Watercolor Girl

26

Rea

“Ms. Carter?”

“Yes?”

“She’s stabilized and very much awake and would very much like to go home. She’s able to have visitors now, if you’d like to attempt to talk some sense into her.” I rolled my eyes. This little one would be the death of me, and her mate.

“Alpha, your mate is awake and being difficult according to the clinician attending her.”

“I’ll be there momentarily. Thank you, Rea.”

“I’ll go sit with her until her mate gets here. He’s on his way.” The young she wolf flashed a small smile.

“I’m glad to see he’s found his mate. He was such a lost puppy.” Ohhhh history between these two. Maybe that explains this angry pup’s difficult demeanor with her. She opened the door and Evie was laying there looking very bored with an annoyed face.

“Jelly you need to settle yourself down. You’re here until they tell Lev you can go home. Is that understood?”

“It would’ve healed just fine.” She grumbled more under her breath then to me.

“You needed two blood transfusions and 110 staples. It may have healed just fine, Luna, but it would have taken months.” Her clinician shot back at her.

“Evangeline Vesper.” I narrowed my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Silver. I am not very comfortable in the clinic. I know you’re just doing your job. I’m sorry for my hostility.”

“Apology accepted. You’ll be headed home soon. I promise”. Jelly nodded and looked at me sheepishly.

“Lev went to talk to the group you brought in. I imagine he’ll be here faster then he would be if he was driving rationally.”

“Are they all safe?”

“Very much so. You did good pup. You got em in.”

“Lev is going to hate me eventually. I’m doing a wonderful job of driving him insane.”

“You really are. You need to learn how to communicate with him. What you did really wasn’t fair. The worst part is, he wasn’t even mad at you, he was worried. If it were me I’d be pissed, Jelly.”

“I really didn’t intend on going out, Rea. I picked up his scent and I knew if I waited it would dissipate.”

“Lev told me. But you could have reached out to someone. Anyone. No one here is skilled enough to follow you. You know that.”

“I didn’t want anyone to try. I’m not dragging anyone else into my own chaos.”

“Evie, give him a chance to support you. Let him try. Both of you are stronger together then you are separate and you keep forcing him away in the moments you need him the most.”

“I don’t belong here, Rea! I’m sorry, I’m sorry I keep f*****g this up. I know I am.” I stood beside her stroking her hair.

“I know it’s hard, jelly. I know it is. I know you’re struggling. But it’ll get easier. He’s already working on it. I promise little pup.” Lev stumbled in.

“110 staples, Evie? Not one, but two blood transfusions.”

“YEAH I F*****G GET IT LEV. I’M SORRY FOR BLEEDING.” I shot Lev a look.

“Well kids I’m out. I’m exhausted ive been up all night and unlike wolves who can go days without sleep or food, I cannot. I’ll see you when you get home.” They both nodded to me and I was out.

Lev

“Evie. I don’t even know what to do with you.”

“There’s a lovely little cabin in the woods that’s worked great before.” Her eyes shot daggers at me.

“Why are you so angry at me? I didn’t take off into the woods. I didn’t come back broken and bleeding. I didn’t have you worried to death for the entire f*****g nigh, Evie! So why are you so pissed at me?”

“I’m not pissed at you, Lev. I’m pissed at myself. I know I was wrong. And I can’t even fathom how I would feel if you had done what I did.” I stared at her. “What else do you want me to say?!”

“I want you to say you’ll never do it again.” I took her fidgeting hand and brought her fingers to my lips. “That you won’t just disappear on your own without at least telling me you’re going.” SHe brushed her fingertips along my jawline and I pressed my cheek into her palm. “That you’ll at least give me the opportunity to protect you in the rare event you actually need it.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt. The pack relies on you. They need you. The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one.” She booped the tip of my nose.

“Little one, I need you. Without you, I’m nothing to anyone or anything let alone the pack.”

“Well in that case I need you to bust me out of here. Because I need to go back to the shed. That isn’t the base of their operation and I am not done”

“I hate to interrupt your moment. But you can’t be shifting until the staples are out, Luna.”

