DARK DAYS

CHAPTER EIGHT

 Dante and Nathaniel found her by the stream she had collapsed at the night she was discovered. She lifted her head and growled as she heard them approach, her growl moved through them both so clearly that they paused for a second before continuing. Dante held back, knowing he wasn’t going to be the best person to calm her down.  Nathaniel was one of Micah’s sentinels, one of his bodyguards who helped keep the peace in the pack. He was the one who doled out punishment, “Easy.” He breathed changing form and crouching down in front of her shaking form. “They’re just jealous you know, the women are jealous and the men are just uneasy because the women are jealous.” He said soothingly. Christiana shook her head back and forth still snarling when he took another step towards her.

She hadn’t met Nathaniel before, but had seen him walking around. He was tall, at least six one, with Mediterranean looks, a deep olive skin tone and dark hair. He held his hand out to her and she sniffed it carefully, she knew he was expecting her to change form but she wouldn’t. He placed his hand on her neck and scratched behind her shoulder, it should have made her feel like a dog, but it didn’t. He and Micah had a way of making what would normally be a patronizing touch seem comforting. “It’s okay.” He whispered when she took a step closer. He followed her gaze to Dante, “Yeah, I don’t like him either, he smells.” He joked feeling her tension. 

When Micah finally walked through the clearing he looked at Nathaniel and Dante, knowing they were all thinking the same thing. She should have been allowed to feed right after Micah, she was an injured pack member, she needed as much nourishment as she could get. 

Micah’s wolf was bigger than hers, it was a dark gray color and powerful. He rubbed his side along hers before nudging her along, coaxing her towards the woods again.  Nathaniel and Dante followed, the three of them kept brushing along her making sure she knew that she was welcome.  Micah let her hunt with them, they didn’t bring down a kill as big as the one the pack had, but it was enough for the three of them, since Micah had already eaten. 

Micah watched as Nathaniel paid attention to Ana, he’s courting her, was the thought that popped into his head. He thought it over, Nathaniel was a good guy, but he had a feeling he was in for a lot of work. She wasn’t going to be swept off her feet like most of the women are by Nate.  Micah wasn’t even sure that in her present state of mind, Christiana was aware of the subtle wooing that was happening. 

Micah went into the house with her to make sure there wouldn’t be any problems with Marianne or Delilah. “How’s the arm?” He asked from his place on the couch, when she came back dressed again.

“Just a flesh wound, it’s not even bleeding all that much.” She responded plopping down beside him showing him the bite, the teeth had just grazed her; honestly she had gotten worse from training with her father.

Micah held her arm examining the wound, “Maybe, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I’m sorry that they’re making this harder than it has to be for you.” 

Christiana shrugged it off, “There’s more to being a pack member than the alpha saying you’re a member. It’s a trust thing; you wouldn’t adopt a family member just for the hell of it. I remember when Ulrich first came to our pack, he um… he wasn’t welcomed with open arms, the pack was suspicious at first. Every pack is suspicious in the beginning, until the person shows they’re trustworthy or useful in some way.  They may never accept me and that’s okay all I need is a roof over my head.” 

Micah shook his head, sometimes she caught him off guard, she knew a lot more about pack politics than any seventeen year old he knew. “Everyone needs a pack to accept them. Our kind isn’t meant to live isolated, and that is what you’d be if you were constantly ostracized by your pack. You need a pack not just for protection but for comfort, for a sense of belonging if nothing else.” 

He watched as she looked away at the fireplace, which would have made more sense if there had been a fire. “One members pain is the entire packs pain, when one person grieves the entire pack grieves. You need that right now you can’t keep it inside for much longer.”

Ana’s jaw clenched and unclenched before she said lightly, “I have you, and apparently Nathaniel. I don’t think anybody has been a better friend to me than you are, at least not in the immediate past.

Micah sighed, it’s not enough, he wanted to say but didn’t. He knew that she knew it wasn’t enough that she was grasping at straws. But she was right, he was more her friend than her alpha, mainly because she didn’t regard him in the same way as his pack did. She wasn’t there because she believed he was stronger or wiser, she was there because she knew he could protect her and that was what she required. “ I doubt that you have been short on friends.”