The Wolf Slayer: Healing Blood, page 3
It only took a few minutes for them both to arrive at the village. Blake stopped right behind the tree line and shifted back to his human form. He quickly put on his jeans and stepped out onto the clearing. The village was busy as always, women trying to do their house chores while the children ran around and distracting their mothers.
Blake walked up to the largest house of the village which was his family’s home and was called the main house. He loved the huge log house, it was built entirely out of tree trunks, no stone, and no cement. His family had built it three generations ago and all alphas had lived there since.
Tristan walked in silence by his side and stopped by the front door, “I am sorry,” Tristan knew exactly what was about to happen to Blake and Blake could see that he felt guilty for it. Blake knew Tristan had no choice but to tell his father about any laws being broken even if they had been broken by the alpha’s son.
Blake laid his hand on Tristan’s shoulder and gently squeezed it, “It’s not your fault, I brought this on myself,” he gave Tristan a forgiving smile and walked inside, leaving his best friend behind.
As expected, his father was furious and had yelled at him for the past fifteen minutes, reminding Blake of why such an important law existed. Blake stood in front of his father letting him do his speech and waiting to hear what his punishment would be. He was used to his father being mad at him, it was not the first time for him to be in trouble. Although over the past few years keeping to himself and being far away from the pack, had helped him to stay out of trouble.
“You will not be part of the celebrations tonight,” a feeling as if his father stabbed him erupted in Blake’s chest, “You do not deserve to celebrate this special night with or without your family. Selene has blessed you to be strong willed, yet you choose to abuse your gift and endanger your family and pack,” Blakes stomach dropped to the floor. Celebrating Selene, the moon goddess, on the nights she was closest to them were the most important celebrations of the year. Every wolf all over the world celebrated these sacred nights. The whole pack came together, the men, the wives, the children, the old and young, even the widows joined the celebrations, no one had ever been left out.
“Father, I can explain,” Blake started pleading, he wanted to explain to his father why had broken the law.
“No!” His father’s face was emotionless, and his gaze stern, “I have been far to lenient with you all my life. You may not be in your brothers’ position, but you are no less my son and I expect far more from you.”
“Father please let me explain,” he began pleading again. He needed his father to understand that he had not wanted to endanger anyone, that with his home being so far away from everyone, he did not think Niev was a danger to anyone. He wanted to explain the tugging and pulling his soul felt each time he thought about her.
“You may not leave your cabin,” he spoke with the authority only an alpha had over his pack, “You may not be part of Selene’s celebrations tonight. You will remain in your human form now until after sun has dawned,” his father was commanding him, and Blake had no choice but to follow and obey.
Without a word Blake turned on his heels and stormed out of his family’s home. As soon has he had an open sky above him he shifted, his jeans ripping, bones cracking and skin tearing.
His fathers command forced him to remain in his cabin the rest of the day. He was held captive in his own home. Even if he tried leaving through the door or any of the windows it felt like trying to overcome an invisible forcefield. He felt trapped with no way out. The trapped feeling and the anxiety that came with it turned into physical pain later in the evening and through out the whole night. He could feel Selene calling for his wolf. The goddess’ strong pull and connection to his wolf turned to pain as he was not able to shift. His father’s command prevented him from shifting, leaving him in agony the whole night.
Blake knew he deserved this punishment and felt guilty for his actions. Strangers were not permitted unless ordered by the alpha. The law kept everyone safe, safe from the outside world and safe from the bad that lurked out there. The law had kept everyone alive for thousands of years. He could not shake off the guilt. On the other hand, something deep within his soul told him that what he had done was needed and it had been the right thing to do.
His aching muscles and racing mind only found release as the sun slowly dawned and the night yielded to the day. He was not able to leave the cabin, but Selene’s calling became less and less as the sun rose above the trees.
A few hours after sunrise Blake heard the front door open and scented his father and mother coming inside. Blake had curled up in his bed and had tried to forget about the nightmare and torture he had just lived through. He did not move as he heard his mother’s gentle footsteps come closer.
“Blake my love?” His mother’s voice was timid, as if she was afraid to startle or even hurt him.
He had his back turned to her; he knew it was childish, but she hurt him just as much as his father had. He had expected her to stand up for him, like she had done so many times before. She had always protected him and now that he had needed it the most, she had let him down.
He felt a gently touch on his shoulder and his mother lean over him, “I know we have hurt you, but we only did it to protect you,” she waited for him to respond but he didn’t give her that satisfaction. She sighed and gently combed though his long hair with her fingers, “Blake who ever that woman is to you, she will not understand you the way your own kind does. Bringing her here has not just put us in danger but her too. If she had ran off into the woods or if she had traveled alone on your road she could have been hurt or scared to death,” she continued to comb though his hair and even as he tried to fight it her motherly touch calmed him, “You need to cut ties with her. If not for us, do it for her, keep her safe by staying away from her.”
