Sober.

Chapter 5

Months passed and as they did, I couldn't help but feel like I was overstaying my welcome. I had gotten to know the people inside the house and felt so grateful to them, but also felt like I  had nothing to contribute. Regardless, everyone made me feel so at home.

There was Griffith, the man who'd interrogated me. He seemed stern and somewhat harsh at first, but I learned quickly that he was fiercely protective of those he loved. He had a terrible past from what I could tell, but welcomed me with open arms once he perceived I wasn't a threat.

Ramona was the woman with the baby I had seen first. She was human and a nurse who worked at a hospital not far from here. She and Griffith were apparently mates. They even reminded me a bit of my parents- super lovey dovey but annoyingly touchy feely.

Lastly, there was Dorothea, the sweet little angel who could outshine the sun with her smile. She was one now and walking around the house constantly, waddling off when nobody could see her. Griffith watched her for most of the day, but sometimes in the middle of the night I would see him run off as a wolf going god knows where.

I hadn't heard their story yet, or why they don't have a pack, but I wasn't one to intrude. Besides, I hadn't told mine either.

One day, while Dorothea was asleep and Ramona was out at work, Griffith left in the middle of the day, asking me to 'hold down the fort'. I was incredibly shocked, but also happy to know he trusted me enough to leave me with something so precious to him. I felt that this might be my chance to prove myself in some way.

I sat in the kitchen for a while, flipping through some fictional book Ramona had told me to read about vampires and werewolves. I frowned at all the inconsistencies - vampires certainly didn't sparkle, and they were most definitely the farthest thing from infertile.

A sudden thump from the baby monitor caught my attention and I felt my body grow stiff as I got up to check on Dorothea. I heard no cries or shouts but felt better knowing she was safe with my own two eyes. When I rounded the corner, the door to her room was open and a man dressed in the traditional warriors uniform for the royal family was standing over Dorothea's crib. I instantaneously saw red and charged towards the man, rearing my fist back with a low growl.

He turned just in time to dodge my fist, stumbling back a bit. This gave me just enough time to grab Dorothea and sprint for the door. She was jarred awake and began to cry just as the man grabbed my hair and pulled me to the ground. I fell, trying to cushion Dorothea in my arms. I felt the floor collide with my body and knock the air from my lungs, my head twisting to the side as the warrior held my hair in an iron grip.

He growled at me, rearing his fist back to knock me out, but he froze as a deafening howl rang out through the forest. It was close and the warrior cursed as he let go of me, running towards the window and diving out of it. I ran to the window just in time to see him shift and run off into the forest.Dorothea was still crying in my arms and shouting for her father. I calmed her down some, stroking her back and rocking her like I used to do with Liliana.

Just as her eyes closed, the door to her room slammed open, knocking against the wall. Dorothea woke once again, crying almost immediately. Griffith stood there looking menacing as he surveyed the area. He had put on pants but his chest was bare. He turned to me and then looked to his daughter, eyes softening as he reached for her. As soon as she was in her fathers arms, she calmed immediately, closing her eyes in relief.

We sat in silence for a long while, soaking in what had just happened. He shifted suddenly and I looked at him, unsure of what to say.

Do I tell him about Liliana? Do I tell him what happened? Did he even want me to save Dorothea? I knew some families looked at The Taking as an honor and not a terrible tradition as I did.

So I settled on telling him what happened while he was gone, hoping I could get an answer to all of my questions that way. After I finish, I note his face is slightly pale, but he just nods and looks at me, the emotion in his eyes imperceptible.

"Thank you." Was all he said before carrying Dorothea with him to his room.

I closed the window and locked it, then walked into my own room and laid on the bed, wondering if I had made the right decision. I figured I would tell them who I
was soon enough, but the moment just now certainly wasn't ideal.

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The next day I woke up to a tugging on my hair. It wasn't the longest, but the inky tight curls in it made it impossibly thick and therefore, mostly untouched.

I kept my eyes closed, ignoring the sensation.

"Is she up yet? Because I  really can't tell. I mean shit Grif, do you know anybody who sleeps  with their eyes half open like that?"

A grunt sounded in response.

The tugging got more  incessant until finally a tiny fist grabbed at the roots of my scalp,  yanking hard and causing some strands to rip out.

"Ow, shit!" I  sat up  and looked over to a giggling Dorothea as she sat laughing at my pain.  She fell back and rolled to try and stand but fell once more, her  giggling becoming even more incessant.

I felt a flick at my  nose and looked up to see Ramona. She had a stern look on her face but  her eyes were filled with warmth as she looked at me. "Watch your  damn language around my child." Griffith sighed disapprovingly, but  his eyes were filled with mirth.

I rubbed my nose just as Dorothea crawled into my lap. Then I sniffed the air. "Are those pancakes I smell?"

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Ramona had made pancakes  for everyone and we all sat around the table making small talk.  Dorothea was messing around with a piece of food in her high chair.

"So we spoke last night  and... we just really wanted to say thank you for everything  you've  done. I know some see the taking as some traditional honor but we  certainly don't, and we- we're just glad that you saved our Dory from  that kind of life." Ramona was crying and I was shocked- she'd never  shed a tear before, not even when she stubbed her toe that one time on  the leg of the couch.

Griffith massaged the back of her neck for a moment before bringing her head to his lips and kissing her cheek tenderly.

"We want to return the favor... so I decided we would teach you how to fight."

A smile crept up onto my face as glee flew through my body. Most werewolves knew how to fight from a young age but the alpha - Lennox's father- had deemed me too weak to fight with the rest of the pups. I learned basic self defense with my father but that about covered my combat history. Now, I finally had a chance to prove my worth. I wasn't going to cower behind my loved ones anymore, I would fight for them and with them- tooth and nail.

A couple bruises never hurt anyone, right?

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Next chapter is a special surprise ;)
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