The Loyal Alone

Chapter Five

When I woke, my head still hurt, and my body felt shaky, but I was no longer cold. I took notice of my body, I was still naked, but under lots of blankets. My ribs hurt too, and I used my fingers to prod my side to feel dry blood coming away from rough scratches. The last thing I did was open my eyes, for fear that I still couldn't see.

After a few deep breaths, I opened them. My vision was distorted, but it was more like waking from a dream instead of constantly being on the verge of blacking out. My eyes felt heavy and groggy, like a thick mist was hovering over them, coating them in dew to skew what little I could see. As I blink, the fog clears ever so slightly.

I lay on a big brown leather couch in the middle of a large living room, pushed up close to a large fireplace. There was maybe five feet between me and the flames. On the left side, there were floor length windows capped with arches that encased the evening clouds with majesty. On the opposite side, at the foot of the couch, was a matching open archway that lead to a kitchen, rather than encasing windows.

At the fire place, there was a large rug, and on that large rug, there were two wolves. One was bulky, very defined at the edges and covered in a thick brown coat that looked soft and well kept. He seemed inviting, aside from his massive paws which were pressed flat against the floor under the weight of his head. The claws with in them glowed a soft orange as the fire light grew dimmer.

The other had thin hair, closely shaven and was golden blonde and tan. The blonde looked sickly. I could see his skin color through his thin hair which reminded me of a cancer patient. In reality, he was probably healthy and might have been one of the biggest men I'd ever seen.

"Hello."

I hear a voice behind me and for a moment I sink back into the couch before turning and glancing over the low back of it.

There is a man in jeans with a red buttoned shirt. He is tall and thin, but with a small belly to him, and a roundness to his face that comes with old age as your skin begins to sag. He'd looked perhaps fifty, but his age could swing either way. His eyes were on me intently. Even shaded in the dark half of the room as he leaned against the door way I could see them.

I didn't say anything.

"You've been asleep for a long while, miss. I've been watching. Don't trust those muts with you," He says quietly. His voice rumbles in the air softly, like a hint of thunder. "Young women such as yourself can't afford to be too careful. I was only too happy to ensure you were- taken care of."

I'm not sure of what to say. I glance back at the wolves lying next to the couch on the floor. The brown wolf, whom I was sure was the man who carried me in here, was awake and watching the older man. When I turned, he noticed me.

He lifted his head slightly and glanced at me. The brown wolf stood up, seemingly trying to not wake the other. He trots slowly around the corner into the kitchen and shifts, he's gone for a moment, and then he is back.

"Lord Joshua. Good evening," he says. I recognize him, it's Cole. He's only wearing sweat pants, no shirt, but he stands here just as confident as any man I'd ever seen.

"Beta." The older man greets him with a nod, but when I glance back over to him, he is still watching me.

"I would have thought you would be in your room this early in the morning. Perhaps there was too much excitement as the night came to a close."

"Simply ensuring this creature is safe from harm, as any Alpha would."

"I'm sure." Cole shifts his weight to one foot and lanks back. "She is safe here for the night. We have guards posted. I must ask you to return to your room."