Serenity followed behind me as I walked towards Zeke's house. The two warriors who had previously been guarding the dungeon had followed behind her. While they were obviously instructed by Zeke to do so for her safety, her increased heart rate indicated their actions held the opposite effect.
But she made no move to complain, no move to run. Instead, she obediently tracked behind myself and Zeke. We were quick to walk into the house, luckily coming across no other wolves except two warriors that guarded the front door to the house. Whether the wolves in the area had been evacuated I did not know. But my intuition told me they had been.
As we strolled onto the steps of the house Serenity froze. Her heartbeat increasing again dramatically. I turned to face her. She seemed paralyzed in fright, her large brown eyes appeared empty, as if she had travelled back into a memory and was no longer in the present. My heart ached at the thought of the possible trauma she must have experienced. I quietly approached her.
"Serenity," I felt as though I was speaking to a spooked kitten, trying to keep my voice soothing and calm as I reached my hand out to gently touch her petite wrist. Immediately she was drawn from her trance, her eyes filled with fear as she pulled her wrist from mine. Almost as if she didn't recognise who I was.
Her cheeks flushed as she came to realise the situation before she cleared her throat as if to dismiss the event that had just occurred.
"Serenity, do you want to come inside? This is where I live, you will be safe." The thought of another male wolf causing her harm had my vision going red. My wolf growled in the back of my mind at the image of Serenity being abused.
Serenity nodded.
I turned back to the house to find Zeke waiting emotionlessly. He seemed uncomfortable with me bringing a random she-wolf into our house. But he knew my instincts were to care for her. And he knew to refuse me would be to cause a problem. I nodded at him, projecting reassurance through my wolf to his. He turned and continued into the house.
He guided us into a spare bedroom that I had yet to go in. It was simply decorated yet still spacious. I turned to Serenity,
"There is a bathroom with utensils in there, clean up. I'll bring you some spare clothes." Serenity nodded and went into the bathroom. The lock clicked.
Zeke and I travelled back into our bedroom before he spoke.
"I don't like this Cecil." His eyebrows ceased as he spoke.
"Why not? She's obviously experienced pain and we have the resources to help her." I replied.
"It's too strange, too co-incidental, you show up and a mere weeks later a random she-wolf walks into our territory? It's just," he sighed, "its just too convenient." He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the side his temples.
"What you think I was planted? You think she was planted?" I scoffed out.
"No I caught you, you tried so hard so damn hard to escape I know you were an accident but her? She just happens to walk in without a fight? A female wolf hadn't been seen in a few years and all of a sudden there's two in my pack? Something's off, maybe someone is trying to coerce other packs into revolting against mine I-. I don't know what to make of it." Zeke's eyes pleaded with mine for understanding. He was right, it was almost too coincidental. I walked over to him placing my hands on his cheeks, holding his head gently.
"You're right. We can't just accept her but I will not be turning her away."
Zeke knew I wouldn't relent. He sighed and nodded.
"She must face the council." He muttered. I nodded.
"Perhaps speaking to the oracle will help." I offered, trying to find him some form of reassurance.
"Nyx." He sighed out.
"Huh?"
"The Oracle's name is Nyx."
"Oh," I mumbled. Zeke sighed again before wrapping his hands around my waist, pulling me forward so that I was straddling his large frame. His head buried into my chest like a small pup. I giggled as he wrapped his arms around my middle. I held onto his shoulders. Letting the bond soothe his stressed state.
"Come now, we have to get back to her." The words nearly didn't leave my mouth, my body was humming from the close proximity. His familiar fresh scent filled my nose and I deeply inhaled it. Engraining the smell into my memory. His arms really did feel like the place I was supposed to be. He sighed again before nodding his head. No movement was made.
"Zeke." I drawled out, shuffling my hips in an attempt to spur movement. He growled before dropping his arms, I placed myself back on the floor before getting spare clothing from the cupboard. Even though I doubted my clothing would fit her body, she was even thinner than I had been.
We quickly strolled back into the spare room seating ourselves on the spare chair in the corner, Zeke insisting I just had to be seated on his lap. The shower was still running and I imagined she was having the same euphoric moment I had when I had first seen the shower. Eventually the water switched off, the door unlocked and Serenity stuck her head out. I quickly rose from Zeke's lap before handing her the clothing, she was quick to close the door, mumbling a soft 'thank you'. A few minutes had passed and she walked out the door again.
