Broken Souls
Chapter 12: Healing

Alpha Aaron’s POV

My heart stops the moment I see her standing there naked in the moonlight. She has her back to me, and her pail smooth skin glows. Her round hips have my heart skipping every other beat.

Then something starts happening: she looks relaxed, and then I can hear her bones breaking. It doesn’t take long to figure out she is shifting. Judging by how long it is taking, it must be one of her first times, maybe even the first time.

I can’t help but stand rooted to the spot watching her. I know how painful the first shifts are, but she never cries out, never screams. She is just calm and strong the whole time. I have seen men twice her size cry out in agony from the first shift. Not her though. Maybe she has shifted before. I’ll need to replace out.

Within minutes, she is standing there as her large wolf, and again my heart stops. It then starts racing. Griffin is yelling in my mind to run to her, to shift, and to be with her, but I am frozen starting to her.

She’s glorious. Her fur is the darkest chocolate brown, warm and rich. It is shining in the moonlight. I’m gone. I know I can’t fight these feelings anymore. Between her jasmine scent and how amazing she is, I’m lost in a complete daze.

Suddenly, she turns her face towards me, glaring at me with her deep blue eyes. I shift, wanting to move towards her, and she lets out a growl, snapping at me. Oh shit, I think she may want to kill me still. She turns and is gone before I can blink. Of course, I shift, shredding my clothes, and follow her. I can’t let anything happen to her, but I will keep my distance.

I let my block down, and I’m immediately bombarded with Oriel yelling at me, “I swear, Aaron if you make her cry again, I’m going to kick your ass!”

I sigh at her. “I haven’t done anything. She shifted and growled at me, then took off again, and to be honest, I’m having a hell of a time keeping up with her.” I tell her, frustrated.

“What? She shifted?” Oriel is clearly shocked.

“Yeah. Hasn’t she shifted before?” I can’t help but sound confused.

“No. She’s been 18 for over a month, but she’s been too sick and underweight to shift. She’s been going to training and working really hard to get healthy again. She saw doc a few days ago, and he was finally happy with her weight. He said she was well enough not to die during a shift. I don’t think you know how sick she really was, Aaron. I didn’t think you could be that blind.” Oriel’s words hurt, but I had been blind. I didn’t want to see. I’m going to have so much to fix. I hope she lets me.

We keep running, and I wonder if she’ll ever stop when we arrive back in the clearing. She is walking now, grabbing her clothes in her teeth, and growling in my direction. She takes off again, but this time it’s in the direction of the pack house.

Kay’s POV

I run for hours, and the whole time I was aware of Alpha Aaron following. Diana can’t lose him, and she kind of likes him chasing us.

“I don’t know why he just won’t go away. He doesn’t want me.” I tell Diana, a little sadness was coming back.

“I don’t think that’s true, Kay. He is following us for a reason. Maybe he’s having a change of heart.” She’s almost purring at the thought of being wanted, and I can’t help the slight warmth the thought brings me.

We get back to the clearing to collect my clothes, and I can see him in the tree line. His wolf is incredible. He’s the largest wolf I’ve seen; he’s even a little larger than the Boss’s monster Cain. Alpha Aaron’s wolf was completely different from the black monster Cain though. Alpha Aaron’s wolf was a beautiful, warm, deep reddish-brown with brilliant amber-gold eyes. Everything about him seems warm and inviting. Maybe it was being surrounded by his cedar scent, but I know I am no longer angry with him.

Diana scoops up my clothes and shoots a growl in Alpha Aaron’s direction. We may not be mad at him exactly, but we both want to keep him at a distance for a while. My heart and soul still feel fractured from his words and actions. I am not ready to let him in, and I don’t know if he wants me at all. He could have just been making sure I didn’t run away permanently.

I shake my head, trying to shake all the thoughts out as well. I’m close to the pack house, and Diana gives me back control, telling me to relax and think of my human self. I do, and shifting back hurts less and takes less time. She promises eventually it won’t hurt at all. I shrug as I get dressed. I don’t really care if it did if I could be free like that. I would take the pain every time.

I get dressed quickly, hoping that Alpha had the decency to let me dress without watching me. I bush a little at the thought. Now that I’m not mad, I’m feeling a little shy and worried about what the punishment for my actions will be. If he were the Boss, I would probably be locked up and bleeding long before now. I do wonder what will happen. I mean, I did yell at an Alpha and then run from him for hours. This could be bad for me. Diana reminds me she’ll be with me, and that we’ll give him a fight before she lets anyone hurt me again. I can’t help but be so grateful for her.

I don’t have too wait long. The moment I open the door, Oriel is beaming at me, grabbing me in a giant hug.

“Oriel, you’re crushing me.” I half giggle and half gasp at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so happy you came back, and you shifted.” She’s still beaming at me, but at least she let me go.

“How did you know that?” I’m confused now. She grabs my hand and starts taking me to the kitchen.

“I was worried, and Aaron followed you, so I mind linked him to tell him he better be nice. Well, he said you shifted and took off again. I’m so happy for you. You shifted! How was it? I know it hurts a lot the first time. How did you do?” She is looking at me with so much concern and happiness that it makes me feel warm and happy.

We get to the kitchen, and she gets me a glass of water. I take it quickly and drink the whole glass, then refill the glass. Oriel giggles a little, and I sit on the barstool at the counter.

“It was wonderful,” I finally say, smiling brightly at her. “It hurt, but…. I lived.” I don’t really want to tell her I have felt worse. She smiles brightly, but her smile drops as the smell of cedar filled the room.

Well, I think, the moment’s over. Now I’m in trouble. I can feel him standing right behind me, the warmth of his body pouring off of him.

“Oriel, will you excuse us.” I can tell from the tone of his voice he’s not asking, but Oriel doesn’t move. She just shoots him an angry look.

