Eve

Here I thought him not knowing where things were would keep me up.

Not a peep. None. Nothing. Nada. The house has been silent as the grave other than his rounds. Twice he stopped outside my room, never entering, not even to utter my name, nor whisper through our link. Eyeing the small, dark blue notepad on my chest of drawers, I push up from the mattress, shuffle across the carpet to collect it, then return to flop back on the bed. Releasing the pen from the hoop, I flick to a fresh page, tap my finger against the corner of the cover, press the nib to the line, then freeze.

Is it ridiculous to record this?

Glancing at the words smothering the previous page, listing the events between the attack to the night before scaring Kai, I unconsciously rub my neck where I had been bitten. I shake my head, dropping my hand to my lap.

No, this will keep me on track. Progress.

Returning to the clean sheet of paper, I let the words pour onto the page.

Hi, it's me again,

I wasn't sure if I would make it back, but I did, and here I am. I'm not going to be surprised if this becomes a regular thing—no, I've decided it will be. I don't want this to be filled with a tragic story about the girl who was bitten by a werewolf and it ruined her life. No. You, my whatever you are, are going to be marked with my events, which shall be used for improvements—a reminder. I'm not going to let this change who I am, and I'm not going to be anything but who I am. Although, I fear the next forty-eight hours are going to be testing.

Ronny, a nice guy from college—also a wolf—found me in the toilets on the day of my shift. When he said there was someone who could help me, I didn't expect him to drop me off on the doorstep to the person those emerald eyes belonged to. I was terrified, only, in the few hours we spent in the same proximity, he's been everything other than what I expected him to be. Helpful, kind, and thoughtful. He cared for me during my shift, gave me somewhere to sleep, and brought me home. The last of the deeds was a compromise: he deemed it best to come with me. He could see I had a life to return to, he didn't want to leave and risk me having wolf related accidents. That, and he said he would go home once my wolf comes.

That's another cryptic wolf term I'll have to stress over: my wolf. I thought going through a shift would be the last of my worries, but no. A wolf is meant to appear, and I'm not sure if another one of them is going to make an appearance, or if it's something else.

That's another thing. Two showed up at the cabin my helper resides in, which became my temporary recuperation stop. Jax and Kaden. Jax was a douchebag who hasn't got the slightest clue about being polite, especially if it includes not entering without an invitation. By the looks of it, he has major issues with my helper. Why? I'm not sure, but I'm hoping that won't be my problem since I'm here now. He did want me to join his pack since I'm a new wolf, but I think I've had enough time with their company. Kaden, on the other hand, was sweet; he apologised and dropped me and helper off at my place. With what went down, I'm scared it won't be the last of Jax, but like I said, I can only hope.

It feels good to be in my home again, with my own space. However, the fact my helper doesn't make a sound other than his minutely rounds, unnerves me. There hasn't been a sign of the television in the spare room or sitting room being used, nor has there been a peep from the cupboards. As much as I shouldn't worry, I can't help it, especially after the kindness I've seen shining through. I'm still dubious about his intensions after he bit me. Something in the farthest corner of my mind keeps probing me to hear him out, to listen, to not be afraid, and it gets louder when I'm daydreaming. It would be nice to leave all traces of doubt and fear behind, but I'm afraid to attempt it yet. I don't want to be wrong. But for now, I guess I'll suck it up to show him how to at least use the microwave. RIP food; I'll have to do a shop tomorrow, and I've got a feeling it's not going to be easy with him tagging along. I can't imagine what he would say if I suggested an attempt to give a few hours at college a go.

Anyway, it's late; I'll report to you soon, and show you the progress I'm making. . . and the hurdles I'm sure I'll be facing. Wish me luck.

I know I'm going to need it.

Sighing heavily, I count back to the times I've said helper in this one entry and shake my head. It would be helpful to put a name to that face of his, but I'd rather not too. A name means a step closer to acquaintances, and acquaintances is a slip down a hill waiting to happen for something unknown beyond being an acquaintance. Like he said, a day or two, and this wolf should appear, and he'll be gone.

