CHAPTER SEVEN: LEARNING TO BELONG

I woke up in my new room feeling better than I had in months.

The soft bed and warm blankets made me feel safe and cozy.

For a few seconds, I forgot about everything bad that had happened.

Then I remembered where I was and why I was here, and my stomach got nervous again.

Someone knocked on my door softly.

"Laila? Are you awake?" It was Marcus, Kieran's younger brother.

"Yes, come in," I said, sitting up.

Marcus peeked his head through the door with a friendly smile.

"Good morning! Kieran asked me to show you around today, if you're feeling okay."

"Yes I am," I said honestly.

I was curious about this place that might be my new home.

"Great! Get dressed and meet me downstairs for breakfast. Emma made pancakes, and they're amazing."

After Marcus left, I got dressed in one of the simple outfits Emma had brought me yesterday.

It felt strange wearing clothes that actually fit me properly.

Damien never wanted to spend money on new clothes for me.

Downstairs, the kitchen was full of pack members eating breakfast and talking happily.

This is so different from what I was used to.

"Laila!" Emma called out when she saw me.

"Come sit with us. I saved you some pancakes."

I sat down at the long table next to a girl about my age named Sophie.

She had short red hair and freckles and she smiled at me warmly.

"How did you sleep?" Sophie asked.

"Really well, thank you," I said, cutting into my pancakes.

They were fluffy and sweet, the best I'd ever tasted.

"That's great! The first night in a new place is always hard."

I looked around the table at everyone talking and laughing together. "Is it always like this here? So... happy?"

Sophie laughed. "Most of the time. We're like a big family here. Alpha Kieran makes sure everyone feels included."

But even as she said it, I noticed some pack members at the other end of the table whispering and glaring at me.

"Don't mind them," Sophie said quietly, following my gaze.

"Some people don't like change. They'll come around."

I wasn't so sure about that. One of the men, a big guy with scars on his face, was staring at me with mean eyes.

When he saw me looking back, he made a disgusted face and turned away.

After breakfast, Marcus kept his promise to show me around.

We walked through the pack territory, and he pointed out all the important places.

"That's the training grounds," Marcus said, showing me a big open area where wolves were practicing fighting.

"That's the school where the young ones learn and over there is the clinic where our pack doctor takes care of everyone."

Everything looked clean and well-organized.

The houses were nice, and the people seemed happy.

It was nothing like my old pack, where everything always felt tense and worried.

As we walked, I noticed more pack members staring at me.

Some looked curious, while others looked angry.

"Why is everyone staring?" I asked Marcus quietly.

He frowned "Well, it's unusual for Kieran to bring someone new to the pack. Especially a... companion. He's never done that before."

"Because of his dead mate?" I asked.

"Partly but also because..." Marcus hesitated. "Some people are wondering why you're really here. Kieran doesn't usually help strangers without a good reason."

That made my stomach feel sick.

Even here, people thought I didn't belong.

We walked past a group of women who were hanging laundry outside their houses.

When they saw me, they stopped talking and watched me with cold eyes.

"Look at her," one of them said, not even trying to whisper.

"She thinks she's special because the Alpha brought her here."

"I heard she couldn't even shift," another woman said.

"What kind of werewolf can't become a wolf?"

"Maybe she's not really a werewolf at all," the first woman replied.

"Maybe that's why her mate threw her away."

My face turned red.

Even though I tried not to listen, their words hurt. They were saying the same things Damien used to say.

"Ignore them," Marcus said firmly, taking my arm and leading me away.

"They don't know what they're talking about." But their words followed me as we continued our tour.

I think coming here was a mistake. Maybe I didn't belong anywhere.

We stopped at a small garden behind the clinic.

It was full of beautiful flowers and herbs that smelled wonderful.

An older woman was kneeling in the dirt, planting something new.

"Hello, Mrs. Chen," Marcus said cheerfully.

"This is Lailaa, the one I told you about."

Mrs. Chen looked up and smiled at me with kind eyes.

"Hello, dear. Welcome to Shadow Ridge."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"C..can I help with the flowers?" I asked.

"Yes dear."I looked at Marcus, and he nodded encouragingly.