“How long have you been standing there.” Evie growled.

“Long enough to be jealous that Lev found his mate and I haven’t and long enough to be able to admit I’m jealous that it’s you and not me.” Well this is fun, NOT. “But also long enough to know that you’re what the pack needs. What you need is a few days out of the woods. I can tell you won’t stay off your feet. So stay in human form, come back in 3 days and we’ll pull the staples. It’ll be painful and I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it considering your weird masochistic need to obviously be in pain somehow.”

“Thank you, Silver.” I said sarcastically.

“She’s good to go when you’re ready to take her. Evie immediately pulled off her hospital gown and started peeling off monitors sending her machines into a state of frenzy.

“Evie!”

“She’s seen me naked! What am I hiding? Why don’t you strip I’m sure she’s seen enough of you too.”

“Indeed I have.” Silver quipped back doing her best to silence the machines Evie had sent into overdrive. She paid the irritated look I flashed her absolutely no attention. Evie’s clothes were folded on the chair by the door, so I handed them to her, she pulled on her shirt pushed her covers back I couldn’t help but wince when I saw her leg, it looked like a model railroad track. From her knee to her hip were 110 metal staples holding the skin together. She pulled her pants up, shimmying into them as she pulled them over her hips. I almost loved watching her dress as much as I loved watching her undress. She made a face when she tried to bring her foot up to put her sock on. Pausing long enough for me to grab the sock out of her hand and pull it over her foot. I imagine the staples made her skin feel tighter and they pulled some when she tried to bend her leg. She pulled her other sock on before slipping her feet into her boots.

“Ready?”

“Yes.” I grabbed her hand and he pulled me through the door.

“Thank you, Silver.” She flashed me a look.

“You’re welcome, Lev. Take care of her. She needs it.” Evie pulled me the rest of the way out of the clinic. She had a slight limp as she walked to the truck.

“I really need to go back out there.”

“You really need to go talk to the group of people you pulled out of that shed.”

“Rea said you talked to them.”

“Evie, you do realize that you saved their lives. Several of them have asked multiple times to thank you in person.”

“I told Rea to tell them you did it.”

“Little one. You’re a grouch. And while you’re on light duty human form, we’re going to see your group of she wolves and pups so they can thank you for your efforts.”

“Can we get a coffee first?”

“I’ll make you one while you’re meeting with your little she pack.”

“I dislike you.”

“But you don’t hate me. So I’m still winning.” I smirked at her and she gently pushed my face away.

“Stop looking at me.”

“Or what?”

“I’ll jump you right here in this truck where you sit.” I laughed but I had a feeling she would. The drive was short she put her hair up in as soon as she got out. Limping up to the door of the pack house.

“They’re probably all still in the com room, little one.” I said almost pushing her through the door where they all still sat watching TV and playing with their pups. Their eyes turned to us as we walked in.

“Ladies. This is Luna Evie. She is responsible for your rescue.” I kissed my little one on the cheek before backing out and wandering to the kitchen to make her a coffee.

Evie

All of their wide eyes were trained on me. There was a minute of awkward silence before one of them stood and spoke.

“Luna. We wanted to thank you personally for your efforts in rescuing us from the cause.” I nodded.

“You’re welcome. But it wasn’t much of a rescue. You were on your own getting to the pack.”

“We know you went back and dispatched the trackers, Luna. We wouldn’t have made it safely without your guidance and protection.”

“I’m glad you made it safely. And I’m sorry we weren’t able to get to you sooner.”

“Alpha said that we would be allowed to join the pack if we chose to. We would like to pledge our loyalty to your pack, so in time we might repay you for your efforts in preserving our lives and families.” I just stood there. Feeling dumb, words weren’t coming to me.

“You don’t owe me or the pack anything.”

“We were rescued from a breeding farm by a Luna who suffered injury on our behalf.”

“That doesn’t mean you owe me anything. I’m just glad you all made it safely to the pack. That’s repayment enough for me.” Cold hit my hand and when I looked down Lev was pressing an iced coffee into it.