Sliding the pen inside the loop, eyeing the chest of drawers, I huff and drop the notepad on the floor. Rolling onto my stomach with a groan, I pull a pillow over my head and squeeze each end over my ears to block out the pacing below, noting how he's not daring to mount the stairs.

He must be starving, if not, then he has to be bored out of his mind.

By the time I dismount the stairs, nerves eat me up, and my stomach twists. Gripping the lower edges of my shirt in clammy fists, I take a few deep breaths to calm the thrashing of my heart before approaching the sitting room. His scent is strongest there. Not even a toe in, his voice sounds from the other side, stopping me in my tracks. "You should be asleep."

Heat crawls up my neck, residing in my cheeks. Mustering enough courage, I force my legs to move, and shuffle further into the room. "That makes two of us."

He grunts in response, and the anxiety intensifies at the lack of conversation. It dies down at the recollection of our previous exchanges, and I'm prepared to be shut down so I can return peacefully to my bedroom. It's times like this that make me curious of what's running through his mind, that he couldn't shield all his thoughts like me so I could see what he's thinking.

Biting my lip, I fiddle with the hem of the baggy shirt I replaced his with earlier on. Eyeing the state of his clothes, I'm thankful I folded his only intact attire on the end of my bed for tomorrow. If he's going to put the fresh clothes in this state, he won't be able to go shopping, and if he can't go, neither can I.

Yes, I'll keep hold of them until tomorrow.

Inspecting his side profile, I'm drawn back to the clothes. I could be wrong, but if it's a wolf culture to style clothes like this, I don't want to offend him. If that's the case, Jax and Kaden aren't for it. By what I can see of his features, he appears calm, although, the fists on his knees suggest otherwise.

Swallowing back the worry, I use the side of my foot to push the legs of my joggers down before shuffling to the front of the sofa. "Not that I was listening on purpose, this wolf hearing is hard to switch off," I start, itching the inside of my wrist. "But you haven't made yourself anything to eat, nor have you used the television."

I don't point out that he hasn't used the bed or spare TV in the room either.

Daring a glance after a minute of silence, his eyes roam over me, starting with the top of my head, down to my toes, then back up in a slow, appreciative manner. The small quirk of his lip catches my eye, then I drop my line of sight. "Thank you, but I shall be fine."

"When do you plan on eating?" I blurt, biting my lip to contain further outbursts. "I mean, if you don't like what I have, we can get some things in, or you can bring back something from your cabin for the time being?"

There hadn't been any trace of a kitchen back at the cabin, nor a sign of food being stored; simply a bedroom and a spare empty room. Although, he did offer me those wraps of meat.

Where did he keep them?

"When your wolf shows."

My eyes widen. "B-but we're not sure when that could be! What if it takes longer than forty-eight hours?" I blanch, not that he should go hungry for that long either.

"I've gone longer, don't fret."

I'm not sure why the urge to clench my fists is so strong, why I'm overcome by such agitation; yes, it's not right for someone to go that long without food, but what gets me more is that he's being too casual about it. As a wolf, surely, he went on hunts. Doesn't he have others to rely on? I thought Ronny would since he spoke highly of him before driving me to the cabin. I swear he even said Alpha. As an Alpha, wouldn't he have a pack?

So many questions, and each possible answer is making me—

"Look at me."

Startling, I remain fixated on a curl of excess material of the carpet, gripping the hem of the shirt tightly so I don't surrender to the burning behind my eyes.

This whole situation isn't right. Him, me, the wolves, all of it.

"Little wolf, look at me."

At the tenderness of his voice, I look at him and struggle to swallow the lump in my throat thanks to the softness in his eyes. He looks as defeated as I feel, and I'm not sure what to do with it, and it unnerves me.

"Don't worry about me."

Gritting my teeth, I say, "Not in my house. Come with me."