Finding Home

Chapter Eleven-Paige

"That is such a lie!" Dorothea exclaimed with a laugh. James was recounting how she had almost passed out at their binding ceremony. "I simply hadn't eaten that day and it was hot. I was a little woozy but I definitely didn't almost pass out." Paige smiled at her friends. Life had taken them all in different directions but here they were, all together again. All together again except for Betty.

Betty and James had dated all through high school and everyone was sure they'd end up mated to each other. But she had died in a rouge attack before they had turned 25. Dorothea and James told her how difficult it was after losing her. Their friendship was rocky because Betty was the glue that held them together and with her gone it started to fall apart. It was about the same time Paige had lost touch with them as well. Dorothea had reached maturity first and was away fighting in the rouge war, they hadn't spoken in months. James, who was never a fighter, had completed his healer training and was sent to the fight to help. He was patching up another when she was brought into the med tent and they saw each other for the first time since maturity.

"He left his patient in the middle of bandaging him up and came right over to me. I was covered in blood and dirt and he just stared at me like I was the most beautiful thing in the room. Then he kissed me full on the mouth with everyone watching. His patient almost died."

"He did not almost die!" James said rolling his eyes. "He was already on the mend already, I was just debriding the wound and applying a bandage to help the process along." Werewolves can heal quickly from most anything, except other werewolf attacks. Their saliva made it difficult for wounds to heal properly. They had to be thoroughly cleaned and bandaged in order for them to not suffer any long term effects from the bite. The only exception were mates. Bonded mates could heal each other.

"It was a blessing really." Dorothea said, when they told her. "We were able to help each other through the loss of everything." Paige smiled at the words as her heart clenched. She had been part of that loss. She had promised not to lose touch when she left but after her graduation and the fight with her father she wanted nothing to do with the packs. She cut off almost everyone from home. She regretted it now but had felt it necessary at the time.

After they had finished dinner and were sitting in their living room, Dorothea asked the question Paige had been dreading. "So the Alpha..." she said, letting it hang in the air like a question. Paige took a breath and decided to play dumb.

"What about him?"

"Is it true?" James asked, "You punched him in the pack house? Cause if it is, that has got to be one of the most badass things you have ever done." Paige smiled at her friends excitement. James could talk a big talk but he was a softy at heart.

"You might want to hold that assessment. You haven't heard about my trip through Asia." She said with a sly grin.

"Don't dodge the question." Dorothea said. "We were your closest friends once. And whether or not we are now, I know we're your closest friends in the pack, so spill." Paige gave her a small smile trying to figure out just how much to tell them. She knew they wouldn't tell anyone but it wasn't an easy topic for her. Her talk with Allen that morning had been the most she'd ever talked about it.

"Nathan, the Alpha, and I knew each other, before..." She trailed off.

"I think that's obvious from the way you hit him," Dorothea said, "Not really the way you greet an Alpha for the first time. I don't care how long you've lived with humans."

Paige chuckled, "Actually, I punched him the first time I met him too." And before she knew it she was telling them everything. How she couldn't stand him at first. How he was with the orphans. How angry she was when her travel friends invited him to travel with them. How one by one, her friends, which had become their friends, had all split off on their separate travels and they were left alone together. How she began falling for him, slowly at first, then all at once. It felt good to talk about it. She had kept it locked away for so long that she thought talking about it would bring back the pain of those first few months after she lost him. And it did, but not as horrible as it was then.