Centuries of Sin : Book III

1.3

It had taken Sawyer two days to get where he had been told he had to go.

Two days of walking in the blazing sun all day and finding somewhere he could transform to sleep in relative comfort as a wolf.

Two days with no food, and only the stream water he drank as a wolf to stop him from ending up with dehydration.

Two days of dealing with the reality of how unpleasant it was to experience a crash after quitting drugs.

He would have been exhausted, starving, and dehydrated even if he wasn’t having to walk for hours without any chance to rest.

Now he was a couple of minutes away. He could see where it was he had been told to go right ahead of him. And it felt like taking another step was impossible.

He hated his sister for this. She knew that he would have to do as she had told him, or choose to die alone. He had no choice but to keep walking until he stopped outside the front door of his old house, and rang the doorbell, and waited.

There was a distinctive noise as the door was unbolted, and it almost made him panic enough to run. But it was too late for that.

The door swung open dramatically and he found himself wrapped in Selene’s arms as she hugged him enthusiastically.

He didn’t say anything. She was so happy she was laughing and her face was buried in his chest despite the fact he smelled like he had been walking in the heat for two days.

She finally let him go, and when she stepped back to look at him she seemed to find it a miracle. She had tears in her eyes, and he hadn’t seen her smile the way she was now before.

“What are you doing here? Everybody thinks that you’re dead.”

If he wasn’t so dehydrated there would have been tears in his own eyes. He had expected to feel nothing but hurt and shame when he finally saw her again, but now she was in front of him he was happy to see her.

“Can I come in?”

It felt stupid to ask if he could enter his own home, but even though she had seemed thrilled to see him he didn’t want to push things and assume he could stay there.

She pulled him into the house, wrapping her arms around him tightly again.

“I never thought I would see you again.”

He knew that she was crying. He could feel her tears soaking into his shirt.

What was he supposed to say to that?

He rested a hand on her upper back, awkwardly patting her because he didn’t know what else to do.

“I thought someone was here with you. You aren’t supposed to be living alone. I would never have allowed this if I knew.”

Selene looked past Sawyer and leaned over to shut the door and give them privacy, locking them away from the human world.

She immediately locked the heavy bolt on the door. It hadn’t been there the last time he was at the house.

“I don’t think now is the time to question my living arrangements. You need to drink something. And eat. And I will make you the best meal you have ever had in your life if you promise to shower while I am cooking.”

He smiled weakly. Her enthusiasm was tiring, but he was grateful for the offer and he could not have imagined that she would ever be as happy as she seemed to be now.

“I can’t pay you for feeding me. I don’t have anything.”

“I can see that. I didn’t ask for anything, did I?”

“No, I mean… this is it, Selene. I’ve got the clothes I am wearing and nothing else. No money, no phone, no I.D to try and find a f*****g job like I did last time.”

“Well then… I guess you should leave your clothes outside of the bathroom so I can put them in the wash.

“I will never be able to thank you enough for this. I’ve been neglecting you for…”

“…don’t. This isn’t about that. I don’t want to talk about what you should or shouldn’t have done. Just let me be happy that you’re here, please. And take a shower before I decide to make you sleep in the yard.”

He took off his shirt and handed it to her. She screwed up her nose at the smell of it, but that was mainly to distract him from the fact she was appraising his body.

She made a note to fetch first aid supplies after starting the food and hoped that he was too tired to know what she was thinking or to protest.

He hadn’t even thought about the fact it wasn’t just her there anymore until he went to fetch a fresh towel from the cupboard and noticed that Robin’s clothes were gone.

Of course. Even if there was no one protecting her, her son was there. He was just too exhausted to focus on things that weren’t finding a drink of water and a place to sleep.

The doors to both bedrooms were firmly closed. He didn’t dare open either of them. If she wanted him to see her son she would decide that for herself.

He cupped his hands under the tap in the bathroom, bringing handfuls of cool water to his mouth to drink before he even thought about turning on the shower.

He felt better immediately and took the time to look at himself in the mirror before he got into the shower.

His sister had injured him when she knocked him aside. It was more than a forceful shove to prevent him from knocking her down - she had known what to expect and she had a blade in her hand as she pushed him aside.

It was only two new scars, but these ones would never truly heal.

There were other minor scratches - a couple on his chest from where she had him pinned, and some which he had picked up from having to walk through less than hospitable woodland and brambles on his way there.

The water ran grimy as it trickled over his body at first. He was covered in dust and dirt, and despite knowing his sister thought he was stupid for it, he still couldn’t help feeling like it was symbolic. He was washing away the person he had been before he left, and it was refreshing to step out of the shower and feel like this was a chance to become a new person.