“The pack will accept any of you who choose to pledge to it. Evie is humble a fault. And will most likely never admit her accomplishment in your rescue.” I sipped my coffee. Avoiding their eyes. “Marley. Will you please accompany us to pick up your mate?” The she wolf with the youngest pup jumped to her feet and moved quickly towards us. “I’ve arranged for his release and he’s waiting at the prison. We don’t have much room but we’ve arranged a barracks room for you, so you’ll be able to stay together.”

“Thank you, Alpha.” Tears were welling in her eyes.

“The rest of you please feel free to explore as you’d like. All of our amenities are here for your use.” He turned and walked toward the door. Marley and her pup following closely. I followed slowly. Lev walked to an SUV I didn’t recognize. I stared confused. “Patrick’s truck. He’s got a car seat.” Lev smirked at me, unlocking it and climbing in. Marley loaded her pup up and buckled him in. Her excitement was palpable, you could feel it. It took only 20ish minutes to get to the prison. Marley was incapable of being still. Lev parked, turning in his seat to speak to Marley.

“I’ll go in and get him. If you don’t mind waiting here with Evie.” Lev rolled from the truck, gliding across the parking lot into the building.

“You and Alpha are very different then our last court.”

“We’re trying.”

“No, Luna, I’m sorry if that sounded insulting. I mean it in the best way. You seem to care for the pack, and for each other. In our last pack the titles mated and marked for the strongest court, they didn’t allow for fate bonding.”

“I don’t think I’m a very good Luna. Lev gives me more credit then I deserve.”

“No luna. That isn’t true at all. I’ve never heard of a Luna forging her own rescue efforts. I’ve never heard of a Luna being a part of the fight. It’s inspiring. Maybe someday, more Luna’s will act like you, and she wolves won’t be so easily victimized.”

“There’s your mate, Marley.” She turned leaping from the truck and running towards her mate. I sat with her pup, entirely unsure what I should be doing with him except just sitting here.

Lev

I sat in my office filling out forms. Several of the wolves Evie had brought in filled out statements. He was being sentenced to death. Execution via decapitation. His executioner would be me. We had no beta, so Patrick was in my office signing where he needed to sign as the interim beta.

“Patrick.”

“Alpha.”

“How would you feel about filling the role more permanently?” His eyes shifted to me.

“That’s a big deal, Lev. A lot of responsibility and a lot of time.”

“I wouldn’t appoint without asking. But as of right now I couldn’t imagine a wolf more suited for the job.”

“I appreciate it alpha. I really do. I’d accept without a second thought but I have to talk to Kyrie. I think Luna makes her a little nervous.”

“Seems like Evie makes everyone a little nervous.”

“Can I speak freely for just a minute, without offending you?” I sighed.

“Of course.”

“Lev, she’s kind of scary. I mean. She doesn’t exactly act like a typical anything. She seems really uncomfortable talking to anyone for anyone. But then she does these things. I don’t know any she wolf who could track that scent out, and then to bring back 10 wolves, all under the influence of the wolfsbane, she eviscerated the throats of 5 big males that were tracking them. By herself. She comes back, she argues with you while her bone is hanging out of her leg. I don’t mean to be offensive, but is she right? In the head.”

“Patrick. If had been me that did what she did, what would you say? If I took off into the woods tracking an impossible scent and came back with 13, not 10, but 13 hostages these wolves had been holding to force breed and then argued about going to the clinic and my injury being minor. What would you say about that?”

“I’d say you are an amazing alpha.”

“So why is it different that it’s her? Could you have done what she did?”

“I don’t know. I know I scoured that site where Stacy got snapped, and I didn’t pick up anything. Not a single scent through all the damn blood. I know herding those wolves was hell and I only had them, what, a mile or two?”

