Chapter 8 Unwelcome
DAVINA'S POV
The walk back to the cabin should’ve been easy, but of course, it wasn’t.
All those covered walkways between the buildings looked identical, and somehow I took a wrong turn and before I knew it, I found myself near the training ground, where a bunch of younger wolves were running drills in the chilly morning air and they spotted me right away.
“Lost?” one of them called out, his broad shoulders and grin giving off a vibe that was anything but friendly. He made sure to say it loud enough for the others to hear, and a few of them laughed.
I kept walking forward, acting like I knew exactly where I was headed.
“Careful out here,” another one chimed in as I passed. “Or you might just get yourself hurt.”
I didn’t give them the satisfaction of a glance. I just kept moving until their laughter faded into the background, and I finally found the right path and got to the cabin. At last, I was alone.
My throat felt tight, and I pressed my hand against my chest and took a deep breath.
Just words, I reminded myself.
It was only words and I’d survived worse than this. Three years of tougher stuff, and I was still standing, surely that counted for something.
But it didn’t ease the tightness in my throat.
I plopped down on the edge of the bed in the cabin and stared blankly at the wall for a while.
Thoughts of my shop drifted in. I could almost smell it, the rich aroma of coffee mingling with old paper and that comforting silence before anyone else arrived. I had handpicked every book on those shelves, and I’d even painted the back wall myself one slow Saturday, feeling ridiculously proud of it.
And then there was Liam. He worked just two doors down at the hardware store and sometimes brought me coffee on those slow mornings.
We had this unspoken agreement where we never pointed out when the other was having a rough day.
He was the most uncomplicated person I knew and right now, I would’ve given almost anything to be sitting across from him, chatting about nothing in particular.
He had no idea where I was, nobody did.
I pressed my hands against my eyes and took a moment to sit with that thought.
Then I straightened up, because sulking in a cabin wasn’t going to fix anything, and let’s be real, I’d never been great at wallowing in self-pity anyway.
Just then, there was a light knock at the door. Definitely not Zane’s knock, his was heavier.
“It’s open,” I called out.
The door swung open and a girl stood in the doorway holding two mugs.
She was small and blonde, with warm eyes and had a smile on.
“I figured you could use one of these,” she said, extending a mug toward me. “I’m Sloane. Omega wolf, east wing resident, and currently your only neighbor who isn’t actively hoping you disappear.”
I paused for a moment, and looked at her before accepting the mug. “Davina.”
“I know,” she replied, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. She plopped down in the chair by the dead fireplace. “I saw what happened at the training ground with Logan’s group.” She said simply. “They’re idiots, don’t let them get in your head.”
“It doesn't bother me,” I said, trying to act less concerned.
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t push it.
I wrapped both hands around the mug.
It was tea, not coffee, but it was hot, and honestly, I needed something warm more than I needed the right drink. “Is it always like this?”
“The first few days are the worst,” she said. “After that, most of them get bored and move on. Wolves aren’t exactly known for their ability to focus when there’s nothing exciting happening.”
“And what about the ones who don’t get bored?”
She hesitated, turning the mug in her hands as she thought. “You already know the answer to that one.”
I did. I’d seen the way Jax looked at me at breakfast and that wasn’t the gaze of someone who was going to lose interest anytime soon.
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“My whole life. I was born into the pack.” She answered. “Being an Omega means you’re at the bottom of the hierarchy, so I know what it feels like to walk into a room and have people look right through you.” She met my gaze directly. “It’s different from how they’re looking at you, but the feeling isn’t that different.”
I didn’t respond, I just sipped my tea and let her words sink in.
"Training this afternoon," she said after a brief pause, and I could hear a hint of mischief in her voice, like she was trying to hold back a smile. "With Zane himself."
"He told you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He didn’t need to. It’s the kind of news that travels fast around here." That’s when she let a small, genuine smile slip through. "He’s never trained anyone personally, not once. You can bet the whole compound will find a reason to stroll by the training ground this afternoon."
I stared at her, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. "That’s not exactly comforting."
"No," she agreed, her tone light and cheerful. "But it is interesting."
She stood up and stretched. "Come on, I’ll show you where the showers with actual water pressure are. You’ll want to know before this afternoon."
I lingered in my seat for a moment longer, the tightness in my throat still there. I couldn’t shake the longing to go home.
I still thought about Liam, my shop, and the peaceful mornings that felt like they were just for me.
But here was this girl in my doorway, bringing me tea and sharing things with me without me even asking.
With a deep breath, I got up and followed her out.