Family
1265 Words
Emma didn't run.
She thought about it.
Every instinct screamed at her to grab her backpack, limp into the forest, and somehow find civilization.
But then reality settled in.
She was deep in unfamiliar mountains.
Her ankle was still healing.
It was nearly midnight.
And ironically...
The safest place in the entire forest was standing right behind her.
Inside a cabin occupied by five werewolves.
Roman seemed to understand the battle raging in her mind.
"We won't stop you," he said quietly.
"If you truly want to leave."
Emma looked toward the dark forest beyond the porch.
She remembered the ravine.
The storm.
The freezing rain.
She remembered waking up warm, fed, and cared for.
By them.
She slowly looked back at Roman.
"...I can't make it out there."
"No."
"You can't," Kai answered bluntly.
Roman shot him a warning glance.
Kai sighed.
"I'm not trying to be cruel."
"I'm stating a fact."
Emma frowned.
"So...what now?"
Finn stepped forward, careful not to crowd her.
"You stay."
"Recover."
"When you're strong enough, we'll help you find your way back."
It wasn't the answer she wanted.
But it was the only one that made sense.
She gave a reluctant nod.
"Okay."
The tension hanging over the porch eased instantly.
Leo let out a breath he'd clearly been holding.
Asher smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
---
The following morning felt...
Oddly normal.
Emma expected awkward silence after discovering the truth.
Instead, she walked downstairs to find Leo trying—and failing—to flip pancakes.
The pancake landed squarely on the floor.
Leo stared at it.
"...Five-second rule?"
Finn appeared behind him.
"No."
Leo sighed dramatically.
"I had such high hopes."
Emma laughed before she could stop herself.
Every head turned toward her.
For one terrifying second she wondered if she'd done something wrong.
Then Asher grinned.
"There she is."
"The first genuine laugh."
Emma covered her mouth.
"I...sorry."
Roman looked genuinely confused.
"For laughing?"
"I just..."
She looked at each of them.
"I thought things would be different."
Finn slid a fresh pancake onto a plate.
"They are."
"But they don't have to be bad."
He handed her breakfast.
Emma smiled.
"Thank you."
---
Over breakfast, questions filled Emma's mind.
She couldn't hold them back forever.
"So..."
Five sets of eyes landed on her.
"Were you born like this?"
Leo nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep."
Kai answered before anyone else could.
"Most of us."
Roman cleared his throat.
"Kai."
"What?"
"She asked."
Emma blinked.
"Most?"
Finn smiled.
"Some wolves are born into packs."
"Others are turned."
Emma stared.
"Turned?"
Roman answered quietly.
"It happens."
"But it's rare."
"And dangerous."
Emma wasn't sure whether she wanted to ask more.
Part of her was fascinated.
Another part still wondered if she was dreaming.
---
That afternoon, Finn invited Emma into the kitchen.
"You said yesterday you liked cooking."
"I do."
"Good."
He smiled.
"Then you're helping."
She laughed.
"Is that an invitation?"
"No."
"It's a necessity."
"The others eat enough for ten people."
As if on cue, Asher wandered through the kitchen.
"I heard my name."
Finn pointed at a basket overflowing with potatoes.
"Peel."
Asher looked horrified.
"I'm a Beta."
"Exactly."
"Beta means assistant."
"It literally does not."
"It does today."
Emma couldn't stop laughing as Asher dramatically sighed before grabbing a potato.
---
An hour later the kitchen smelled incredible.
Vegetable stew simmered on the stove while fresh bread baked in the oven.
Emma chopped carrots beside Finn.
Their shoulders occasionally bumped.
"So..." Emma asked.
"You really enjoy this?"
Finn nodded.
"Healing."
"Cooking."
"Growing herbs."
"Taking care of people."
"It's who I am."
Emma smiled softly.
"You've taken good care of me."
Finn looked down, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm glad."
---
Outside, Leo appeared carrying two fishing poles.
"Emma!"
She looked out the window.
"Want to learn how to catch dinner?"
Finn looked at her ankle.
"You'll be okay as long as you don't wander far."
Roman, who had been splitting firewood nearby, immediately set the axe down.
"I'll go."
Emma started to protest.
"I don't need a babysitter."
Roman met her eyes.
"No."
"But you do need someone who can carry you back if your ankle gives out."
She opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
"...Fair point."
Leo pumped a fist into the air.
"Fishing!"
---
The lake behind the cabin was breathtaking.
Crystal-clear water reflected the surrounding mountains like glass.
Emma stood quietly on the dock.
"I can't believe this place exists."
Roman looked across the water.
"Few people know it does."
Leo handed Emma a fishing rod.
"Okay."
"Lesson one."
"Don't throw yourself into the lake."
Emma smiled.
"I'll do my best."
Twenty minutes later...
She accidentally threw the fishing rod into the lake.
Leo burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"I said don't throw yourself."
"Not the rod!"
Even Roman laughed.
Not loudly.
Just enough for Emma to hear it.
She turned toward him in surprise.
"You laugh."
"Occasionally."
"I thought maybe smiling was against Alpha rules."
His lips twitched.
"There are no Alpha rules."
"There should be."
"No smiling."
"No jokes."
"No fun."
Roman shook his head.
"Asher would never survive."
Emma laughed again.
This time...
Roman didn't look away.
He simply watched her smile.
Something warm settled in his chest.
His wolf stirred.
Mate.
He quickly pushed the thought aside.
She wasn't his mate.
She was a human.
She deserved a normal life.
---
That evening the pack gathered around the dinner table.
Emma proudly set the stew in the center.
"I helped."
Asher took one bite.
His eyes widened dramatically.
"Finn."
"You've been holding out."
"What?"
"Emma's a better cook than you."
Finn looked offended.
"I taught her!"
"So technically..."
"I'm still the better cook."
Leo nodded.
"I support this logic."
Kai quietly reached for a second helping.
Emma noticed.
"You like it?"
Kai looked up.
"...It's edible."
Asher laughed.
"That's Kai's version of five stars."
Emma smiled.
"I'll take it."
For the first time since arriving at the cabin...
Kai almost smiled.
Almost.
---
After dinner, Leo insisted everyone play cards.
Asher cheated.
Finn caught him.
Leo accused everyone of conspiring against him.
Even Kai reluctantly joined in.
Emma laughed so hard her sides hurt.
She had forgotten what it felt like to simply enjoy being around other people.
Somewhere along the way...
The cabin had stopped feeling like a prison.
It had started feeling...
Comfortable.
Safe.
Like home.
Roman watched from across the room.
Seeing Emma laugh with his pack filled him with a quiet sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.
Asher leaned over and whispered just loudly enough for Roman to hear.
"You know..."
Roman sighed.
"What?"
"You've smiled three times today."
"I have not."
"You absolutely have."
Leo nodded enthusiastically.
"I counted four."
Roman rolled his eyes.
"You two are impossible."
"No," Asher replied with a grin.
"We're observant."
Roman shook his head, but he couldn't hide the faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Across the room, Emma caught it.
And before she realized what she was doing...
She smiled back.
For just a moment, neither of them looked away.
Neither noticed Finn watching them with a knowing expression.
Or Kai quietly studying Emma with a little less suspicion than before.
Or Leo grinning because, for the first time in years, the cabin felt full again.
None of them knew it yet, but the distance between a frightened human and five isolated wolves was shrinking with every shared meal, every laugh, and every quiet moment.
They were no longer simply strangers sharing a cabin.
They were slowly becoming something much closer.
A family.
- Writer
