Little Wolf

Questions and Siblings - Maisie

An overwhelming wave of anxiety crashed over me, causing me to instinctively lower my gaze, attempting to shrink into invisibility. My heart raced, and beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Suddenly, a resounding thud echoed through the room, as if a boot had struck the floor. Hastily wiping away my tears, I caught sight of him standing before me. He had changed into a pair of sleek black jeans and a fitted white t-shirt, accentuating his flawlessly sculpted physique. He stood there in silence, the seconds stretching into eternity until his piercing icy blue eyes locked onto mine. With a curt tone, he demanded, “So, who are you?”

I took a deep breath, my voice trembling as I spoke “My name is Maisie Drummond. I was….um…held at Crag Rock .” Falling silent, I frowned slightly, what was I now? A rogue? I heard low growls when I said the name of the pack. I dropped my gaze from him to the floor. I knew they were Gavriil’s enemies.

The silence was deafening, I kept my gaze on the floor. The heat from the fire caresses my skin. My heart was racing, and the pain of the past few days was starting to overwhelm me.

He studied me cautiously, his face a mask of unreadable emotions. A hint of sorrow seemed to flicker in his eyes. Was he regretting his decision to assist me? Time seemed to stand still as I awaited his response. Finally, he spoke, his voice filled with a mix of resignation and acceptance. “So now, you find yourself here with me.” I nodded slowly, preparing to speak, but my stomach chose that moment to growl louder than ever before. A burst of laughter erupted from him, joined by a few soft chuckles.

Startled, I glanced around the room, only then realizing that there were others as I gazed around the room; I was surrounded by some of the most stunning creatures I had ever seen. “f**k did all the beautiful people in the world live in this house.” His eyebrow arched inquisitively, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment releasing I’d said that out loud

Two towering figures leaned casually against the wall, their resemblance so striking that they could easily be mistaken for twins. Identical smirks of amusement adorned their faces. The one with white-blond hair tilted his head and remarked, "

“Da, yes, all the f*****g beautiful people live in this house, and now the most stunning woman in the world joined us.” Nikolai, snarled at him. The man beside him dug an elbow into his ribs as he stifled a chuckle, which became a full-out laugh when my stomach growled again.

Boris walked past the two laughing men and patted my shoulder, smiling slightly.

A soft female voice floated across the room, “We will get you some food in a few moments” My gaze shifted from the twins towards the voice. I saw the giant who Boris had said was Beta Mikhail, with his arms wrapped around her, a petite woman whose auburn hair fell in soft waves down to her hips, her hazel eyes filled with mischief and compassion. I gave her a shy smile and asked quietly “ Do you have someone baking a cake or something? It smells amazing.” She grinned and quirked a brow, asking “Cake? What do you smell when you ask that?”

“I do hope it's cake, it’s a simple mouthwatering smell of chocolate and honey.” She gaped at me then shifted her gaze to Nikolai with a small smile tugging her lips, as she tapped her fingers on the forearm of Mikhail. “Hmm, we’ll have to see what is cooking, right Alpha?”

Nikolai’s jaw twitched at my words, I caught sight of his hand rising from his side and I jerked back and reflexively brought my arms up to protect my face while my heart seemed to be lodged in my throat. The room seemed to freeze, the only sound I could hear was my heart, which was beating so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest. The room was quiet, the tension thick. I slowly lowered my arms and gazed at the stunned looks on their faces. I felt a burning heat rush to my face.

Slowly, Nikolai lowered his arm, allowing it to hang limply by his side. “Remember, little wolf, I promised you would be safe. I will never hurt you.” His eyes, once cold and distant, now held a flicker of warmth and understanding that I could easily lose myself in. With a gentle gesture towards the kitchen, he spoke, his voice laced with a newfound tenderness, “Let’s go find you some cake, Da, Little Wolf?” He motioned for me to follow, and as I trailed behind him, the twins fell into step on either side of me, their movements reassuring and protective. Bringing up the rear, the couple also moved with a non-threatening grace. Their conversation just seemed to float over me, odd, but they all seemed to be extremely interested in this chocolate and honey cake. I thought about the scent, and suddenly it dawned on me, I knew exactly where the scent came from.

