The Shelter

UNKNOWN

She longed for home.

She was a whirlwind of confusion, sadness, and exhaustion, and all she wanted was to be back home with her family. Deep down, she knew that her family was gone, but she didn’t want to be here.

The police kept bombarding her with questions about the accident, but she had little to offer. Why couldn’t they just understand and leave her be?

She didn’t even want to talk to them, but she did, her voice barely a whisper.

They’d been on their way to a picnic, her parents, her older siblings David and Mia, and her. She’d fallen asleep in Mia’s lap.

The sound of the crash had jolted her awake. She hadn’t understood what was happening, but Mia’s bloody, lifeless face had terrified her, and she’d managed to escape the car just in time.

Or had she been carried? She felt like she’d been lifted out of the car, but there was no one there, and she couldn’t remember clearly, so she kept that part to herself.

Moments later, the car had erupted in flames, punctuated by small explosions that only heightened her fear.

She’d screamed.

Or had she?

No, she’d screamed.

In her mind, she’d screamed…

She’d tried to go back to pull Mia out, but the roaring fire had scared her off.

She’d run, trying to shield herself, but smoke had suddenly engulfed her, blinding her.

She’d tripped and fallen face-first. The smoke had made her dizzy. Eventually, she’d passed out.

When she’d come to, she’d seen two large dogs approaching.

She’d never been scared of dogs, but before she could get a good look at them, they’d morphed into two naked men.

She’d stared at them, wide-eyed, but then they’d started moving towards her, so she’d retreated and hidden behind a tree.

The smell was stronger there, but at least she couldn’t see the car as clearly.

She’d been embarrassed and scared of the men, but thinking they might be able to help, she’d emerged from her hiding spot.

Despite their strange appearance, they didn’t seem dangerous. Her dad had always told her not to talk to strangers, but she didn’t have him anymore. Or her mom.

She was alone now. The realization had hurt, but still, she’d walked.

Then the more handsome of the two boys had started acting strangely, as if he were angry at something or someone.

She didn’t like angry people, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. At least he was alive.

When the other boy had tried to talk to her, he’d transformed into a dog, no, a wolf, and attacked him. It was odd because they seemed to be friends.

Then the wolf boy had turned back into a boy and had left, but the other one, Patrick, had asked him to turn back into a wolf before introducing himself to her.

The angry boy was Max.

She’d climbed onto Max’s back, but it hadn’t been easy.

She hadn’t known that wolves could be so big and friendly. If circumstances were different, she would have been thrilled to meet them and brag about it to her kindergarten friends.

But Patrick had told her not to tell anyone… Humans don’t like wolves…

Still, she did. At least she liked these two boys.

Patrick had talked to her more, but she liked Max better. He wasn’t as angry anymore, and she felt safe lying against his warm body.

His fur was fluffy and soft under her fingers. She didn’t want to leave him, and when the police had arrived, she’d clung to him tighter, resting her head on his chest, taking deep breaths.

His heartbeat was calming her.

MAX

She was clutching my shirt tightly. I could sense her unease around the police. Her annoyance was mixing with mine, but we had to endure this.

I gently stroked her dirty-brown hair, and she immediately relaxed.

It was almost heartbreaking how effective it was, given her young age, but maybe it had nothing to do with our bond. Maybe it was all about her vulnerability right now.

They’d already questioned Patrick and me. It was straightforward, really. We’d allegedly been racing each other when we’d stumbled upon the accident.

We’d tried to comfort the little girl and then called them right away. We’d left out a few details, but for the most part, we’d been honest.

What we’d concealed didn’t change the main facts. Four people were dead. Estella’s family.

No child should have to experience something like this—losing everyone in an instant and living to tell the tale. Living to breathe their death…

Thank God the cops had removed the bodies, and they’d taken us to a nearby park for questioning. Estella was already in enough pain as it was. I could feel it.

She was desperate to leave, to go home, even though she had no home to go to.

Still, after they’d confirmed she wasn’t physically injured, they kept asking her the same questions over and over.

“She’s already told you what she remembers,” I said to them as politely as I could, but they probably picked up on my irritation anyway.

“Yes,” the cop finally agreed. “Would you be so kind as to keep her until our doctor and child services arrive?”

Estella shifted in my arms. I could almost hear her thinking that the doctor had already examined her.

I could have explained that it was a different kind of doctor and comforted her like I’d been doing for the past hour, but my blood was boiling too much to do what was expected of me.

“Child services?” I nearly growled, feeling Patrick’s hand squeeze my shoulder in warning.

“It’s the procedure until we can find a relative to take her in. So far, we haven’t found any.”

“She’ll stay with us,” I declared. “My father is a doctor, and Patrick’s family is wealthy. She’ll be well taken care of.”

