Visitors in the Night
859 Words
POV: Nova
Roman and I are laying in bed watching a movie when I suddenly hear someone outside the main pack house. I look over at Roman before sliding out of bed and creeping to the window. Quinn growls within me when we see a dark figure running towards the edge of the pack land. I slam the window open and jump. Roman lets out a startled yelp and follows me. I let Quinn take over and we speed towards the intruder. Soon, I see the person and leap towards them. My paws knock the trespasser to the ground. Once Roman catches up to me, I step away from the intruder and shift back to my human form. The intruder sits up and shuffles away from me till they hit Roman's legs.
I step forward and pull the hood away from the intruder's face. When I bend down to get a better look, I immediately take a step back. "Please don't hurt me," the little girl pleads. I look to Roman and he shrugs. I reach out my hand to the little girl but she flinches. "I promise none of my people will hurt you here. Why don't you come inside with me and you can warm up and tell me what you are doing out in the middle of the woods," I say, extending my hand again. The little girl takes my hand and I lead her to the main kitchen. Aymara meets me in the doorway with a look of confusion on her face.
"Who is this?" She asks, bending down and smiling at the little girl. I sigh and run my hands through my hair. "That is what I'm trying to find out. She was lurking around outside. Who is supposed to be on point tonight?" I ask. Aymara frowns. "Um, I believe Gianna is," she tells me. The little girl follows me into the kitchen. When she is sitting at the table with a cup of chocolate milk, I lean forward. "What is your name?" I ask her. The little girl looks down at her cup and tears stream down her face. "I don't have a name. The people who raised me didn't see it necessary to give me one," she whispers. I look at Roman in shock. "How old are you?" Roman asks. The little girl shrugs. "I don't know. I think I am 7," she tells him. "How did you come to be here?" I ask her. The little girl looks down at her lap. "I ran away from the people that raised me. The man hurt me every night. He said it was just a game but it hurt and I couldn't take it anymore. They will come looking for me," she whispers. I grab the little girls hand and smile. "How would you like to stay here with us? There are other children here so you won't be lonely," I say quietly. Before the little girl can answer, Roman puts his hand on my shoulder. "My love, she is human. You will have to change her, but her body is weak. she will have to stay as she is until she is stronger," he tells me.
The little girl looks at me in confusion. "Of course I am human. That's a silly thing to say," she says. I smile. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and into bed. We can talk in the morning after I introduce you to the rest of my people," I say. The little girl nods and follows me as I lead her to a spare bedroom beside mine. "There is a bathroom through that door. Go take a shower and I will leave one of my shirts on the bed for you. We will get you new clothes tomorrow," I say, pointing to the bathroom door. I watch the little girl close the bathroom door behind her before turning to Roman. "I'm adopting her. I will talk to Aunt Em about getting her her important papers," I say. Roman nods. Aymara steps forward with a little bundle of clothes. "I went and asked Nerissa for a change of clothes," she explains. I step aside and Aymara walks into the bedroom and places the clothes on the bed. "Lets go to bed for now. We are going to have a lot to deal with in the morning between the war threats and now the girl," Roman says.
Roman leads me back to the bedroom and we lay in bed. "You are to kind, my love. This girl will know love now because of you. She will need a name though," he says, running his hands through my hair. I wrap my arms around him and smile. "I was thinking Lorna. And you are right. She will know love, but not just mine. The whole pack will love her," I say. Roman chuckles and kisses the tip of my nose. "Good night, Nova," he says, turning off the lamp beside the bed. I snuggle into him and close my eyes. I fall asleep thinking about Lorna and everything else that has happened since I became Queen Alpha.
- Writer
