We exited the vehicle and I began walking to the front door, thinking that Kieran was next to me. Only, as he called out to me, I realised he was still at the car.“Come here for a second,” he said, crooking his finger for me to return.I did as he asked and he stood in front of me, a smirk on his lips.“I hope you don’t find this too weird,” he said, and I merely raised a brow in question.He then gently grabbed my hand and placed it across my chest. “It won’t be a very formal setting but you’re still going to meet my father. It means I need to teach you this. It’s the same thing that Daniel did. You place your hand here and bow your head a little. It’s a sign of respect for those ranked above you, as well as those amongst allied packs.”Oh, I did remember the gesture. Though I hadn’t known what to do at the time and just stood there. Was I meant to have done it back? Was I considered “allied” despite not being from a pack?“Like this?” I asked.And I mimicked what I’d seen.But it i

“Please sit down on the bed over there,” said the doctor, pointing in the direction. She was an older lady and quite pretty for her age, her most notable feature being her gentle eyes. She had introduced herself as Doctor Melissa Chambers. “Kieran, did you want to sit in the chair?” she asked without looking. A question met with a second of awkward silence between the two of us. We hadn’t discussed him being in the room whilst I was examined. I’d just assumed that, like human doctors, they normally were more of a private thing unless the person was a spouse or relative. But before any of us could talk, the doctor quickly shook her head. “Oh, right, I forgot… I suppose just wait outside then.” “No… hang on,” I said, hesitating. “Kieran should probably be here. You know… in case I don’t understand parts of what you tell me. I may need him to help explain later….” I then turned to look at him. “If that’s okay with you?” He nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Whatever is most comfortabl

“What are you doing back here?” Kieran asked. “Did you get lost?”I took a small breath and tried to think on my words, but there wasn’t really any way around this. It was pretty obvious what I was doing.“Your uh… Your uncle asked for a drink,” I said, holding it up a little to show him. “I was looking for the kitchen.”“And he asked you to get it for him?”“…Yes.”Silence.I tapped my nails against the glass in my hand as I awkwardly stood there, unsure if I was about to get another lecture about something I was never told about. A reoccurring situation that was becoming more frustrating.“Raven… that’s not your job. Especially not as my… guest. We have attendants to help with that which he should already know.”“Ok… but *I* didn’t know that and you weren’t there,” I snapped back. “I was trying to be polite. In a human city, it’s not that uncommon for someone to ask this. Especially for people who are important.”Countless times in my life had I fetched influential men drinks in ord

I awoke to the feeling of Kieran’s finger lightly tracing a pattern on my back.It was delicate, and yet I could feel the sparks follow wherever he touched, leaving a trail of warmth behind as he moved. It felt so nice that I could have easily fallen back to sleep again right then and there.“Good morning,” he said quietly behind me. My change in breathing must have given me away.But it was certainly a good morning, indeed. A very, very good morning. My body ached in all the right ways, the night’s exercise being a workout that scratched every itch imaginable. I was exhausted… yet so energised at the same time.“…’Morning,” I mumbled.I took a deep breath in and stretched my body out, feeling the full extent of my aches. However, unbeknownst to me, this was apparently an unspoken cue… because Kieran immediately moved in closer to encircle my body, holding me as we laid on our sides. And I turned my head to look up at him, meeting those hazel eyes.At some point last night, we had mad

Over two weeks had gone by since I first came to the Ashwood pack.And things were going… pretty good, to be honest.There hadn’t been any major incidents since my arrival and, though there were certainly still a lot of adjustments yet to be made, I was settling in quite nicely. I was learning more every day and even had a routine now. Sort of.Most of my mornings were spent reading or exploring; though the latter entailed an escort after what happened in the town square. I’d also found a library inside the packhouse that helped educate me a little more, albeit there were still a lot of gaps in my knowledge. But I was getting better. Slowly. And I was getting healthier too. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d felt a wave of real nausea. My head was finally starting to feel… clear.And as for Kieran…? Well… things between us couldn’t be better. Every day we had grown closer, discovering new things about the other. And when we weren’t shacked up in bed, we were usually o