Mated Against The Odds

Chapter 10

Saffron

I awoke to Cain gently nudging my shoulders as I lay in a fetal position on the small bed. "Clothes" he mumbled while motioning to a small bundle of linnen, there was clean underwear, a fresh pair of thick thermal leggings a cotton t-shirt and a huge thick hoody which would come past my knees.

"It was the best I could do given the fact your half the size of anyone here" he mumbled.

It was odd, the fact I'd easily grown three inches since transforming into the shewolf. But my frame was malnourished and although tall still very petite. My hip bones, ribs and colour protruded more than naturally normal, I was practically a living corpse. Sitting up from the bed I wheezed as I felt a burn in my chest, I looked down to see a branded mark on my side and the mark on my inner thigh burn. The mark on my side was where Elijah had carved out my family crest, a constant reminder of my exhile from packlife. I didn't know why they were suddenly burning but given my usual form of burning sensations I wasn't going to complain, this was managble. I'd realise the longer I'd been away from Elijah the more normal I'd seemed to be, I'd not had an uncontrolled incident since burning up the tree where I was found and even then it was contained to me and not my entire surrounding. Whatever Elijah had done to try and snuff the flames had only made them grow uncontrollably around me, there was peace when I was somehow more aware.

Cain's eyes drifted from my eyes to my chest and then to my thigh as if clicking the pieces together in his mind. "Listen your still free to leave, but know I'll follow you."

I coughed at the sudden turn of the conversation. I pulled the tshirt over my head followed by the hoody before responding. "Do you often fawn for beautiful women's and follow them?" I said softly unsur of why else he would follow me. It was no secret to me that even though at the moment I was hollow and needed a hearty meal or too I was quite beautiful. It's why Elijah had to be careful with guard rotations and why one had been killed befor my very eye, beautiful but forbidden fruit.

"Come on get dressed and I'll take you to the pack house, Aunt Lynne has made her famous mince and tatties and I don't know about you but where I hail from that meal is one for kings and queens alike." He stretched out his hand and pulled me up off the bed. I quickly pulled on the leggings happy for their warmth and shuffled my feet across the floor. As we entered the coridoor I noticed I was infact in a holding cell of sorts. We moved across the tile floor my bare feet still very cold. At the end of the corridor was a door which lead to some stairs, I was correct on all account for my location, and underground holding cell. As we reached the exit upstairs Cain pointed to some wellies near the door "grab whatever fits they're only spares anyhow, you'll get bogged down in the mud the rain we've had in the last couple of hours without them" he laughed.

I slipped into a pair of green wellies that came past my knees, my feet felt odd in them without socks but it was better than being barefoot all together they were atleast a size too big but they were the smallest of the bunch. I braced myself for the cold as we stood outside but oddly it was a little warmer than bellow the ground. We came up in the middle of a clearing and I could feel the sun on my fair skin. It tingled the same as it did the day befor out with Elijah atleast this time I had some form of worth the oversized hoody was warmer than anything I'd ever owned myself and I'd be reluctant to give it back if I was honest.

The mud squelched under my boots and I smiled to myself revelling in the normality of it all. A small laugh passed my lips a happy heartfelt one at that. Cain looked down amused at me.

"Sorry it's just all so normal" I laughed again. High on the intoxication of life outside the compound. I felt my heart sinc realising this wouldn't last very long. It was only a matter of time before I went home, I couldn't deal with being responsible for anyone elses death. Maybe I could tell Elijah about my wolf maybe he'd be happy if he knew she wasn't with my but someone else completely, maybe I'd have to keep the third party secret atleast until she made herself known. I'd look like a rambling mad woman if I turned up and told him I had a wolf and another person rattling in my brain.