Chapter 67: Chapter 66

The ritual performed changed me from the inside out, it was as if I had room enough inside of my body to breathe again. There was a deep expanse inside of my ribcage and it was as if Reily and I being binded together had taken up parts of my body I had no awareness of.

Laying awake as I stared up at my bedroom ceiling the first person who popped into my now spacious mind was Archer. The gentle roll of his tongue when he bruised my lips with his breath taking kisses aroused me as my body tingled in excitement. Lustful feelings of Archer were common place in the last few days and hard for me to shake. I even enjoyed fighting with him, it thickened the tension between us and left me wanting to rip his clothes off his body. This was a different feeling to when we were in Cianwood. I liked him then and making love to him was more than good, not that I had many experiences to compare it too, but without the bond of Reily in the way it felt as if my body was on fire for him.

My Lycan confused matters, and the advice given before was now on the upturn of the wheel of fortune. My Lycan approved. I flipped over on my side stretching out a little and then drawing my body back into me. I’d become accustomed to sleeping on a tiny cot of a bed with a lumpy mattress and fast forward to now I had a spacious bedroom with a queen size mattress that cushioned my back and wrapped around me. The best sleep of my life if anybody asked. I found myself floating to a dream of having Archer waking up beside me like in Cianwood stroking my face and calling me beautiful.

Hot flushes of desire were running through my body and it was getting harder to resist him. He wouldn’t let up in trying to talk to me, but fears were flaring up for a number of reasons. One of them being the attack that had been pronounced as being on the horizon. What communications was he having now with Sigmund and when was an attack due? It’s not something we’d talked about as I wanted nothing to do with him. My stubbornness overtook me in the moment and if I’d not been so hurt I would have asked more detailed questions about Sigmund and his plans.

I understood where Clive was conflicted with his own brother when Dane put him in the middle of a triangle because now I was in the middle of one. If I told Grant about Archer it would be a second round of hell on Mount Hunter. No more blood needed to be spilled and I didn’t want to be responsible for it. Mumbling to myself as the feelings hit me in waves I gave in and got up to shower and head over to the barracks. I had a new batch of potions and tinctures to make that I was excited about. I’d found recipes which I’d scribbled down in a little notebook when I was a kid and written them down.

“Now Vera don’t put to much of the stringy bark in this recipe as it congeals and over powers the burdock root. The two of them don’t mix well in the wrong doses.” Smiling at the sweet melody of my mother’s voice I stepped out of the shower. Facing the music with Archer was the right thing to do. Despite our arguments and my snarly attitude to him I found myself wanting to impress him physically. I blow dried my long dark hair that was now way past my shoulder blades and wrapped it up high in a sleek ponytail adding coconut oil. I lathered my body down in moisturizer feeling good about myself as I looked back at the woman I’d become. No make up, just a little bit of gloss. There were still some habits left over from my time as the old Vera as I scoffed down breakfast quickly before trekking over to the barracks.

Instead of feeling awful about the tasks I had to do for the day I bounced into the barracks. The first thing I had to do was prepare the elderberry juice and put it in the fridge. I’d collected enough berries to make at least a few pitchers worth of it. With the leftover skin I planned to mix it together with other herbs for a healing salve. As I arrived early the wolves lived on site at the barracks were still asleep. I could hear their light snores, similar to the same snores I tolerated when I was sleeping in the attic. I slipped past their closed rooms and into the medical hall, where I’d left my basket.

Sighing with some level of contentment I removed the elderberries one by one placing them in a large stainless steel bowl. I got into a rhythm with the task and didn’t see Archer standing in the doorframe. “Hello.”

The next berry was one I squeezed a little too hard and elderberry juice squirted onto my face.

“Pfft!” The juice hit my lip and I licked it off as Archer chuckled a little. “You are even cuter with elderberry juice on you. Good morning Vera.”

“You got me. Juiced and everything, my fingers look like I’ve been playing around in ink. I held them up threatening Archer with them. I wanted to still act as if I was mad, but the truth was I’d grown tired of being upset with him.

Archer came in closer to me asking silently with his movements if it was safe to join me. His hand grabbed the base of my wrist. “I think you look good with your purple fingers. It’s nice to see you doing something you love to do. Are you going to claw my eyes out now, or can we talk a little bit.”

“Can I trust you Archer? You lied to me, and you had so many chances to tell me the truth. You of all people know how trouble and pain I’ve gone through here.” Quietly I told him how I felt as I rinsed the sweet juice off my fingers. Archer’s wolf scent woven in with fresh soap excited me and quelling the sneaking urge to hug him was difficult. I wanted him close to me, but I had to get off my chest what I had to say.

“Yes. I swear you can.” Archer put his hand on his heart with earnest. “I have a weird relationship with my father and I’ve let it go too far. It’s hampered my relationship with you, but you had this way of curling around my heart and not letting go. Not much I could do about it.” Archer’s heartwarming smile left me with no choice but to melt.

“Unfortunately, it’s kinda the same for me too.” I muttered it as low as I could not sure I wanted him to hear it, but he did. He took a finger under my chin and lifted it up so as to him in his eyes.

“I could drown in those emerald depths I swear. Tell me what to do Vera, and I’ll do it to make it up to you. I’m the one who’s made the mistake. I’m waiting for you to deliver the ultimatum.”

“You must have read my mind because there is one, and it’s big so think carefully. It’s either me or Beartown and your father. You have to choose and no in between.” I gulped down any hesitation I had and spoke clearly. “I would hate to have to meet you on the battlefield.”