I sniffed and looked over to the ovens which were turned off. “Oh, that’s a shame, there’s no cake baking” Lost in my thoughts, I failed to watch my path and collided with a wall. Or rather, the equivalent of a wall, which happened to be Nikolai’s back. Recoiling from the impact, I teetered on the edge of falling, but Nikolai swiftly spun on his heel, his hand reaching out to steady me. Simultaneously, the twins also reached out, their touch gentle yet firm, preventing me from tumbling to the ground. Nikolai’s arms enveloped me tightly, his snarl directed at the twins, causing them to hastily retract their hands.

Though they stepped back, their grins remained unhidden, etched across their faces. His embrace felt like a combination of warmth, power, and gentleness, sending tingles coursing through every point of contact. My eyes shot up to meet his gaze, his jaw tightened, his eyes gleaming silver, and he inhaled sharply, before releasing me.

The moment he released me, the loss of contact felt like a stabbing pain in my chest, and my breathing quickened. I felt his hand take mine and squeeze gently, causing the same electric sensation to radiate from our hands up my arm.

I heard a soft voice behind me, turning my head, I smiled warmly at the precious baby, recognizing it. “No cake, Luna. Papa, I want cake too”, Nikolai’s daughter said. I sank to my knees beside her, wrapping my arms around her, and burying my face into her white, blond hair. She gently patted my cheek. “We safe Luna. My Papa here.” I lifted my head and looked up at Nikolai, who looked poised to pounce. I noticed each of the twins had firm grips on his arms. I release the child, paling slightly. The three pups beside her nuzzled my hand, licking it, their tails wagging.

I stood slowly, trembling slightly. The child said we were safe, yet her father looked ready to pounce on me. His face was unreadable as he watched his daughter and pups. He tilted his head to the side and asked, “So tell me, how did an…..escapee of Crag Rock “the name said venomously “find my little Princess in a forest?” I sucked a sharp breath, flinching as my gaze flicked, to the child. As if understanding my hesitation, he gave a short nod “Sit, Malen’kiy Volk” Nikolai pulled a chair out and motioned for me to sit. The twins flanked me again, taking a seat on either side of me. Almost as if they were my guards, but were they guarding me as a prisoner or protecting me as a guest?

I sat gingerly, feeling the tension radiating off him and the others in the room.

The pretty woman who had taken Tati when we first arrived smiled sweetly at me. “My name is Blossom. I’m the Omega of the pack. I’m not sure if anyone else introduced themselves to you, or just jumped in as though you knew them already.”

Everyone groaned softly and hung their heads. A grin teased Blossom’s lips “Hmm, that’s what I thought. You know our Alpha Nikolai, the couple over there are the Beta couple. Mikhail and Hanna Popov. The twins there, are Alexei, “she pointed towards the one with white-blond hair and deep chocolate eyes, “the other is Dmitri “, motioning to the sandy-haired man with piercing green eyes.

Both men snorted softly, and Alexei smirked. “I am Dmitri, Blossom, I can’t believe you still don’t know who is who,” Blossom growled, walking up to Alexei and glaring up into his eyes “Alexei Petrov, I have been knowing you two muscle-bound hooligans since I was born, I can tell you apart easily. Anyone who can’t is just stupid!” she exclaimed and swatted him on the arm as she turned to walk away, shaking her head and muttering softly in Russian.

Alexei grinned and winked at Maisie, ignoring the growl from Nikolai. “Ah, malen’kiy tsvetok, I” he stopped as he heard a different growl, this one from his brother, whose eyes were flickering from green to black. Alexei raised a brow and stared at his brother. “Problem Brother?”

Dmitri shook his head, his face impassive. I was watching the two of them, then slid my gaze towards Blossom, who had turned a deep crimson when she heard Dmitri’s growl. Alexei cleared his throat. “As I was saying before Dmitri’s wolf started talking, Blossom I was only teasing”. I noticed Alexei didn’t call Blossom Little Flower again.

“Silence” Nikolai’s harsh command echoed, as he glared at the twins, then pinned his artic gaze on me. I sighed, knowing that I had to tell him something. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his massive chest and just waited.

Our other four companions also waited silently. Blossom brought over a glass of ice water, setting it on the table before me, with a fruit and cheese platter, she sent Nikolai an apologetic glance and murmured softly “You need to eat Luna, even if it’s just crackers” Nikolai’s face was glacial, but he gave a short nod to Blossom.

