Battle Of The Wolves (The Slave That Is Eve Book Three)

Chapter 5

I awoke on the couch in the Mukami's cabin with about three pillows around me and a blanket covering my body. I wasn't in any pain, other than the exhaustion that rushed over me all of a sudden. I looked around the living room as I tried to wake myself up. I wiggled my arm free from under the covers as I reached up and rubbed my head. I put my arm down as I started to get up, which I slightly struggled with. I lay back down on the couch as I rolled over to my side, feeling every inch of my back grow in pain. I rolled partially on my stomach as I struggled to push myself up to sit. As I sat up, I could feel my arms starting to twitch underneath me. I took a deep breath and pressed my back up against the back of the couch, as the pain grew like a tree all through my back. I had never experienced a fight with a hybrid before. I never understood how strong they were, until now. I leaned forward as I placed my feet on the floor. I pressed up against the couch as I struggled to stand. I found myself on my feet as I partially fell on the coffee table. I stopped to gain some strength in my legs again before completely standing. I stood up, then slowly started to walk around the room, regaining the strength in my body.

I started to walk over towards the window as I felt a shake in my leg, then fell on the floor. Instantly, I lost the strength in my legs again. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as footsteps walked into the room. "Sky, you shouldn't be getting up right away," Seth's voice erupted in the air. His tone of voice reminded me of Ruki, and for a second I thought it was Ruki who walked into the room. I looked up at my brother as he stood in front of me, with his arms crossed. I looked down as I started to get up off the floor, and I struggled because my leg was shaking like crazy. I stopped to take a deep breath. Seth huffed. "Here," he said, as he walked over and started to cradle me in his arms. I waved him off. "Give me a second. I will stand," I said, as I started to get up again. I was almost there but fell once more. Seth crouched by me as he cradled me in his arms again. "You gotta learn to take it easy," he said, as he carried me back to the couch, which he lied me back down on. "I got a pack to look after," I shot back. Seth huffed. "Tell me, how are you going to do that if you can't even stand?" he asked, as he fixed my blanket. I looked at him. "How can I stand if I'm lying on the couch all day?" I asked as Seth darted a glare at me. "Skylar. Ruki wants you to rest," he said, as I took a deep breath. I leaned back on the pillow. "So who's taking my place until I'm better?" I asked as Seth sighed. "Yuma has the pack under control. Everyone else is alright," he said, as the door opened and running came into the living room.

"Skylar," a high, squeak of a voice entered the room. Randy ran up to the couch but Seth stopped him before he could jump on me. "Woah there, killer. You can't jump on Skylar right now," he said, as he placed Randy in his lap. "Why not?" Randy asked as Seth looked down at him. "Sky is still sore. She needs some rest before she can play," he explained. Randy looked down at him. "Bad man hurt Skylar?" he asked, in such an upsetting tone. Seth huffed. "Yes. Bad man hurt Skylar," he said, as Randy looked down at the floor. The door opened and shut once more. I turned as I saw Nikan walk into the room. Seth looked up at him. "Randy, can you show me the truck that Ruki bought you the other day?" he asked, which perked him right up. "Yeah, it's in my room," he said, as he grabbed Seth's hand and led him down the hallway. I chuckled at the sight, as I sat up to make more room.

Nikan chuckled as he sat in Seth's place. "That kid is surely attached to your brother," he said, with a chuckle. I got more comfortable on the couch. "I think Seth's his favorite," I said, turning back to him. "He likes the whole pack though." Nikan chuckled. "Except Shiro. But we all know Shiro," he said while chuckling. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I'm surprised that boy follows commands so well," I said as Nikan turned to me. "I'm surprised he didn't rebel against us yet," he said, as I nodded. "That too and if that happened, we'd all probably be dead," I said, as Nikan chuckled. "Yeah, we would. That's also why he's the muscle of the pack," he said with a huff. I nodded as I continued to rub my nose. I lay back down and rested my head on the pillow. Nikan watched me for a few seconds. "Did you want it fluffed?" he asked, as I shook my head. "No. It's just a headache forming now. I'll be ok though," I said with a slight smile. Nikan got up off the couch and started for the kitchen. "I'll be back. Don't move," he said, as I watched him walk into the kitchen. I huffed as I pushed the pillow down so I wasn't laying my head on the arm anymore.

