Chasing Freedom

V

Myles watched her sleep, as he'd done so for the last hour. Kiva had given up on trying to get him from the room long ago. How long had she been resting now? Last night through to this morning, when she work up. Then, until now, about seven o'clock. Nearly twenty-four hours?

The pallor of her skin worried him, stark against the darkness of her hair. She was covered in blankets, as warm as possible, but he couldn't get the image of her shivering out of his mind.

Even though he'd worked out his rage with his father, seeing her like this, so vulnerable, his bear wanted blood. He questioned why he didn't simply give into the instinct. In shifting so soon, there's a chance he'd prolong the damage to his ribs, but in the scheme of things, that hardly mattered.

The damage wasn't just physical, either.

To see Kiva come out of the room earlier, so haunted, scared him like nothing else. Nothing unsettled her anymore. In a voice that cracked, she'd given him the quick-play: that Mira had showered and was resting again. Then, Kiva retreated to her own room. The closed door was as clear a sign as any, that she needed time to herself.

On auto-pilot, he'd finished the last bite of his sandwich, the taste of it like ash. Following her scent, he'd moved back to the hall, hanging a left. That Kiva had taken her elsewhere was no surprise. With other shifters to care for, leaving her in the medical wing was dangerous. An unfamiliar scent would trigger even the weakest pack member, and while Myles relished the idea of a fight, he doubted his mate would feel the same.

At the end of the hall, the last door was ajar, and that's where he'd been ever since, leaning against the wall. This room was similar to the last, as Kiva decorated her home with a similar style throughout: pastel walls and wooden furniture. In place of the sliding doors was an oversized window, showing the tree-line which surrounded the rear of her home. He knew, without a single word spoken between him and his aunt, that this was where she would stay. For the reason of ongoing medical attention, if that was the only was to convince Mira.

He never wanted to leave, but the thought of the work he had piled up on his desk at home reminded him that he had to. Although his father maintained his position, he'd given a majority of the background work to Myles to handle. The pack was none the wiser of this. One day, it would all be his to manage anyway. Financials within the pack were an ever pressing issue. Pack runs and meetings had to be organised. Housing situations changed almost daily.

Being Alpha certainly wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Sometimes, when it was all too overwhelming, he considered palming the role-to-be off to another. Even then, he didn't do so. His father had changed a lot in his time, but there was still more to do. Even it was just within a single pack.

His phone started vibrating in his pocket. Reaching for it, he glanced at the screen. "Hey," he said in greeting, as he answered the call, pitching his voice low so he didn't disturb his mate.

"Hi, cub," answered his mother. From her tone, he knew this wasn't a friendly call. "Kiva filled me in. How are you holding up?"

His first reaction was to lie, but she'd see through it, even over the phone. "I've been better."

"Where are you now?"

"Still at Kiva's." He walked over the window, perching on the seat. "Mira's sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Her room now, technically."

"You sound exhausted, cub."

That's because he was. His eyes were burning. "I hate this. I feel so helpless. All this time, she's been suffering, and I didn't even know. I wasn't there to protect her. She's lost everything. Her father. Her pack."