He wrapped the towel around himself and went back downstairs. He wasn’t bothered about modesty, and Selene was not as subtle as she thought when she looked at him before he went to shower. That was why he had taken the shirt off to begin with - he was silently asking for her help without having to further wound his pride by actually asking for it.

“Food first, then you let me deal with those. They look like they’re getting infected so don’t even try and argue with me.”

“Selene you could tell me I have to sleep on the roof right now and I wouldn’t argue. I’m just glad that you didn’t tell me to go away.”

“Just get into the kitchen.”

He was glad to do as she asked him. He didn’t care what she had made him to eat, her promise that it would be the best thing he had ever eaten would be fulfilled regardless.

“It’s not much. But hunger is the best seasoning, right?”

It was pasta. Something that took barely any time or effort to make, because she wanted him to have food ready when he was done in the shower. To her, that was not much. It was what she was expected to do as a bare minimum when she was living as Omega.

She disappeared while he was eating, and he realized after a few minutes that she had gone upstairs to see to her son.

It made him panic when he thought she might have decided to bring the child down with her, but she came back after a couple of minutes and apologized for leaving him alone without explaining why.

He had already finished the meal, and she looked guiltily down at the empty plate.

“I should have made more. You’d think I of all people would know how much to make for an Alpha who’s been through the wars.”

“I’m not an Alpha.”

He pushed the plate away as if it somehow affirmed the statement.

“You are. That just wasn’t the right pack for you to lead.”

“I appreciate the encouragement, but I’m not being self-pitying. I don’t know what the hell I am, but people follow me because of my name and the temperament they project onto me. I was not supposed to be in charge of that many people. I have never been as happy as I was when it was just us, and Elizabeth, and Robin. I wish Tobias hadn’t f****d it all up. We would have had a good life.”

Selene didn’t question the fact he had not mentioned his sister. She had no idea what had gone on between them, but it could not have been anything good.

“Maybe we can pretend none of that ever happened and start again one day. Is that too naive of me?”

He knew what she was really asking. She wanted to know whether Elizabeth would be showing up, or if something had happened to her, too. He did not want to talk about it, but he felt like he owed Selene an explanation after turning up at the house unannounced.

“I can’t answer that. Honestly. I don’t know if…”

“…you don’t have to explain anything until you’re ready to.”

“You have a right to know why I am here. You might not want me to stay when you know.”

“Then it should wait until tomorrow.”

“There’s really nothing you want to know?”

“Of course there is.”

She looked at him in a way he couldn’t quite decipher. He didn’t know if it was pity, or sadness, or guilt.

“Well?”

“You should stand up and get into the light so I can sort you out.”

The wounds across his abdomen were throbbing. He knew she was right about them getting infected, and if she didn’t want to talk to him he couldn’t force her to.

He moved to stand under the light, leaning against the fridge as she looked closely at the worst cut to decide what to do about it.

She knelt down in front of him to clean them with antiseptic, and he looked awkwardly away because it felt wrong to look down at her. He didn’t feel like he was better than her, and he didn’t want her to treat him like she used to.

“Stitches for this one, I’m afraid.”

“Again? Is that really necessary?”

He looked down now, pleadingly. He hated having to get stitches done, even though it helped him to heal far quicker and with a lot less discomfort.

“It’s down to you, but that’s what I’d suggest. She got you pretty good.”

“Alright, get it over with I guess. You know better than I do.”

She left him to get the things she needed and returned a moment later ready to start. She had prepared everything in advance because she didn’t want to keep him waiting long enough to change his mind if he agreed.

She started work without warning him, and he drew in a sharp breath and screwed his eyes shut.

It didn’t even hurt. It was just a weird pressure - he could feel what she was doing but it didn’t cause any pain.

“It doesn’t hurt?”

“Is that a question?”

“I guess.”

“I numbed it as well as cleaning it. Even if you didn’t accept that it needs stitches you deserve a couple of hours without it hurting.”

“Thank you. But I really don’t deserve anything right now, let alone someone being as considerate as this.”

“I missed you, OK? I don’t care what you have done to land yourself here, because you haven’t told me yet. I’d be happy with you staying with me without ever telling me if you weren’t so dead set on it.”

She rested a hand on his hip and moved his towel down a little with the other.

He looked down at her in shock.

“What are you doing?”

“This goes a little further down. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything, the towel was just covering the last part of it. I’m sorry.”

He relaxed, and then felt ridiculous for thinking she was trying to do anything inappropriate. She was just trying to help him.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who was being arrogant.”

Selene finished stitching the wound and stood up.

“All done.”