Avenging Nina (hiatus)

Chapter 8: Luna

The day after Ryan marked Nina she finally broke down over his news about the rouge Lachlan. When he had first told her she was in so much pain she had not truly comprehended what he was saying. "He is dead?" She asked, shaking in her bed. Ryan nodded and he caressed her cheek, "He is gone. He can never hurt you or another girl again." She cried, mostly tears of happiness that the beast was no more. The news freed her from what she had been holding on to and she finally talked to Ryan in detail about what had happened.

"Nera says you were there that day," Nina said, reflecting. Ryan felt his heart stop and start. "Yes, I was," he admitted. "I thought I had imagined the smell of mint but it was so pleasant I let my guard down. Then the next thing I know I'm smelling dirt and pine cones. This wolf jumps on me and then I find myself being chased by the blonde wolf with blue eyes. It was very scary...and painful," she said with tears in her eyes. Ryan felt his heart ache. He was not comfortable but he knew she needed to talk about it. "It hurt bad when he clawed my eyes, but that didn't even compare to what he did after I shifted back." Ryan winced, emotional pain shooting through him. Nina laughed an awkward laugh, "If it makes you feel any better I passed out before it was over." Ryan shook his head, "I wish I could say it does but that would be a lie. It never should have happened at all." Nina nodded, "I'm just glad he didn't...." She trailed off, feeling uncomfortable about what she was thinking and saying. Ryan looked her way and said, "Didn't what?" She laughed awkwardly again, nervous, and said, "I'm glad he didn't ejaculate inside me. When the heat started I felt nauseous and I was afraid I was pregnant. Fannie was getting ready to give me a pregnancy test when she realized what was wrong. The pain yesterday was excruciating." Ryan felt his eyes bulge. He had not even considered what would have happened if she had turned out to be pregnant. Would the pack council make her keep it or try to force her to abort it? He shook his head, wanting the thoughts to disappear. He didn't want to imagine it. He touched Nina's stomach and whispered, "The moon goddess only intends for you to carry my pups." She smiled, "So you do want pups? We've never discussed it before." Ryan felt a twinge of guilt. Nina was in heat, he was denying her s*x, and here he is talking about having kids. "Yes, one day, when the moon goddess chooses to bless us with however many she deems fit for our family." "Our family," Nina parroted, smiling. The talk of pups and family brought them out of their sore awkward mood and gave them both something to look forward to. 

*******

After Nina's heat ended Ryan finally brought her home. He took her hand and led her into the house. It was her first visit. The few wolves who lived in the main pack house gathered to meet their Luna. They were surprised to learn she was blind but welcomed her warmly. Nina greeted each member and shook their hand, learning everyone's name and how to recognize them by their scent or voice. Everyone was impressed with her.

Nina was relieved when no one made rude comments about her blindness or how she smelled. She was worried because she was marked and carried Ryan's scent. She thought people would think poorly of her. But no one uttered a single negative word.

When she went into her new bedroom she was confused. "This room does not smell like you. Oh my God, are you sticking me into a separate bedroom?" She asked, angry. Ryan squeezed her hand, "Of course not. We will be sharing this room. I had it put together on the first floor so you wouldn't have to worry about using the stairs. I know you're getting better about walking around on your own but I thought this would be safer." Nina apologized, embarrassed. Ryan laughed, "It's okay. If you sniff around you'll find all of our stuff is here, even our clothes." Nina let go of his hand and walked around the room, her nose up and her hands out in front of her so she could feel around. She learned the layout and placement of furniture quickly. She didn't want to worry Ryan by being clumsy and injuring herself. "It's perfect," she said, touching the bed spread and pillows.

"What color is the duvet and curtains? I hope they match." She asked, patting the bed. Ryan laughed and then regretted it when he saw the look Nina was giving him. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Why is that funny?" Ryan felt awkward as he said, "I'm surprised is all. Why would you care what color they are. It's not like..." He stopped, realizing how tactless he sounded. Nina looked sad as she sat on the bed and said, "I'm blind, not braindead. I remember what colors look like. Everything I touch I imagine in my mind what it looks like, including colors and designs." Ryan smacked himself in the face, angry he hadn't considered what she was doing when she touched everything everywhere they went. He had thought it was her child-like curiosity, not her visualizing what things looked like.

As an apology Ryan brought a gift over to Nina. "I have a surprise for you," he said, handing a box to her, "It's a white box wrapped with a blue ribbon, if you're curious." Nina felt along the top of the gift, running the ends of the ribbon through her fingers. "This is a nice ribbon. Don't tell me you made it?" Ryan laughed, "I wish. The woman at the store made it and wrapped it for me. I couldn't even figure out how to tie the bow." Nina took care to unwrap it without ruining the ribbon and opened the box. She felt around inside and plucked out the contents. "It's soft and smells fresh. It feels like a teddy bear." Nina turned the toy around in her hands and smiled. "It's really cute and soft. Thank you," she said. Ryan sat down next to her on the bed. "Do you remember the bear you had as a little girl that got lost during a family trip?" He asked, grinning. Nina felt along the bear's face. "No way," she said, astonished. "It's not the exact same one but this is his twin brother. Same color and everything. It's funny actually, because this bear has a lot in common with my head." Nina reached out and touched Ryan's hair. "How do you mean? He has short curly fur while you have soft straight hair." Ryan leaned in close and kissed her nose. "He has the same reddish-brown hair, in case you were ever curious as to what your future husband looks like." Nina blushed and reached out to touch his face. "Nera got to see you and touch you before I did, but I still remember how handsome we thought you were that day."