Chapter 66 Life in the pack
Ivy POV
The second morning was easier. Not my ribs. Those still hurt the same. But everything else felt less sharp. The ceiling I didn't recognize, the strange light, the trees instead of traffic outside. I just lay there for a while.
I listened to the wind in the branches.Then I got up. Elena already had coffee ready. She didn't say good morning. Just handed me the cup and went back to what she was doing. I liked that about her. No performance. No checking in. Just the coffee.
I sat at the table and drank it slowly. Outside the kitchen window, a wolf ran through the trees. Not a person. A wolf. Gray. Fast. Gone in three seconds. I stared at the space it left behind. Elena looked up.
"Morning patrol," she said.
Like that was a normal sentence. Maybe it was. Lucas came down at eight. Moving better than yesterday. He sat across from me. Elena set a plate in front of him without being asked.
"You slept," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"Good," he said.
He ate. I watched him.
"Your shoulder," I said.
"Better," he said.
"Show me," I said.
He looked at me.
"Lucas," I said.
He put his fork down. Rolled his sleeve up slightly. The cuts from two nights ago were almost closed. Almost. On a human, they would’ve been open and infected. On him, they were thin lines. Pink. Nearly healed. I looked at them for a moment.
"Wolf healing," I said.
"Yes," he said.
"How long for mine?" I said.
He pulled his sleeve back down.
"Longer," he said.
"How much longer?" I said.
He picked up his fork.
"Lucas," I said.
"Eat your breakfast," he said.
Caden came in at nine. He looked at my plate first. Then at me. Then he sat down. Elena put coffee in front of him. He wrapped his hands around the cup and looked out the window.
The three of us sat there for a while. Not talking. Just the kitchen, the coffee and the trees outside. It wasn't uncomfortable. That surprised me a little.
"I'm going for a walk," I said.
Caden looked at me.
"Outside," I said. "Just around the grounds. Not far."
"Your ribs…." Lucas started.
"I'm not running," I said. "Walking. Slowly."
I looked at Caden.
"I've been in that room for two days. I need to move."
He looked at me for a moment.
"After breakfast," he said.
We walked the grounds after breakfast.
Just the two of us. Lucas stayed back. I didn't ask why. He just did. The place was bigger than I expected.
The main house sat in a clearing. Paths split off into the trees in different directions. Stone walls. A training area I could see through the trees. Open ground, equipment I didn't fully recognize.
Cold morning. My breath in the air.
I walked slowly. Caden matched my pace without saying anything.
"The residences," I said. "How far back are they?"
"Quarter mile," he said.
"They know I'm here," I said.
"Yes," he said.
"What do they think?" I said.
He was quiet for a second.
"Some think I've lost my mind," he said.
I looked at him.
"Bringing a human here," he said. "Ten days before the summit."
"And the others?" I said.
"Curious," he said. "Cautious."
"Afraid?" I said.
"No," he said. "Not afraid."
I looked at the path ahead.
"Should I meet them before the summit?" I said.
"Yes," he said.
"When?" I said.
"Tomorrow," he said. "The senior pack members first. Small group."
I nodded.
We walked a bit further. A wolf appeared on the path ahead. It stopped. Looked at us. Big. Brown. Those intelligent eyes I still wasn't fully used to. It looked at Caden first. Then at me. Then it stepped off the path and into the trees.
"Was that a pack member?" I said.
"Yes," Caden said.
"They just walk around like that?" I said.
"On the grounds yes," he said. "It's safe here."
I thought about that. Safe enough to just be what you are. I understood that.We stopped at a bench at the edge of the clearing. I sat down. My ribs reminded me I’d been in a fight. Caden sat next to me. We just looked at the trees.
"Can I ask you something?" I said.
"Yes," he said.
"The pack," I said. "The ones who think you've lost your mind."
I looked at him. "Does it bother you?"
He thought about it.
"No," he said.
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't," he said.
Simple. No defense. No explanation. Just no. I looked at the trees.
"Zara will be at the summit," I said.
"Yes," he said.
"She'll be watching me," I said.
"Yes," he said.
"Good," I said.
He looked at me.
"Let her watch," I said. "She still thinks I'm just a human girl who doesn't belong here."
"Yes," he said.
"She's going to be very surprised," I said.
He held my gaze for a moment. Something in his face. Not a full smile. Close.
We walked back slowly. At the door I stopped.
"Caden," I said.
He stopped.
"The pack members tomorrow," I said.
"Don't manage it. Don't brief them on what to say or how to treat me," I said, holding his gaze. "Let it be real."
He looked at me.
"If they've got doubts about me, I'd rather know," I said. "I'd rather earn it than have it handed to me."
He held my gaze for a long moment.
"Okay," he said.
"Thank you," I said.
I went inside. Elena was in the hall. She looked at my face.
"Sit down," she said. "I'll get the pain medicine."
"I'm fine," I said.
She looked at me.
"Sit down," she said again.
I sat down.