I turned fully to face him, no longer caring if the sheet covered me or not. “Wait, what?” I asked, confused.
“The attack, and everything that happened in my office**it was a week ago.”
“Then why am I not hooked up to a bunch of machines in the hospital?”
“You don’t seem to need them. The healers come by regularly to check your vitals. You do have a needle in your right hand, so be careful with that**it’s for nutrients, fluids, antibiotics, that sort of thing. Please take it easy. It took a lot of convincing to keep you here, but your body responds better when we’re close. And the hospital bed can’t fit both of us. You’re not allowed out of bed until the lead healer says so**that’s her order, not mine.”
I glanced down at my hand and thought I felt a tube tucked between my legs**so there was a catheter too. I rubbed my face with my hands, overwhelmed. “Why do all my embarrassing moments happen in front of you?” Then it hit me. “I’ve been out for a whole week?” He nodded solemnly. “I missed Christmas?” Another nod. “What did you tell Jeremiah? It’s our favorite holiday.”
“I told him the truth,” Ryker said. “After I brought you home and got you warm and stable. He’s not happy about it and still won’t share what happened with your home pack a year and a half ago**or the details about your parents. I’d love to know when you’re ready to tell me. You must have some kind of Christmas radar, though, because that’s the day you started showing signs of getting better.”
I felt a sudden urge to call Jer and let him know I was okay. “I’ll do that once I move back to my room. When can the healer come and take all this stuff off me?”
“You’re not going back to your room,” Ryker said firmly, tightening his hold on me.
“What? Why not? Where am I supposed to go then?” I tried to look up at him, but the way he had me positioned made it awkward.
“Apparently, Bennet and I both have a serious problem with locked doors when it comes to you.”
“You didn’t… not again,” I groaned.
“It wasn’t me this time. Your Gamma was so furious when you sent him away, he got back before me and destroyed the door.”
He muttered the last part quietly. “And I might have done some damage to your patio door too. We’ve already moved all your things in here. This is where you belong.”
I sank into his side, feeling a strange mix of frustration and comfort. Despite everything, this place**this moment**felt like home.
Kennedy
I can’t quite put my finger on what’s changed, but honestly, I’m not about to complain. Ever since they found me nearly frozen in the forest, Ryker and Bennet seem to have reached some kind of unspoken truce. I’m not completely on my own anymore**not quite. That would be asking too much, I suppose. Still, I’ve started training with Greta again. The biting cold outside is brutal on my thin skin, but at least I get to use the gym at the training center, which is a small mercy.
It hit me only recently how much weight and muscle I’d lost**Greta didn’t hold back, kicking my ass during workouts and then teasing me about how weak I’d become. But every day I feel myself growing stronger, and that progress is lifting my spirits more than I expected.
School has taken over my life too. I’m fully caught up now, and I’m gearing up to take on a light load of business classes. I want to follow in the footsteps of my parents and Aunt Beth. Being so far from my mom’s studio and right in the middle of the largest wolf pack I know means I probably won’t be training any humans anytime soon. But since construction and building projects are the pack’s main source of income, maybe I’ll focus on something that helps me understand that world better. I’ll stick with the basics for now and see where it takes me. After all, Sarah did say I should do what I want and let Ryker handle the bills.
Every Saturday morning, I have a standing date with Alpha to watch the pups. He sits beside me on the sidelines now, and the kids have finally warmed up to him. I think Emily’s approval had a lot to do with that**she was the first to approach him, gently petting his head after giving me a warm hug. No one else dares touch him, though that might be some kind of guy code.
“Luna, are you coming to training today? We’ve been working on this new move that’s super hard, but I was the first to nail it. You should come see,” one of the boys calls out. I think his name is Brandon. There are so many kids now that I can’t always match names to faces.
“He just wants to show off for his Luna,” someone teases.
“Alpha, don’t tell me you’re jealous too,” another chimes in.
“I don’t get jealous,” Alpha replies firmly. “I just don’t like any guy hitting on my mate. Doesn’t matter how young he is.”
“That sounds a lot like jealousy to me,” I giggle, leaning back against his warm fur. He emits a low rumble, like a contented purr. Late January’s cold still bites through the air.
“Are you going to finish your run, or are you coming back with me? I’m getting hungry. You and Ryker must be starving,” I ask.
“We could always eat,” he rumbles, standing up as I do the same.
“That sounds dangerously close to an innuendo,” I laugh as he pops up beside me. Together, we make our way to the SUV I’ve been allowed to use. No one but Greta ever rides with me; the others just follow when they’re on guard duty. Before I get too far, I turn back to answer the boy’s question. “We’re going to eat first, then head to our own training. I have to check the schedule, but if I can stay, I will.”
His face lights up along with the other kids’, while Alpha grumbles quietly. When we reach the SUV, Alpha moves to the back, and I hear the familiar popping and cracking of his bones as he shifts. Then the gate lifts.
“Do you really want to stay and watch the pups today?” I ask.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.