The Moon's Pack Book 1: A Girl Among Wolves

Chapter 5 - Avery

“Are you really a werewolf? Like, not a joke.” I ask my first question, already knowing the answer.

“Yes ma’am. Next question.” He leans back in his chair, but his hand stays in mine.

“Are we even at a hospital?" Again, I already feel as though I know the answer to this question. He shakes his head no, offering no further explanation. “Why haven’t y’all contacted the police?”

“The police are for human laws and affairs. These are werewolf laws and affairs. We deal with crimes ourselves. We have a sort of hierarchy that comes into play within packs, and a sort of governing force above all the packs to help when it is beyond just pack issues.” He explains all of this slowly, but my wheels are turning.

“There are more werewolf packs?” He chuckles and nods as I stare at him wide-eyed.

“Oh yeah, lots. We are the Frost Moon Pack, one of the oldest in the nation.” Bastan sits up, smiling proudly as he says this. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I think of my next question.

“Do you know who those men were in the woods? Were they werewolves?” I stare at him as his worry creases return.

“I don’t know who they were. And I don’t know if they were wolves. They definitely know about wolves though. The kind of ammunition they were using, plus something masking their scents, all leads to enough knowledge.” Bastan sighs and rubs his palms on his face. This has clearly been eating at him too.

“They took a girl,” I say quietly. Remembering the limp body being hauled away. Bastan’s head snaps up and stares at me.

“What?”

“Th-they, um, they took a girl. I don’t really remember much of what she looked like… Oh! But I took pictures!” I sit up straighter, looking around my room for my gear. “Where’s my camera and all my stuff?”

“I have it all. They actually took some of the hit from the shot gun. You would have been in worse condition otherwise. I will bring it all when Dr. Knix allows me to visit tomorrow.” Bastan gives me a sympathetic smile. My heart plummets though. Broken camera and gear? That is all so expensive. And I can’t make more money until I spend an abundance to replace anything that was damaged. I sink back into the pillows, adding up the numbers mentally.

“Can I ask you a few questions before I go?” I glance up to see Bastan staring at me, clearly trying to figure something out without asking. I nod once, figuring it was probably fair.

“When you saw my wolf, how come you- why didn’t you- well,” he pauses, probably trying to figure out how to ask.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” I save him from needing to find the words, already knowing what he was trying to ask. “First, I hate poachers and traffickers. I thought that was what I stumbled upon. I heard of massive wolves roaming the area, although no one had actually seen one. When I was running from that man,” I shiver involuntarily at the memory, “and I ran into your wolf, I knew you weren’t a danger to me.”

“But how?”

“It was this feeling, I can’t explain. I just knew you would never hurt me. And then, I heard the gun. I didn’t want him to hurt, kill or capture you. You wouldn’t move though. I felt pain, I saw blood, on both of us, but you still wouldn’t leave. Then the grenade, and then you were, well,” I gesture at him, still unable to fathom the shifting.

“The blood wasn’t mine. It was all yours.” This revelation shocks me for a moment. I could have sworn some of those pellets got him. “The grenade, well the gas from it, forced me to shift back. Then my team acted thinking you were the threat and darted you.” Bastan chuckles with a shrug. “Honestly, your body needed the sleep, but I wouldn’t have let them dart you. I just couldn’t stop them in time.” I nod. I don’t blame the team. We were on the ground, both covered in blood, and I was the trespasser. It probably didn’t look good.

“Bastan?” I play with the hem of my blanket as I feel his eyes boring into me. “How am I supposed to go home with all this information? And with those men still out there? I mean, that man, he saw me.” My voice is so small, I barely hear myself. The room is quiet for a moment, and I wonder if Bastan even heard me.

“Stay here.” My head shoots up this time, and I stare at him in disbelief. “I mean, not forever, but until we can track those guys down. We can keep you safe here. Plus, the Alpha will want to hear the details from you anyhow. Also, that feeling you said you got when you first, literally, ran into me,” he chuckles at the memory, “I felt that too. Like the need to protect you. I still feel it. Like you are supposed to be here.” I nod, knowing the feeling he is talking about.

I understand the reasoning to stay, but how long will that actually take? I guess I could do some work from here, assuming they have internet and a computer I can use. I do have rent and bills though. Do I cancel all that, or should I wait and see? Maybe I will only be here for a few days. Like a long assignment. Oh gosh, it is a lot to think about.

“I can stay, for a little while. I do go out for days at a time on occasion, the perks of being a photographer. I just need to let people know I’m gone so they don’t worry.” Bastan nods, a relieved smile on his face at my decision to stay a while. We both sit in comfortable silence until a knock on the door. Dr. Knix comes back in with a small smile.

“She needs rest. I will call you tomorrow Bastan when she is awake and well enough to continue this conversation.” We both nod. Bastan leans down to kiss my forehead, before pulling away rather quickly.

“I’m, uh, sorry. That was too familiar for people who just met.” The red on the tips of his ears made me giggle before yawning.

“We were in a life-or-death situation together. I would say we are familiar with each other.” I grin up at him, and he just nods and leaves. Dr. Knix chuckles from the door before switching off my light and leaving.