Chapter 7 Chapter 7 "This is not the way I envisioned my evening going," Kent said with a sigh, walking back over to the window he had been looking out. "Yeah, I get that." Riley walked over to the window as well to look out. The sun was gone and the grounds below the back packhouse were barely visible in the light of a half-moon. "What's out there?" she asked, motioning to the grounds below. "You can barely see it, but there's a long building running off the far side of the building." He pointed in the direction. "That's the warriors' barracks. All the unmated warriors live there." He pointed towards the shadowy outline of a building towards the back of the grounds. "That is our own warrior training center and academy. We've tried our best to structure our own warrior training to match the National Werewolf Academy so our warriors who don't get into the academy still get similar training. The ground in the middle that you can't really see is our outdoor training area. There is a track and outdoor sparring area." "Where's your school and hospital?" "Towards the center of town. They're better protected there." She nodded. "Smart. Always keep your most vulnerable in the most secure spot." Kent sipped his bourbon, staring out the window in silence for a moment before he turned towards her. "I know this isn't what you want," he said softly, "being mated to me. But I hope you know that I don't mean any harm to you." Riley looked up into his eyes, a deep blue like the sea, and suddenly felt a wave of heat come over her. His smell was overpowering and she suddenly realized how close they were standing. "I-I know that," she stammered, backing up from him. She turned quickly, intending to cross the room to create space but she didn't see the small footstool set next to one of the bookcases. Her toe caught the leg of the stool and she fell hard on the wood floor, her tumbler shattering as it smashed into the ground. "s**t," Riley cried, her palm stinging sharply. "Are you ok?" Kent said, hurrying towards her. She lifted right hand to see a jagged piece of glass sticking out of her palm. She went to remove it when Kent knelt down beside her. "Don't," he said, reaching to grab her hand. She jerked away from him, scooting backwards on the floor. His eyes widened in surprise but Riley was too overwhelmed to explain that she didn't want him to touch her. She didn't want to feel the tingles that happened when mates touched. It felt like too much right now. "You'll bleed everywhere," he said calmly, looking at her. "Don't pull it out yet. Let me get a towel." She nodded and he stood, moving to his liquor cabinet and taking out a small hand towel that was hanging inside the door. She stood as he walked back over, but as he got close, she backed up, her back hitting the wall behind her. He froze, raising his brow slightly. He put the towel over his shoulder and raised both hands in front of him, 1/4 "I just want to get the glass out. I Wont 88 though he were talking to a scared animal. Which, she supposed, she was acting like. He took a tentative step towards her and held out his hand waiting for her to extend her own. It was throbbing in pain and she knew the glass needed to come out so it could start to heal. Reluctantly she held her arm out and he gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist, bringing it close to him to look at. She gasped as the sparks shot up her arm, but Kent acted like he didn't notice. He carefully pulled the shard of glass from her palm, letting it drop to the floor as blood began to seep up from the cut. He grabbed the small towel from his shoulder and wrapped it tightly around her hand. "How quickly do you heal? This might need stitches." His voice was still soft as he applied pressure to her hand. Werewolves healed faster than normal compared to humans and other supernatural beings. "I heal about average for a warrior." She looked up to see a line between his eyes as his face creased in concern. She felt an urge to smooth it with her thumb. Suddenly Rose howled mournfully in her head. A deep ache pierced her chest and she suddenly doubled over, pulling her hand from his grasp. Inexplicably she saw Paul in her mind, his blonde hair blowing in the wind outside of their house. He was smiling, that smile that made her heart stop the first time she saw it. She could almost smell him, blueberries and fresh cut grass and all the things that made her think of summer. She felt hot tears start to pool in her eyes as the pain in her chest sharpened, almost like being rejected again. "Riley?" Kent sounded surprised as he came towards her. She grasped at her chest with her good hand, Rose's howls echoing in her mind. She felt Kent wrap his arms around her and pull her upright against his chest. She buried her nose in his shirt and inhaled deeply, the smell of sandalwood and pine suddenly calming her. Rose's howls trailed off and the aching in her chest relaxed. "Riley?" Kent put his hand under her chin, lifting her face to his. "Why are you crying?" He moved his hand from under her chin to gently wipe the tears off her cheeks. "I don't know," she whispered. "It was just like all those old memories and all that old pain came back." He pursed his lips. "I guess we're not as healed as we like to pretend." His voice, barely above a whisper, cracked on the last word. She met his stormy eyes and saw the tears swimming there. He took a deep breath, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes, wrapping her good hand around the back of his neck as he pulled her