Chapter 73 Why Was She scared?
River
After calling for the pack doctor to come imediately, I dash through the hallways of the packhouse, heart pounding with urgency. The chaos of the earlier screams still echoes in my mind, but the sight of Aloria and Daphne working in tandem bringing the kids inside sparks a surge of hope. I reach them just as they usher the last of the children through the pack house door. My instincts kick in, and I scan their faces, searching for any signs of serious injury.
“Aloria, baby are you okay?” I call out, my voice cutting through the remnants of panic. She spins around, relief flooding her features as she sees me.
“River, I am fine,” She rushes to meet me, urgency in her eyes. “We need to check on the kids. I think they’re mostly alright, but we need to be sure.”
I nod, my own anxiety rippling through me like a storm. “I’ll help,” I say, moving quickly to the first child in line, a little girl with a scraped knee and wide, tear-filled eyes. “Hey there sweetheart, you’re safe now. Can you tell me what happened? Does it hurt anywhere?”
She stutters through her story, and I listen carefully, giving her my full attention. Cuts and bruises, nothing serious, thank the stars. I send a quick glance back at Aloria and Daphne, who are still checking the kids and sorting them according to who needs help the most, their faces a mix of relief and lingering dread.
“Alright, you’re going to be okay… I promise you that,” I tell the girl, gently cleaning the scrape and applying a bandage from the first aid box so eone has supplied, to her knee. “Just a little scrape, nothing to worry about.”
As I finish with her, I catch Aloria’s eye again. She looks worried, kinda like She is trying to calm herself down, but it isn’t really helping, and it sends a jolt of concern through me. I hurry to her side, the smell of fresh wood and the faint scent of herbs filling the air around us. “What happened out there?” I ask, my voice steady but laced with urgency.
“The birds just suddenly attacked the kids,” she breathes, glancing toward the door as if expecting the chaos to spill back out. “Daphne showed up just in time. She helped us create a barrier that pushed them away.”
I turn to Daphne, who stands nearby, her hands still crackling with residual energy. “Thank you,” I say, my voice earnest. “I know what it took for you to come onto our grounds… not to meantion inside this pack house. It means a lot to me, to all of us.”
She meets my gaze, her expression softening just a fraction. “It was necessary,” she replies, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her tone. “Those children were in danger, and I couldn’t just stand by.”
I step closer, lowering my voice. “No one will hurt you here. I swear it.”
Her eyes flicker with something… fear, perhaps, or doubt… but she nods, the tension in her shoulders easing. “I hope so,” she whispers, glancing back at the children. “I just wanted to keep them safe.”
Aloria watches the exchange, her brow furrowing as if she’s connecting the dots. “Is that why you didn’t come to tell the pack that you found River?” she asks, her voice gentle yet probing. “You were scared to come here?”
Daphne’s gaze drops to the ground, and she nods slowly. “And also I didn’t know how you would react. I didn’t want to bring more trouble to you… to the pack.”
I step forward, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You’re not trouble, Daphne. You’re part of this family now, whether you want to be or not.”
Her eyes widen slightly, a mix of surprise and something warmer flickering in her gaze. “I never thought I would be,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You are,” Aloria adds, her tone firm. “We’re stronger together. If we can face off against a black witch and protect these kids, imagine what we can do as a team.”
Daphne’s lips curve into a small smile, the tension in her expression easing further. “Together sounds good,” she echoes, the word feeling like a promise hanging in the air between us. “But I am not so sure if the rest of the pack agrees.”
Just then, a commotion from the back of the pack house catches my attention. I turn to see one of our members sprinting toward us, a medic’s bag clutched tightly in his hands. “I heard there was an emergency!” he calls out, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Just a few cuts and bruises,” I reply, relief flooding through me. “Nothing too serious.”
He nods, rushing inside as we continue to tend to the children. As we work, I can’t shake the feeling that the darkness is still lurking just beyond the treeline, waiting for its chance to strike again. But in this moment, surrounded by Aloria, Daphne, and the children, I feel a flicker of hope.
As the doctors starts checking the kids, Aloria steps up to Daphne, keeping her voice low. “What happened? I can only assume something bad happened with the pack, since you where scared to come here.”
“It was a long time ago,” Daphne mumbles, glancing at me.
“Which tells me it must have been truly bad,” Aloria says softly. “Did it have to do with you being a witch? I know my old pack… if I can call them that… they did not like or trust witches. I promise you are very much trusted and appriciated here.”
Daphne takes a deep breath, and I nod, telling her that it is okay for her to tell the story. “The pack killed my mother.”