as he pulled the door open and was gone.

Lennox then came into the dining hall. Followed by the crowd that he had held back until we were done.