Finn

Chapter Three

My ears were the first thing to start working as I started to wake up. My eyes were glued shut, and my arms and legs felt heavy. Despite not being able to see or move, I started to pick out some sounds around me.

I heard a radiator kicking on, warm air blowing into the room with a quiet hum. There was some distant voices, but I couldn't make out anything they were saying. Footsteps walked along creaky, wooden floors, but none sounded close to me.

My fingers twitched as I tried to force my hand to move, but my movements froze when I heard a voice getting louder as footsteps came closer to me. I screamed at my muscles again, begging them to move and get up, but there was no response.

"Is she up yet?" A deep voice asked. They sounded slightly muffled, as if they were behind a door. The voice that responded sounded slightly familiar.

"Not yet. Doc says she'll be fine, she just needs some rest. She hit her head pretty hard, and was borderline hypothermic when I found her." The stranger from the forest answered, their footsteps moving closer as they talked. I knew they were talking about me, and were no doubt seconds away from finding out I was awake. My stomach churned at what they were going to do with me.

I put all my energy into opening my eyes, forcing my eyelids a part and blinking away the bright lights I was met with. I was lying in a bed with soft sheets and fluffy pillows, and there were large windows around the room bathing it in sunlight. I squinted my eyes as I adjusted to the light.

Before I had the chance to fully take in the simple wooden furniture of the room, the door was swung open with a loud creak. My eyes darted to the two new figures towering in the doorway, shifting between them as I tried to determine their intentions.

I vaguely recognized the stranger from the forest, though he looked much different in the light. He had the same mop of blonde curly hair and striking blue eyes I'd seen in the forest, but I hadn't noticed his broad shoulders and muscular but lean frame. He was almost as tall as the door, but his size wasn't as threatening as I thought it would be. He smiled when he saw I was awake, and tilted his head to the side as he observed me. I remembered how he had laughed in the forest and didn't get angry when I attacked him. Something about his calm demeanor was unnerving, and I found myself squirming under his gaze.

I looked away from him and shifted my attention to the man next to him. He looked more similar to all the other werewolves I had met: tan skin, dark hair cut close to his head, and absolutely huge. The muscular blonde looked small compared to his dark-haired friend; his shoulders barely fit through the doorway. I raised my eyes to meet his, shuddering again when I saw the dark, squinted eyes staring back at me. He did not appear as happy to see me.

"Who are you?" I finally asked, my voice barely a whisper. My throat was dry and scratchy, and I winced at the sound of my voice. I pushed myself onto my elbows, doing my best to ignore the throbbing in my head as I moved. The darker wolf narrowed his eyes at the action, but didn't respond. I opened my mouth to ask again, but he suddenly crossed the room in seconds and reached his arms towards me.

I let out a yelp as the pain in my head increased, and my heart raced in my chest as I prepared to try and fight back. I was surprised when he leaned over the bed, and I felt him wrap his arms around my shoulders and pull me into a tight hug. My body went limp in his hold, and my hands remained stiffly at my sides. I had been so prepared to fight back, I wasn't sure what to do with his reaction.

When my brain finally caught up that there was a stranger holding me, I squirmed in his arms. His grip didn't loosen, and I huffed in frustration. He buried his head in my neck, the skin on my collarbone tingling as he brushed his nose against it. I heard him breathe in loudly, inhaling my scent. His body seemed to relax slightly once he had, but he still didn't let me go.