Athindrya

Chapter 11

Ivy limped her way down the stairs. Honestly, she should’ve just let Lilka heal her, she hated having to hold onto the banister to steady herself. She finally got to the floor. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

Not knowing where she would end up, Ivy just hoped for the best. She walked through the halls that led onto big open plan rooms. Some were similar to lounges, some were what she could only assume to be playrooms for pups. Some rooms were annoyingly locked and all she could do was move on.

As she wondered through the pack house, she couldn’t help but wonder where she would be in life if she had grown up in the pack. Would she have been able to train? She had heard rumours that females in packs weren’t allowed to train. That was one of the reasons she was grateful for having lived in Athindrya.

She knew how to defend herself and better yet, she knew how to and when to engage in a fight. She knew how to pinpoint her enemy’s weakness, how to use it against them. She wouldn’t be one of those feeble, damsel in distress wolves, she didn’t need anyone but herself.

Ahem. Came a cough from inside her head. I think you’re forgetting someone.

Yes, I need you but technically we are one and the same, so we don’t need anyone else.

Although she acted as if Lilka was a pain to have around, she couldn’t possibly imagine her life without her.

She continued on her exploration of the Alpha wing of the pack house. It was so big, she wondered how many wolves actually stayed there. She had seen many small houses in the pack lands on her way to the hospital, so they couldn’t all live here. Just how big was this pack?

Ivy ran her hand along the walls. The wallpaper unmoving under her fingers. Her ears perked up. She could just about make out voices coming her way. She ducked into the nearest room, not wanting to come face to face with others. At least not just yet.

She shut the door as she pressed herself against it, listening to the retreating voices. Once they were well and truly out of earshot she turned around and took in her surroundings. She had walked right into the kitchen. A good thing at that since her stomach rumbled happily at the prospect of food.

She made her way to the enormous fridge in the corner. Opening the door she was assaulted by multiple delicious smells all at once. She could smell some leftovers from past meals, fresh fruit and veg and best of all a lot of meat.

She grabbed a piece of chicken breast, but quickly realised she had nothing to place it on. She closed the fridge door reluctantly and went on a mission, looking for all the equipment she needed. She was opening cupboards left right and centre trying to find herbs, spices, anything to garnish her meal with. Once satisfied with her ingredients, she moved on to pots and pans. She cringed each time a pan would hit another, making what sounded to her as a deafening noise. She gathered the pans she would need and found herself a plate and some cutlery.

She raced back to the fridge and took out the precious bit of chicken. She prepared the chicken at the same time as she made herself a marinade. Once finished she placed it all in a pan and proudly waited. She could hear the rewarding sizzle of the chicken in the marinade.

Soon enough it was ready to be eaten. Who needed vegetables anyway? Leaning over to grab her cutlery, she then slipped the tender chicken into her plate. Lilka was purring at the smell of the freshly cooked chicken.

They ate it, delighting in the taste. It wasn’t that she didn’t have good food in Athindrya, she just didn’t have all the right bits and bobs. She had often cooked for herself or on rare occasions gone out to the owned restaurants. Pups and cubs were fed in the canteen at dinner if they weren’t born into the place. But it was always better to eat what she wanted.

After finishing her food, she washed everything up and placed the remaining food back in its rightful place.

Leaving the kitchen she decided to return to her room before anyone noticed she was gone. Trying to retrace her steps she accidentally found herself in one of the rooms furnished with sofas and coffee tables.

There’s no harm in investigating. Lilka urged on.

Ivy moved through the room, the strong smell of pauperie filling her senses. Windows were framed by half transparent curtains, plants were spread over the room giving it a more homely feel, especially for wolves. There was a sort of beige colour scheme that she wasn’t too fond of, but then again, why did she care?

On the other side of the room, was another door. Ivy walked towards it, this time running her hands along the stone wall. The gritty feel rubbing against her palm. Why on earth did she keep doing this?

