Traumatised Tim

Chapter Ten

He smelt dinner before he saw it. The smell of meat on a spit was strong and the scent of herbs made his belly grumble. The corridors of the safe house were pristine white and very bright. Different. He looked to Ray who was smiling.

“I had complaints that it was too dark. So I made it as bright as possible. Now it looks…”

“Clinical.” Tim said wiping his hand along the bare wall. “It’s all clean, like hospitals.”

“Yes, it wasn’t the effect I was going for.

                Tim laughed aloud and caused some woman, who were walking past, to turn and stare at him. When they recognised him their stares carried on.

“Nothing to see ladies, go on.” Ray called to them hurrying them off. “Four packs are hard to control by the way, the young boys try to encourage rivalry but as alphas we discourage it greatly. We want a peace amongst us that… is proving hard when we can feel ourselves becoming barricaded in our own safety net.”

“You feel the pressure of the Wayward pack?”

“I know they are taking over many other packs. We hear many things here as well. I worry that we’ll end up with a battle, right on our door step and this safe house Tim was made for one pack only.”

                The very real threat was shining in Rays eyes. The realisation that if the time came for it, four packs would be trying to cram into too small a space. It would result in chaos, the rivalry of young boys would become the undoing of them - if they took it too far in their panic to survive and get into the safe zone.

“But this was designed with a way out. Passages leading to open space and other land, right?”

“And what land out there Tim is not being taken over? If we go down the passages and evacuate all the packs, what is telling us there will be safety at the end of it? Nothing.”

“…You are slowly becoming trapped. You are undone by your own safety. This is all you have.”

                He started to panic. He hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t thought that the house was too small for so many; that they couldn’t get to safety. That he had never as a child been allowed down the exist passages and now he had no idea where they came out.

“Where do they lead? I am well travelled, I can tell you where is safe and where is not.”

“I can show you the maps.”

“You must.”

“Where are you based Tim? How much danger is your pack in?”

                It chaffed at him to be asked about the safety of his pack, as if he hadn’t already thought about it. But that annoyance was instinctual and he pushed it down quickly. This was a friendly conversation and he would not have his wolf instincts ruin his new found friendship.

“We are by a waterfall. The rocks hold lots of hiding places and the water makes the boulders slippery. My pack are well practised at climbing about the rocks and used to hiding in the caves it provides. We have a constant look out. My pack is made up of Rogues. Lots of rogues who didn’t want to be in that position. They were seeking sanctuary. I gave them one.”

“They turned to you as an alpha?”

“The most extraordinary thing in the world happened. I offered them a place of relative safety. The waterfall had the water they needed while I brought food. The ground was fertile enough to grow other things. I ran patrols there every day and made sure to check up on them all. It was a resting stop, a temporary safe place until they figured out where they wanted to go. I said I would watch over the waterfall as long as they wanted to stay, but they slowly built up a community until I led rogues there because I knew it had become a family of sorts. I told the rogues they could go or stay as they pleased. Make it their home if they wanted. Turns out they were waiting for me to realise that not only had I created a pack but they wanted me to trust them as they did me. When Eveliina came along I hurried her to their safety and in doing so I gave my ‘pack’ the most precious thing I had. It sealed the fate and hours later I was an alpha.”