8.

Farryn entered the town slowly, her steps were calculated, eyes darting around trying to predict who might come at her first. “Farryn!” She jumped in alarm as Amelia ran towards her, concern bright in her eyes. “Goddess Farryn! Alpha Chandler came back and said the humans had come for you are you okay?” The kind twin held Farryn at arm’s length, her hands at Farryn’s shoulders as she took in the green-eyed brunette.

“I’m…fine?” Farryn responded slowly bringing the twins eyes to her own. “My arms…are broken b-but yeah, I’m fine.” Amelia quickly released Farryn’s shoulders at the news as if she was concerned she had been holding the breaks.

“What happened out there?” Farryn’s eyes drifted past Amelia’s shoulder, to the town behind her before focusing again. “Has Alpha Chandler said anything? A-Anything other than about the humans?” Amelia placed a sisterly arm around Farryn’s shoulder as she began to force Farryn to walk, heading in the direction of where the pack doctors’ home. She was assuming Farryn’s unease was due to the humans, not Chandler.

“No, no, all he told us was that they had come for you, said it was up to you to tell us what happened.” Farryn was about to look down to her shoes when her eyes noticed Ian, he stood with his arms crossed, back leaned against what they had turned into a school for the young pups. He was watching the pair as if he hadn’t recently been plotting the downfall of his alpha. He broke eye contact first, subtly dipping his chin to her before moving along.

“I need to talk to the Alpha about what happened before I tell everyone else. I’m sorry Amelia, you’ve been so kind to me, and I don’t mean to try and hide things from you but-“

“Farryn. You aren’t hiding something; you need to report what happened to the Alpha first and if he feels the rest of us need to know then I trust him to make that decision.” Farryn gazed at the beautifully kind woman beside her. It took her a moment before Amelia glanced over to Farryn. The smile she gave her was warm enough to keep Farryn alive for all of winter. Her heart cracked just a bit. Rae would have loved Amelia; she would have been Emily’s best friend, but Amelia was warm even when you didn’t want her to be.

The smile that Farryn forced probably looked more like a grimace but Amelia didn’t question it, she didn’t push for answers. She delivered Farryn to the pack doctors’ door and knocked twice before taking a step back. “I’ll have dinner ready by the time you’re done talking with Alpha Chandler.” She promised before waving farewell as the door opened. The older female who opened the door smelled strongly of lavender and other herbs that Farryn’s dulled senses couldn’t quite put a name to. “Can I help you?” Though despite her question the doctor’s eyes immediately fell to her limp arms at her sides.

“I… seem to have broken both of my arms.” Farryn would have shrugged her shoulders but knew the motion burned so she didn’t bother. A worried sigh slipped through the woman’s lips, but she ushered the young woman inside and shut the door behind her.

“Take a seat dearie, I’ll see if you’ll be needing casts or slings.” She informed her as Farryn sat down on the medical bed that she had been motioned to. The doctor rolled her seat up to her side as she gingerly began to feel along her left arm.

“My name is Rosemary. I’ve seen you around, but we haven’t had a chance to meet yet.” The woman’s eyes were kind but Farryn could see that she had witnessed a great deal. There was a saying that the eyes were the windows to one’s soul and Farryn had always thought it was just nonsense but looked at the older woman, the depths of her eyes seemed to hold countless stories, and not all were meant to be shared.

“I’m Farryn, nice way to meet someone for the first time huh?” She asked with a smirk, doing her best to hide her wince as Rosemary lifted her left arm to test her range of mobility before moving onto her right arm. The woman had yet to smile.

“When did you break your arms?” Those bottomless eyes followed her own fingertips as she poked and prodded at the break line in the bones. Farryn pursed her lips slightly as she attempted to roll her shoulders for comfort, but Rosemary held firm. “Does it matter?”

The doctor looked up sharply, “Yes it does matter because your arms aren’t broken, they are fractured, though you should be able to feel the difference meaning they had been broken days ago and you’re just now coming to see me about them? Do you have any idea how careless that is?” With a sharp huff, she turned away to dig through her supplies while Farryn scoffed quietly in disbelief.

Despite her wolf being gone her healing abilities had never quite gone away, though most recently they had actually improved. It was part of the reason why she had survived so long, her strong ability to heal kept her alive when it was harder for her to find food.

“You’re right Rosemary I’m sorry.” The woman narrowed her eyes as she turned back with two slings. “don’t patronize me.” She snapped before adjusting each sling with a gentle touch despite her sharp tongue. “young pups nowadays think they all know what’s best.” She grumbled under her breath as she guided Farryn’s arms inside.

“I better not find out that you took these slings off before I said you can!” Farryn sat up straighter, would have lifted her hands in surrender if she could have. “Yes ma’am.”

Farryn slid off of the table and paused to lower her head in respect before making her way out of the house. Her eyes slid around slowly to each pack member that was still outside despite the dusky sky. She hadn’t seen Chandler which was a good sign, or Ian which wasn’t quite as good but not nearly as life-threatening. Clearing her throat and her mind she headed back towards Amelia and Emily’s house.

