Ayn's Healing

Chapter 21 - Ayn

The spring comes and goes upon us.

Most of my days start with joining Xander's or Timo's trainings, to heal their warriors as needed. During this activity, I get to see a lot of well-built, very naked men. They tend to shift back from their wolf form when I come close to them. They claim it's because of pain, but I suspect some of them are just doing it because they hope it would embarrass me.

I have touched their sturdy ankles, their rock-hard calves, their forearms on which one could observe the anatomy of every muscle fiber, and their suntanned temples. And all the time, the only thing I could think about was Kari's body and about how good it felt to be cuddled in his strong arms.

I didn't ask for news about him out of self preservation, but information is pushed on me during dinners, like the fact that the purpose of his stay in Albert's pack is to complete his Alpha training, which seems to be an open end adventure. According to Timo - he is progressing well and could be back in summer. According to Xander - he could be away for half a year. Everytime the Alpha says this, Teresa frowns at him until he is embarrassed by his lack of confidence in his son, and my legs get weak.

I am a weak soul. I am ashamed to admit it in front of myself that, despite the awkwardness that followed our first and only kiss and all the touching he did on Astrid, I miss him so much.

I miss his dry jokes.

I miss the way he speaks in his deep voice, with his Land Core accent, where the r's roll like out of a machine gun, but the vowels are long and soft like a love song.

I miss how, when he needs to explain something important, he looks down and his eyelashes draw long purple shadows under his eyes.

I miss my soulmate, I end up sighing, six months is a very very long time and my tree is quick to pat the insides of my shoulders in a comforting gesture.

***

When I am not doing healing work, I tend to my garden which is now fully tilled. This is where I am now, crouched on the fluffy earth, under a sky that is mocking me with its steel blue color.

I am hoping that planting some veggies will be a productive distraction, so I take out the little seed bags and try to decide what would be the best place for each. Peppers and eggplants like the sun, so they would go somewhere in the middle. I could grow pumpkins on the fence, and sorrel in their shadow. I could grow kale and wild tomatoes and purple sprouts. I also have my own small collection of common medicinal herbs, which I will plant here, for James to use. I have already started writing a small handbook for him.

I raise my index finger, tapping down slowly through the air. With each move equally spaced holes appear in the earth in front of me, and once I have ten of them, I plant my pumpkin seeds. I do the same again and again, for every row, and I am almost finished with the last ones, the purple sprouts when I hear a snickering voice behind me:

"What are you doing, little dirty witch ?"

I turn and I see three females leaning against the fence. Somehow I hadn't heard them approaching. They look my age, but they are all taller and broader than me, as every woman in this pack seems to be.

"Planting some veggies and please step aside, you are standing on my pumpkin patch"

"This one here?" the one on the left asks tracing with her foot a half circle in the earth, straight through the row I had so carefully piled before.

"Yes, that one. Please stop." I say again, already getting a bit angry. I stand up trying to take a bit more space but I realize my attempt is futile, in comparison to them I am indeed little.