His mother’s words opened his eyes to a new perspective. He had never thought about Niev being in any kind of danger during her stay here. He felt as if he had failed her and her safety. His mind painted a picture of her scared and alone somewhere in the woods, his heart bled and ached only thinking about her being hurt.
Blake heard his father’s footsteps come closer and felt his presents as he entered the room, “You will not leave the Timber Territory without permission. Seth will be here soon with further instructions,” and without further explanation he left.
“Blake, we love you very much, please understand that,” his mother leaned forward and kissed his head, before following his father.
Blake did not move; he could not move. He was paralyzed. His mind painted more and more pictures of Niev being hurt and he could do nothing to stop his own mind from doing so. The pictures became more and more gruesome, until he realized that he did not have to stop his mind from paining these pictures but change the pictures into something positive. As soon as his mind outlined a new scenario, he changed it by adding himself who stood over Niev and protected her from all evil that tried to hurt her.
He was her savior, her protector and deep within him he knew that he would do exactly that.
Chapter Three
Sharing A Secret
Niev had just finished her morning shift and yawned as she walked down the street to the bus stop. It had been a very busy morning at work and without Berta Niev’s workdays had become longer and more exhausting. She did not regret giving Berta away, but she had forgotten what a nice feature it was to have a car. Berta had made her live so much more easier.
Niev worked at a popular restaurant and bar called The Gardens. The Gardens was so well liked for their beautiful outdoor space, it was a green oasis in the middle of downtown and a hidden gem. During the summer season it was packed, and people even stood in line to be able to have a seat.
Being a waitress had never been her dream job but over the past few years she had learned to appreciate it. With hard work and lots of overtime she had worked her way to being the top waitress. She now worked the most popular tables out in the back of the garden, which brought in the most tips. Not only did the top tables bring the most tips but they were also far away from Mr. Hartman the restaurant owner.
He was a selfish and obnoxious man, who loved sitting around while everyone around him worked without a break. He was lazy and spend most of his time at the bar, criticizing everyone and everything. Most good waiters left because of him and his horribly attitude. Overtime he had stopped bothering her because she was his best waitress and took care of things outside of her job description. A few months ago, she had persuaded him into giving her a raise for all the extra things she did. He had not been happy, but he knew she was a good employee and he needed her.
That pay raise had helped her save up some money and be able to have less of a money worry. Standing on her own two feet had been challenging especially because she knew she could never go back home. Her heart ached thinking about her family and how much she missed her mother. Some days were easier others were harder, but no matter how much time passed she loved her mother and even her father and missed them.
She reached the bus stop right on time and hoped on the bus that would take her home. She sat down and looked out of the window as the buildings and streets passed by. Not only had the last week been more exhausting because she no longer had Berta but because her thoughts kept returning to Blake. Her every though ended up being about him. It drove her crazy because she could not explain her strong feeling and even obsession towards him. She barely knew him, yet she missed him and her whole soul ached for him.
During the day she had managed to keep herself busy and her thoughts and feelings weren’t overwhelming her, but in quiet moments like these it was hard not to think about him. He had filled a void in her heart and soul that she had not known existed and now her body was aching for his closeness.
Her phone vibrated and she looked down to see a text from Jason, her roommate.
Hey gorgeous, just got off. Do you still want to go shopping today? Could pick you up from work?
Niev could not help but smile. Jason and her were complete opposites but since she had moved in with him an amazing friendship had formed. He was an outgoing, party obsessed man with more girl- and boyfriends than he had underwear.
Yes to the shopping and no to the pick up. I’m already on the bus. Wanna meet at the store?
He replied within thirty seconds.
I’ll see you in a little bit.
It had taken them both a while to get used to each other because they were polar opposites. After a while they had both opened up and Niev had been able to see past his façade. They both had learned to appreciate the other and now they were friends.
The bus stopped a few blocks away from Kroger’s and she walked the rest of the way. Jason was already waiting for her leaning against his cabrio sports car. She grabbed a shopping card and walked towards him.
He came over and embraced her in a hug, “How are you, gorgeous?”
“Exhausted and glad I am finally off. How was your day?”
“Oh my god girl, it was crazy. If I wasn’t getting paid so well, I would totally tell them to go to hell.”
She laughed and they both walked into Kroger together.
At the same time, just a few blocks away, Blake was sitting on the stairs in front of Niev’s apartment, waiting for her to return home. He had managed to fix up Berta and had convinced his father to let him run some errands with his brother Seth. After having his father’s permission to leave the Timber Territory he had pleaded with Seth to let him take Berta back to Niev. It had taken a while, but in the end, Seth had caved in.
