Chapter Five

BILLIE

“Does he have an allergy?” I ask Tristan, bending over Thorne.

“No, it’s…he has episodes. I have to get his foster brother. Wait with him.” He goes back inside.

I get down on my knees in the alley, ignoring the rocks rubbing against my skin. I take both of Thorne’s hands gently in my own. He still has his eyes shut, his light brown hair falling in his face. I have to get his breathing regulated. “Hey, hey, Thorne,” I say, and his eyes snap open. They’re glowing an eerie bright green, but I stay calm. He’s still gasping. “Thorne, breathe with me, okay? In…and out. In…and out.” I do it until he finally falls in with my pattern, and the gasping calms down. Then I start a grounding exercise. “Okay Thorne, what’s five things you can see right now?”

His eyes flutter and dim as he starts talking. “Um…your eyes, your face, uh, the sky, bricks…a garbage can.”

The door opens and Tristan comes out, followed by Raven. They stop and watch us.

“Good! That’s good,” I say softly, using the same voice I use with momma. “Okay, what’s four things you can touch?” I gently lead one of his hands to the ground.

“Um…rocks.” I keep moving it around. “Bricks. Your hand. My jeans.”

“Good. Now what’s three things you can hear?” His breath is getting closer to normal.

“Your voice, Raven’s breathing, the music inside the Wolf.”

“Good! Keep breathing in and out. What’s two things you can smell?”

“Um…you smell like peaches. And this alley smells like wet rocks.”

Peaches? “Good, now what’s one thing you can taste?”

He licks his top lip, fully back to normal breathing and regular green eyes. “Sweat.”

“Good job, Thorne. You did so good. Do you want to stand up? We can just sit here if you want.”

He looks down at the debris covering my bare legs. “Oh shit.” He stands up, helping me. I brush my legs off, ignoring the red marks from the rocks and brick.

“How did you do that?” Raven asks from our left side. I look over at him. His face is half anxiety, half wonder. “How did you get him to do that?”

I shrug a shoulder. “Patience. My momma gets overwhelmed, too. It's a grounding exercise that reminds you you're surrounded by normalcy even when it feels like the world is ending. Anyone can do it, or you can do it for yourself if you’re alone and able to. It helps to have a partner.”

“Do you know how brave that was, little townie? He could’ve ripped your head off,” Tristan says bluntly. “A little girl like you, drawing the attention of a vulnerable wolf, he could have lashed out without thinking. You must have nerves of steel.”

“I trust my instincts. Someone needed help. I was there.”

“Thank you.” Thorne reaches out to touch a lock of my hair, giving it a little pull. “No one’s ever helped with that before besides Raven. My senses…sometimes, the world is too loud for my wolf.”

“You should probably go home and rest,” I tell him.

“I need studio time,” he says.

“Thorne is a sculptor,” Raven tells me. “Art runs in the family. I paint.”

“That’s wonderful. You’re both so creative. That has to bring a lot of solace, when the world gets too much.” I think about that afternoon in the studio. “I dance. Modern dance, at the Center for Dance. That’s how I cope. That and this.”

I show them the rubber band I keep on my arm. “When I need a shock to my system, I snap myself with it. It’s just enough pain to pull me out of my head.”

Tristan tilts his head. “You like the pain?”

I shrug my shoulder. “Go ahead, call me a freak, I can take it.”

“Hey, I’m not knocking it, just good to know.” His mouth quirks, almost a smile.

Thorne hugs me. I’ve never been hugged by a werewolf. It feels like being hugged by a gentle bear. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, big guy.”

He smiles, and it’s lovely. “See you around, small girl.”

“I’d better drive him home.” Raven kisses me on the cheek, then hands me a card. “If you ever need any help, of any kind, call me no matter what time it is.”

“Same,” says Thorne. He takes the card and adds his number.

“I will,” I tell them. They walk off.

Tristan looks at me for a second. “You did really good, little townie.” Then he follows them.

My stomach glows.

I did a good thing and made friends.

Well, Thorne and Raven, at least. Tristan is a hard egg to crack.

But what I really can't figure out is why the Alpha wolf's praise makes me light up inside and start to purr like a kitten.

That isn't a reaction I need to be having to any man.

There's just no room in my life for romance.