After Charlene assured Mary she would be fine with my company, they grew quiet. Several minutes later, Mary opened the door and joined me in the hallway, and I knew Charlene slept.
“Do you really think there’s more danger?” Mary asked.
“Yes.”
She gave me a hard look.
“Great or small doesn’t matter. I don’t think she can handle any more damage to her already fragile human body. Do you?”
She sighed and shook her head.
“I just know she’s nervous around the males. Even you. I want her to like it here. If she leaves…” She shrugged letting her thoughts go unsaid, yet not misunderstood.
If Charlene left, Mary would likely go to the woods with Gregory. However, the existence she would have once accepted as her future no longer appealed to her. I understood her feelings. Mine had changed as well. I would follow Charlene wherever she went. Even back into the human world.
“We want the same thing,” I said. “I want her to stay. I know that means living here, and I don’t mind. Are you sure you want to live here, Mary? Adopt a more human life?”
“I am. I told my father what Gregory said about joining your pack now,” she said, surprising me. “He agreed it’s smart to make it stronger, for her.”
Packs held territories. The bigger the pack, the easier it was to hold a territory. Strength in numbers.
She studied me for a moment. I could feel her hesitation but didn’t understand why until she spoke the words.
“Will you accept me as one of your own?” she asked formally.
For Charlene, she would increase my numbers, giving us the strength to hold sanctuary so Charlene could live here in peace whether Claimed or not.
“I will. You’re welcome in my pack,” I said, opening myself to her.
The connections I felt with Grey and Gregory repositioned themselves in my head, making room for my new connection with Mary. With three, my mind felt crowded but not uncomfortably so. It was like adding one more bite to an already content stomach.
I breathed in deeply, letting the new feeling settle. After a moment, the fullness left me completely.
Gregory, Mary has joined the pack. Come welcome your Mate, I sent him.
“Let me know when Charlene’s up, and I’ll come sit with her,” Mary said.
“I’ll help you move your things,” I said, not commenting on her request. I didn’t plan to leave Charlene’s side at all tomorrow.
Gregory joined us in the hall, distracting Mary from her worry. She smiled at him, and they worked together to strip her bed and move the mattress. I quietly disassembled the frame as I listened to Charlene’s soft breathing.
How many nights had I lain on the other side of the wall straining to hear her? No longer. Tonight I would finally be where I belonged.
Carrying the frame pieces to our room, I found Gregory and Mary kissing. Glad he would keep her preoccupied, I set the pieces against the wall then went back to Charlene’s room and gently closed the door.
Charlene lay curled on her side. She looked relaxed and peaceful, except for the marks on her neck that stood out in the shadowed light. I lightly ran my hand over her hair.
“Never again.”
She sighed in her sleep.
Next door, Mary and Gregory began to assemble the bed, and I moved to sit on the floor in front of Charlene’s door. In just one day so much had changed. With the arrival of Ann and Leif, sanctuary had become more than an abandoned bunch of buildings. Charlene’s position here was no longer as safe as it was. And my opinion of Charlene had shifted greatly.
All that change was the result of the young woman sleeping trustingly in the bed across from me. I used to believe that humans only knew how to take without giving. But Charlene had done nothing but give since I’d known her.
The sounds in the next room quieted as Gregory and Mary settled in for the night. Sitting there, I let the gentle sounds of Charlene’s breathing soothe me, and I closed my eyes.
It was still dark when I woke. I stood and stretched to relieve the stiffness from sleeping sitting up then went to check on Charlene. She’d moved in her sleep and her arm stuck out from the blanket. I touched her cool skin then gently tugged the blanket higher. Her breathing remained slow and steady, and I knew it would be hours before she roused.
I moved back to my spot and settled against the wall.
Thomas, I’m awake if you’d like me to sit with her, Mary sent me.
It felt odd having her voice in my head.
Stay with Gregory. She’s fine, I sent back.
I really don’t mind.
Gregory, Mary needs a distraction. Perhaps you two would like to hunt with her father and uncle.
In the next room, I heard the low murmur of Gregory’s voice as he tried to convince her to go hunting with him. Mary didn’t sound happy when she answered but, not long after, they went downstairs.
I leaned my head back against the door and just listened. Birds sang. Wind blew. Wolves moved around in the yard. And, Charlene occasionally snored ever so softly.
The sun was just over the tops of the trees when Charlene rolled toward the wall. It wasn’t long after that her breathing changed. I watched her, waiting to see how she would react to the new day. Would she remember she’d said I could stay?
She rolled over just then, looked at me, and quickly glanced away as her cheeks pinkened. Her heart skipped a beat. After a moment, I was rewarded for my patience.
“Good morning,” she said softly, meeting my gaze. I’d waited days to see a soft look in her eyes.
“Did you sleep at all?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She sat up and winced. The scrape on her face wasn’t as red and had scabbed over. But a light blue tinted the skin from underneath. I wondered how long she would be sore and almost suggested she rest some more. I wouldn’t have minded if she’d stayed in bed longer and just talked to me.
“Well, what should we do today?” she asked.
I chuckled. Charlene never seemed to sit still for long.
“I was about to ask you that.”
She smiled slightly.
“I know. That’s why I asked you first. How close is the nearest town?”
