Chapter 23: Helping Her

-Rogan-

When I came back Serena was trying to clean the wound on her shoulder. The bullet had gone clean through, so she had no trouble cleaning the front, but she was having some troubles with the wound on her back. I watched her for a little while, just seeing her struggle. It was clear she hadn’t noticed me yet, but soon I couldn’t just sit back and watch.

“Let me help.”

She looked over at me shocked and reached for her t-shirt, so she could cover herself. I walked over to her, placed the clean clothes on the couch, and grabbed her t-shirt before she could put it on, trying to take it away.

“You are only straining yourself. Just let me do it,” I said.

“Let go!” she said and pulled back.

I sighed, shaking my head.

“Just let me give you a hand before you hurt yourself.”

“I don’t need help from the likes of you,” she told me harshly.

“Serena!”

My voice had a clear warning, and I was surprised when she stopped fighting me. I wasn’t exactly sure why she stopped, but either she just couldn’t help listening to a command, or maybe it was true the bond affected humans too, just in a slower way.

“Just let me help. The quicker you accept, the quicker we can get it over with, and you can put your clothes on again.”

Serena sighed and finally turned her back to me. She did it with a lot of reluctance but at least she did it. I sat down behind her and grabbed the stuff I needed to clean her wound. She hissed a little because it stung, but she didn’t ask me to stop.

“Be careful if you need to take a shower,” I told her. “I don’t want you to accidentally rip your stitches.”

So far, Serena seemed to be healing just fine. There was no sign of infection, just a little red skin around her wounds, but it was still a little irritated. It was not something to be concerned about.

“Wow, I get a shower too. I am almost like your little pet,” she said.

I rolled my eyes but knew she just wanted a reaction from me. She wasn’t getting one though.

“I am showing you around today,” I told her.

“As I said,” she said. “Just like a pet.”

“Quit it,” I told her.

“Why?”

She looked over her shoulder, and our eyes locked. Fuck, it would be the perfect time to kiss her, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t even sure I could keep her as mine even if I did convince her who was the evil ones. The thing was I had still made a promise to Eric and Julianna, and it would be hard to go back on that promise.

*Our mate comes first!*

Yes, my wolf loved to remind me of that, but he didn’t really give me a solution to my problem. I did not need Eric to be my enemy. Especially not now. Us wolves had been good at reuniting together against the hunters, but it didn’t mean we were all friends. Just like the humans, we could hate people of our own kind.

*We are not getting mated to Julianna. She can’t even be compared to Serena. She is perfect!*

My wolf was already head over heels for Serena, and he was making it very hard for me to concentrate on my task which was getting her wound cleaned and taken care of. I really was rather impressed she could even get out of bed, but this hunter was a tough one.

“I’m trying to save your life.”

That made Serena almost laugh.

“No seriously,” she said.

“Seriously.”

She looked at me confused.

“If you do not change then I will have to kill you, and then I will die too. Most likely from grief,” I said.

“Well, then I will gladly sacrifice myself,” she told me.

I rolled my eyes again, so tired of this stubborn attitude of hers, but then again, I liked it too. I liked both the good and the bad about her. It was just how the bond worked.

“You would be sacrificing yourself for nothing,” I said.

“Why do you think that?” she asked.

“Because we aren’t the animals.”

“Lie.”

“Serena!” I said tiredly, but she just smiled, and I realized I had fallen into her little trap.

*That damn hunter,* I thought, as I focused on her wound again. My fingers would sometimes graze her skin a little, and fuck she felt warm. I wanted to explore her body with more than just my fingers … Clearly, I had lost my mind already.

“Are you done soon?”

I had been done for a while actually. I just didn’t want to stop touching her. I didn’t want to see her get dressed. I wanted to undress her and have a taste of what was mine.

“Yes,” I said.

Serena stood up, holding the t-shirt in front of her, as she took the clothes I had brought. Then she walked to the bathroom not saying a word. I leaned forward, folding my hands in front of me, and thinking how this day might go. Word must have spread by now to pretty much everyone. Wolves could mind-link each other, meaning we could send messages to each other over quite a lot of distance. Not to the other side of the country though, but we could reach people that were quite far away. I knew no one would welcome her. Why would they? But that only gave me more reason to try and save her, because if she could win them over, they would protect her too. Wolves were insanely loyal to their pack members and especially their alpha and luna, which she technically was now.

*We will keep her safe.*

I hoped my wolf was right, but Serena was pretty much surrounded by enemies right now. It didn’t really make our jobs that much easier.

The door to the bathroom opened again, and Serena came out in new fresh clothes and her hair a little damp. It was clear she had taken a quick shower, but probably didn’t want to place herself in a vulnerable position for long. I watched her as she came closer.

“Now what?” she asked and crossed her arms.

She knew she couldn’t do anything without me. I was kind of her jailor.

“Now we get something to eat,” I told her.

She almost seemed shocked I would give her food again.

“And then I will show you my world.”

“You really think that will change my mind?” she asked.

“Why not?”

“I don’t care if you try to make me see you as more. You will always be animals in my eyes. Killers.”

“Serena, have you ever seen us kill?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“I mean people that weren’t hunters, and that wasn’t trying to have us killed.”

She seemed to think about my question.

“I have been sent out on missions where the humans had already been killed and it was our job to hunt you down,” she said.

“Yes, but have you actually seen us kill?” I asked again.

“I just told you—”

“No, you said you were at the scene after we had been there,” I said. “But have you seen it with your own eyes?”

She was hesitant and that made it clear to me she hadn’t. She had seen us kill other hunters, but that was for our own protection. It frustrated her though. My questions made her question herself, but that was what I needed her to. I needed her to let go of all that manipulation and brainwashing and realize who the enemy was.

“I know you are killers,” she said.

“How?”

“Because my entire family was ripped to shreds by you!” she said and narrowed her eyes, coming into my space a little.

I see … so, this was also a personal vendetta for her. Now it was going to be harder to convince her that we were not the evil ones. Losing her family like that could not have been easy, even if we were only trying to protect ourselves.

“Come,” I said, and walked over to the door, knowing I couldn’t really do more right now to convince her to believe me.

Serena watched me, clearly not sure if she should follow me, but she knew she had no other choice and eventually, followed me out of the door.