Chapter 4 At Midnight

Raina's POV

I'm still gazing at the chilly, shadowy woodland trees. There is some light mingled with darkness in the spaces between the trees. It makes you wonder what's behind it and makes you afraid to even approach it. At midnight, I remain in the same location and orientation as before. Though I'm not as frigid as I would want to be. My wolf is the one who is healing me, thus I have no control over it. No matter what, my wolf will take away whatever pain I am experiencing. They instinctively want to keep their humans safe.

I'm being gradually healed by my wolf so I won't freeze to death. Not to mention the cut I have on my neck. I've been sitting here trying to think of ways to let my wolf out for almost an hour. I have not made any progress so far. Lizzy is losing strength for reasons I cannot even begin to comprehend. Three years have passed. So why is this taking place at this particular moment? I decided to return to the pack house when it seemed that it was beyond midnight.

I had to travel about fifteen minutes to return, but once I was there, I saw fighters everywhere. Some walked about with guns, forming groups, while others guarded the pack house. What is happening? Before I saw Uncle Ethan speaking to a bunch of young soldiers and sending them to go, I asked myself this. As I jumped over to say hello, "Uncle Ethan," He let out a sigh of relief and met me halfway, but I was taken aback when he hugged me.

"Raina, where were you? You didn't have your phone, and you weren't replying over the mental connection," he said, becoming concerned. "I'm doing OK. I was only in the forest. "What's happening here?" About the fighters moving about, I inquired. "We put up a search party for you, but we had no success when I couldn't locate you and no one had gotten in touch with you since the hospital. "Raina, we were concerned about you," he continued, giving me another embrace.

"I regret doing it. I was ignorant. I needed some time to myself. Anyway, now that I'm back and not lost," I said, trying to lighten the situation with a little laugh. "Why don't you call everyone back,"

He needed a minute to call everyone back, and as soon as he did, Aunt Mariah bolted from the pack house in our direction. She gave me a firm hug once she was near enough. Yes, Aunt Mariah will always make sure you get the most out of life. "Raina, oh my god. Where were you? What took place? Have you consumed any food at all? She stated this while giving me a jaw-dropping embrace. "Not able to. Breathe," I finally managed to say, and Uncle Ethan laughed. He whispered to her, "Mariah, let her breathe," and after a little while, she did. After that, I inhaled deeply since I had not been joking about how tight her embrace was.

"I went for a run in the woods to spend some time alone myself. I apologise for worrying you; I didn't know it was time," I added, giving her a comforting smile. She gave me another embrace before we headed to the pack house, but Uncle Ethan lingered to see that all of the warriors returned safely.

I lowered my head respectfully and whispered, "Alpha Thomas, Luna Audrey, Kaden," reaching into the pack home. "Raina, are you OK?" Because I was near enough, Luna Audrey gave me the first embrace. Growing up, I was close to the Alpha family, but I don't often get to see Kaden. When we were younger, I recall that we didn't enjoy one another's company since he used to grumble that I would grow up to be the pack's enforcer and that he would demote me to an omega when he was an alpha. I never wanted to see or speak with him again after that day. I think I avoid him whenever I can and vice versa.

Even so, Alpha Thomas and Luna Audrey continued to stop by the home to see how we were doing and sometimes accompanied us to Sunday dinners. I didn't get along with Kaden, but we remained close. But once my partner rejected me three years ago, they ceased. I no longer go to such family get-togethers and meals. I occupy myself with everything I can.

"You need to eat something and go to bed. "You all ought to," Alpha Thomas said, jolting me back to the present, with Uncle Ethan standing beside Aunt Mariah and me. All the fighters must have returned home. I gave the Alpha Family a gesture of respect and headed towards my former bedroom in the Pack House. "Alright, let me take a shower. I said to Aunt Mariah, "I haven't changed these clothes since the fight," and she nodded.

Aunt Mariah replied, "I'll have something ready for you when you get out," as we arrived at my bedroom. "When did you get back?" she asked. Before she could go, I asked her. "Well, when Ethan got out of the hospital," she said. She walked out after I gave her a nod. I sighed heavily and turned to gaze around my former room. I'm relieved that this place isn't dusty or unclean considering it's been a while since I last visited. I entered the bathroom and showered for twenty minutes. I paused at the bathroom door as soon as I emerged from the restroom, wrapping a larger towel around my body and using a smaller one to dry my hair. I smelled something.

Firewood with pinecones. Strange pairing, yet it works well. Kaden was in my quarters. I can smell him everywhere in my room, so he must have gone not too long ago. Why I didn't hear him enter my room is a mystery to me. He must have brought it up for me since I saw a tray of food on my bed. I walked to my wardrobe and took out my tank top and sweat shorts. Although my hair remained damp, at least it stopped leaking. At that point, I chose to let it air dry. Returning to the restroom, I changed my bandage.

I went to my bed when I got out and placed the meal tray on my lap. It was meatballs and sauce over noodles. I chewed gently while eating one meatball. Sighing, I turned to face my door. Though all I truly wanted was for Aunt Mariah to feel better and stop worrying about me, I wasn't really hungry. I chewed on another. And chew, chew, and chew some more. I sigh once again.

This is beyond me. I'm not hungry at all.

After picking up the tray, I went downstairs. I don't have to worry about waking anybody up since the lights are off and most people are sleeping. I cleaned the dishes and tossed away the food. I switched off the pipe once I finished washing the dishes, but footsteps were coming from the stairs. However, they remained silent. Far too silent. Silently, I picked up a knife and moved toward the end of the wall that divides the kitchen and dining area. I gauge their proximity with my werewolf senses.

I observed a man figure's shadow, indicating that it was the person the moonlight revealed. My hold on the knife became more firm. I emerged from concealment and positioned the knife at the person's neck once he got near enough. He said, "Wow," and that's when I noticed the aroma. Kaden was the one. How come he's down here? After taking the knife out of his neck, I turned back to the kitchen and turned on the lights. "Oh, don't worry, you didn't hurt me," he sarcastically remarked.