Hybrids

Chapter 16

Mila's POV

Scratching the bad memories out of my head, I went to different racks to look for clothing. There were so many options, from dresses, to jeans, jumpers, shorts, different tops, and even hats! I selected clothing from two different stores. One was for teens and another was a shoe store. I got a pair of blue jumpers and some cute patches to sew in, tops in different colors, two sets of pants and a short black skirt. I was able to get an orange dress with blue flowers at the bottom. The dress had straps that could be on or off the shoulder with a square cut in the chest. It was fitted from my chest to the waist and the skirt flared a little at the bottom as it reached my mid calf. As for shoes, sneakers are always a solid way to go for me, and a pair of closed wedges. I had not walked in anything like this. I felt like a baby, unable to walk properly. But, I found the same type in a shorter wedge and that was perfect.

I took Nyx for clothing at another store that seemed to suit her more. Something with fewer colors, loose, and avoiding prints as she goes for things that might be thought of as less girly. By this point, Zach had joined Theo, who had been sitting on a bench from the get-go. Luke was still with us, but he waited by the entrance of the store. We got her a new jacket as hers was pretty torn, and she is always colder than your average person. The weather here was nice, but even if it got cold, as wolves, we had warmer bodies by nature. I chose for her a pair of ripped black jeans, some cargo pants that were black with red pockets, a baggy set of dark gray capri pants, a few simple tops, both long and short sleeved. We found her two button-up tops that she could roll the sleeves up too. As for shoes, a pair of black boots is never wrong for her and a set of oxford shoes. The last thing on our list was somewhere where none of the men with us wanted to enter, an underwear store, and boy has it been a while without proper underwear.

Once we were done, Theo walked up with Luke and they were going to get our bags. They grabbed mine but Nyx preferred to hold hers. As we walked, I saw the library again. If only I had the money... Luke noticed and, as a reading fanatic just like me, he nodded in approval to enter the store. I was so happy to be given the chance to enter a*****e like this one. Clothing was one thing, but books, they gave me a world that I had not experienced for so long, they made me happy. I didn't even look at the titles, I just looked at genres and picked up a book that I didn't recognize. From fantasy, mystery, horror, teen romance and history too, I grabbed five books for starters. I don't want to abuse the trust they gave us. I looked at Zach and asked if this was okay or if I should put any back. He said he thought I would grab more. Those five were enough. I hope that if I needed more, I could come back in the future. I knew the town was brimming with beautiful things, but with the way we were living, I didn't explore much. We left and Theo offered to stop for food. We stopped at a dinner and it was only then that I saw Nyx, like really looking at her. She had started looking pale. Is that part of the reason why she has been so silent? She only asked for some toast and juice. I could already feel where this was going.

Nyx POV

This was quite overstimulating. So much people to look out for, never knowing who may be a threat. Maybe I fear this too much. It saddens me that I was never able to provide this much for Mila. The clothing on our backs was taken, not really ours in the first place. Seeing her this happy, almost giddy made me happy as well. She went to quite a few stores but she was also considerate of my preferences and took me to a*****e she noticed that was a bit more on my comfort zone. As much as I'm seeing her have fun, I can already feel it... It's been days since my last feed. I have been working, which helps me keep distracted, but it doesn't change the fact that I need to eat. After we had bought what was needed, we stopped by a dinner. I didn't feel hungry, at least not for this type of food. I just ordered juice and toast, at this point, I'm mostly concerned about how much I'll tolerate that. Every time my hunger increases, it becomes harder to eat regular food. My body rejects it. Mila looks at me with concern. She asks if I'm okay, to which I reply that I am. The food arrives and the smell is somewhat revolting for me, but I try my best to eat what I ordered. They all have meat on their plates, from burguers to steak. It is making me nauseous. Luke, who's sitting on the other side of the table along with Theo and Zach (I have no idea how all three of them made themselves fit on that couch, especially with Theo being quite broad and muscular) keeps looking my way and I feel even more forced to eat what is in front of me. I never expected that two pieces of toast would become almost torture to eat. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom and I make sure that I'm walking even though I want to run. I enter the bathroom and rush to get to a stall and I start dry heaving. I only had a bite of toast and felt so sick. I feel cold and clammy as I sit on the floor inside the stall (not the most hygienic place to sit). I get out and wash my face, neck and hands. I make sure to dry my face properly and pinch my cheeks to avoid looking so pale. I may have a light olive skin tone, but when I feel like this, any color I have on my face fades away. I make my way back to the table and act like nothing has happened.

Luke POV

I could feel something was wrong with Nyx. She looked slightly pale, but I felt in my chest that she was experiencing discomfort, and my wolf Oberon could feel it too. I'm her Gamma, I am her protector and her distance is making my job harder. Though I understand. They've had a rough time... Nyx gets up and goes to the bathroom so I took it upon myself to ask Mila if she was okay.

I wish I could say she was, but I know this look and I think you do too. She needs to feed.

How long has it been since she fed? Asked Zach before I even could.

Since she was given two bags in the hospital wing.

That was last week. A week and a day to be exact. Zach is always quite precise. He looked concerned at this point. His eyes turned glossy, I can make the safe assumption that he is reaching out to Caedmon. He has tried to keep himself busy during this week with part of the paperwork he had. He would occasionally walk around the area to see what Mila and Nyx were up to. But all three of us knew that, beyond me being around her while she worked, he was always keeping an eye on her. I'm surprised at his will to not make her feel on edge. It's even harder when both Caedmon and Fenrir have not felt a wolf. Apparently, she has none, this makes it so much complex for her to realize that they're mates. Everyone eats and Zach has already informed us that Jairus will have a bag ready for her to feed. We get our things and make our way back to the pack house.