Chapter 9: Awakening

I don't remember the impact, nor how I ended up in this place.

The straw bed was warm. A small rag covered my lupine body, and I felt no pain anywhere.

I carefully got up and looked around, hoping to understand what had happened. Was this how Luna received the wolves who died?

"I'm glad you woke up, girl," a gray she-wolf cautiously entered the cave where I was and looked at me affectionately. "You've been sleeping for five days straight. I even thought the water had affected your little head."

"Where am I?" I summed up the confusion of questions burning in my chest. "What place is this?" The she-wolf approached slowly and looked me in the eyes.

"You're safe, child," she seemed to have an advanced age, but I couldn't tell how much. "This is a hidden area, no one will find you."

"How do you know I need to hide?" I spoke quickly, leaning against the cold stone at my back, feeling the weight of the days taking hold of my body.

"Take it easy..." she tried to take a step forward, but my distress made her retreat. "I just assumed." She looked at my belly, and I restrained myself from doing the same. "Perhaps you don't want to talk about it now, and I don't want to bother you. You're weak and malnourished. You've been sleeping for many days." I looked around again, trying to orient myself. "I'll bring you some food and clothes, of course. I believe you'd want to be in human form here."

"I don't stay in human form," I said seriously, without giving any explanations.

"I know it's more fragile, but you don't have to fear anything. Here, it's just me and my mate, Aaron. By the way, my name is Elysa." I looked at her suspiciously.

A black wolf entered the cave, making me tremble all over. His eyes were dark, and his fur was already turning white in some parts. He seemed mysterious and cruel.

"Aaron, she woke up. She's still a bit scared, but it's understandable." The she-wolf's manner intrigued me.

"What were you doing at that waterfall, girl? And in human form, no less? Don't you know that it's the territory of a tyrant alpha?"

Tyrant wasn't the word I would use for Eldric. He seemed clever and cunning. His eyes were sharp, and his intuition was better than that of many older wolves out there, but he didn't seem like a tyrant. Our kingdom didn't suffer from irresponsible sanctions, nor was it plagued by hunger. Our village prospered, and the crown took good care of its people.

I lied, claiming to have fallen, to avoid revealing my true origin.

"How did you fall?" he looked at me seriously, while his mate stared at him with severity.

"Now is not the time to tell everything. You need to feed yourself and take care of your offspring. Afterward, you can share your story with us," said the gray she-wolf, while her mate nodded, understanding my situation. Then, they left the cave together.

At that moment, all I wanted was to leave that place.

Eldric's eyes still echoed in my mind. Despite the fear he instilled in me, there was a familiarity I couldn't explain. He was a jumble in my mind.

I could feel his power, even from a distance, and had the sense that something still connected us. I didn't like it. I didn't like the thought that I would only regain control when he explicitly rejected me.

I anxiously awaited the she-wolf's return. She came back to the cave in her human form, bringing with her a piece of meat and a bowl of water. As soon as she left me alone, I drank the water so quickly that I almost choked.

I hurriedly ate the meat, realizing how much my body needed it. My pup needed nourishment to grow strong and healthy. When I finished, I felt satisfied and stood up, taking small steps to test my limbs which had been immobile for days.

Strangely, that muscular weakness overcame me. Every part of my body trembled intensely. It was as if I had just been born and was relearning how to walk.

"Calm down, child. You don't have to embrace the world all at once," said the old she-wolf, sitting at the entrance of the small cave, which I could now observe more clearly.

That place was dark and sheltered, with a narrow entrance that would allow a human to pass through easily.

"Why did you help me?" I didn't approach her, I just kept pacing in circles, increasing the blood flow and testing my limbs.

"Why wouldn't I help?" She looked at me with compassion.

"You had no obligation. I was careless, that's all." I tried to appear stern, but who was I kidding?

I returned to sit on the small bed she had prepared, feeling dizziness overcome me.

"I believe we should help everyone, no matter when or where they are in their journey. I have lost too many people in my life. Important and essential people. I had to learn to move on without them, but I have lived my life in the best way possible, in honor of them," I regretted mistreating her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... bewildered by all of this."

"Where is your mate?" She glanced again at my small belly, and I felt my body shudder with the memory of Eldric's eyes upon me.

"He rejected me," I lied.

"After impregnating you?!"

"My pup isn't his," I said in a low voice.

"I understand. And where is the male who impregnated you?" I shrugged. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But know that, for a lone she-wolf like you, the world is extremely dangerous. You and your children face risks you can't even imagine."

"How do you know there's more than one?"

"She-wolves usually have more than one pup to secure the lineage of their mate."

"Oh, I'm an only child, I didn't know that." I looked back at my belly, contemplating the possibility of having more than one pup inside me.

"Take that into consideration."

"Elysa, I'm sorry. I'm still trying to make sense of everything that has happened in the past few days."

"Stay with us for as long as you need." She moved closer and smiled at me. "It will be good to have one more face here." I nodded, trying not to dwell on the dangers that still surrounded me.