“You’re not a relative, sir. It would be illegal for her to stay with you.”

Panic set in. They couldn’t take her away from me. She wouldn’t be safe anywhere else. I knew that.

“I…my family, I mean… we can take her in,” I pleaded, desperation seeping into my voice.

“Sir, that’s not how it works. We have to make sure she doesn’t have any relatives who can care for her.

“And even if she doesn’t, she’ll have to stay in child services while the adoption papers are processed. It’s a long and stressful process for everyone involved…” the cop tried to explain.

“I don’t give a fuck!” I exploded. “I’m not letting her end up in some goddamn orphanage!”

~“Max, calm down. We—”~ Patrick attempted to mind-link me, but I shut him out.

My wolf was on the edge, ready to break free. ~“Screw the human laws, let’s just take her with us,”~ he urged, and I found myself agreeing with him.

Estella was shaking in my arms, her small head buried in my neck. She was terrified of the prospect of an orphanage; I was sure of it. What kid wouldn’t be?

I just held her tighter, refusing to let her go. I was so angry and desperate that I didn’t trust myself to speak again.

“Listen, officer…” Patrick began, addressing the cop in a calm voice.

“Palmer.”

“Officer Palmer. My father is Brian Lester. He’s a respected member of society, so I think it’s safe to say that this girl is in no danger with us.”

“But…”

“I understand how the law works. My cousin Max here is a bit more aggressive because he feels protective of the child.

“I ask that you forgive him. But I believe we can work something out for Estella’s sake.”

I stared at Patrick in awe for a moment. Usually, I was the one who could charm people since I was typically the more level-headed one.

But right now, I admired my cousin, who didn’t hesitate to use his father’s name for our cause.

Sure, he could afford to be calm since it wasn’t his mate at stake, but still… he was impressive.

“Mr. Lester, we can’t just ignore the law,” the policeman said, but his voice was less stern now.

“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to do that, Officer Palmer. But I thought maybe we could bend it a little for the sake of the girl’s well-being.

“So, I suggest, instead of taking Estella straight to child services, let her stay with us while you search for her relatives.

“You can even have a specialist check on her regularly. It’s not like you won’t know where to find us.

“If you don’t find any relatives, you can take her away, and we’ll apply for adoption, just like the law requires. What do you think?”

The cop started pacing, clearly conflicted. He walked away to talk to his superiors. He’d probably never been in a situation like this before.

We heard him mention my uncle’s name. No one knew he was a werewolf, but to be successful, he had to work with humans too.

We all did to some extent, and it was fine as long as we didn’t reveal our true nature.

So, to humans, Brian Lester was a successful businessman.

I hugged Estella even tighter and whispered softly into her ear, “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”

For the first time, she looked up at me.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered.

It’s funny how a simple phrase like that can make a man’s day. I’d heard it plenty of times before, and not to brag, but it was nothing new to me.

But this time, it meant something. It came from her. I looked into her big eyes and smiled, cupping her small cheek.

She leaned into my hand, looking almost content.

“I don’t want you to leave me either,” I whispered back so quietly I wasn’t sure she could hear me.

My eyes started to sting with tears I’d been holding back since the moment I first saw her. I gently moved her head back onto my shoulder and stroked her hair.

I felt her small head move slightly, and she placed a soft kiss just below my ear. I could feel my face heating up.

I looked at Patrick and saw his surprised expression. He was barely holding back a laugh.

~“You’re blushing!”~ he mind-linked me. ~“That’s a first!”~

“Fuck off,” I snapped.

As Officer Palmer returned, Patrick didn’t have time to say anything else, which was probably for the best. I pretended not to notice my flushed cheeks.

“She can stay with you for the next three days,” he announced, and my heart soared.

Three days wasn’t a lot of time, but it was something. We could figure out a way to keep her longer.

“A…doc…sorry… specialist will be visiting twice a day to check on the girl. After the three days, she either goes to a relative or…” His voice trailed off.

I didn’t need to hear anything else.

Three days.

ESTELLA

She stayed in Max’s arms, hiding from the world.

She thought the smoke would come back to engulf her, but then she breathed in Max’s comforting scent and calmed down.

He had scared her at first. But now, she felt safe. His hand stroking her hair was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality.

The police officers let her go with Max and Patrick, and they left immediately. A car came to pick them up.

She didn’t want to get in the car. She never wanted to be in a car again, but Max promised they would be safe, and she believed him.

When the car stopped, she was surprised, but she didn’t really care to think about it. She didn’t look up. She just let him take her wherever they were going.

“Estella,” he said gently, and she finally looked up to meet his blue eyes. “We’re home.”

She looked around, but her vision was too blurry to make out her surroundings. She felt a warmth in her heart, though.

This wasn’t her home, no. But it could be a safe place, couldn’t it?