Chapter 13
Thane stands up and reaches his hand out for me. “When Aramana is back Ronan and I will help you with shifting and acclimating. Ronan is my wolf, and he is eager to meet yours.” The thought puts a smile on my face, but I quickly lose it. I don’t want to get too hopeful to quick. Hope is a luxury I haven’t been able to indulge in and I am not sure I should start now. My thoughts are all over the place and giving me whiplash at this point. I look at his outstretched hand and back up to him, still holding his dimpled grin. I take his hand and he proceeds to walk me from the room. “Goodbye Eric. I will keep you in the loop.” And with that he heads me down the hallway. “The pack house is just a short drive from here. I have your room ready with everything you may need. I have some clothes for you as well so you won’t have to keep the clinic sweats on, but if you are comfortable in them, please do.” He explains all of this to me, but I suddenly freeze as he is opening the door. It has been 10 years since I have been outside. 10 years since I have smelled fresh air, or seen the sky, clouds, or stars for that matter. I am scared to take these steps out of the building. Scared that I will gain this luxury only to have it stolen from me. Scared of the unknown.
Thane must realize my inner turmoil, because he starts rubbing my arm up and down in a calming manner. “Have you been outside of that dungeon at all Ayla?” He quietly questions as I turn to him with tears in my eyes and nod my head “no.” A sudden growl emanates from him and he curses under his breath. “I am sorry for my reaction. My wolf and I are just mad on your behalf little wolf. What happened to you is horrible, and I know this is a big step for you, but you are stronger than you know. You can do this.” He outstretches his hand to me again as I hover my foot over the entryway. I take a deep breath in and put my foot over the threshold. One foot outside and then another. I did it. I am standing outside. I can hear the birds, feel the breeze, smell the air. I turn my face up towards the sky and I smile. The sky is beautiful and the sun feels amazing on my skin. I have missed this so much. I look up at him, craning my neck back since there is over a foot of height difference between us, and he is smiling at me. His eyes radiantly green in the sun. “I am really happy for you to have this moment little wolf. Nobody will take this from you again.” He brings my hand up to his mouth and places a kiss on my knuckles. I quickly look down as I feel my face heat up. Thane chuckles to himself and leads me to his SUV. He opens the door for me to climb in and seat belts me into place. I am shocked that an alpha can be so gentle. Especially one as big and muscular as Thane. Nothing about him screams gentle. Well, maybe his dimpled, boyish smile.
The drive to the pack house was short. Soon, we pull up to a large complex. “This is the pack house. All unmated shifters can live here and our mated shifters and their families live within the town we have. There are seven floors with single and multi–bedroom apartments.” Thane pulls up and gets out of the SUV. He quickly opens my door for me, beating another shifter to the door. “It’s alright Michael. You can park the car, but Ayla here will be more comfortable with me getting her settled in at the moment. Ayla, this is Michael, he takes care of the running of things for me at the pack house.” “Hello Ayla, it is nice to meet you. I’m like the house manager, so if there is something you are needing for your rooms and you don’t have it, please let me know. I have a team to keep things here running smoothly.” I look down at his outstretched hand and back up to him. He is pleasant, but I don’t know him or trust him. Actually, the only shifter I currently trust is Thane. When did that happen and is that wise? He quickly takes his hand back sensing that I am not comfortable shaking it and reaches into the back of his pants and produces a pad and paper. “I almost forgot alpha; I have this ready for you.” “Thank you, Michael.” Thane takes the pad of paper and pencil, handing it to me. I am shocked that he took the time to talk with his staff and more so that they have this ready for me. I give Michael a quick smile and walk with Thane into the pack house. My heart is racing, but I notice as we walk into the building that it is quiet. I don’t see a single shifter around.
“I asked everyone to make themselves scarce down here to not overwhelm you when we arrived.” 1 look up into his eyes and give him a genuine smile. His thoughtfulness surprises me. It is like he knows my fears and is ready with answers. I know that crowd of shifters has me relaxing. We enter the elevator and arrive on the seventh floor. “This whole floor is extra rooms for guests. My room is the last one
I will have to see others, but not running straight into a on the night and yours is here. I have a small apartment and your room and mine share a door. It was once a larger three–bedroom apartment, but I don’t need that much space. Don’t worry there is a lock on the door and there is a lock on your own door, but just know that if you need me, you can use the door, knock on it, anything you need to do. You can keep it locked on your side, but I will keep my side unlocked for you.” I contemplate what he is telling me about a shared door, not really having the time to think about it and how I feel about it before there is a large, firm hand placed on my lower back and I am escorted into what is now my room.
