06 - Chapter Six - Cora Bradley's Point Of View.

Kalib took a bite of the stew and I swore I heard the man groan in delight. He seemed to be really enjoying the food I made, which was promising. Maybe we could work something out. Some said after all, the way to a man was through his stomach. Besides, it was the only plan I had, so I was more than willing to try it.

"So Kalib, I was thinking that the day after tomorrow we can X-ray that leg again and see what's going on under the skin. I will need you to shift, however, is that ok?"

He swallowed the bite in his mouth and hummed. He looked at me, his eyes were intense.

"I will let you know in the morning of that day. I can't say if I will be able to shift until then."

"Are you in pain? Is it bad? I might—"

"It's nothing I can manage, and none of your painkillers really helps much. Well, not over one or two hours at best."

"What do you mean?"

"Zack hasn't told you?"

"No, Not at all, I did not know."

"Werewolves, like myself and Zack, have a high tolerance to medications, alcohols and things of that nature."

"Really? Please go on, I'm interested in this."

"Eat, before it goes colder than it is now and then I will tell you about it."

"Alright."

Eating quickly, I basically swallowed everything I could whole, and I imagined it wasn't all that pretty for Kalib to witness, but he didn't comment on it. Kalib was done eating before me, but I didn't take too much longer than him. He stood up and tried to take my bowl, but I took it out of his hand, and took his too.

"Sit, I've got it. Now talk. I want to hear about your high tolerance."

He looked slightly annoyed but sat back down.

"Alright."

He waited for me to turn on the water, and spoke.

"You can still hear me still, yes?"

"Yes, I can."

"Great. The high tolerance to drugs and alcohol is both a gift and a curse to our kind. We can't drink away our pains, or use drugs for pain. But at the same time, we can't have addictions to those things."

"I see."

"When you put me under to fix my leg, you probably overdosed a normal wolf, but not me. You were lucky."

"Apparently, I was."

"In order for Zack, I, or any other werewolf, to get drunk, we would have to drink an entire liquor store, and it wouldn't last long. We process things through our bodies quickly."

"So, like your healing, it's quicker than a human, by quite a bit."

"Yes, like that."

Setting the bowls and the forks in the dish tray, I rinsed the sink and washed my hands before turning off the water. I dried my hands on my pants because I couldn't find a dishtowel. I didn't miss the frown on Kalib's face from my actions.

"I'll put the rest of the stew away. You should unpack and get settled in. It seems there is little choice."

"Alright, but be careful. If you need anything, just holler for me."

He just nodded before I headed out of the kitchen and upstairs. Kalib was being nicer than he had all day in the last two hours. It was weird, but hopefully, it will continue. This would all be so much easier if he were a willing participant.

Upstairs, I opened my bags and frowned. I packed way too much stuff. There was no way it was going to fit into the small dresser or the closet. Just seeing the couple of pairs of pajamas and the silk robe I packed made me want to change into them. So I did.

I was ‌covered from neck to ankle basically, but I still felt somehow exposed in the thin fabric.

Shaking off the feeling, I made sure that I wasn't exposed anywhere before leaving the bedroom. I didn't put a damn thing away, instead I just made a mess on the bed. Which was fine. It would remind me to put it away later, when all I wanted was to sleep.

Kalib wasn't in the kitchen when I finally got back down there. He had put the stew away, though, and then it was like he disappeared. Kalib showed me where the living room was earlier, so I headed there.

The leather couches inside were black and had pillows in the corners and a blanket draped over the back. They looked really inviting. So much so that I made myself at home. Relaxing on the couch, I tucked my feet under me and turned on his tv. It surprised me to see that he had normal tv. Game shows played on the station and I watched them, stretching out on the couch.

At some point, the game shows put me to sleep.

Kalib's voice woke me up, and I honestly did not know what time it was or why he was yelling, but he was definitely yelling. Wiping my face, I stood up and waited until I felt like I could move without falling. I took one or two test steps before I actually went to investigate the source of Kalib's yelling. Gray was in the doorway area and looked horrified to see me awake.

"What are you doing up?"

"Hard to sleep while all the yelling." I murmured, heading towards the kitchen to get the stew for Gray. Only I slammed into a warm wall of muscles. Looking up, Kalib frowned again.

"Why are you not sleeping?"

"I was, but your yelling woke me up."

"You shouldn't be able to hear my yelling from the bedroom you're staying in."

"I wasn't in the bedroom. I was on the couch. When I came back down, you were gone and I wasn't sure what to do, so I watched tv. I hope you don't mind."

"I had to run and help with an issue. The tv is there to watch. Please, help yourself, but not tonight. You really should sleep. It's one in the morning."

"Alright, but you're telling me the issue over breakfast."

"Am I?"

"Yes. That's how this works. I give you food, you give me information and cooperation. It's fair, trust me."

"That seems hardly fair, Cora."

The way this Kalib said my name made me pause before shaking my head. It was too early into knowing this man to be this bothered by the way he said my name or enjoyed my cooking. Way too soon.

"It's fair, trust me."

"That's the second time you've said it's fair and to trust you, who are you trying to convince with that statement?"

"You, Is it working?"

"Hardly."

"Damn."

"You should head to bed Cora, run along now."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but turned and headed upstairs. He was clearly trying to get me out of the ear range of his conversation. The first part of getting him to trust me was respecting his privacy here.

Reaching the bedroom, I closed the door behind me and looked at the mess on the bed. I groaned, annoyed with myself for not putting this all away sooner. Curse my need to be lazy about this. The urge to push it all just onto the floor and go to sleep was there, but I didn't. I took the time to put all my clothes away and plug my phone in. I was happy that I took a week off to adjust to being out here. It meant that unless I got a call, I could sleep in.

Tucking myself under the blanket, I took my robe off and set it on the floor, right beside the bed. The blanket was heavy and would keep me warm in the cold air of the house. The pillows were perfectly fluffy and soft, too. Everything smelled fresh, it was lovely.

Thanks to the couch nap, I wasn't really that tired.

Getting up, I flicked off the bedroom light and crawled back into the bed. Rolling and flipping, trying to get comfortable. I just couldn't get comfortable, though. I heard Kalib head to his room sometime later, and I was jealous, more so because I just knew he was in there sleeping.

Kicking the blanket down, I relaxed into the cold air and tucked one pillow between my legs. On my side, slightly, this was comfortable and laid there for a while, still not sleeping though. Fed up with trying to sleep here, I quietly got out of the bed, and crept down the stairs, back into the living room, a pillow in hand.

I flicked the living room tv on, but muted it, because of his super hearing. I didn't want to wake him up. Something about this couch and the tv combo was enough to finally make me sleepy again. I thought about trying to go back upstairs, but chances were I would be wide awake again. So I just stayed there and closed my eyes, relaxing into the cold leather and the soft pillow.

For tonight, this would work for me to get some well-needed sleep. I just hoped Kalib really wouldn't mind if he caught me sleeping here.