Isla

Under the watchful eye of the second guard, I get to work. It takes almost forty minutes for me to draw most of the poison from her system then I start mixing the tonic to help neutralize its effects.

The final step is channeling my energy into her to help repair some of the more severe damage, which I’ve just finished with when the alpha and guard walk back in.

“The luna looks…better.” The guard by the alpha’s side comments with a soft smile and a hopeful look in his eyes.

“I healed what I could, but once she comes around, we can better assess any possible long-term effects. I would highly recommend that you not allow the luna to be given anything to eat or drink that you haven’t prepared yourself, at least until you find the one responsible for this.” Normally, I would be less inclined to speak so freely in the presence of an alpha, but these wolves are in my space and asked for my help, so that’s what I’m giving them.

“Do you know what the poison is?” When I pulled the poison from her, I syphoned it into a jar in case he asked this very question, but there’s no way I couldn’t figure out what it was just from the smell alone.

“Aconite and arsenic. The effects of the aconite should start to fade relatively quickly once her exposure to it has been cut off, it was actually such a low dose that a blood test likely wouldn’t have detected it, but it was mixed with the arsenic, or maybe delivered after she had been exposed to the arsenic, so it worked to keep her wolf too weak to heal her while the arsenic weakened her human body.

“Honestly, it’s the possible effects of the long-term exposure to the arsenic that I’m most concerned with. I’ll make you a tea that can be given to her twice per day to help her regain her strength so her wolf can have a chance at healing some of the damage the poison has done.” I don’t wait for a response before grabbing the jars off the bed and heading to the kitchen to prepare the tea for them to take with them.

“Thank you for helping her.” I glance over my shoulder and am somewhat surprised to see the alpha standing there.

“You’re welcome. Were your pack’s healers truly unable to treat her?” I know wolf healers are more limited in their ability to treat such things, but I would think they should’ve, at the very least, been able to scent the poison in her system. Hell, what do I know? It’s not like I had much contact with the healers in my old pack, so maybe my assumptions are way off base.

“They tried, but were unsuccessful. How long have you been on your own out here?” I don’t need to ask how he knows since he obviously can smell only my scent here.

“Almost a year now.” I seal up the jar with the tea mixture then turn and hand it to him.

“Do you prefer solitude? That’s highly unusual for a wolf.” He’s not wrong. Wolves are social creatures, but my wolf just so happens to agree that solitude is better than the life I had before exile and it’s better than the rejection and hatred we found from other packs.

“Solitude sure beats being hated for your genetics. Being exiled for being a half-breed was, quite honestly, the best thing that ever happened to me, but it came with a unique set of challenges…like no other pack wanting anything to do with me for being an exiled mix-breed.” He seems surprised, but only slightly.

“You were…exiled…for your DNA?” It’s like his brain can’t grasp the fact that such a thing would be possible, but as an alpha, he surely must realize that there are still many purist packs out there…too many.

“Yeah, but it’s okay. The entire pack was pretty awful to be around. At least out here, I have freedom and can live my life without constant judgement and hatred from others. My life in the pack was nothing short of a prison sentence.” I shrug and flash him a half-smile.

“What pack were you from?” I could refuse to answer, not allow this conversation to continue, but for some reason, I want others to know of the cruel treatment that not only I received, but that so many others receive too.

The fact that so many beings are still punished and mistreated for their genetic background, something they have absolutely no control over, it’s pretty appalling.

“Black Claw.” His eyes narrow and his brow furrows, but his eyes seem almost distant.

“You were exiled from Black Claw? And you said this was a year ago?” I nod slowly, trying to figure out why his tone suggests there’s some significance to his questions and I notice the strange look he tosses in the luna’s direction before returning his gaze to mine.

“Alpha Eros, he’s the one who exiled you, correct?” A soft growl escapes me at the mention of the bastard’s name, which likely gave him his answer, but I vocalize it anyway.

“Yes. I’m a half-breed who, at the time of my exile after my eighteenth birthday, hadn’t been able to shift. They assumed I was without a wolf, but even if I had shifted, the outcome for me would’ve been the same.

