An Unexpected Mate

Chapter 10 - Life Moves on

6 months later...

Lily glances up from her work, looking around her new office. The bookshelves were partially filled with textbooks and research, while she had added in a few plants by her new window. It was nice to finally have an office that had a window, felt less like working in a claustrophobic closet. Her kids had insisted in also helping add in some festive fall decorations to make it feel more inviting, but mostly they just helped her to feel connected to her family even at work. She could do without the pile of papers that needed grading or the list of unread emails that never seemed to get smaller, but at least she was now a more respected member of the department. 

Hearing a slight knock on her door, Lily glances up with a slight frown. It isn't office hours yet, so who could it be?

Looking to the doorway, she notices a rather large man that seems slightly familiar. Lily knows for a fact he isn't a student, but where has she seen him before? His look is unsure, but determined. The dark, shaggy hair and build reminds her a lot of another man, one she has tried hard to forget. 

Trying to break the weird tension in her office, Lily blurts out a bit shortly, "Hi. Can I help you?"

Running a hand through his dark hair in a way that once again has a tall stranger from her past flash through her mind, the man begins with "I am not sure if you can, but I have to try." After a long breath the man continues, "We have never officially met. My name is Lucas and I believe you have a close connection to my cousin...Braxton." Lily's startled eyes move back to the man in front of her with a much more intense stare. 

"You know what we are, right?"

Lily nods slightly, shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat. She really had not ever come to terms with what she had experienced last spring, but she had been more aware of things happening around the town and surrounding forest that was not really explainable in any other way. She even swore she had a few students that came from up in the mountains that had an interesting aura she felt connected to, felt aware of in a way she had only ever noticed after meeting Braxton.

"Well, I need your help," Lucas continues as he walks into her office and shuts the door behind him.

"We ran into some trouble about a month ago. Another pack was upset with some of their members transferring into our territory. You see, we are trying to modernize some of the traditional policies that govern our people and not everyone is happy. Anyways, there was a skirmish, well it really turned into a battle that we had not realized was even possible." 

Lily gasped..."That's a thing?"

"You really fight amongst yourselves?"

Lucas sighed, "It doesn't really happen that much between established packs, but Brax has been stepping into some serious ethical debates that some older generations don't like to be confronted with. That's why we were a bit surprised by the attack. Usually it is small skirmishes with rogues or small conflicts that quickly turn to treaties and negotiations instead."

"We won, but many were injured in the fight. We even lost a couple of warriors."

Lily felt more worried than usual. She had been feeling a bit unsettled for the last month, with a slight nagging feeling that something was wrong. Her friends and family were actually getting a bit tired of her constantly asking if everything was ok. "Is Brax...?" She couldn't even finish the sentence for some reason.

"He didn't die, but he was injured."

Lily sighed again with relief.

"I came here because there is something wrong with Braxton. While he did not die, he is not healing like he should and has been in a coma-like state for almost a month. This isn't normal for our kind. Especially as the alpha, he should have healed almost immediately from his injuries. It is like his body is at war with itself. I am worried that he has lost connection with his inner wolf, who would help him heal fast."

In more of a rush, Lucas asks something that shocks Lily "Can you come to the pack and see if your presence will help bring his wolf back to the surface? The distance between you might be the issue and reawakening the bond could help. It is really my last idea..."

Lily stares at the man with wide eyes. She had not been expecting this today.