Twenty-three

The boy apparently is stubborn and doesn't give up because he tries to strangle me one day as I take a nap. I wake up and begin to struggle. He tries to sit on top of me, but I end up throwing him off and he yelps as he hits the ground. I put a hand to my throat and cough right as June appears. She looks at me then at the boy, then drags him out.

The next time he regains his courage, it's to set the shelter on fire. I woke up to smoke and flames everywhere, and crawl out of the bed as it catches. I cry for help, but I don't think anyone can hear me over the roar of the flames. My eyes sting, my nose stings, and I can't get enough air into my body to breathe properly.

Someone crashes into the shelter and catches sight of me. They run over and pick me up, then covers me with a wet blanket before running again. I feel searing heat before cool air. The person runs a bit further before setting me down and taking the blanket off. "Zahra, are you okay?"

I blink the tears away and see Sorrel. "Water!" I rasp.

Someone comes with a waterskin and hands it to me. I drink carefully and am grateful for the cool liquid. Sorrel stays beside me until Roan arrives with a murderous look on his face. "I'm going to kill that boy!" he snaps then kneels before me. "Are you hurt?" he asks gently.

I wrap my arms around him. "Just can't breathe."

"Just take deep breaths and drink more water. It will help," he whispers.

"Roan, we have to do something about him," Sorrel says. "This is getting out of hand."

"In the morning," my brother sighs. "I need to find a place so she can sleep."

"She can come with me." I look up and see Aspen. "I won't be sleeping tonight and it's close enough so that if he slips in, someone will see him."

Roan nods and tells me he'll see me in the morning before handing me to Aspen who carries me to his shelter and lies me down. I cough and it hurts my chest. "I'm scared," I say to him.

"I know," he whispers. "Hopefully, Roan does something with the kid before he kills someone else unintentionally."

When I wake in the morning, I can breathe and no one is trying to kill me. However, after I eat I am told that I am going to be leaving the village for a few days. When I ask where, Loki appears and tells me with him. I blink and turn to my brother in shock. "Why?"

"To get you some air," he says simply. "He's going to take you to his den to meet his family. You'll spend time there with me and Aspen coming to check you every night, then after a few days, you'll come home. I need to get that boy under control and until I've done so, you aren't safe here."

I frown. "I'm going to be living with wolves?" Almost forgetting Loki I say, "No offense."

"They are part human," Aspen says and gestures to the man I'll be spending the next few days with. "Besides, you two seem to get along and you trust him."

"Doesn't mean I trust his family." Again, I say to Loki, "No offense."

Loki chuckles. "You're just scared you'll actually find us cute and cuddly!"

I stare at him with a "You're joking," look.

"Look," Roan says and sits beside me. "You've been stuck in my shelter since waking up with control back. You won't see anyone in the village, you're afraid of hurting Cat or someone else, and your dreams aren't getting any better."

"And you think this all will change by going with Loki?"

"Maybe not all of it, but Loki hasn't told them what has happened to you. They only know you're a friend of his. They want to meet you and are willing to let you stay for a while."

I look at Loki. "I'm guessing they don't know about the time we met?"

He grins. "They do. I warned them about scaring you, but if they forget, it would be nice to see one of them get what they deserve."

I roll my eyes and turn back to my brother. "How long do I have to be with this one?"

He smiles. "Just a few days. You'll get a break every night when Aspen or I come to see you."

"And Lucas?" I ask, more out of a need to know than to scare myself.

"I don't think he's going to be coming for you any time soon," Aspen says. "He knows his hold on you is broken. My theory is that whatever he said he did to you will be what makes him turn up. Until we know what that is and when it'll happen, we will for now be careful and just keep an eye out."

"So, we don't know what that is yet?" I ask. Both Roan and Aspen shake their heads. I sigh and take a minute to breathe. When I feel better, I nod. "As long as I won't be eaten or drooled on, I'll go."

"No promises," Loki grins.