“Eros refused to risk me finding out that my mate was a member of his pack. Can’t have me diluting the gene pool with my impure breeding after all.” I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest to hide the way my hands are shaking with anger.

“You never considered finding another pack?” His tone isn’t judgmental, just curious and it eases my anger some.

“Well, I tried to, but it seems Black Claw wasn’t the only pack uninterested in having a half-breed in their pack. I mean, I was exiled by my pack and I’m not a full shifter, so it makes sense that the chances of finding a pack who would want to let someone like me join them were pretty slim.” It’s something I haven’t thought much about since I found this cabin, but my first few days on my own, I definitely thought about it and I definitely wanted to return to pack life rather than live alone.

“What if I told you that we would be happy to have you join ours?” My mind stalls for a second as I try to figure out if he’s telling the truth, but his tone and his eyes show nothing but sincerity.

“I don’t know. Just because you welcome me, that doesn’t mean the pack would.” I can tell he has to be older, I would guess him to be around his late forties or early fifties.

With his age, he should understand that a pack may obey their alpha, but that doesn’t mean they’ll agree with all of his choices. Living in a pack where the members hate me won’t be made better just because the alpha accepts me.

“Our pack is not like Black Claw. We judge each person based on character, not breeding. I assure you, they would welcome you and you would be far from being the only half-breed in the pack. Take some time to think about it. The offer will stand if you should decide to give it a try.” He offers me a small smile to go with his huge offer then turns and heads back into the room to sit with his mate while I’m left to consider this unexpected turn of events.

The alpha, luna and their guards left two days ago and I won’t lie, his offer has been playing over and over again in my mind. There are many benefits to joining a pack if you’re a wolf, or even part wolf. There’s security, stability and, the most important to a wolf, there’s community.

Unfortunately, there are drawbacks for people like me who were mistreated and cast out by their pack. While most wolves in a pack feel a connection to their pack and all of its members, I was only ever shown reasons to not trust or rely on them and I never felt a connection to anyone. Still, the alpha’s offer plagues me.

I’ve been so wrapped up in weighing my options that I hadn’t even realized that my little harvesting trip this morning led me straight to the stream that runs along the pack’s border. It’s like my body is drawn to it while my mind is trying to detail every single reason I shouldn’t accept the alpha’s offer.

Even my wolf feels torn on what to do and let me tell you, having two entities in a single vessel when they both are confused as hell…it sucks.

“Hey, how’ve you been?” I look up and find the familiar guard watching me with a wide smile on his face while the other two watch me with some kind of newfound curiosity.

“Um, good, I guess? How’s the luna?” His smile widens as he takes a step closer to the border.

“She’s doing great, thanks to you. I know you’re still not sure about the alpha’s offer, but he asked me to keep an eye out for you and invite you to the pack barbeque tomorrow if I should happen to see you.” This invitation seems strange to me because, well, I’m not like them.

The minute I was exiled, I was officially considered a rogue and packs don’t just invite rogues onto their territory. Knowing this, I can’t help feeling uneasy about the whole thing.

“Oh…Um…I don’t know…” I’m trying to find a way to respectfully decline his offer, unwilling to insult the alpha, but then he cuts me off, likely sensing the attempt at rejection.

“The entire pack knows what you did for us and most of them are pretty eager to meet the wolf who saved their luna. We would all be honored to have you come and share a meal with us.” Ugh! This is a bad idea…a really awful, terrible, bad idea! I open my mouth to decline the offer, I swear I’m going to decline it, but then…

“Okay.” What…the…hell?!

“Okay? Really?! Perfect! If you meet me here this time tomorrow, I’ll personally escort you to the packhouse!” He seems genuinely…happy? Come to think of it, all three of them look rather happy with the fact that I accepted the alpha’s offer to eat with them.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I don’t give myself a chance to make this awkward, or more awkward than it already feels. I give a small smile before turning and sprinting across the stream, not stopping until I’m back in the safety and comfort of my cabin.