Hanna c****d her head to the side “Blossom, why did you call her Luna?” Her voice was curious, not condemning. Blossom flushed “That’s what the Printsessa calls her”. Hanna flashed a warm smile, then flicked a quirked brow at Nikolai. His eyes narrowed at her, before resting on me again.

I took a slow deep breath and turned my eyes to the table, staring at it as if the wood grain held the answers to the universe. “A few hours ago, I could tell you what happened with complete certainty, but now, I don’t know. It’s….it’s fuzzy, hazy kind. I know I was with Casimir for a while right after I turned 17. My mother Annika was there…I think for a while. I remember Kyle maybe? Then …I think Casimir sold me to Gavriil Orlov,” I kept my eyes on the table, clenching my hands together, my knuckles white. “I’m not sure, I’m sorry…I just don’t remember anything before I was with Casimir. If I think to hard about it…it makes my head hurt, I’m not even sure now if Kyle was there. When Gavriil …” I hesitated, my nails digging into my palms already drawing blood, my breath hitched. Each of the twins took one of my hands. I flinched trying to tug my hands away, but their grips remained firm but gentle, their thumbs lightly stroking the back of my hands in silent comfort. I took a shuddering breath as Nikolai leaned forward, his gaze intense. He said softly, “You’re safe now, little wolf. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Everyone here will protect you. None here will ever hurt you.” His jaw ticked watching the twin’s hands, but he remained silent.

My voice trembled slightly though I did my best to keep a stoic face. He was a patient listener, not interrupting and letting me speak uninterruptedly. “I tried to fight. ……I couldn’t…there were so many of them. I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop them” My nails dug into the hands holding them, drawing blood. I couldn’t understand why I said I was sorry, “Every day, it seemed like all day, they hurt me. Hitting, biting, breaking bones, and that’s when they were nice… They kept me in this suite on the top floor. I could only go on the balcony…” I trailed off and took a slow breath “ The original Beta maybe, I…I don’t know exactly what he was, he…gave me food sometimes though…I could hear them argue about me…. He disappeared about a week before I escaped.”

My gaze moved to my hands as I felt them being gently cleaned, paling as I saw the deep half-moon cut on the twins’ hands and my own. I pulled my hands back, pulling the blanket I still had tighter around me, whispering softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Dmitri shook his head. “Net, Malishka. We are …Hanna, what do you Americans say blood bonded.” His voice is gentle. Hanna chuckled, “It’s blood brothers or blood sisters”. Alexei nodded “Da, babygirl, what they both said.”I looked at them shaking my head, not understanding what they meant. Alexei shrugged, grinning. Nikolai snarled at the twins.

“Enough” Nikolai’s voice was gruff, he glared at the twins, then his gaze shifted back to me. “How did you escape? How long have you been running?”

“Gavriil got a new Beta, something, a new face. He only saw me on the last day. Anton was his name, I think. I only spoke with him once, though, thinking back, He had just the slightest accent… perhaps Russian.” Nikolai’s face remained impassive, but I swear there was a hard gleam in his eye. Then my gaze shifted to the couple as I studied the male partner. There was something about him or how he looked that tugged at my mind. I shook my head slightly to clear away that thought.

“Anton saved me, but I don’t even know if he’s still alive. He told me to run and kept Gavriil away from me,” I paused, my breath shuddering As I glanced out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the couple’s hands clenched so tightly that their knuckles turned white. Nikolai’s face paled slightly, the first genuine reaction I had seen from him.

Gathering my courage, I continued, “I ran to the edge of the forest and stumbled upon Kyle, who showed up from somewhere. The moment I reached him, he started screaming for me to run. I glanced back and saw Gavriil, transformed into his wolf form, ready to end my life. Kyle shifted and positioned himself between Gavriil and me. I …I didn’t stop; I just ran.” My voice broke. “I just left my brother there. I could hear the sounds of their fight. I think that Gavriil killed him. I think he also killed Anton” Tears streamed down my cheeks, yet my voice remained steady. My gaze lifted, meeting Nikolai’s eyes, as I insisted in a near-whisper, “That’s why I couldn’t abandon Tatiana when I saw her. She’s just a baby, the connection I felt with her was immediate. She,…she gave me a …..a reason to live. …and give her what Anton and Kyle gave me. Hope.”