I knelt down beside Mrs. Chen and helped her dig small holes for the flower seeds.

Something strange happened when I touched the soil.

The seeds she planted yesterday started growing right away.

Little green shoots pushed up through the dirt, much faster than normal.

"Oh my," Mrs. Chen said in surprise. "I've never seen seeds grow so quickly."

I pulled my hands away from the dirt, scared. What if she thought I was a freak like everyone else? instead she smiled.

"What a wonderful gift you have, dear. Plants can sense when someone has a caring heart."

I felt tears in my eyes. She wasn't scared of me. She thought my weird ability was wonderful.

"Don't worry," Mrs. Chen said softly, patting my hand.

"Your secret is safe with me. Everyone has special gifts. Some are just more obvious than others."

After we left the garden, Marcus and I sat by a small pond to rest.

"Mrs. Chen is nice," I said.

"She's the pack grandmother," Marcus replied.

"She sees the good in everyone but Laila, not everyone will be like her."

"I know. Some people already hate me, and they don't even know me."

"It's not about you," Marcus said seriously.

"It's about fear. Change is scary for some people, even good change."

I thought about that. Maybe the pack members weren't really angry at me. Maybe they were just scared of something different.

"Can I ask you something?" I said to Marcus.

"Of course."

"Why is Kieran really helping me? I know he said it's because everyone deserves to be safe, but..."

I looked down at my hands. "I'm nobody special. I can't even shift. Why would someone like him care about someone like me?"

Marcus was quiet for a long moment. "Can I tell you something about my brother?"

I nodded.

"Kieran wasn't always cold and scary like he is now. Before Seraphina died, he was different. He laughed more. He was gentler. Losing her changed him."

"That's very sad," I said.

"Mmm, but yesterday, when he came back with you, I saw something in his eyes I haven't seen in five years."

"What?"

"Hope," Marcus said simply. "I think helping you is helping him heal too."

That made me feel warm inside, but also confused. Could that be true? Could I actually be helping Kieran by letting him help me?

As we walked back toward the main house, I saw Kieran talking to a group of his warriors near the training grounds.

When he saw me, he excused himself and walked over to us.

"How was the tour?" he asked, his silver eyes looking at my face carefully.

"It was nice," I said.

"Marcus showed me everything. Your territory is beautiful."

"Very good." Kieran's voice was gentle, but I could see tension in his shoulders.

"Did you meet many pack members?"

"Some," I said quietly.

I didn't want to tell him about the women who said horrible things about me but Kieran's eyes got sharp, like he could read my thoughts.

"What did they say to you?"

"Nothing important," I said quickly.

"Laila." Kieran's voice got firm.

"If someone treated you badly, I need to know about it."

"No!" I said, feeling panicked.

"Please don't make them get in trouble because of me. I don't want to cause problems."

Kieran looked surprised. "You wouldn't be causing problems. They would be causing problems by being disrespectful."

I shook my head. "I'm used to it. It's okay."

"It's not okay," Kieran said, his eyes getting angry. "You should never have to get used to being treated badly."

The way he said it, so fierce and protective, made my heart beat faster but it also scared me a little.

What if his kindness was just another trick? What if he was just being nice until he got tired of me, like Damien did?

"I need to rest," I said, stepping back from him.

"Thank you for the tour, Marcus."

I hurried away before either of them could stop me.

Walking back to the house, I could feel Kieran's silver eyes watching me.

In my room, I sat on the bed and tried to understand my feelings.

Part of me wanted to trust Kieran completely.

When he looked at me with those kind eyes and spoke in that gentle voice, I felt safe and protected.

But another part of me was terrified. What if this was just like with Damien? What if Kieran was only being nice to get something from me?

The problem was, I was starting to like him. Really like him.

When he smiled at me, my stomach got fluttery. When he said my name, it sounded beautiful.

I don't need to feel this way, the last time I trusted my feelings, I ended up getting hurt worse than I ever imagined.

I couldn't go through that again. I wouldn't survive it.

I touched my chest where the rejection pain was finally starting to fade and whispered.

"Laila, you can't let that happen again"