closer. "Kent - oh s**t - sorry." Max came quickly through the door but backed out just as quickly when he saw them, slamming the door shut behind him. Kent and Riley immediately separated but he was already gone. Kent frowned. "Well, shit." He motioned to her hand. "Can I see it again? I'll get Max to bring a first aid kit to patch you up." She held her hand out and he gently unwrapped the towel, examining the cut. "It's already starting to heal," he said softly. "I don't think this will need stitches after all. I'm going to mindlink Max." His eyes glazed over as he mindlinked his beta. A few moments later the door opened again and Max entered, carrying a small red first aid bag. He looked 2/4 < Chapter 7 +15 Points > between the two of them nervously. Kent motioned for Riley to sit on the couch and Max knelt in front of her, carefully unwrapping the towel. He gently cleaned the cut and wrapped gauze around it. "It's not bad," he said as he was finishing up. "It should heal by the morning. Were you guys fighting it out?" He gave her a wry smile. "I broke a glass," Riley muttered. "Over his head, I hope," Max quipped as he started to pack up the first aid kit. "Might knock some sense into him." "Do you have a room set up for Riley?" Kent shot an annoyed look at his beta. Max frowned. "Ok, here's the thing. The third floor is full and all the guest rooms in the gamma and beta wings are full as well. I only have two options available. There is an empty room in the warrior barracks, but there are also several free guest rooms here on this floor, in the alpha wing." "She'll take a room up here," Kent said at the exact same moment that Riley said, "I'll take the room in the barracks." Kent turned to Riley. "You'll room up here. It's more suitable for a guest than in the barracks." Riley stood up, narrowing her eyes at Kent. "I'd prefer to room with the warriors as I am a warrior." She didn't add that she wanted to room as far from as she possibly could. "The barracks are for unmated warriors," Kent countered. "Not for guests of the Werewolf Council." "Since I am the one who will sleep in there, I will decide which room I stay in," she snapped. "You are not staying in the barracks around a bunch of unmated male wolves!" Kent roared. "I'll stay wherever the hell I want!" she yelled back. "Might I make a suggestion?" Max said, interrupting them. He had been watching the exchange much like one would watch a tennis match. Kent motioned for him to speak. "If you both want to work together for the safety of this pack, doing things to enrage each other seems like a bad idea. I think you both need to take a breath and calm down and talk about things rationally. And maybe try not to yell." Riley pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can stay where I want." "True," Max said, "and neither of us -" he gave a pointed look at Kent "-is disagreeing with that. But maybe try to think about it from his perspective. Like it or not, you two are mates and it is natural for a mated male wolf to not want his mate sleeping around a bunch of unmated males." "I am an adult," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to sleep with any of the warriors if I stay there." "Again, true," Max said, "but what if the roles were reversed? What if Kent chose to go sleep around a bunch of unmated she-wolves?" Riley bit her lip as she glared at Max, not sure how to respond. She didn't want to admit that just the idea of that made her blood boil in a way that she couldn't even comprehend. "So now where do you want to stay?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. "Back at my apartment sounds pretty good," she muttered. "So the alpha guest room then?" Kent said. 3/4 Chapter 7 She glared at him. "Fine." +15 Points) "Good." Max nodded. "With that all resolved, I will move your suitcase to the room at the end of the hall. The alpha can show you the way." With that he grabbed the first aid kit and left the room. She stared at the closed door for a moment. "How did that happen?" Kent shrugged. "That's Max. He's a good beta because he's good at getting people to see things they don't want to. He's very good at diplomacy." She looked at Kent. "Yeah, I can see that." "Well," Kent said, motioning to the door, "shall I show you to your room?" She nodded and followed him out the door and down the hallway. They passed the sitting room she saw earlier and finally stopped at the last door on the right side of the hall. He pushed open the door to a large room with a king sized bed. The bed was covered in a dark blue plush bedspread. The walls were painted a light sky blue. There were arched windows on either side of the bed and a small desk and sitting area to the right. There was a closet and ensuite bathroom to the left. "I'll leave you to get some rest," Kent said. "My bedroom is at the opposite end of the hallway if you need anything. Breakfast is served between six and eight so I suggest getting down there by seven before all the good stuff is gone. I'll gladly take you to the dining room tomorrow so you know how to find it." "Thanks. I'd appreciate that." Riley took a step into the room, looking around. She spotted her suitcase and bag by the closet. "Are you sure you're not hungry?" Kent leaned against the door frame as he watched her. "I can have someone bring something up for you." "I'm sure," she said, giving him a small smile. "But I appreciate the concern." He watched her for a moment before nodding. "Ok then. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Riley." "Goodnight, Kent."