“Further than you’d walk in a day.” Further than I’d want to take her with her face looking like it did. She would draw too much attention.
“Where did Mary and Gregory go to find everything?”
“Town.”
She gave me a look of disbelief, and I knew it was because it hadn’t taken them a day.
“We’re faster than you are.”
“Ah. I see. When will Winifred arrive? Perhaps she could take me in the truck.”
“I’ll take you,” I said, standing. Not in the truck, but in my arms if she would let me. When she healed.
“But, first, let’s feed you.” I held out my hand. She walked toward me but didn’t take it.
I didn’t mind. I was good at being patient. Turning, I went to the hall and waited there for her to dress. When she joined me, I led the way downstairs and listened to the sound of her steps as she followed me. It seemed I couldn’t ignore even the smallest detail related to her anymore.
The door was open in the main room, allowing a cool breeze into the already too warm room. Mary had a pot of water on the stove, and Gregory had a pheasant roasting. Charlene’s stomach growled at the admittedly mouth-watering smell.
“Do you think instead of killing them, we could catch a few?” she asked as she took two plates down from the top of the new cabinet.
“Pheasants? What for?” I watched her set the plates on one of the tables.
“Eggs. It would be handy in winter.”
“And tempting,” I said, moving to the fire to remove the skewered bird. Especially to hungry wolves.
“It would be worth a try,” she said. “They would need some sort of coop, though.”
I watched her for a moment before moving to the table.
“The way you think… I can’t seem to guess what you’ll say or do next,” I said, setting the bird on a plate. She seemed to constantly be thinking of the next way to improve life here. Using my fork, I pulled off some breast meat and set it on her plate.
“Neither can I,” she said with a grin. “But I can explain the eggs. I was thinking that I miss regular breakfast food like cereal, oatmeal, and eggs. And since you seem to be able to kill a pheasant easily enough, why not just keep them alive once you catch them?” She took a bite of the pheasant and looked at me expectantly.
I didn’t care what we did as long as we did it together.
“There are several meadows and a marsh nearby. They like the tall grasses. Perhaps, instead of walking to the junkyard, we could go there today.”
Her gaze grew distant as she ate. I watched her, wondering what she might be thinking. Likely building or fixing something in her head. Some of her hair fell forward and she absently brushed it back. In the daylight, it looked like the noon sun. Shiny, bright, and pale yellow.
She stood and took her empty plate to the sink.
“A trip to the meadow might be a bit premature. We should have a coop ready first and food for birds. What do they eat in the wild?” she asked, moving to the stove.
“We eat them,” I said, grinning. “That’s all we’ve needed to know.”
“If we want to try to raise a few, we’ll need to find out what they eat. If it’s something we can gather, it could work; but if we need to purchase something, we might be out of luck.”
A sound by the door alerted me that we were no longer alone.
“They eat seed,” Anton’s familiar voice said, “from the grasses, insects, and other things. Keeping them should be no problem if we build a pen in the meadow.”
Charlene’s smile was dazzling as she turned toward him. Bitterness burned my gut as I stared at the wolf she’d picked before me, and I wondered why he’d returned.
“Welcome back, Anton,” she said. “There are clean plates over here if you’d like some pheasant.”
“I didn’t come to eat. I came to help. I heard what happened yesterday.”
Mongrel. I didn’t like the way his gaze lingered on her face.
“Well, I’m glad you came back. Thomas and I were just talking about the junkyard, too. I’d like to go there to see if we can find anything else useful, but it sounds like it might be too far for me to walk in a day.”
“I could carry you and run it,” he said. “It would take an hour.”
I fought not to growl at his suggestion. He knew I wouldn’t allow him to touch her.
Winifred, Charlene is considering a trip to the junkyard. I’m concerned she might reconsider staying if she’s around other humans.
Agreed. She should stay at the sanctuary.
You might want to let Anton know that.
“Run carrying me for an hour? You wouldn’t get tired?”
He gave her a cocky grin. “No.”
I cleared my throat to get Charlene’s attention.
“Winifred would like you to stay here until she arrives. She’s concerned about your safety after yesterday’s attack and feels this is the safest place for you.”
Some of the joy left her eyes as she nodded.
“Then I suppose I’ll find something to do around here,” she said, rinsing the plate and setting it aside to dry. “What is everyone else working on today?”
“Bine, Zerek, and most of the others are still working on wood. A few are fixing things in the other building,” I said.
“Anton, if you’re willing, can you help me with the windows?” she asked, walking toward the door.
“Of course,” he said. He moved to follow her, and I sat at the table, stunned at how fast she was willing to leave me. She paused at the door.
“If you want, you can join us when you finish, Thomas,” she said.
Keeping my angry gaze on my plate, I nodded.
Mary’s father was right. I needed a bigger pack. Not just to hold this place but to keep an eye on the wolves coming and going. Had I known Anton was here, I would have made plans with Charlene while she was still up in her room.
Grey, it’s time to expand the pack. Do you have any recommendations? He’d been spending most of his time in the trees, keeping an eye on things.
Standing, I put the bird in a pot so it wouldn’t go to waste then put the dish in the sink.
Bine and Zerek have been watching you. How you treat others and how you interact with the females. I think they would have asked to join the pack in a few days. Start with them.
I walked out the door and made my way to the men cutting wood.