As suspected my clothing was a little baggy. She was severely undernourished, I suspected she didn't have the capability of hunting. Her short hair was dark black, perhaps the darkest hair I had ever seen. Her skin was pale, suggesting she never went into the sun or perhaps most of her time was spent in wolf form. Her scent was light and delicate, much like her body.
She took her time in assessing my form as well. Her eyes running body length, not in threat but more in curiosity. So I allowed her to look. I felt Zeke rise from the couch behind me, his body pressing itself against my back, a silent way to claim me in front of the new she-wolf. Telling her he would be behind me should anything occur.
His movements drew her eyes, but she was quick to look away. Obviously nervous of aggravating the imposing wolf. Terror rolling off her in such thick waves I could almost smell it.
"Serenity, would you like something to eat?" My voice broke the atmosphere of the room. She nodded her head,
We made way to the dining room, she sat on one of the wooden benches while Zeke and I sat opposite her. The scene gave me a sense of deja-vu. Almost immediately food was brought out and laid before us. Serenity again went rigid as the young males placed the food down. She quickly began eating once they had left the room.
"Why are you here?" Zeke spoke to her for the first time, his voice and face emotionless. Serenity swallowed before replying, her hands shaking as she replied. Knowing the more dominant wolf required her answers.
"I heard about her," she nodded towards me, "I was passing a small town when I heard some men talking, some female had been found. The new 'Luna of the East' they said. I knew as soon as I heard that I had to come find her. Something just told me I had to find her. That she had to be my Luna. I knew your pack was the most Eastern pack and guessed she would be here." Zeke contemplated her words, milling them over in her mind.
"Where were you before you came?"
"I was a lone wolf. I had been for the few months, living off dumpster food and scraps. It's why I was close enough to the wolves to hear them talking." Her voice still seemed unsure, her eyes downcast as she spoke.
"And what made you so sure you would find her here? What made you think you would be safe?"
"I don't know- but something did. Maybe it was the Goddess." Zeke 'hmphed' in response, obviously not too impressed with her answers.
"And these men? What were they saying?" Zeke continued his interrogation.
"They were talking about their odds of getting to see her. Saying that she could become a beacon to females, that any remaining she-wolves could go find her. They were speaking of setting up camps around your pack borders. To try catch any she-wolves coming in before they could get under your protection." For the first time Serenities voice had a different emotion beside fear: anger. She was angered to hear how the men planned to act. And I agreed.
"I want those wolves hunted." I snarled, looking over to Zeke.
"I want the men, who would try capture females looking to us for protection dead. All of them. Dead." I could feel the gold bleed into my eyes, my wolf's anger supporting my own. Zeke looked over at me, his eyes still emotionless.
"We don't know if there are other females. And to put that many warriors and resources into a hunt for dead prey.."
I wanted to be angry with him. Wanted to yell and tell him he was wrong. But how could I? What evidence and support did I have? What right did I have to tell him to donate more of his limited resources into saving something that we didn't even know existed?
The only way would be to prove there were others. I looked back to Serenity.
"Have you seen another female besides me since the war ended 4 years ago?"
"One." Her eyes sank downward again, her face nearly morphing into an expression of pain before she masked it.=
"What happened to her?" I didn't want to push her emotions but I had to know. I needed to know.
"I was caught. Just over two years after the war ended, my brother and I were taken by this small pack of men. Only around 80. They killed my brother and I was placed in a small holding cell. That's where she was. Her name was Violet. She has been there for a few months at least. I had been there for about a week before she tried to escape, managed to get out of her cell and run- they tried to catch her but she sliced her wrists with a rock before they could." A tear ran down her cheek as she finished speaking but she was quick to wipe it away.
I nodded in understanding. Anger and sadness filled my body. Is this really what the world had turned to? She-wolves wasting their precious lives to avoid the mistreatment of men? My eyes turned back to Zeke. I really had been lucky to find him. To have him take care of me, I knew he would lay down his life before he would see me harmed. Something many females did not have the luxury of.
My heart began to beat faster when his gaze met mine, and I reached my hand out to grasp his.