Thirteen

When Zane finished the story, he looked down at Whisper to see her small smile and a sigh escape her lips. The female looked to be on the brink of sleep, but she opened her eyes and gently took the book from him, hugging it to her chest. "What's your favorite part of the story?" he asked softly.

Whisper thought for a moment. "The first female mate."

"Why is that?"

"Because, I imagine her as a beautiful woman who's heart is as soft as a feather, but as strong as a wolf." Whisper smiled dreamily. "She's who I want to be."

Zane watched as she snuggled closer to him, nuzzling her nose in his shoulder gently. He felt his heartrate pick up until the door to his shelter opened. The moment was gone because Whisper stiffened and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't let go when Nico entered the room with Anton. "What is it?" the Alpha asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Someone is looking for her," Nico said, gesturing to Whisper with his head. "They are causing a ruckus in town."

"Any idea who it might be?"

"No, but Anton said he found something."

Zane nodded and looked down at the woman holding onto him as if he were her lifeline. "Whisper, I'm going in the other room to talk to Anton. Do you want to stay here or go upstairs to the bedroom?"

"Stay here," she whispered. Her green eyes looked up at him. "How long will you be?"

"Just a few minutes." He unwrapped her arms and cupped her face. "If you need me, just call my name. I'll come, okay?" She nods, tears pooling in her eyes like she might never see him again. Taking a chance, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead, then stood up and followed the other two males in the other room.

When they were out of earshot and Zane was sitting down again, Anton began. "The doctor you had me contact is going to be a few days getting here. He has been working with his pack as well as another one about an emergency in their territories. Plus, I found this." He handed the Alpha a picture. "It's another she-wolf."

Zane looked down at the picture that was black and white. It was a woman who looked like her hair might be a medium shade of blonde and her eyes were wide with either fear or shock. He wasn't sure. At the bottom, it read; This woman has been accused of MURDER!

"Murder?" Zane said skeptically. "How do they know?"

"Fingerprints. Not only that, but she claims it was her captor's fault and she wants to get back to her husband."

"Any idea who that may be?"

Anton shook his head. "Not one, but she's in the jail not far from the facility Whisper was in."

Zane nodded. "We'll go check it out."

Nico finally asked a question. "And Whisper?"

"I'll have Wren watch her. I don't want her in town or out in the forest. I especially don't want her near this place. It might cause some memories to surface."

"Has she had any panic attacks today?" Anton asked.

"No, and I don't want any to start. I want her to feel relaxed and content here, not petrified of her own shadow."

The Beta and Anton nodded their agreement. "When do you want to go, then?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. We'll get the two ladies to be comfortable with each other then go. If all goes well, and it should, we should be able to get this woman's side of the story and figure out if we can help her."

All three men grabbed something to drink, then walked back into the other room where they saw Whisper lying on the couch with her eyes closed. Nico and Anton left quietly while Zane went over and knelt beside the woman, pushing a black curl from her face. As his fingers brushed her skin, her eyes opened. Her lips turned upwards and she reached up to brush her fingers in his hair. "Can we go outside, please?"

Zane shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Do you mind if I bring a friend?"

"Who?"

"Her name is Wren. You saw her last night."

Whisper thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Zane smiled, brought out his phone, then texted Wren to come over. When he was finished, he had Wisper sit up and put shoes on her feet. By the time they were ready, Wren was knocking. The Alpha brought Whisper to the door then opened it, revealing his pack member and friend. "Hello, Wren."

She smiled politely. "Good morning, Zane."

He turned to Whisper. "This is Wren. She's a really nice person."

Shyly, Whisper looked at the woman standing before her and said, "Hi."

Wren smiled warmly at her. "You know, we might need to get you some clothes? Zane's are too big for you."

Whisper looked down as if she hadn't noticed, then blushed. "Can we?"

Wren looked at Zane who glanced at both women in turn. "Not today. But certainly very soon if both of you are up to it."

Whisper nodded agreeably as Wren did in understanding. Then, they walked together through the many shelters, heading farther into the forest, Whisper always close to Zane and Wren always trying to make conversation with her. Zane didn't totally ignore the fact that Whisper was so close, but he did ignore her gaze and the pulling of his sleeve. She needed to become familiar with others around her and she wouldn't do that if he told Wren to shut up.

Suddenly, he got an idea and stopped. "Hey Wren?" She looked back at him, eyes bright and body alert. "Mind taking Whisper to that glen? You know, the one with the waterfall?"

She thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened. "Sure!" Wren approached Whisper and held out her hand. "Come on! There's something I want to show you."

Whisper shook her head, looking like a small child. "I don't want to go."

Zane chuckled and brought her out in front of him. "Don't worry, little Wolf. I'll be behind you, but this is Wren's favorite place. I want her to show you."

"I don't want to go with her," she nearly cried.

Wren came up beside Zane and helped. "Whisper, Zane needs to do a guy thing." At her statement, Whisper paused her complaining and arguing to look blankly at Wren. Wren bit her lip and got closer to the other woman. "Privately," she whispered.

Realization hit Whisper and she blushed furiously, not looking at Zane to hide her embarrassment. "Okay, that's fine." She glanced at Wren who was grinning. "Can we go now?"

Wren nodded and linked her arm with Whisper's. A few feet away, she glanced back and winked at Zane. He chuckled and shifted, following them at a distance. He saw with satisfaction that Whisper was relaxing around his friend, that she was slowly starting to talk. After a few minutes, he even heard her giggle and saw her playfully push Wren away. Wren came back and whispered something in her ear, but jumped away before Whisper could push her again.

Half hour later, Zane was confident Whisper had forgotten about him and had all her attention on Wren. They reached the glen where both girls sat on a mossy rock and looked out at the glittering water and green foliage. His amber eyes caught on to the way Whisper's fingers stretched down to brush the soft liquid as her face was dusted lightly with watery mist.

Wren suddenly ran over to a thick bush and picked a pink flower, then took it over to the woman and expertly fixed it in her hair. It was definitely obvious that Wren loved her sister very much. Even if Whisper doesn't express it back towards her because of the way she was isolated, Wren still made an effort.

But Wren didn't have to wait long for a sign that her sister was content in her presence because Whisper suddenly turned to her and wrapped her tightly in her arms, her face in Wren's neck. Wren held her sister carefully, whispering words Zane couldn't hear, but knew they were soothing.

He decided they were alright, and relaxed. Turning back towards the pack, he left them, knowing Wren would protect Whisper and could without much difficulty. Wren had been trained to defend not only herself, but her loved ones as well. She was a strong, overly energetic woman with a big heart for those in need of love and affection. Even if they weren't nice to her, which Zane hadn't been at first, she still cared.

When he glanced back to the two sisters, he saw them walking, hand-in-hand, around the sunny area, talking lazily and every now and then picking flowers. They looked like two princesses from one of the human fairytales, in a magical land where no one could harm them, where water could heal and birds could whisper in your ear. It was like the flying bugs were little fairy creatures, dusting everything in golden light, and instead of the ragged clothes they both wore now, Wren and Whisper were wearing gowns fit for a queen.

Zane couldn't help himself, he chuckled at the image. Even though the place seemed magical, it wasn't. This wasn't a fairytale, this was real. Whisper was in real danger. And life was full of enemies and monsters. He knew there would be a time when she'd have to fight on her own, but he'd savor each time he used his strength to fight her enemies for her.