Hanna’s voice washed over me, soft and soothing, “Little one, you said you were seventeen when this happened. Yet, Alpha’s daughter has only been missing for 2 days. How old are you little one?”

“I’m 20 Beta Hanna. Your Alpha asked how long I had been running. The attack on me happened on Sunday night at about midnight. I’m not sure what today is.”

She nodded slowly, and Mikhail’s voice rumbled softly, “It’s nearly 2 a.m. Tuesday, malen’kaya svetanya.” Her eyes clouded, wondering what he'd called her, then he looked back at Nikolai.

He had held back his anger at the facts I was telling him. Upon finishing, his jaw was clenched tight, and his hands on the table trembled slightly as his wolf seemed to be snarling, trying to burst out. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down when he finally spoke, “Ubit’ ikh vsekh”

Hanna glanced at him and shook her head. “Net, Niko. You can’t declare war right now.”

“Da, Hanna. They all die for what they have done,” Nikolai growled.

Hanna stared at him and sighed softly. “Niko, you’re a strategist. Think for a moment. You will destroy everything if you rush into this.”

I could hear the suppressed anger, and it sent shivers down my spine. I looked between the two of them, confused, she was arguing with him, and I felt the overwhelming urge to protect the taller woman, but Nikolai never moved from his chair. It had taken what seemed hours to tell my life story. My stomach was growling, and the other occupants were sitting, or standing, frozen. I could tell they were angry at the facts I had just laid out for them. I finally turned my attention the the fruit and cheese platter that was on the table, only to find it was empty.. I blinked and looked up at Nikolai.

Blossom suddenly busied herself laying out food on the counter and pulling plates down. I stood up to go help her when I felt a hand lightly touching my shoulder. I gazed up into Nikolai’s eyes, questioningly flinching slightly at his touch. He looked deep into my eyes as if he were searching for something. I didn’t dare break the connection. His gaze was intense, and it made my heart race. His voice was gruff as he motioned me back into my seat. “Sit.” I sat back down, damn he was so quick, I never saw him move.

Blossom passed him a plate that held a huge piece of chocolate and honey cake which he placed in front of me. I looked up at him with a shy smile and then leaned down, sniffing the cake, “It smells delicious, just like you smell”. My eyes widened as I realized I’d said that out loud. The twins started laughing, while Hanna and Blossom chuckled softly “Oh Goddess if only a hole would open and swallow me now.” When the room erupted into howls of laughter, I realized I said that out loud as well.

I sunk into my chair and put my hands over my face, hiding the deep blush that crept up my cheeks. “It’s fine, Daragaya. It’s actually refreshing. Most people don’t speak their minds around me.” Nikolai murmured softly. Mikhail lifted a brow when hearing Nikolai use the Russian term, dear or beloved.

Hanna murmured softly, “Called it,”

He pressed something into my hands. I glanced down and saw a platinum ring. It features a striking design showcasing two majestic wolves. Crafted with intricate detail, the elegant ring captures the vibrant essence of these creatures. The wolves are depicted in a dynamic pose, their bodies intertwined in an artful dance. The ring is primarily platinum, with hints of black and white to highlight the wolves’ fur.

The room gasped and Nikolai nodded. “This is the symbol of the Luna of our pack. I want you to wear it at all times. To let everyone know, that you are part of our family, the symbol of strength and protection from all, and also, to show you are under our protection.” Nikolai’s expression was fierce. He didn’t take his eyes off of mine as he spoke. “This is a gift from me.” I stared at him, unable to move. The room was silent except for the crackle of the fire. Finally, he stood and walked out.

I curled my hand around it, holding it in my fist, staring at the empty doorway until I heard Hanna speak, her voice light and teasing “It goes on your finger, little one, not in your hand.” I looked over at Hanna, who smiled gently at me.

Mikhail watched his friend leave and then turned his gaze to me, his face was unreadable, as he studied me. He spoke low to his mate. “Hanna, show our guest to her chambers” She nodded and looked at me. “Follow me please” She never moved to touch me, she merely spun on her heels and strode out of the room, expecting me to follow as if I were a guest and not a broken, scared mess.