Imperial Army

Chapter Five - Lust

Kat's eyes burned as she opened them, her pillow stuck to her face with drool. She sighed as she unpicked it from her skin.

Another night of broken sleep.

She forced herself into the shower before scraping her wet hair into a tight bun.

Her reflection stared woefully back at her. She felt numb to her own cries for help. Her whole body screamed at her, but her head shut it down. There was nothing. An empty.

She wondered if this is what Cal's father felt every day. Or if this was the beginning of a sharp spiral into a darkness that would consume her entirely. 

A light tap at the door woke her from her self loathing.

"Yes?" She rasped, before clearing her throat.

"Yes?" She repeated with a confidence she didn't own.

Cook poked her head around the door, her face a picture of pity.

"Kat? We've been informed you have a visitor. Are you up to it, love? I can have Vilkas greet them if you-"

"I'm okay, Matilda, who is it?" Kat smiled painfully.

Cook blushed, "Well, we're not actually sure. They just drove straight past the border guards in a car with blacked out windows."

Kat bristled, "Have the border guards been-"

"Yes, love. Vilkas is reprimanding them as we speak." Cook smiled, mild panic in her eyes.

"Right, direct them to the office, I'm not in the mood for a confrontation in front of the whole pack."

With a curt nod, Cook retreated from the room and closed the door with a click.

Kat sighed, pulling on her trusty dark jeans and a silk tee the colour of Cal's eyes. She stopped, running the green shimmery material through her fingers. She ached to feel the ache of the bond. Pain was surely better than nothing at all.

But he couldn't be dead. If he were she'd feel something more than this. Right?

Shaking the thought from her head she left her room and bumped straight into Chloe.

"Luna Kat, how are you? It's been days I-"

"I'm fine thank you, Chloe. Are you with me this morning?" Kat pasted on a bright smile. When they'd returned from HoundsClaw, Kat had housed Chloe in one of the extra rooms on her floor and created a schedule for the week. The schedule put Chloe with a different high ranking member of the pack every day, so she could learn the ways of the pack before she was allowed to fully integrate.

"Yes, if that's still good for you? I can go back to Blaez or Vilkas if you're too busy," She skipped alongside Kat as she walked to the office.

Kat mulled it over. It would be easier to go about her day without an excitable human asking a hundred questions. But Chloe may also be a welcome distraction from the world of torment Kat was in at every moment of quiet.

"I'm happy to have you shadow me today, we're going to the office now to greet a visitor so you can observe how to speak with outsiders of the pack."

Chloe nodded, grinning widely.

"I'm so excited! I've never been in the presence of royalty, apart from before at the cafe, and when we were at that other pack-" She made a heaving noise and touched her neck, "-this is such an honour, I hope I don't get on your nerves, you'll tell me if I do, right?"

"You'll know, don't worry," Kat felt a genuine smile fill her face with warmth, as she pushed the door open to the office.

She directed Chloe to sit on the sofa while she tidied away her maps and plans. Then she situated herself at the window, leaning against the wall just to the side.