My head was spinning with all the new information. “But, I’m not a wolf.”
“That doesn’t mean you aren’t pack. People distrusted you to begin with, but you’ve found your way in to their hearts. You even managed to win over Isaac who’s the most distrustful one out of us all. We look after our own in this pack, and that includes you.”
“So, why did your wolves attack me yesterday?”
“Those aren’t from my pack. If they were, they would be dealt with a lot differently, and I would never have let them get away.” His eyes lit with unleashed fury, and for a split second I saw just how dangerous he could potentially be.
“What do you mean?”
“As Alpha, I pretty much deal with any issues that arise, including dealing with punishments. If anyone from my pack tries to hurt another pack member, they are dealt with swiftly. Those wolves were from a pack that has been causing us problems for a while. If we kill members of another pack, we could start a war and we want to avoid that at all costs. They aren’t supposed to come on to our territory, but they’ve been getting cocky lately, and I’m worried about what it is they want. Unfortunately, word through the grapevine is that they want to out us to the humans, believing themselves to be a much superior race.”
“But, I thought if the humans found out about you they would take you prisoner and kill you all?”
“They would. They know the humans outnumber us, hence why the pack haven’t done anything about it yet. All we know at the moment is they are trying to gain support. Unfortunately, the thoughts the pack has of their superiority over humans and the frustration at having to hide, has caused unrest. There are various packs all over the country, and it won’t take much to persuade them over to their cause.”
“But why are they hanging around here? Surely you won’t be persuaded by that bullshit?”
“Of course not. We are content with living here, and everyone is happy. War is the last thing we want, and we prefer to exist harmoniously beside humans, with them being none the wiser. Making the humans aware of our existence would be catastrophic, and lead to the extinction of our kind everywhere, I guarantee it. From what Ethan has managed to find out through various sources, the wolves disturbing us are from the Grove Pack based around fifty miles away. They hate humans and they must have heard that you were here. They want to hurt you.”
I felt the blood rush from my face as the throbbing in my left arm reminded me how close I had come yesterday to being a meal for this Grove Pack. Urgh, I hate them already. I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted from the bombardment of unbelievable information, and the pain in my arm that had hit me full force. Well, I had wanted an adventure, and boy did I get one!
Jackson squeezed my hand, and gave me a small smile which set my heart racing again.
“You need to rest. Luckily, the bite wasn’t deep enough to cause any permanent damage, but we need to keep an eye out for things like infection, so it will need to be checked daily to begin with. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch for a while though, so try not to move it as much as possible.”
“Yes, sir. Oh, wait!” I used my good arm to pull him back down as he went to stand up. “How do you keep the humans away? This place is beautiful; surely it generates interest from passers-by?”
“That’s a long story for another day. The short version is there was an ancient spell cast on the town many years ago. Humans tend to just drive straight through without paying much attention to what’s happening around them, and it seems to have worked pretty well so far.”
“Until me.” I closed my eyes and settled comfortably, seconds away from dozing off.
“Until you.” He said softly, squeezing my hand one more time, before standing up. “Don’t worry about anything. My enforcers are guarding this place 24/7, and I have the best team of carers looking after you.”
“Because you’re the Alpha, and it’s your duty?”
“No. Because you’re worth the very best care, and you deserve it. No-one’s going to hurt you again.”
I tried to focus on what he said, honestly, but the blessed darkness was calling me, and before I knew it, I was asleep.
****
The next day, I was bored of resting and too eager to explore the town again now I knew most of its secrets. My arm was bandaged up, but the painkillers were working wonders, and the constant throbbing had eased to an occasional ache. It still hurt like a bitch when I moved it, but if I kept it still then I could pretty much ignore it. I was sitting outside in the beautiful gardens of Jackson’s house which were surrounded by miles of forest. I breathed in the clean air, and pulled out my laptop with my good arm, opening it and turning it on. I knew it probably wasn’t the best idea to be typing all day with my bad arm, but I needed to get some work done or I was going to go stir crazy. I had always loved to write. It was probably the only thing I’d ever been good at, or even enjoyed at school, and from a young age I knew I wanted to do it as a career. I had gone to university to do a joint honours degree with creative writing and journalism - I know, the two of them didn’t really mesh that well - but I had enjoyed every second of it. When I sat down to write, it was like everything else just went away, and nothing else was important anymore. Whether it was working on the sci-fi novel I was hoping to publish, or writing my blog which had been featured in a national women’s magazine, I just loved to write. I was lucky enough to have been left with a large inheritance sum when my parents had both died. Well, lucky wasn’t really the right word. I had been only eight when my parents had both died tragically in a car accident, changing my life forever. With no brothers, sisters or even cousins, I suddenly found myself alone in the world. I grew up with the most amazing foster families, but it was never really the same thing. As soon as I turned 18 I was allowed access to my inheritance, and I just wasn’t the type of person to waste it all and be broke again within a year. It was enough for me to be able to spend my time building up my customer base for my freelance work, and I was thankful every day for my parents providing me with the means for me to pursue my dream and do something I loved for a living. Of course, I’d rather they still be with me, but sometimes the world was a cruel place and you had to just try your best to get through it each day. Maybe it was one of the reasons why I had warmed to this community so quickly, or why I was so desperate to belong somewhere. I hated to think about going through the rest of my life alone, and already felt more secure knowing I had the pack behind me, even if they didn’t all like me. I felt safe; and maybe that was the most important thing that had eluded me so far.