Chapter Eight.

Kian's POV:

I drew the covers over her fragile frame. She's been shivering since forever.

I squeezed out the water from the towel into the bowl, making sure it was still hot before cleaning it over her body.

I've changed the water two times now, cleaning her up. But the weather was freezing, cooling off the water before I could be done.

"Can you give me one reason why you brought her here, Kian?"

I heard Damon say for the third time and I didn't say a word. He was looking at the window, but I didn't miss the anger in his voice. I knew he was pissed off as fuck but struggling to control.

"Out of everywhere you could have possibly taken her to, why must it be our residence?" He asked again.

My nails dug into the towel, keeping my annoyance under.

"Where then? If I took her home then who would've looked after her? No one would be there to watch over her and know how she's coping or feeling. If she's feeling better or not, how would we know?" I said, gritting my teeth. "Her mom is fucking gone."

He turned to me, his gaze deadly, "Why do you suddenly care? You know she's trouble, Kian. So why are you acting oblivious to all the signals?"

The towel fell from my hold to the floor in defeat, "I know what's been happening. I am not totally ignoring them," I muttered.

"Well, then act like a man. Be an Alpha, and not chicken out to some girl who brings trouble wherever she goes," he said, walking towards the door.

"Just pray they don't find out you have her here with us or else..." He paused. "Once she's awake, make sure she's out of here. I will keep watch in the meantime." He grunted.

"Thanks, man," I said but he was already out the door.

I sighed, my throat tensing as I slowly darted my gaze back to her. Her face was pale, her lips without color. She passed out due to her defiant way of making some insanely drastic decisions.

She was never like this. Always calm and sweet. But I guess some situations you find yourself in could also influence the way you think and make decisions.

Not like I was complaining, I totally like this new side. But now she's in bed like an egg that might crack if I looked away.

It hurts watching her like this.

My hand moved to her face then I quietly tucked the stray strand of her red hair behind her ear. Then I noticed something I didn't see earlier.

It was a butterfly tattoo behind her ear. Two of them. One was slightly bigger than the other. It looked beautiful on her skin.

I didn't realize when my lips curved up a little bit.

"What kind of person would choose butterflies for a tattoo?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "I guess it's only you, Jhelani. You can try to be tough as much as you want, but there's just one Jhelani that I can recall. And that's your sweet side," I whispered, my finger tracing the shape of her face, memorizing it.

She stirred, and I immediately seized my hand to my side. She's waking up.

"Why does the world hate me, Mom? No. Everyone does. Where have you been? When would you be back home. I miss you a lot, Mom. No one wants me here," she kept muttering, turning to the other side of the bed and backing me.

My hand balled into a fist, not knowing what to do. Then it moved to pat her head, soothing all the down to her back. I repeated the process until her mutters mumbled out, and there was this silence between us.

"You're going to be just fine," I whispered quietly as if she could hear me. But she was passed out, still trapped in her Dreamworld. I got off the edge of the bed, taking the bowl and towel out to get a new bowl of hot water.

By the time I returned, the duvet was off her again, her fragile body curled tight into a ball, shivering.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath as I dropped the bowl on the table. In two strides, I was by her side, pulling the covers back over her, but it wasn’t enough. She was still trembling.

I hovered, watching her lashes flutter slightly against her pale cheeks, her lips parted just barely as she breathed unevenly. My chest tightened at the sight.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn, Jhelani,” I whispered, brushing my knuckles gently along her jawline. The coldness of her skin made my pulse hitch. Without thinking, I slipped beneath the duvet, pulling her small frame against me.

The instant my arms wrapped around her, I felt the chill radiating off her sink into me, and my wolf purred. He was finally happy after so long.

I held her tighter, my palm spreading over the curve of her back as if I could press the warmth of my body into hers. Hopefully, my warmth would be enough to keep her off the cold she's feeling.

Her soft hair tickled against my chin, strands brushing my lips. She smelled faintly of chocolates and vanilla. Like chaos wrapped in sweetness.

“You don’t have to fight everything alone,” I breathed into her hair, closing my eyes. “Not with me here.”

Her breathing evened a little, the shivers slowing down as she unconsciously nuzzled closer, tucking her face into my chest like it was where she belonged.

The sound of her faint sigh nearly made something in me flicker on. I lowered my head, my lips hovering over her temple, not daring to touch, yet aching to.

I stayed like that, listening to her small, fragile breaths against my heartbeat, my fingers drawing idle circles on her arm. Every part of me wanted to believe she could feel this, even in her sleep. That she could feel me choosing her despite the storm that's to come.

The thought alone was dangerous. My chest tightened. I wasn’t supposed to want her. Not like this. Not when every signal screamed that keeping her close meant dragging trouble straight into our home. Into the Pack.

And yet, here I was choosing to hold her anyway. Maybe holding her for a while wouldn't mean or make me selfish, right?

She's been away for so many years, my wolf getting starved from what he so desperately needed. His mate.

“Sleep, Jhelani,” I whispered against her hair. “I’ll fight off the world if I have to, but just… stay here for now.”

Her shivers finally stilled, her breathing syncing with mine until it felt like we shared the same rhythm. I held her closer, knowing I shouldn’t, but unable to let go.

My eyes slowly shut down, enjoying the priceless peace that comes with having her in my arms.

Just when I was almost drifting, I felt her move in my arms then the door was suddenly swung open.

"Kian, get her out of here. Now."