Now Blake was sitting in front of her apartment waiting and hoping she would return home before Seth picked him up. He had never felt this nervous and anxious before, the past week had been a challenge for him. After his father had allowed him to leave his cabin, Seth had kept him busy and under close supervision. During the day he had done what ever his father and Seth had asked of him and in the evenings, he had fixed up Berta. It had felt as if Berta was his only connection with Niev and working on her kept her close. He knew it was insane to think like this, but he could not help it. She was the only person who was keeping him sane.
His heart started racing only thinking about her. He took a deep breath to calm himself and right away he knew she was close. He could scent her gorgeous vanilla scent in the air and not even a minute later she walked around the corner, holding grocery bags in her hands. She was wearing tight high-waist jeans and a nice white blouse. Her golden-brown hair was tied up in a bun and her skin glowed in the sun.
As soon as he saw her, he jumped to his feet. She was walking next to a skinny tall man covered in tattoos. To Blake’s discontent the man was very good looking. She seemed to be in a good mood and smiled as the man talked to her. Immediately Blake’s hands formed fists, and he heard a low growl escape his throat. He was shocked at his own strong reaction towards another man being with Niev, he had never been possessive towards any woman before. This was a side to him that he had not known before. He saw her as she caught sight of him, and her blue eyes lit up. She seemed pleased and excited to see him.
“You came back,” she smiled at him with a smile that blew away any dark clouds hanging over his mind. Her companion on the other hand seemed confused, which brightened Blake’s mood even more.
Blake tried to look casual, and he was sure he was miserably failing at hiding his feeling, “I came to talk; do you have a minute?”
She turned to her companion and handed him her bags, “Would you please take these insides for me?”
The man raised an eyebrow and seemed annoyed and also curious. She gave him a certain look, he took the bags without any further questions, walked up the stairs and inside the apartment.
Blake nodded towards the parking lot to their right, “Let’s walk,” he said and led her towards the parking lot, “How have you been?”
She stayed silent for a few heart strokes, “I am fine.”
He knew she was lying; he could sense that something was weighing heavy on her, “You don’t need to lie or pretend in front of me. I can see something is weighing heavy on your mind,” she looked guilty, “I brough you a little gift and I hope it will ease some of your worry,” he walked around a corner and led her straight up to Berta.
“Berta!” Her face lit up in pure joy and a little bit of the glow he had seen the first time they met returned.
“Not brand new, but very close to it,” he was proud of himself, not that he had fixed Berta but that he was able to make her happy.
“You didn’t have to that,” she seemed to try and hide some of her excitement as if she felt bad for being happy to have her car back, “Berta is yours now.”
“No, beautiful, she is yours. I just fixed her up for you. I had fun but now that she is all better, she needs to return to you. She wouldn’t do me much good anyway,” he handed her the keys and she took them with tears in her eyes. She was so thankful and her appreciation for what he had done for her was pure. She got on her tiptoes and hugged him. Her touch eased the pain and the ache he had felt over the last week. An unexplainable warmth radiated through his body.
“Thank you, Blake,” she let go of him and looked at Berta in awe.
“If she gives you any trouble just let me know.”
“Well then I will need your number, don’t I?” As soon as her words had come out of her mouth she blushed, and her cheeks turned a bright red color.
“Dashboard,” he had left her a note with his number on it. She unlocked Berta and sat in the driver’s seat, with her feet dangling out the door. He watched her as she typed his number in her phone before she send him a quick text.
“Now you have no excuse not to call me,” her cheeks turned even redder as if she was ashamed of her words.
He laughed, “I will call but I am not sure when I can see you again. It’s complicated but I want, and I will come back.”
She looked up and straight into his eyes, a sadness had overcome her, “Did you get in trouble because of me?”
“You could say so,” he leaned against Berta and could see another wave of guilt overcome her, “It’s not your fault, beautiful,” each time he called her beautiful her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks blushed, “I don’t regret helping you. I did the right thing no matter what they say,” he sighed, “My family is just very complicated; they usually don’t allow anyone on their grounds. It’s just something we have always lived by,” he laughed, “But I am known to bend the rules, so don’t worry, you did not corrupt me. It was not the first time I got in trouble.”
“I am sorry, I wish you would not have gotten in trouble, no matter if it was the first or hundreds time.”
“Don’t take this on you, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
They both fell into a deep silence. She stared down into her lap, hiding her face from him, but he could feel that she was dwelling on something.
“What happened to you out there in the woods?”
The question had been on his mind since the day he had seen her at Cliff’s gas station. He had not wanted to push her to talk about it, but he needed to know and was not sure how much longer he had with her. Seth could be here any minute. She had been hurt out there and he had an overwhelming urge to find and punish whoever had done that to her. She flinched a little and started fidgeting with her shirt. He could sense that she was nervous, anxious, and even a little afraid.
“Niev, whatever you tell me, I’ll keep it a secret.”