An hour later, I hug my brother and Aspen. I also promise Cat that I would take a fly with her in the open air when I return and June that I would challenge her fire to ice. But I leave the two men for last. I wanted to thank Aspen for his help and talk to my brother.

I pull Roan aside to do just that for a minute. "I am sorry if I've been a burden to you," I say to him, feeling I've been just that since he and I met.

"You're not a burden." He pulls me in for a hug. "I just want you to feel better. Besides, I have to rebuild."

I glance over at where his shelter used to be. "Are you going to be able to get him under control?"

"I will. I just don't want you here until he is."

Turning back to him, I say, "I miss the way I used to be."

He frowns. "You still are who you used to be. You just need to heal before you can truly feel that again."

"How long?"

He shakes his head. "However long it takes for you. When you come back, if you want to try playing around and having fun, then I will provide you with all the fun I can give."

I smile. "Can you?"

"Of course, I can." He kisses my head. "You should get going. I'll come see you tonight."

I embrace him once more, then stride over to Loki who was waiting with my pack. I realized it was the pack I had when I met Roan, the pack my father had left before he abandoned me. I stare at it for so long that Loki takes my arm. "Are you okay?"

I look up at him and see he's worried. I nod. "I'm fine, it's just I hadn't realized Roan kept my pack."

Loki looks at the pack on his shoulder and then back to me. "Why wouldn't he keep it?"

"I don't know."

Shaking his head in confusion, but not asking any further questions, he leads me into the forest.

We walk for a while in a comfortable silence and it gives me a chance to take in the forest as if I had never seen it before. I saw deer tracks leading to a river nearby. I saw signs of squirrels climbing trees. There were signs that something had been in the brambles to my left, possibly to collect berries. It was fascinating and still new. I wondered how each animal lived their lives. In fear of being eaten or shot? Or in blissful ignorance of what could happen to them at any moment?

"What is it like being a wolf?" I ask.

Loki smiles. "You've gone flying, right?" I nod. "It's that feeling. Like nothing can stop you. You're invincible. But at the same time, we have to be careful of which prey to hunt alone and which to hunt together."

"Are you ever afraid of being killed?"

He moves his head from one side to the other. "Not really. Usually, a wolf knows when to not engage. We have heightened senses and our sight is near perfect in the dark. But take a pup who's taking down their first deer? There are so many things to watch for: the antlers, the hooves, the head, trees, rabbit holes, traps. They can be scared until they learn to trust their instincts."

"Is it hard being human?"

"There are pros and cons to being human. You should know that better than anyone," he says and gives me a knowing look.

I nod.

We walk for a while longer then Loki says, "I want you to know now that my family is very playful and can get rowdy. It's part of being wolf. We play and wrestle and bite ears. But if you need a break, let me know and we can go for a walk."

I smile. "Sounds fun."

Loki looks at me and grins. "It's only fun until someone's eye is poked out."

Laughing I follow him through a thicket of trees before I see den appear. Only when I see it do I hear warning growls. I stop and look to Loki. He rolls his eyes and steps closer to the den, only to be attacked by a large brown wolf. I gasp and was about to try to help when I noticed Loki was laughing.

The brown wolf licks Loki then turns his eyes on me. I don't move as it comes closer, sniffing and narrowing its eyes. Loki sits up and waits. When the wolf is close enough to touch, it finally begins wagging its tail, then it nuzzled my hand. I push my fingers through the warm fur on its neck and smile as it sits down, enjoying my petting.

Chuckling, Loki walks up and says, "This is Jimmy."

I giggle. "He likes to be petted."

"No, he likes it when a pretty lady pets him," Loki says while rolling his eyes. "He's just showing off."

Jimmy growled at Loki as if to say, "I am not!"

Loki raised his brows. "Anyone in the family will say the same."

Jimmy huffed and stalked towards the den, glancing back once to glare at Loki but give a wolfish grin to me. I laugh as he disappears. "I think you hurt his feelings."

"He's fine," Loki says and takes my hand. "Come on. There's plenty more wolves who would love your attention."