“Not if you’re going to do or say anything stupid,” she says, crossing her arms. She then gets that blank look on her face. It softens a little, and I wonder what just happened.

“You better,” is all she says before giving me one of her warm smiles and leaving the room.

I haven’t moved. I’m not sure what to do, but being this close to him is making all of me confused. Diana is almost purring with contentment.

“Traitor,” I shoot her, and she purrs more.

“Can’t help it. He’s sexy even if he’s been stupid.” I roll my eyes and blush.

Finally, I can’t take it. I slip off the stool and try to slip past him. He grabs my waist, and I freeze. I hope he’s not going to drag me off and lock me up. The next thing I know, he’s relaxing his hold on me. My whole body is working against me. The butterflies in my stomach have my heart racing as my skin heats up.

I look up at his face, and for once it’s a mess of emotions. He looks sad and angry, maybe even happy. I force myself to pull away from him, and he seems sadder for a moment. I don’t want to give in no matter what my stupid body is telling me or how much Diana’s whines in protest.

I manage to put the counter in-between us, and he looks a little angry again. I definitely don’t know what to expect. Suddenly, he sits on the stool I was in and rubs his face. He runs his hands through his hair. He finally looks at me, and all the pain in his eyes makes me want to comfort him. He looks so sad and hurt, but I don’t know what I should do.

He seems lost for a moment staring at me. I began to feel even more uncomfortable and shift, wanting so much to leave the room.

“I should just go to my room,” I whisper. Everything is so still and quiet.

“Please don’t run from me anymore.” He hangs his head, almost broken. I can’t help but feel bad for him, but I am confused.

“Why not? You wanted me kept in my room, right?”

He shakes his head slowly, “I’m sorry. It wasn’t the right thing to do. I just didn’t know what to do.” He looks up at me now, and the remorse and his face is quickly breaking my resolve. “I would like to try and…. I don’t really know exactly. But please don’t run away again.”

I stand there a little shocked, “I don’t know, Alpha…” he cuts me off.

“Just Aaron, please.” And he gives me a small smile. I want to see him smile more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile. I take a deep breath while Diana races around in my mind. She definitely wants to let him try. He’s still looking at me with more warmth than I have ever seen from anyone except my parents.

I finally relent, “Okay, I won’t run away if you won’t make me a prisoner here. I can take anything other than being locked up.” It’s my turn to hang my head.

Before I know it, two arms are wrapped around me, pulling me to him. “I’m sorry, and I know that doesn’t make it right, but I am sorry. All I could think tonight was you may not stop running from me, and I hated it. Then I realized that’s what I have been doing to you. I am sorry, I don’t want to keep you prisoner, and I don’t want you to run away again.”

I can’t help but relax in his arms. His scent and warmth make me feel safe. The butterflies are back, and my whole body is humming. The tingling sensation is heating my body up in so many ways. He pulls me closer to him and nuzzles his face into my hair and neck, holding me impossible close, but my body loves it.

He finally brings his face out of my neck and looks at me. He looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him.

“Have dinner with me tomorrow, please?” All I can see is the hopefulness in his eyes; all I can do is nod my head. He hugs me again.

He reluctantly lets me go and looks at me longingly, but like it.

“It’s late, and I have a lot of work I need to catch up on tomorrow. But I’ll come to get you for dinner, okay?” His voice is still rough, but it’s also warm at the moment. I just want to believe he won’t hurt me.

“Okay, tomorrow then,” I say, giving him a weak smile. I go to leave, and I’m shocked when he follows me and walks me all the way to my room. He hugs me once more, breathing in deeply. When he pulls away, I can tell he’s a little sad. He gives me a small smile and walks down the hall.

I enter my room with Diana humming in pleasure. She’s so happy. I can’t help but giggle at how happy she is. I shower and change for bed. After brushing my teeth and hair, I climb into bed. I know I won’t sleep much, but I can try at least. The memory of his warm honey eyes and sweet words help as I fall asleep.

The clock next to my bed finally ticks its way to 6 A.M., and I decide I can’t lie here any longer. I only slept a few hours, but I can go to the kitchen and help. I think I will skip training. I don’t want to push my luck. I get dressed and put my hair in a loose braid.

I’m hardly out of the door before Oriel has me by the shoulders.

“I need to know what happened. Please tell me?” She practically begs. I can’t help but laugh at her a little.

“Well, I’m not dead or locked away, so I think that’s a good sign, right?” I shrug at her. “I need coffee. You buy, and I’ll spill.”

“Deal,” she says, grabbing my hand pulling me down the hall. We both laugh the whole way out of the pack house. It takes Oriel no time to have me sitting at a table with our favorite coffee drinks.

“Okay, start talking, please I’m dying here,” she says, and this time I know I can’t get out of telling her everything.

By the time I’m done talking, Oriel is almost squealing in delight, “Okay, you need a dress for tonight, so let’s go.” Before I know what is happening, she’s up and trying to pull me with her.

But I don’t move. “I have clothes. I can just wear something I have. Plus, I don’t have the money for a new dress.” I kind of feel bad saying it, but it’s true.

Oriel has an evil smile on her face, and I’m eyeing her suspiciously. “I have that problem solved. I took grumpy Alpha’s credit card. After everything, he can buy you a dress or twenty,” she says, shrugging.

“No’, we can’t do that. It isn’t right,” I tell her, still a bit shocked she would do that. I’m not entirely surprised if I’m being honest; Oriel has no problem doing what she wants generally.

“Okay, just one dress and shoes…. maybe two. He won’t notice or care. I promise, especially when he sees you. I plan on making him regret every moment he wasn’t with you.” She is being completely serious, and Diana agrees with her, so I’m outnumbered, so shopping we go.