Chapter 107

Thorne’s POV

“Woah!” Anders jumps back as Aurora’s teeth snap just inches from his fingers. Her wolf body hasn’t receded, even after several hours. She hasn’t shown any sign of shifting back to her human form, and even when we ask her to, she doesn’t respond in any way.

She just stares and snaps at anyone who comes close. She snapped at me a few times before she stopped. Although, she still doesn’t let me come close.

“Aurora, you need to let Anders check your wounds,” I say softly, crouching in front of where she hides under the hospital bed. The moment I let her down, she ran—more like stumbled—out of the room.

It was easy to catch her, but once we got her back in the room, she immediately hid under the bed.

Anders has been trying to check her injuries for nearly two hours, and he has the bite marks to show for it.

Aurora growls weakly again, her body slumping to the floor even as her eyes never leave us. She’s trying desperately to stay awake, to stop us from touching her or getting close.

Sighing, I sit back on my heels and study her again. Patches of hair are missing from her pelt; a thin cut slices down her right eye from her upper brow down her snout; blood stains the fur around her paws and on various places on her front legs; and there are little patches of matted red fur throughout her coat.

Each time I look at her, I have to bite my tongue and dig my claws into my palms to keep from shifting on the spot. My wolf demands to be let free, to hunt the Dark Knight Pack Alpha down, but I remind him that Aurora needs us.

“She needs retribution,” he snarls, imagining tearing the Dark Knight Pack’s Alpha to shreds.

“She needs to heal in safety,” I tell him, “And then retribution later.”

Begrudgingly, he backs off, letting me focus on Aurora again. More violence won’t make her feel safe again after she’s been traumatized like this.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” I announce, glancing at Anders who is cleaning the three sets of teeth marks on his arms. He nods in understanding, peers down at Aurora, then looks back at me.

“What are you going to do? She won’t let us close,” he says, keeping his voice low. Aurora’s ears twitch, a sign that she’s listening to us. I don’t want her to feel like she’s trapped or cornered. That would only send her into another frenzy like when we first got here.

“She only let me close earlier after she scented me, so maybe that will work again,” I muse, scooting closer. I move slowly so I don’t scare her, holding out my hand just far enough that she can’t bite me. Not that it would bother me if she did.

Her ears flatten back like she’s about to be angry, but then her nose wrinkles slightly as she focuses on my scent.

“I’ll take you somewhere safe and quiet,” I promise. Her pupils widen as I crouch in front of her, letting her come to me this time. I’m about to tell Anders to leave the room when she crawls out from under the bed and rubs the top of her head against my outstretched hand.

I stay completely still, waiting for her to get closer and waiting for permission, because if this isn’t on her terms, I don’t want to touch her.

It feels like years pass between the two of us as she peers at me, her frightened eyes still hazy but becoming a bit clearer. She comes closer and closer, first rubbing her head on my hand then pushing her body against my torso.

She’s warm, which is better than the cold feeling she had earlier, and soon, she’s laying in my lap. The weight of her body against mine calms me enough, the mate bond rekindling and buzzing softly between us.

“I’ll take you somewhere safe and quiet,” I say again, slowly and gently wrapping my arms around the wolf. I move slowly enough that she can resist if she wants to, but she doesn’t. She sinks into my arms.

Anders opens the door for me, staying where he is as I carry her out of the room. I ignore everyone around us, focusing solely on Aurora as she tucks her head into my chest to hide. I hate that she feels the need to hide, and I’m dying to ask what happened, but I’ll wait until she chooses to bring up her capture.

When I finally reach the house, I go straight up to our room. Without letting her go, I grab her pillow off the bed and set it on the floor. If my scent calms her, I’ll do what I can to make a space where she’ll be surrounded by it.

“I’m going to put you down for a second, but I’ll be right here,” I murmur, lowering her onto her pillow.

A sad little whine leaves her when I step away, and it takes every ounce of my willpower to walk away from her.

“I’m not leaving you,” I say, grabbing several pieces of my clothing from the dresser. I grab as many pieces as I can—pants, shirts, even socks—and I take them to the bed. I start arranging them on the bed, tucking them, rolling them, and bunching them up; and the whole time, I feel her watching me.

I just hope this works.

3(rd) Person POV

Aurora’s mind is muddled… fuzzy. Everything is heavy and confusing, making her feel lost.

Except one thing. Him.

She knows that she doesn’t want anyone to touch her or come near her, except for him. This man who smells like safety and the forest. He makes her feel calm and warm, like she’s been wrapped in the softest material and set in front of a fire.

He’s also gentle with her, unlike those other men who hurt her. Those men who took pieces of her and locked her up.

This one isn’t like them. He freed her, let her out of that hell and took her away from the pain.

He’s safe… and he’s nesting.

Her mind sparks at the thought, but she doesn’t know why. She also doesn’t know how she knows that term. She just does, and it means something. Something important.

She watches the man pile layer after layer of materials on the bed, filling the room with the alluring scent that comes from him. It’s a mixture of forest, something softer, and a brighter, sharper smell.

It’s calming and has her climbing quietly to her feet.

While his back is turned, she creeps closer. Her paws make no sound against the floor as she sneaks up on him.

He’s talking to her, saying nice and comforting things, but she doesn’t really hear him. All she can focus on is the nest he’s creating and how badly she wants to be in that nest. So, she jumps up and snuggles in.

The moment she’s surrounded by his scent, her mind calms, and everything bad falls away.

Except, there’s something missing.

When she opens her eyes, he’s looking down at her, watching her.

He doesn’t come to her. He stays still, so she whines and leans forward. She carefully bites the man’s hand and pulls him closer. He allows her to do as she wants, which pleases her, and he climbs into the bed with her.

Curling into the nest, the she-wolf lays her head across the man’s chest.

She falls asleep surrounded by him, knowing she’ll be safe with him.