“I get it, Evie is not comfortable in the presence of strangers. Evie is not comfortable around anyone at all. She damn near rejected me when I showed up at her door that night, that’s how not comfortable she is in general. She isn’t about the Luna s**t you’re used to seeing she wolves get excited about. She dreads it. But I have 11 wolves that can’t pledge to Storm Solstice fast enough because of her. Because she went out and did something no one else in this pack could do and she saved their lives and reunited a family. Evie’s heart is huge, but it’s a fortress with turrets. She isn’t a loose cannon or a hot head, she’s struggling to fit into a pack that really didn’t want her, which she knows, and that hasn’t ever seen anything capable of the things she can do. I think what makes her scary to you, or Kyrie, or anyone else in the pack is more that then it actually being Evie that’s scary. It’s just how much can she do the rest of us can’t. Have you read any of those papers you just signed?”

“I hadn’t really thought of it that way. And no. No I honestly didn’t. You drew em up, the admin stuff is correct, I just signed it.”

“Read Evie’s. It’s a tragic novel. Stev literally disemboweled her. When Ciaran walked in on it and chased him off her, she was trying to push her intestines back in her body. Her sire had been selling her bloodlines, he’d bred her out 3 times before Stev got to her. She healed up and they immediately stuck her out in that little cottage out there and left her.”

“I didn’t know any of that.”

“I know. Because she doesn’t use it as an excuse for anything. But it explains her total lack of care to be social. And, she’s from like, crazy warrior bloodlines. Evie was never meant to sit in an office and plan parties. She was born to be out in the field fighting wars. She’s doing her best to fit into all of this, but you gotta give her a chance. Part of the reason we’re pushing the beta title is because we need a she wolf who wants to do the things Evie can’t. What the heck would we have done if Rea hadn’t stepped up when all of them came in.”

“Where did you guys even find Rea? You just showed up one day with her. Then all of a sudden she’s the former Luna of the most powerful pack on the continent.”

“She’s Evie’s tattoo artist. No lie. When Evie was livin’ off the main pack she used to go out and wander. I guess she just sort of stumbled on Rea’s tattoo shop and they ended up getting fairly close. Rea knew she was a wolf and she knew whatever was going on with her wasn’t quite right, so she pretty much adopted her and treated her like she was her pup.

“I will admit her tattoos are bada**. She does look more like a warrior when she stand up and speaks then she does a Luna.”

“She’s my mate. I’m biased but I think she looks great when she does anything.” Patrick laughed.

“You know. I’m perfectly willing to accept the beta title. Kyrie would be great picking up the stuff Evie isn’t that comfortable doing, and I’m sure she’d love the idea of living in the pack house. But you know right, we don’t have any special in our bloodlines. We’re just regular wolves, the both of us.” I pushed a piece of paper to Patrick to sign, which he did without even looking at it. I stood up and reached for his hand. He shook mine, clouds of confusion forming on his face.

“Congrats, Beta. Your wing will be ready in a few days. We’ll get the warehouse crew to move you.” I held up the paper he’d just signed formally accepting the title. He shook his head and laughed. “If Kyrie is up to it, we’re gonna need a ceremony for you two for the pack.”

“She’s gonna kill me. But thank you Alpha. We won’t let you down. You and your Luna are the best thing that could have happened to this pack, and we stand behind you no matter.”

“Do you mind taking Ciaran’s office? I don’t wanna move my endless junk.” He rolled his eyes.

“Fine I guess. Am I still heading patrol?”

“Nope. Ollie is gonna move to point. That one’s pretty impressive.”

“And here I was thinking you were too concerned about Evie to notice anything else going on that night.”

“Oh I was. Evie rolled my a** in the dirt and chewed me out about running into the unknown hyper focused. With her bone hanging out of her leg.”

“Did she really?!”

“Ah, yeah. I believe the direct quote that ran through my head as I was literally eating grass was ‘your emotions will be your downfall.’”

“Maybe we should have her train the troops.”

“On a more serious matter. Stev’s execution is scheduled for next week. I haven’t done up the papers for Thomas yet, but his will follow shortly after.”

“Taylor was released right?”

“Yep. He’s back with his mate and pup. We gotta do up the papers to accept them into the pack. But I’m going to find my mate. I haven’t had much time with her, and I miss her. Feel free to do the same, just keep an open link.”

“Alpha.” He nodded as I left the office. I really was going to find Evie and drag her into the shower with me. She and Rea had been moving stuff to the alpha wing.