Archer licked his lips blinking profusely. “It’s you. No question. We do have to act quickly though Sigmund is not a man to wait long. I’ve held him off for as long as I could making up excuses and claiming not to be ready. He’s calling and you have to get to safety Vera because it’s your Lycan that he wants.”

“He’s coming here already? Are you sure?” I wanted to believe anything but. I had herbal remedies and course preparations to run for the wolves and hated my schedule was being interrupted.

“Yes, I’m sure. I will do everything I can to keep you and the pack safe, but I warn you he’s coming. He won’t wait much longer.” Archer held his head down as he rested it against my temple sliding one around my waist.

“I wish I could rest. I really do, but there’s no rest for wicked wolves right?” I grinned up at him as I looked at the mulberry colored liquid in my bowl.

“No, I guess not. Sorry Vera.” Archer lifted his lips slightly and kissed the side of my face as volts of electrical impulses flooded my system. There was no turning off my feelings for Archer despite the predicament he’d placed the pack and me in. My heart had taken over my head and it was what I led with.

“Sorry will have to do, but I’m still mad at you.” Carefully, I regarded his slouched shoulders. I’d given him a hard enough time as it was when inside my marsh mellow heart wanted to being soft and gooey for him, but a little more pushing wouldn’t hurt given the circumstances. Wolves were starting to stir and I was pretty sure I saw Gina’s curly mane of hair walking past to the mess hall. Her and Reily appeared to have rekindled their reunion, but I wanted distance from her. If we didn’t have to cross paths that would be fine by me. Letting my gaze drop back to Archer I found him smirking in a light way that made him irresistible.

He closed in on me, placing his wiry arms around my waist resting them on the top of my butt. Instantly I snaked mine around his neck and laid my head on his chest. Our connection kept getting stronger and stronger.

“I know. It’s my fault, but Sigmund has worked to get to you ever since I was a kid. That’s the one thing Dane was right about. His hunches about Beartown were correct and he’s been plotting and setting up strategies to defeat the Mount Hunter pack. Almost like a mutiny, where he can merge the packs and become the ruler. The main center is around you though due to your Lycan roots.”

“My Lycan has a lot of weight to it, my mother told me when I was young that I was special and I had no idea what she meant.” There wouldn’t be a day I didn’t miss her.

“Lycan or not, Vera, I would still want to be with you. I like your human and your wolf. All of you is pretty great to me.”

“I like you too Archer, good decision to pick me,” I offered with a hint of cockiness. “I have to get back to it, I want to get this wrapped up before I set up the agility track in the forest.”

Archer’s eyes showed a shining glow of appreciation in them. “You really love this don’t you? You have your light back now Vera.”

“Yep. I do love it. I’m happy with the duties Grant picked for me, she did well. I get a few of the elders are a bit iffy on her, but that’s just Grant with her bossy pants on.” I screwed up my nose as Archer waggled his eyebrows.

“That might wear thin with the vet wolves after a while. My stomach is growling at me with its gremlins so I’ll leave you to it. If I hear anything from my father you’ll be the first to know. We have to get ready for him.”

“I get it. I don’t want to, but I do.” Heaving out a sigh Archer left a chaste kiss on my lips and travelled out the door. Like a revolving door Gina entered with a salty look in her eye and crossed arms. She was wearing a tight body hugging suit and a sour puss pout to match. Her combat boots were on she was wearing black cargos which often the wolves wore as they were easy to get around in. Grant was the only one who liked to walk around like a professional beauty queen on base.

“Gina, how can I help you this morning?” I’d gone back to my elderberry picking and the compulsion to pick up a berry and throw it in her face was huge, but I didn’t waste my foraging efforts on her.

“Help me? You got away with fucking up Reily and now he’s got a fucking stump for a hand. You’re asking how you can help me?” She had a nerve to be upset after her and her bashing crew had crucified my life for years.

“Gina, you’re not thinking straight. I had nothing to do with that. Dane is - or was out of his mind. You would have to visit him down in his cell to see if that’s still true.”

“Shut up! I’m sick of your high and mighty attitude around here. You might have everyone else under the thumb, but you don’t have me fooled that’s for sure.” She was getting a little too close as the hair around my ears was moving with the growing decibels of her voice. Sliding my bowl to the left I studied my surroundings, the beds used patients were lined up in a row and I was working at the end bench which often the nurses worked at the get equipment and supplies ready for the wounded.

I stepped back so I could get a look at Gina as the hostility she held was palpable. I could feel her wanting to strike. My Lycan told me more.

She has come to fight. Prepare. Show me if you need to.

“There’s no high and mighty here. We have to move forward, Reily is free now and you can mate with him. I don’t know why you’re so unhappy about things.”

“You are so stupid. You’re the same as you’ve always been. Dumb and naive. You’re still a punching bag to me. Reily is licking his wounds because of you and doesn’t want to be in a relationship right now. He’s half the wolf he used to be, and it’s all to do with you. We should have killed you in the woods.” The ugly truth sunk her like quicksand as she kept railroading me.

I had just enough room to change. I didn’t answer her, I simply shifted in front of her, I showed her a glimmer of my Lycan while in partial human form. Half my face was of my wolf and the other half human. I’d been testing out my skills with Archer and found I could linger between the bridge of the two worlds for a period of time.

“I suggest you rethink your strategy.” Staying in the alternate state I shimmered back and forth as she gasped out loud and ran from the medical hall without a word.

Good. My new weapon was working well. I smiled at her early exit. No more Gina for the win.