Before reaching the door the hairs on the back of her neck rose, her instincts telling her she was being watched. She looked over her shoulder to find one of the pack members who had mainly been avoiding her watching. Their eyes met and he flashed her a roguish smile, even with a street between them Farryn could see his amber eyes, highlighted by his dark-colored hair. Her nose crinkled in contempt before finally entering the home and shutting the door behind her, but not before catching the wink he threw her way.

~

It was only two days before Farryn’s arms were fully healed, eating large meals that mainly consisted of meat helped speed the process up. Farryn had managed to hide out in the house for the time it took her arms to heal and after clearing up the misunderstanding about the severity of her arms even Emily backed off for a bit. But she couldn’t hide out forever and she knew that.

Farryn dressed herself in a solid black t-shirt and light blue jean shorts before leaving the house, Ian waiting for her just outside. “Goddess it’s about time!” Farryn frowned as she glanced around, was it just him? “I thought you wouldn’t ever come out, and your arms are healed well!” Farryn looked back to Ian, he had a glint to his eyes, his fingers couldn’t stop twitching.

“What is going on?” The streets were empty. Ian averted his gaze slowly.

“Chandler is on the warpath.” It was all that could be said before the rumbling growl echoed off the empty streets. Ian, surprisingly enough, didn’t cower at the sound though any smart wolf should have.

“I told you not to come back.” Farryn inhaled slowly, steeling her nerves as she turned to Chandler who looked like he was ready to tear the houses down around him in his rage.

“Did you? Apologies Alpha, I thought after getting the humans to leave your territory you would grant me the kindness to come back and heal.” Chandler’s steps didn’t falter as he approached Farryn swiftly, using one large hand to push her chest, to force her to back up a few steps to keep from falling over, and she let him do it, let him push her two times before finally stepping out of the way as he reached for a third push. Chandler’s nostrils flared,

“Grant you a kindness? A stranger that we know nothing about?” Now that Chandler has somewhere to release his anger his pack was slowly beginning to emerge. “You brought the humans to our territory in the first place to try and make it seem like you ‘chased them off’.” Farryn could hear the murmurs of concern at their Alpha’s claim, he wouldn’t lie to them, would he? Farryn opened her mouth to respond but it was Ian who spoke up first.

“That isn’t true at all and you know it. I was there, they weren’t even sure if it really was her! And you just walked off, instead of facing them with her, or to see what they had to say.” Ian squared his chest to his alpha, that blue beginning to bleed into Chandler’s eyes once more but Ian didn’t flinch, instead, he turned his back, and Chandler seemed to flinch. “He left a stranger to do his job!” Ian was now speaking to the growing crowd, but he didn’t get many more words in before he was tackled to the ground. Chandler pinning him down with a hand to the back of his head.

“If you value your pathetic life Ian than you will shut the hell up.” As Ian exhaled, he forced his neck to turn, glancing up at the male on top of him.

“Or what? You’ll kill me just like you killed my last alpha?” Chandler snarled loudly as he grabbed a fistful of the young male’s hair and forced his head up, just a split second from shoving Ian’s face back into the pavement when Farryn gave Chandler a sharp kick to his ribs. He turned his blue gaze to her quickly,

“Your fight isn’t with Ian, it’s with me. Or are you too afraid to get your ass kicked by a female?” Farryn didn’t know why she was egging him on, there was no possible way for her to survive a fight with Chandler. He released Ian’s hair with a hard shove before slowly rising to his feet, he was trying to control his breathing, it was obvious in the way his hands shook. Maybe he didn’t want to attack her because he knew he was going to kill her?

“What’s wrong Chandler? You were so ready to beat Ian. Why not me?” She pressured as she returned the gesture, he had given her, pushing hard on his chest with both of her hands, causing him to back up a step.

The pack around them gasped, she could see Amelia just past Chandler’s arm, she looked hurt to watch but couldn’t turn away. Emily stepped forward, a murderous look in her eyes as she drew closer as if she were going to kill Farryn for her Alpha. “Do not interfere!” Chandler commanded, she froze and for a moment looked as if she might defy him, before backing away slowly instead, even Ian scrambled out of the way.
“You must have a death wish huh? I gave you a chance Farryn. I didn’t want to have to do this, I have enough blood on my hands.” Farryn scoffed loudly.

“You don’t get to turn this on me! You don’t get to make me feel guilty for you being a murderer…” She inhaled sharply, her eye briefly meeting Ian’s who nodded his head slowly. It was all the encouragement she really needed as she turned her gaze back to Chandler.

“You are no Alpha, I challenge you for your title and your right to the Storm Pack.” Chaos erupted around them, his pack mates snarling and growling threats at her for daring to make such a claim, but a handful, a good handful near Ian, remained silent. Among them was Amelia whose face was pale. Those who remained silent at her claim though gave her hope that perhaps Ian had been telling the truth about some doubting Chandler’s rule.

While chaos went on around them Chandler turned his head, prepared to silence everyone, but giving Farryn the opening she was waiting for. She reeled her arm back, lifted herself onto her toes, and threw her fist forward, right into Chandler’s jaw. There was a loud crack that silenced the crowd, the sound seemed to echo. Farryn’s knuckles shattered on impact and Chandler’s head rocked. Time seemed to slow as he turned back to her, his canines elongated as blood trickled down his chin from his split lip as he snarled before launching himself at her.