Living In The Gates

Saxon

As I walk into the doctor's cabin just off the side of the main packhouse, Harley is screaming in pain on a cot-like bed. Damn, I really did a number on her.  I mean all I did was break her arm in multiple places.

"Are you really that stupid to challenge someone with a higher rank? Your lucky Alpha doesn't strip you of what you have." An older lady comes out from behind a curtain and looks up from her hands. I remember her from the time Luca first brought me here when he bit me. She's shocked to see me there. "Oh! You about gave me a heart attack." She puts her hand over her chest. She reminds me of Gertrud as if they are sisters. Maybe they are?

"Sorry to frighten you, but apparently Luca thinks I'm in a little need of medical attention." By the time I've walked over here the wound has already started to heal up. She instructed me to take a seat and lean back on a table. 

"This would've killed you by now, yet you seem to not feel a thing." She says as she cleans the wound up. 

"High pain tolerance?" She was right, I didn't feel anything besides a slight sting equivalent to a paper cut.

Another scream erupts from Harley. I laugh at the fact that she wasn't even able to cause me pain. The doctor gasped in realization. "Forgive me Luna for not introducing myself. I'm Doctor Grey." Grey then turns to Harley, "So the one you challenged was your Luna? You are definitely lucky Alpha didn't kick you out of the pack."

I laugh at her comment, "Nah, I think she learned her lesson not to challenge me again."

Grey finished cleaning and stitching me up in six minutes flat and I was on my way out the door. I thanked her and left the cabin and headed back to the packhouse. I was about to walk up the porch stairs when I thought against it. Knowing Luca was in his office on the phone, I whispered, "I'm going for a run to my pack to see my family. I will be back in about an hour." I took maybe three steps before he was walking next to me. 

I give him a sideways glare but all I got in return was a smirk. We shifted once we got to the tree line. The run was nice yet the shift was a little painful from the wound. Luca and I playingly nipped at each other as we sprinted around trees and over fallen logs. I slowed as we neared the backyard of my packhouse. 

Luca shifted back to human form, "You go ahead, call when you need me." 

I nod and jump the fence and land softly on my paws, but suddenly I'm hit by a fucking steam engine. I let out a yelp from shock and pain. The small wolf covers my face with wet licks of excitement.  

Holly shit Colton! Get off me you fat oof. I mind-link him to get off me. He gets off of me and runs behind Jake to shift and cover up with some basketball shorts. Jake holds up an oversized tee. I shifted and slipped the shirt on in record time. The tee reached about mid-thigh on me and it smelt like dad. 

"I'm sorry for barging in on you yesterday. I was mad that I never get to see you anymore and when Colt told me you weren't at school it kinda set me off." He looked at me with apologetic eyes. 

"It's okay big bro." I wrapped my arms around him and he hugged me back. This was our way of saying we are on good terms again plus I honestly forgot about the interaction. When we pull away Colt hands me a pair of basketball shorts.

"We know lover-boy is over there." I toss the shorts over the tall fence and within seconds Luca is by my side. 

"I really need to talk to Saxon, is he here?" They nod with serious faces. I turn to Luca, "Please stay out here." 

I walk into the house and it feels like it's been ages since the last time I was here. I know it's only been about three weeks but I've grown to call Luca's packhouse mine too. I follow the scent trail of Saxon to a closed bedroom door on the third floor. I knock three times then enter. "Saxon?" I ask as I open the door. He sat on a bed with headphones on. I could never understand how he could use those with heightened hearing. 

"Kat? What are you doing here and where is that dick of an Alpha?" I laugh at his stab at Luca.

"I wanted to talk... Talk about what happened." I walk over to the window and see Luca standing in the backyard with my brothers. They were talking but he's not listening to them. I turn back to Saxon. "What you did was..." I pause trying to get it out but I can't. "I just want to know why."

Saxon fiddled with his hands out of nervousness. "It was to protect you. I thought if I did those things then I can protect you better."

"That's no fucking excuse to try to mark me forcefully!" I can't believe he thought that would be a good idea.

"I know... I know. I just wanted you so bad. Do you know what it's like to see someone so close to you not have the same feelings toward you as you do for them?" By this, he was standing and face to face with me. "No, you don't! You have never felt that way because everyone you have ever had a crush on as a kid you would come and tell me, your best friend. You don't know that pain knowing that the person you love only sees you as one of their littermates." 

This was news to me. Saxon was never the one to express his feelings. "So what you had feelings for me and was like "hey, let's join the wrong team and make sure her life is a living hell."? Saxon, you let him take my mother and I and you did nothing! You saw him drag me out of my bed and yet you stood in the hall doing nothing to stop him!" Anger pumped through my veins. "My mother DIED because you did nothing. She died because you didn't tell anyone what happened in that hallway." 

"I couldn't say anything. He threatened my family."

"I understand that but he was bluffing. Even in the heat of the moment, I could still tell he was lying about that."

"I... I'm sorry." He whispered. 

"I don't want your fucking apology. I can tolerate you but we will never be more than packmates. You can't say sorry enough to make her come back and make up for what you tried doing." I cooled down. I know we would never go back to what we were before but I needed to hear what he had to say. He comforted me when I made it back home, I made myself think maybe I was dreaming of him standing in that hallway but it became clear when he tried forcing himself on me. 

I left the room. I couldn't bear to see his face anymore. Once outside, I take a deep breath before walking up to my brothers and Luca. They all gave me a 'are you okay' look. "Ready to go home?" I ask Luca. He nods and jumps the fence in human form while I hug both of my brothers. 

Luca and I walk hand in hand through the woods. "I know it's not my place but I really want to beat that guy up. Ever since I meet him after the council meeting." Luca stated with a smirk on his face. 

This made me laugh. "I'd pay to see that." We both share a laugh but it dies down to a frown on Luca's face. 

"Why is he still in the pack after doing something like that? If he was in my pack and pulled shit like that he would be six feet under." He squeezes my hand slightly and tightens his jaw.

I let out a sigh. "He was the one who found us plus my father doesn't know about the force marking attempt." I stop and look up at Luca. "I don't blame him for my mother's death. I don't blame him for turning my eyes blue. I do blame him for not doing anything at that moment. Maybe if he got help then maybe my mother would've had one less beating, maybe she wouldn't have to beg me to end her life." He grabbed me by my hips and pulled me close, bringing his lips to my forehead. We stay like this for a while. The bright moon is almost full as it shines brightly through the forest canopy.