Nikan walked back into the room with a hand towel and a glass of water. I sat up as I took the water from him. "I think the water will be fine," I said, eyeing the towel in his hand. Nikan huffed. "Didn't Ruki tell you to do this when you get panic attacks?" he asked, as he started to fold the towel. I studied him. "Isn't that just if I get nauseous though?" I asked as Nikan watched me. "You think you'll be ok?" he asked, as I nodded. "I'm going to be fine. It's getting better now," I said, as he folded the towel and placed it on the table. "Ok, but I'm warming it back up if you get worse," he said, as he lay on the couch next to me. I rested my head up against him as the door opened. "Don't hurt Skylar," Kou said, as he walked into the kitchen. Nikan looked at him standing at the door to the kitchen. "Why would I hurt my own girlfriend?" Nikan asked as Kou stood in the doorway. "Don't get that way with me," Kou said, as Nikan chuckled. "It's the truth. I would never hurt Sky. That's why I started to work for your brother," he said, as Kou cracked a smile. "Do you really want to go there?" Kou asked as his right eye started to turn red. Nikan flinched. "No. I'm all set," he said, his voice a little shaky. Kou's eye turned back to blue as he cracked a smile. "That's better," he said, as he walked into the kitchen. Nikan shivered. "That eye of his keeps us all out of trouble," he said, as I chuckled. "That's why we keep the Mukami's happy," I said as I curled up to him again.

Nikan sighed. "I do remember what going against them is like. But working for Ruki is a little better than working with the wolves," he said, as I turned to him. "Were they hard to work for?" I asked, getting curious about the founders. Nikan rested his head on the back of the couch. "They were. You had to make sure that everything was taken care of. They didn't like to leave evidence of anything," he explained. I sat up so I lay my head on the back of the couch again. "Do you think of going back?" I asked him. Nikan looked at me again. "Like working for them again?" he asked as I nodded. Nikan looked away as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm not quite sure. Sometimes I think about it, seeing how they saved my life. But the Mukami's care more than the founders ever did. The founders just cared about if you can kill. Ruki actually cared about us, both physically and emotionally. He is like the dad of the pack more than anything," he said, as he sat in his thoughts.

I looked at the living room in silence, then he continued. "But, I can tell you one thing. I'll never work for the Sakamaki's," he said, with confidence. I cracked a smile as I sat up the best I could. "I think that's something the whole pack can agree on. At least the Mukami's don't experiment on wolves," I said, as Kou chuckled. "You wolves gotta live too, you know," he yelled from the kitchen. I looked back to the doorway as Nikan huffed. "You do know there's a war between wolves and vampires out there," he yelled back. The sound of footsteps entered the room as Kou walked back in. "Oh, we know that for sure. May I remind you that we vampires are doing something illegal by helping you," he said, as Nikan studied him silently. Kou went to walk back into the other room. "Don't forget. We could've killed you," he said, as he walked back into the kitchen. I looked up at Nikan in silence as he huffed. "That is why I stay," he yelled back at Kou. Nikan sighed. "Sometimes, he scares me," he said, silently. "GOOD," Kou yelled from the kitchen. I leaned to look at the doorway before relaxing again. "He gets creepy at times," I said, as something dropped in the kitchen. "I HEARD THAT!" Kou yelled from the kitchen. I chuckled. "THAT'S WHY I FEEL SAFE!" I yelled back.

Nikan chuckled. "I think he also has ears like a wolf," he said, as I started to chuckle again. "NO, I DON'T!" Kou yelled again. I chuckled at the comment. "You do know he's listening to everything we say," I brought up. Nikan huffed. "I know. He just wanted to make sure you were safe," he said, as the door opened again. I nodded. "I know," I said, as footsteps walked into the room.  I looked to see Ruki standing in the doorway. He watched us for a few moments before walking into the room. "How's the pack?" I asked as he walked up to me. "Everyone is ok.  The younger members calmed down," he said, as he felt my head. I turned to Nikan in silence, as Ruki continued. "Ok. Your head doesn't hurt at all?" he asked, as I looked up at him. "It did, but it's clearing up now," I said, as he cracked a smile. "Ok. You don't have to stay in the house anymore. Just take it easy for a while," he said, as I got up off the couch. 

I took a stretch. "Did you need any more apples? I might tend to the trees again," I asked, as Ruki turned to me. "I'm all set with the count today. Stay out of the trees for the rest of the day. You'll be able to start back up in the morning," he said, as he started to walk down the hallway. I stood up off the couch, feeling slightly light-headed. But it was going away the more I was up. Nikan got up off the couch and turned to me. "Up for a walk, Sky?" he asked, as I turned to him. "If you wanna go," I said, as I cracked a smile. He cracked a smile as he nodded towards the door. "Alright. We gotta figure out where we're going," he said, as he headed for the door. "RUKI, WE'LL BE BACK," I yelled through the hallway. The door to his room opened. "STAY ON THE GROUNDS," he yelled back as we headed out the door.