Chapter 164 Work Overload
Jolie pov
"Derek collapsed!" They're breathless. "He was working on cabin construction and just fell over. Doc's checking him now but"
I'm running before they finish. My body protests, still exhausted, but I push through.
At the medical bay, Doc is examining Derek while a crowd gathers.
"What's wrong with him?" Paul demands. "Is it serious?"
"He's exhausted." Doc says firmly. "Dehydrated, malnourished, and sleep-deprived. He's been working eighteen-hour days trying to build housing for everyone."
"Why didn't he ask for help?" Tessa pushes through the crowd. "We would have helped!"
"I'm from Nightshade." Derek mumbles from the examination table. "We don't ask for help. We handle our responsibilities ourselves."
"That's stupid." Tessa says bluntly. "This is a pack. Pack means helping each other."
"In Iron Fangs, maybe." Derek tries to sit up. "In traditional packs, pulling your weight means not burdening others with your problems."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Another biker joins in. "What's the point of a pack if we don't help each other?"
"What's the point of pride if you admit you can't handle things alone?" Paul defends.
They're about to argue again when I step forward.
"Everyone shut up." My voice carries despite my exhaustion. "Derek collapsed because he's been working too hard without asking for help. That's a problem. Not a traditional pack problem or a biker pack problem. A pack problem. All of us have a problem."
"Luna's right." Knox limps forward, still recovering himself. "We've all been so focused on our differences that we forgot we're supposed to be working together."
"I didn't ask for help because I thought you'd see it as weakness." Derek admits quietly. "Nightshade Pack valued self-sufficiency. Asking for help meant admitting you couldn't handle your role."
"Well that's bullshit." Tessa sits on the edge of his examination table. "Asking for help means you're smart enough to know your limits. I'll help with construction. Who else?"
Hands go up across the crowd. Iron Fangs bikers, Nightshade refugees, enforcers, Academy graduates. All volunteering to help. "See?" Tessa grins. "Pack means we don't let anyone collapse from overwork. We share the load."
"Even if they're from different backgrounds?" Paul asks.
"Especially then." Knox says. "Because we bring different skills. Derek knows traditional construction. I know how to source materials. Together, we build better than either of us could alone."
Understanding ripples through the crowd. Not through my empathy gift—I'm too exhausted for that. But naturally Wolves realizing they're stronger together.
"I'm sorry." Derek looks at Tessa. "For judging your culture. For assuming lack of structure meant lack of care."
"I'm sorry too." Tessa squeezes his shoulder. "For assuming your structure meant you were uptight. You're just trying to help in the way you know how."
"We all are." I lean against the doorframe, fighting to stay upright. "And we're all learning. That's okay. Learning means mistakes. Mistakes mean growth. Growth means becoming better pack."
"Speaking of which." Doc points at me. "You need to get back to bed. You're in worse shape than Derek."
"I'm fine" I start.
"You collapsed three steps ago." Ryder catches me. "I've been holding you up for the last minute."
"Okay." I give in. "Maybe I need more rest."
"Ya think?" But Ryder's voice is gentle as he lifts me again.
Ryder carries me back toward the cabin, his steps careful on the uneven path. The shouting from the compound has died down for now—probably Cass or Knox handling whatever mess started it—but I can still feel the tension in Ryder’s shoulders, the way he’s half-listening to the night while keeping his full attention on me.
When we’re inside and the door clicks shut behind us, he doesn’t set me down right away. He just stands there holding me, like he’s afraid putting me on my feet will make everything start hurting again. Speaking of which.
He finally lowers me gently onto the edge of the bed, kneeling so we’re eye-level. His big hands stay on my hips, steadying me.
“Jolie,” he says quietly, voice rough around the edges. “Did I… push you too hard earlier? Be honest. You were already wrecked from the week, and I”
I cut him off with a small laugh, soft and tired but real. “You were as gentle as a dove, Ryder. Apart from being a little sore now—everything is perfect.”
His brows knit together, guilt flashing in those amber eyes. “I should’ve waited. Should’ve made sure you were”
“Stop.” I reach up and press my fingers to his lips, feeling the scratch of his beard. “Stop apologizing. I wanted it. I wanted you. I practically begged, remember?”
He exhales through his nose, the sound almost a laugh but heavier. His hand comes up to cover mine, keeping my palm against his mouth for a second longer. “So did I,” he admits, voice low. “Fuck, I wanted you so bad I could barely think straight.”
We look at each other for a long beat. The air between us feels lighter now—still warm, still charged, but easier. Then we both smile at the same time—small, matching, tired smiles that say everything without words.
He leans in and kisses my forehead, lingering there. “Get under the covers. I’m not leaving your side tonight.”
I scoot back obediently, already sinking into the pillows. “Promise?”
“Promise.” He kicks off his boots, shrugs out of his jacket, and slides in beside me, pulling me against his chest like I belong there. Because I do.
The world outside can wait a little longer as I hear the wolves behind us organizing. Construction teams forming, cooking rotations being established, training schedules being coordinated.
Different wolves with different skills working together. Not as Nightshade refugees or Iron Fangs bikers or Academy graduates or former enforcers but as a pack.
"They're figuring it out." I murmur against Ryder's chest. "Without me meditating. They're actually figuring out how to work together."
"Because you showed them how." He says
"I just wanted everyone to understand each other." I'm so tired my words slur. "Wanted them to see past differences to the wolves underneath."
"And they do." I slept for hours straight. When I wake, the first thing I hear is laughter outside.
I stumble to the window and see Derek working on cabin construction alongside Tessa. Paul is teaching Knox how to organize supply inventories. Marina and Lucas are cooking together, talking quietly about their different experiences.
"See?" Luna appears beside me with coffee. "They figured it out. You facilitated the initial understanding. They're maintaining it themselves."
"It's working." I take the coffee gratefully. "Different wolves with different backgrounds actually become one pack."
"Thanks to you." She sips her own coffee. "You nearly killed yourself building those bridges, but they're solid now. The pack is unified."
"Not unified." I watch them work together. "But they are willing to try. That's enough."
"That's everything." She corrects. "Now come on. Doc wants to check your moonfire levels and make sure you didn't permanently damage yourself with all that empathic projection."
"I'm fine"
"That's what Derek said." She pulls me toward the door. "And we both know how that turned out. Medical check. Now. Luna's orders."