Page 24 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

He lifted my head and I froze. My eyes tracked his face for emotions that would explain his motives. He could grow fingernails sharp enough to pierce my skull. Did he save me so he could torture me for information?

His eyes, although emotionless, held no ire. He tipped a canteen against my lips. I sipped, coughing most of it back up. Hisneedwas once more buried to where I couldn’t feel it. A small mercy. “Sleep now, Little Red. I will watch over you.”

“What if they find?—”

“Shhh. They will not. I am here now. I understand your concerns, but you know I am skilled. I am aware you do not trust werewolves, but you can trust what I have done up to now. I did not escape when you told me to, did I?” he asked, his voice wry and gentle.

A tiny smile crossed my face. Thoughts of my family interrupted my joy. Would they be ok? Mom and Dad needed me. What day was it? How long had I been out? If my sister Anna had an episode without me there…

“I need to get home,” I whispered with a cough that sent a flare of pain through my body. It took effort to hide my wince.

His thumb wiped away a tear I didn’t even realize I’d shed, then rubbed my cheek in a way that felt almost soothing. “So much pain. I see you, little one. I understand. I will get you home as soon as possible. But now we must not move you. Yourbody needs rest. You can be the warrior tomorrow. For today, lay down your armor, be a human, and rest.”

His words sounded nice. I wanted to do all of that,beall of that so badly. I just I didn’t know how. Relaxing was worse because then I would feel. Panic tried to assail me. All while I was at his mercy. I felt his warmth at my side, felt his body looming above me, his thumb still rubbing my cheek. I felt his power—and my weakness. It sent a coldness rushing through my veins, and my body trembled.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I whispered, my mind going back, finding… I shied from the thought, from the darkness lurking in the depths of my mind.

His thumb rubbing against my cheek froze. His hand trembled. “Who hurt you, little one?” he whispered, his voice gentle but with steel lacing every word as his thumb retreated from my face. He wasn’t looming over me any longer, and I breathed a little easier. My body didn’t have the strength to remain awake. I fell into restless dreams of grasping hands, knives piercing skin, brands that burned, and darkness.

I woke with a start.My mind was spinning, my eyes wide but vision blurry, and my knives were still nowhere to be found. I sat up, trying to determine what had frightened me when I saw a little puppy barking at the werewolf.

Wolfie’s eyes were on me, his brow furrowed and his eyes appearing apologetic. “Forgive us, we were trying to be quiet,” he said, staring down at the pup with his lips twisted in a mock scowl.

The pup nipped at his fingers, growling and play-snapping. The werewolf’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” He grabbed the stick at the pup’s feet and threw it into… Is that a cave?

I glanced around me at walls of stone and shimmering rock where firelight bounced and danced. A gentle tap of water somewhere along this cavern was at odds with the crackle of the fire in front of me. My cloak was thrown over me, and I brought it up to my chin, trying not to shiver as my body ached with cold.

“Sorry for waking you,” Wolfie said.

“What can I call you? It seems odd to keep calling you Wolfie in my mind,” I said at last. He hadn’t killed me nor tortured me. I still couldn’t trust him, but we were kinda allies trying to protect the puppy. I suppose the old adage ofa common goal makes friendswas right after all.

His lips flicked upward in a hint of a smile. “Call me Shen. Do you have a name I may call you?”

“Alia.”

“Well met, miss Alia. It seems we are stuck together for the foreseeable future. How can I help it be more pleasant for you?”

I blinked at him. “Umm… what?”

He closed his eyes as if searching for words. “You do not like to be touched, and yet you need it at times. Is there anything further I can assist with to keep you more comfortable?”

I stared at him, my jaw dropping open. He… how did he… “How do you know that?”

His smile was laced with sadness. “The way you flinch from touch, yet when you know it is coming, you may prepare for it. Is there something else you need to remain calm?”

I stared at him, trying to understand his angle in all this. Where was the animalistic werewolf? Where was the killing beast? Where was the monster who tried to kill me many times over? Did he forget I’d stabbed him?

I had to get away. Against my better judgment that said there was an ulterior motive at play, something in me was relaxing at his understanding. “My knives,” I whispered.

He nodded, going along the walls to where my knives were laid out in a row. He tested the edges before placing them back in their sheaths one by one. Something about that… Did he sharpen my blades for me?

He crouched and handed them plus a canteen to me, his eyes searching my face. “What else?” he asked.

I grabbed a blade from the pile and tested it against my skin. My skin parted easily, and I grinned. “You sharpened silver blades?” I asked, grinning up at him.

He shook his head, his lips twitching. “They were already sharp. Just wished to ensure they remained so in case you needed to stab me again.”

I blinked up at him, mouth gaping. Was that a joke?

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