As if in a trance, she opened the door to reveal another lounge or recreation room or whatever they wanted to call it. It was much more colourful area than the one she just came from. Bright colours everywhere, it was hard to ignore the beauty of the room.

Ivy had barely stepped into the room when she registered the two voices chatting. s**t. She froze. She must’ve been too wrapped up in her own head for her to have heard. Quietly she tried to retrace her steps, her eyes trained on the two females. As she walked backwards her booted foot hit the door frame slightly. Ivy cringed at the dull thud, while both women turned in their seats.

“Hello?” The blond haired woman on the right questioned.

Well it’s too late to back out now. Lilka’s ever helpful voice commented.

Ivy sighed. There was no way out now, she would have to talk to people. Urgh.

“Hi.” Came Ivy’s unusually petite voice.

“Well don’t be shy, come in.”

Reluctantly, Ivy stepped forward into the room. She walked around the sofa that had its back to her. On it were sat the two women. The blond woman was dressed in a sort of oversized lime t-shirt dress. The other woman sat on the sofa was a gorgeous ebony presence. Her bright yellow top emphasising her beauty. There was a strange sense of familiarity to her.

Ivy stood in front of the women, forcing herself to cast her eyes to the floor. She couldn’t risk showing her confidence. These women were clearly ranked wolves, they would expect submission.

Ivy could sense the wolves trying to figure out her scent. Choosing to shed some light in the situation, she spoke, her eyes still on the floor.

“My name is Ivy and I am the rogue that was found earlier.”

“Straight to the point.” Laughed the blond. “I like it.”

“You can look up, you know. We’re not bothered with the supposed formalities.” This time Ivy looked up into the familiar eyes she couldn’t quite place, she saw the sincerity in them. She smiled tentatively and sat down on the armchair opposite.

What seemed like an eternal pause was eventually broken.

“Well I’m Kiza, I’m the Alpha’s sister …” A lightbulb went off in Ivy’s head. No wonder she had sensed a familiarity, she was Azai’s sister. “… and this is Eleonor, my best friend.”

Once both women had introduced themselves, the awkward pause from before seemed to evaporate. They questioned Ivy about her life as a rogue and her life from before. It was not prying as Ivy had anticipated. It was as if they were genuinely curious, no hidden agenda.

Well, we don’t know that for certain.

Shut up Lilka. You’re so cynical.

You’re the one blindly trusting them. Where has the suspicious Ivy gone? The one I like.

Piss off. Ivy hissed.

All three women continued to talk; random chit chat, mainly about what she thought of the pack so far. Ivy quickly realised they had no idea she was Azai’s mate. Well for someone who claimed to want her around, he was definitely keeping her a secret. She couldn’t help the part of her that didn’t like it at all. But she hated that she didn’t like it. She needed to get a grip.

Out of nowhere a tremendous smile graced Eleonor’s face. Ivy didn’t need to be a psychic to know the man opening the door was Eleonor’s mate. But who he was came as a bit of a shock. Shane waltzed into the room. He had barely taken two steps that Eleonor ran towards him. He caught her with ease.

“Baby, you can’t be running around like that. You need to be careful.” Shane’s voice held the sort of unmeasurable love girls would dream of, but there was also a hint of worry in his voice.

Eleonor smacked him playfully on the arm as she detangled herself from his arms. It was then that Ivy noticed the pregnant belly Eleonor was holding protectively. Well that explained Shane’s behaviour.

His eyes scanned the room. He bowed slightly when noticing Kiza though all she did was huff. Yet his eyes widened when settling on Ivy. Clearly, he had expected her to still be in her room, like a good little rogue.

After seeing the surprise in his stare, Ivy did feel a little guilty, he would probably get into trouble for nothing. She had no issue with people receiving the deserved consequences, but Shane didn’t deserve to be punished for what she did. Especially when he had a pup on the way.

Without saying a word Ivy got up from her seat and left the room. She waited for Shane to give Eleonor a quick kiss before he escorted her back to her room.