Lost and Found

Ten

Leo’s face looked uncomfortable as Tessa peered between the two men. She felt like she was missing something, as if they were having a silent conversation and purposely leaving her out of it. Unsure of how to proceed in the awkwardness, she concentrated on cleaning her fingernails, which she noticed still had dirt under them.

Zane cleared his throat again, which drew her attention. “Anyway,” he mumbled, gesturing for them to go back into the office, where Bre sat with an equally confused and amused look on her face.

She patted the seat on the leather couch next to her, and Tessa slowly made her way over there.

“You already seem to be walking a little better,” Bre grinned. “That’s huge progress right off the bat!”

Tessa sat, feeling rather silly for receiving praise for such a small endeavor. However, she gave the doctor a nod in acknowledgment, thinking it was better to go along with it rather than fight it. Tessa was finding it difficult to ascertain where her footing was in this place. Though most everyone seemed nice, she knew she was on thin ice, especially with Zane.

It was quite difficult to figure out what he was thinking. He would scowl at her and then suddenly his mood would change in a second into something else. Tessa had no idea what he wanted from her or how to interact with him. Even now, she was frustrated by the odd look he’d given her before entering the room.

“So, while talking with Bre, we’ve come up with a semi-game plan,” Zane began, commanding the room.

Tessa was surprised to see that several others had joined them in the room. She hadn’t noticed, and this made her uncomfortable, as she wasn’t being as observant as she wished. Feeling their glances and stares, she shifted in her seat, wishing for the conversation to end as quickly as possible.

The alpha continued. “Obviously, with this new lead, I’ll be checking it out. I’ll take two teams with me: Jordan’s and Claire’s, and I’ll be leaving behind May, Jake, and, of course, Beta Felix to protect the pack. Jake, you’ll be helping Leo get his footing and come up with the best group for him to take over, now that he’s our newest team leader.”

There were murmurs of agreement before the room went quiet again for Zane to keep addressing the group. No one seemed surprised by the announcement of Leo’s promotion, and Felix even gave the other a fist bump of congratulations.

“Do we have any questions so far?” Zane asked the group.

Felix half raised his hand. “If I may, Alpha,” he started, and after receiving a nod from Zane, he continued. “What are we going to do with her?”

All eyes now fully focused on Tessa, and she shrank into the seat. She felt her pulse quicken with fear, and though she averted her eyes, she could feel their judgment. She was not one of them, and they felt no loyalty toward her. And why would they? Tessa knew she was an outsider. She had felt it every single second from waking up in the hospital bed. The life Lara had described to her was a fairytale, and somewhere, deep down, Tessa knew that her friend would be disappointed.

“That is…” Zane began, bringing the attention back on himself. “A fair question to ask. I’m going to take her with me; and before anyone disagrees with me, I will say that I’ve thought about it from all angles. This does make the most sense. It was only from her memories that we found out that Lara could be alive, and it is this woman’s friendship that has divulged the lead.”

The alpha was quiet for a moment and then the others began nodding. Once again, Tessa felt like she was being left out of the loop. That they were keeping information from her.

“I understand, Alpha,” Felix said. “And we’ll carry out your orders. How soon until the preparations are made?”

“Honestly, I’d prefer it if we’d already left, but,” he glanced at Tessa as he spoke. “It’ll probably take at least a day to get everything in order and ensure the pack is safe after we depart.”

Zane dismissed the group, as they all filed out of the room, Tessa avoided their looks. She felt their questions and saw the concern on their faces, though she didn’t understand where it originated from. She could easily comprehend while they would be wary of her, as she was a literal stranger, but the seemingly covert hostility towards her confused her. There was more going on under the surface.

“Uh, Tessa?” Zane asked, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

She turned to look at him, realizing that he had just used her name for the first time to address her.

He leaned against the front of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “Will leaving tomorrow be alright with you? I mean, I’d like to leave as soon as we can, but I understand that you’ve been through a lot and may need more rest.”

Though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why, Tessa saw that he was acting shy toward her. He was asking her instead of telling her or demanding her to comply with his command. He seemed unsure of himself in a way that she didn’t know that he could, although it wasn’t as if they had a long history together. But, he had been so hard and stern since she’d met him, so seeing him in such a way took her aback.

“Y-yes, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she replied, looking at Bre.

The doctor nodded. “I agree. Her labs are clear, except for the ones that, again, came back inconclusive. I’ll have to look into that more, but she needs exercise. It’ll be the only way she’ll get her strength back. Obviously, she can’t go full out and will need to take things slowly, but with time and movement, I know her condition will improve until she’s right as rain.”

“Glad to hear it,” Zane said, pushing off the desk to sit in his chair. “Well, then I need to get some loose ends cleared up before we go. I’ll get someone to show her around, and the room she’ll be using while staying here. Leo–”

“Wait,” Bre interrupted, standing. “I’ll show her around.”

Zane looked up from his papers that he had begun sorting into piles. “Are you sure? Aren’t you busy?”

“I don’t mind. Besides, I need to stretch my legs, so it’ll be a good chance for me to do just that. Oh! And we can have lunch together too!”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Zane nodded at Bre, who took hold of Tessa’s hand and led her out of the door. Tessa briefly looked over her shoulder to see Zane addressing Leo. She was seemingly forgotten in an instant, as neither man glanced their way before the door closed. Tess frowned to herself, wondering more about why it bothered her than why they didn’t even look at her leaving.

These people were still unknown to her. Why did she feel so trusting of them all of a sudden when she knew they would discard her the moment she was no longer useful?

“So,” Bre cut into her thoughts. “What do you want to do first? Are you hungry? Do you want a tour? Want to see your room? Or, we could start outside. It’s nice out. We could go for a walk too!”

Bre was walking them into a large room filled with couches, chairs, tables, and several televisions. There was even a pool table to one side and a foosball table as well. More importantly, the room was full of people, who had all stopped their activities to gaze at the two. Only the sound of some sports reporter talking could be heard.

Tessa froze, feeling the weight of their stares. No one looked outwardly unfriendly toward her, but none of them were offering smiles either. Though Bre tugged on her hand, she wouldn’t move. No, she couldn’t move. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. The room was growing smaller, and the people’s faces were starting to blur. Her peripheral vision began dimming.

Finally feeling like she had a modicum of control back, she took a step back, wrenching her hand from Bre’s grasp. Tessa took another step, and then another until she turned and fled from the room, back down the short hallway. The main foyer’s windows showed the clear, blue skies with a few clouds. She ran to the door, flinging it open, and saw the nicely paved sidewalk and paved asphalt.

Large hands gripped her shoulders. She screamed. They were going to send her back. She knew it. These people had planned to use her just like everyone else, just like her. They were going to give her back to those people, to that place, to that room.

She couldn’t let that happen. Not again. Not ever again. Her entire body went numb moments later. She no longer felt the hands gripping onto her. She didn’t feel the pain in her legs. In fact, she didn’t even see the color of sky any longer.

Instead, she felt free. She was running; and everything was a blur around her. She was running on four limbs rather than two. The forest that she ran into seemed giant, as if the trees had grown even taller in the limited timeframe. The fresh pine filled her nostrils more intensely than she remembered. Her vision was monochrome, and she saw only in black, white, and shades of grey.

It wasn’t until she looked down to see big, black paws that it hit her. She’d shifted into her true form for the first time in eight years. The only question she had now was how she was going to shift back, or rather, if she wanted to shift back.