Hers Freely

24. Visitors

Sitting here on the floor, broken, I realized that it was all for nothing. No matter how hard I tried, I would never be free.

While I nervously wrung my hands in my lap, I noticed blood where I sat. My bandages on my feet were soaked in crimson. Oh great! Maybe I'll bleed to death so this could all be over. But deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. My life had never been easy, I was just foolish to believe it ever would be. I had rebelled, I had run away, I had even contemplated ending my own life, but nothing ever changed. It was like a force was pulling me back, keeping me in this never-ending cycle. Unfortunately fate continues to be cruel to me.

Lost in despair, I suddenly felt his hands slide under my body and lift me up gently. Concern filled his eyes as he gazed down at me. I hated showing him or them any sign of weakness, but my body betrayed me, trembling in his arms as I accepted his offer of comfort. At this point, I had nothing else.

His embrace was warm and welcoming. I felt safe in his arms, like nothing could hurt me. Soon, I found myself lying on the bed, wiping away the tears that had unknowingly escaped. 

Without hesitation, Iris started attending to my wounds. I hadn't noticed when she had returned. I was grateful for her kindness and her gentle touch. As she worked, she spoke softly, reassuring me that things would be alright. Iris's calming presence was exactly what I needed in that moment. When she finished, she smiled at me and told me to get some rest. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off into sleep.

Wolf

It's been a few days since I last saw my brother. Our usual approach of ignoring each other seems to work best for everyone. I had resume my duties as beta, but all the while I couldn't help but think about the little human in Iris's care. She has been looking after her since we arrived. I have complete trust in her, as she has always treated me like one of her own sons.

In fact Finn, Iris's eldest son, and one of our strongest warriors, has joined me in going through the supplies we needed for winter. I noticed that we were running low on some essential herbs and medicines. I made a mental note to  see if we could trade with neighboring packs or send out some trackers down the mountain before winter hits. Also, this helps me be closeby the healers cabin if the little human wakes up.  

Finn noticed my mind was on something else and asked " So what's with the human girl?" I shrugged, " She's important to me." Finn nodded, "I can see that. What makes her so special?" I hesitated for a moment before answering, trying to put my feelings into words. I said, "I don't know. I guess there's something about her that makes me feel different, like I'm responsible for her in some way." Finn furrowed his brow, "But she's human." I found myself opening up to Finn about my mix feelings for the human girl. I told him about how I met her and how she saved me.

As I talked to Finn, I realized that I felt a sense of obligation to her, even though I didn't know why. My wolf was clearly already attached to her, similar to how he did with our mate. The pulling to one another, but there's no bond between us.  We continued to talk about the pack and our duties, but my mind kept drifting back to my human with big brown eyes. I knew that I had to figure out what I was going to do with her before my brother intervened. I knew that I had to find a way to convince him to let her stay longer. I was torn between wanting her to stay and letting her go. However, that thought felt wrong, but I was also aware of the pack's rules and traditions. I knew that my brother would be watching me closely and would make sure I upheld them. But would she want to stay? These were some questions that swirled in my mind as I tried to focus on our conversation.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. I knew she'd want to go. She had her own plans.
What is this little human doing to me?

Suddenly, the storage room door burst open and Elliott rushed inside frantically," Beta Jonah, she's awake. The human girl."